From Mel McIntyre,
Your Guide to Piano.
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If you've decided to learn to play the piano, you need a good teacher. But how can you tell a good teacher from a not so good one?

Good piano teachers should be:

• Patient
• Encouraging
• Firm but fair

Your teacher should be an experienced, practicing musician. You'll also want to make sure the teacher can take you as far as you want to go with your studies.

Start by telephoning the teacher and asking these questions:

• How many students have you taught?
• What level have they achieved?
• What type of music do you specialize in?

If you want to learn to play jazz piano or boogie woogie, make sure the teacher is able to teach you those styles. Some teachers are only comfortable teaching classical music, and many don't play by ear. You need to match your needs against the skills of the teacher.

Lesson Format

It's also important to know how the lessons will be structured. Try to find out:

• The length of lessons. Most teachers offer lessons for half an hour up to an hour, depending on the age of the student.
• Where lessons take place. Will the teacher be giving lessons at your home, at his home or in a nearby school or studio?
• The cost. There should be a going rate for private piano lessons in your area. If you aren't able to find out what that is, ask the teacher.

Before you begin taking lessons you should meet with the teacher and see if you like each other. Many teachers will give students a free trial lesson to see if they enjoy it. But even if you have to pay for your first lesson, it's important to make sure you feel comfortable with the teacher.

You can find names and telephone numbers of piano teachers by:

• Looking in the phone book
• Checking your local library
• Asking teachers in local schools

If you know someone who's already taking lessons, ask for the teacher's telephone number. If the teacher is too busy to take you on, he or she might recommend another teacher to you.