Who is qualified to teach private lessons to a beginner?
There is an assumption that anyone with music experience can teach others up to their level. It s easy to find private teachers who may say they will take beginners only. This may be due to a legitimate preference or it may be because the teacher only has an intermediate education on the instrument. Just as we wouldn t consider hiring a person with a ninth grade reading ability to teach eighth grade readers we shouldn t hire music teachers who lack a substantial background in music. The best teachers tend to be college graduates with music degrees. There are exceptions, but less qualified teachers sometimes don t have an understanding of the finer points of a young musician s development.
