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Most states don’t require private music teachers to have any certification.  Since there may be dozens (or even hundreds!) of music teachers in your area, it can be very difficult to pick a private music teacher.  Here are some tips to help you pick the best music teacher.

Where to Find Music Teachers

Before you hit up the classified ads for music teachers, go to your local resources for a recommendation.  If there is a college in your area or advanced music school, call them and ask if they can recommend a music teacher.  Often, they will only recommend their own alumni or students.  Students may lack experience but are often cheaper and have more enthusiasm for teaching.  You can also ask the local elementary or high school music teacher for a recommendation.

Pay attention to see if there are any recitals happening in your area.  If you are impressed by how the students perform, then this is a positive reflection on the teacher. At the Music Teachers National Association website, you can find out if there are any music teachers in your area.

If you don’t have any luck with these methods, go to the local music store and ask if they can recommend a teacher.  If this resort fails, then start interviewing music teachers through classified ads.

Is the Teacher Right for You?

Each music student has his/her own specific needs, just as music teachers have their own specific styles and specialties.  To get the best music education possible, it is important that you choose a simpatico music teacher. You will want to ask the music teachers:

• What style of music they specialize in (jazz, classical, pop?)
• What technique do they use for teaching music
• What opportunities will you have for performing, such as competition or recitals
• How can the teacher help you prepare for advanced auditions

If you have no music training, then it can be difficult to pick a music teacher which is right for you because you don’t yet know what your learning style is.  Make sure to ask the music teachers how they approach teaching beginners.

Interview Questions to Ask Music Teachers

• What training have you had? What degrees/certificates do you hold?
• Do you belong to a musical society?  Which ones?
• How often do you perform and where?
• How are payments made?  What will happen if I can’t attend a class and how will the class be made up?
• Can parents observe their children’s lessons?
• Have any of your students been accepted to music academies/colleges?
• What techniques are used in the lessons? Do you incorporate any learning tools like computers?
• What music repertoire do you use?
• Do you also teach music theory?
• How and when is progress assessed?
• How much practice time is required?
• What do you expect of your music students?

Approximately 4-8% of all school-aged children in the US have dyslexia, make it the most common learning disability in the country.  Most experienced music teachers have already encountered dyslexia in the classroom or their private lessons.  Unfortunately, recognizing dyslexia isn’t always easy, especially when a teacher may assume that another problem (such as inadequate practicing) is causing hindering the student’s progress.

Teaching music to dyslexic students presents a unique problem separate from other educational problems associated with the disorder. While there are numerous teaching methods in place for teaching reading and math to dyslexics, there are few resources for teaching music to dyslexic students.

If you know that your student has dyslexia, then you can initiate a learning system when the music lessons start.  In many cases though, the parents are still unaware of the child’s disorder and thus the music teacher is also unaware.  A music teacher must always be on the lookout for signs of a learning disability in students as parents can’t always see these problems.  If a student is not progressing despite sincere efforts and enthusiasm, then dyslexia could be the cause.  Music teachers should also be on the lookout for repeated problems with identifying musical notation, such as confusing C and G or the directionality of notations.

Tips for Teaching Music to Dyslexic Children

When teaching reading to dyslexic children, experts recommend breaking words down into smaller parts, or phonemes. They are encouraged to understand the individual letters of words and how they string together to make a complete word.  Then the children are encouraged to read out loud and build up a vocabulary.

These same ideas can be applied to teaching music to dyslexic children.  Always first break down musical notation into the individual notes.  While explaining the notes, the teacher should always play the note so the child can learn by ear.  Repetition is important for the student to build up a musical vocabulary.  Since dyslexics often have problems which short-term memory, it is important to keep lessons broken down into parts.  Be sure to repeat the beginning parts of the lesson at the end of the lesson to reinforce what was learned.

Remember that dyslexics have problems which directionality.  This can be a problem in music since we often talk about going “up or down” or “left and right”.  Thus, teachers need to find a creative way of talking about music tone, pitch, etc. that the student can grasp.

Experts recommend a multisensory approach to teaching music to dyslexic students.  This will help reinforce the music education while slowly building up music reading skills.  Group lessons are often very helpful for dyslexic students.

On a basic level, there are some simple things that teachers can do to help making reading music easier for dyslexics, such as:

• Color coding notes
• Enlarging music so it is easier to read
• Darken middle lines of the staves and first ledger lines
• Rewrite music with all the stems going in the same direction
• Write the music proportionally (half notes are two times bigger than quarter notes)

The Suzuki Method for teaching music was founded by Dr. Shinichi Suzuki, a Japanese violinist and music educator.  He was born in 1898 and began to teach himself the violin when he was in his late teens.  Suzuki decided to move to Germany to dedicate himself to studying the instrument.  In Germany, Suzuki befriended intellectuals like Albert Einstein who would help shape the music education method he would later develop.

In Germany, Suzuki struggled to learn the local language.  His difficulties led him to think about how people learn languages.  He noted that children do not have difficulties learning their native tongue.  Children are also able to quickly pick up on foreign languages as well. Suzuki theorized that the process of learning a language is very similar to learning music.  If a child was taught music in the same way as he is taught language, then all children could become proficient in music.

Back in Japan, Suzuki developed the philosophy which would later become the Suzuki Method used by music educators worldwide.  The essential belief of the Suzuki Method is that a loving, positive environment is crucial for learning music.  Other beliefs of the Suzuki Method include:

• That music should be incorporated into many aspects of daily life and children should be exposed to music from a very early age
• Children should not be tested for “music aptitude” as a prerequisite for learning music.
• Music education should begin early in life
• The training of the music educator is very important; educators should be competent in playing music though a formal music education is not necessarily important
• Students should primarily learn  music by ear, just as children first learn language by hearing and not reading
• Students should play as a group as much as possible
• Students should regularly review all of the pieces of music that they have learned
• Students should perform music frequently so that it is not stressful

The goal of music education under the Suzuki Method was not to produce master musicians or prodigies. Rather, Suzuki emphasized what he called “Talent Education”.  In English, the term “Talent Education” loses some of its meaning.  In the original Japanese, the word “saino” was used, which means development of both talent and ability.  The talent/ability can be in a skill or in one’s character. Thus, Suzuki was saying that children can develop their characters as they learn musical skills and knowledge.

Teaching with Suzuki Method

Teaching music with the Suzuki Method mimics the process in which children learn language.  The students must be in a positive environment where they are encouraged to learn.  Learning language occurs through:

• Listening
• Encouragement
• Repetition
• Progressive steps
• Memorization
• Building vocabulary
• Family participation
• Love

When learning music, the students must frequently and regularly listen to music.  The earlier the student is exposed to music, the better.  Some advocates of the Suzuki Method even recommend playing music for the fetus in the womb.  Encouragement means a positive reinforcement of music lessons, not discipline or forcing children to learn. The encouragement must come from the teacher and the parents.  Families are encouraged to participate in the learning process, such as parents attending the lessons.

One of the unique aspects of the Suzuki Method was designing a progressive repertoire for learning music.  As students learn music, they should regularly review all of the music that they have learned in order to understand technique and style.  As the student progresses, music reading is incorporated into the education.

The Suzuki Method has received some criticism because of its focus on learning by ear and also for playing in groups.  Critics say that Suzuki Method students don’t learn to read music nor learn individual play. However, today’s Suzuki Method educators also incorporate other methods of teaching music to students so the students get a well-rounded musical education  while still in a loving, encouraging environment.

When school budgets fall on hard times, the arts are always the first to be cut.  Already, too many school districts know this from first-hand experience.  In the state of Kansas, for example, over 185 music education positions were cut out in just the period from 2008-2011.  Now, Kansas and other states across the country have announced that more cuts are on the way.

At first glance, the nation seems to be doing a decent job of providing youth with music education.  According to a 1999-2000 study from theNational Center for Education (this is the most recent study available), 94% of elementary schools and 90% of high schools in the United States offer music education.  These statistics do not, however, indicate the number of music educators, the quality of the education, nor how many students at the schools are actually being educated.  According to the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, upwards of 1/3 of elementary public school students in the US do not have any music education.

Not surprisingly, it is the low-income areas which get music education cut from schools first. Studies indicate not only that low-income areas are getting less access to music education, but also that their music education is of a lower quality than higher-income schools.

Opponents to music education budget cuts make appeals on the behalf of music, citing meaningless facts like “music makes you smarter” or “children who study music have higher SAT scores.”  While these may be positive arguments on behalf of saving music in school, they inadvertently are dismissing music education by saying that music is only important because it enhances other aspects of learning.  Instead, we should be advocating for music education as something which is equally as important to learning biology or mathematics. If school districts tried to cut math from the program, they would be met with massive protest – not to mention legal action. Yet, not all students go on to use biology in their careers just like not all students will become musicians. So why are music and other arts always the first to go?

There is more than ample evidence to support the importance of music education in schools.  Music education helps students learn collaboration, improves cognitive skills, teaches cultural, and promotes self-discipline.  Thanks to integrated teaching methods, music education now helps students grasp technology and learn skills which can be applied to all aspects of life. Those students who do choose to pursue careers in the arts will be furthering our cultural identity, something of invaluable importance.

 In order to save music education, advocates need to start promoting the importance of music education in its own right – not just as something which exists to enhance other parts of education.  The same applies to other art education programs in schools.  As we can see from experience, once these programs go, it is difficult for them to come back and our children suffer in the meantime.

When one of your senses is removed, the other senses strengthen in order to compensate for the loss.  Thus, it is no surprise that blind people tend to have a very good ear for music.  Throughout history, there have been numerous successful blind musicians. Some of the most notorious blind musicians include:

• Andrea Boccelli
• Stevie Wonder
• J.S. Bach (in his old age)
• Stevie Wonder
• Ray Charles
• John Kay

Before the 19^th century, blind people wanting to learn music were mostly self-taught and had no formal education.  Things changed greatly for the blind community in 1825 when Louis Braille devised the Braille system of reading for the visually impaired.  Many people don’t realize that Louis Braille also devised a system of Braille music. It utilizes the same 6-position cell as standard Braille but has completely different symbols to represent musical notation. Virtually all musical notation can be written in Braille music.

If you are an educator who may be taking on a blind student, then you should know that reading Braille music is not difficult.  If your student has not had any instruction, then you can learn Braille music at the same time as the student, staying just a few steps ahead of the student in the learning process. There are also tools to help you convert Braille music into literary notation or visa versa.  Some of these tools include:

• Dancing Dots
• Toccata
• FreeDots
• BrailleMUSE
• Braille Music KIT

It is possible to order Braille music sheet online or through your local music store. If you happen to live in Stockport, UK, then you will also have access to the world’s largest collection of Braille music in the National Library for the Blind.  You may also want to have your student order computer software which can scan sheet music and transcribe it into Braille. Get creative with using other technology tools such as MIDI, notation programs, screen reading programs, audio programs, and synthesizers for enhancing the learning process.

The only main difference with teaching a blind person music is that the student must memorize a piece before playing.  To make the process easier for beginner students, break songs into small, manageable pieces.  You can also incorporate tools to make it easier for the student to memorize the song, such as playing along or using rhythm counters.