What to look for with teachers....oh and please explain the grades

Hi Andrew,
as you explained in one of your videos we should also have a "real life" teacher, so I am looking for one but I don't really know what makes a good teacher, what should I be looking for? As a beginner I guess anyone who can play can teach me stuff, but that may not make them a good teacher .......and lets face it I am a fantasitic teacher of the french language....ok sure I can't speak a word but my students don't know that do they, but they still pay their fees

Lots of people advertise as piano teachers, and they have letters for qualifications etc but I haven't got a clue what it means, and does it matter? after all we have all had teachers in school who knew their subject backwards but couldn't impart the knowlege for love or money.

So I would be interested in seeing a lesson on choosing a teacher. The other part is the grades, could you please explain these, how many are there? are they universal grades or do they differ from country to country or planet to planet )

And could you give an idea of grades, IE people like Elton John, Billy Joel, and good ole Stevie Wonder what kind of grade are they? (don't worry it's not like Elton can punch hard, and Stevie will miss anyway....but you might want to consider your grading of Billy....ex boxer and all !

thanx.

Hi CaptainAhabNZ
I noticed that no one had replied to your post so I thought I would write my 2 cents worth
I am a music teacher in Australia and although I dont teach piano, I think I can help you

Firstly the teacher
It depends on what you mean by 'good teacher' Each person judges their teachers SO differently. I have had students that have though that I was the best teacher in the world and others who simply just hated the way I taught! Maybe the first step is asking yourself what you would want in a teacher. Is a good teacher someone who is inexpensive? Qualified? experienced? flexible? Some of the best teachers I know are flexible yet a little less experienced then others. Generally, the more experienced and educated the teacher is the more expensive they are. Maybe work out whats important to you.
Generally though experience and qualifications are the two big ones that most of my prospective students ask about

Qualifications are different for every country. Make sure that they have at least an Diploma of of Music from a reputable music school or passed at least grade 6 of NZMEB (New Zealand music education board) These organisations may even have a list or teachers that you could look at. Other ways to find a teacher is to ask around! friends, music schools/ colleges , public schools, places where teachers teach. Anoyther place is music shops all these places usuallyhave a list of trusted teachers in the area which they have used before so phone around!

This leads to grades. These are mainly done by NZMEB althought I think you can do other countries grade systems in NZ like trinity (England) and AMEB (Australia) Yout piano teacher should be able to point you further in that direction but a starting point is the NZMEB website http://www.nzmeb.org/?page=home

I do think that it's also about how your personality fits with a teachers personality. Because it has been proven that some people just dont mix together, then we got those who mix "okey", and those who has the exact same personality fits perfect.

But too perfect isnt better than "okey", since personalities fitting "okey" are actually are better to "hang" with than perfect.

This apply's more to teachers who learn you, and not a group.

Thanks for that, but I have already found a teacher and it is working out great & I am sitting the Trinity grade exams which is a real eye opener, but it is helping hugely to understand the music, and my playing.

Mind you I have had to re-learn all the note value names because in New Zealand we don't use the whole, half, & quarter note terms etc, we use semi-breive, minum, crotchet, & quavers! but I've got the hang of it now!