Finding a Teacher...

[peluna]

This board has been a tremendous help to me. So I'm wondering if anyone can help. I have a mondolin teacher whom I like but he is VERY unreliable. I would like to find someone who shows up to their classes on a regular basis. The only problem is that where I live (Charleston, SC) there doesn't seem to be any other teachers. How could I find a teacher in my area?

Any ideas?

[John Flynn]

I have had this problem also. If an instructor is really, really good, I will put up with a lot to get the instruction. But if I just "like" the instructor, issues like unreliability are unacceptable.

I tried a bit of a "radical" approach, after moving on from a string of instructors. It has worked out well for me, although I am sure it will not work well in every case. I found someone whose playing I really admired. #I attended a workshop he gave and determined that I liked the way he taught and that our personalities were compatible in that context. I called him and asked him to take me as a student. He told me flat out he did not take individual students. I tried some "persuasion." OK, I admit it: I begged! He said he would think about it. Weeks passed and I thought I had struck out. Then, out of the blue, he called me and said we could give it a try. Six months later, we are both very satisified with the relationship and I have learned a ton.

Now, it is worth saying that great players well are not always good teachers. I would add, however, that people who teach regularly are not always good teachers either, and some of them aren't even great players. I think teaching is a more of a combination of having the skill, having the desire to teach and having some empathy for the student, more than it is some special skillset, aptitude or experience.

So you have two-fold problem: 1) Finding a teacher and 2) Determining if that teacher will be good for you long term. My approach could only hope to solve problem #1. If problem #2 doesn't work out, move on and start over. I have gone through five instructors over the years before finding this one. The five were good players, good people and good instructors, but just not right for me. The search was worth it.