I started a new adult piano student about a week ago. I met this sweet lady who just wants to learn to play jazz piano. My understanding is that she took some lessons with a local self-proclaimed jazz expert that came highly recommended. I don’t know the guy, and didn’t recognize his name. But the way she described her experience was really unfortunate. Apparently he spent the majority of time talking and there was pretty much no time of her on the bench actually playing the piano with him assessing, correcting, directing her playing.

This is a trend that I’ve seen actually several times myself in the last week or two when I have probably wasted my time, but actually clicked on some free webinars that various different self-proclaimed music teachers were offering online. In each of those a similar thing was seen. These cats will talk for 30, 45, even 60 minutes, and they will offer little to no actual applicable instruction on the instrument. This is tragic, and something you will not experience at TIA. At TIA, and with all great music teachers, it’s your butt on the bench, you are the one we want to be playing and making the music. We are there to help guide you, to teach you, and help you understand what’s happening (or not happening) with your playing, you aren’t there to hear us play. Even if you want to hear us play, that should not be the focus. There are plenty of other opportunities for that.

We won’t waste your time. Let’s make music and make better music, and have fun—focusing on your goals and the music you want to make!