The Complete Idiot's Guide to Teaching Music on Your Own Review

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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Teaching Music on Your Own ReviewI've read several books on this subject, and they range from mediocre to good. This one is the best. It covers business side of things, the teaching side, and is not overly biased toward any particular cultural or stylistic assumptions. The writing style is wonderful and accessible. It will be basically things any experienced teacher knows, though they may be worth revisiting.
There are only a few minor issues. Ms. Berger has much more broad perspective than many authors, but she still insists without true justification that all piano students need real acoustic pianos. That is simply wrong. Learning on an acoustic will be a different, and in SOME ways richer, experience, but calling it a necessity is unfounded. Furthermore, she suggests that a cheap keyboard lacking touch sensitivity is "worthless." In truth, while dynamics from touch sensitivity are wonderful, music has been made for hundreds of years on non-touch-sensitive instruments including organs and harpsichords as well as cheap keyboards. Instead of using extreme and simplistic dismissing terms, she should have simply explained what the compromises are. She could even have gone so far as to clarify that she does not allow her students to use such cheap keyboards.
More problematically, Berger is a little too accepting of the idea that lessons could cover a majority of musical content that students dislike. I disagree entirely: students should be able to play mostly music they are thrilled to play. As in other areas of life, some students need to be taught to be open-minded and give things a try, but the goal is certainly to have students finding intrinsic reward and play mostly music they love. These issues are minor, however. I am sure that Ms. Berger would have better addressed these points if they had been brought up in editing. The bulk of the book shows a very thoughtful and open-minded attitude.
These minor complaints are literally the only faults I found in an otherwise comprehensive and superb book.Topics covered include:
Music skills
qualifications
pedagogy
business stuff
home teaching studio setup
traveling teachers
various venues
group lessons of all sorts
rates and pay schedule
taxes
studio policy
scheduling
personal vs work time
marketing
meeting students initially
parental observation issues
group lessons
transfer students
teaching preschoolers
elementary age students
practicing by task, time, or goal
parental involvement
other student activities conflicts
middle school and high school
special needs students
adults: learning, scheduling
practice ideas: logs, awards, motivating repertoire, probation (practice or end lessons)
test observe practice (students demonstrate their practice)
dealing with behavior problems
parents' too low or high expectations
boundaries and gender issues
discontinuing lessons
method books & related...
how pop music is more rhythmically complex than classic
advanced issues such as theory and differences in instruments (how piano tends to not train for nuance and tuning and solo instruments not aware of harmony etc)
jazz & pop in addition to classical
using technology: recording, software, internet
recitals
competitions / exam / judge...
teacher training / certifications
online teacher resources, forums
professional organizations
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Teaching Music on Your Own Overview

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