Commitment in music education

On Wednesday, I begin lessons with a new piano teacher at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music.  I am thrilled to start lessons with him.  He has decades of experience, extensive pedagogical knowledge, and tons of performance experience.

However, he has more than that.  He is compassionate and wants to connect with students in order to know them better and therefore tailor instruction to their needs.  

The evidence of this trait? He just spent an hour with me on the phone just doing a pre-lesson interview. I haven't (yet) paid a cent.  Still, he showed dedication to a new student by taking the time to discern my motivation for playing piano.  He has also mentioned numerous times that he is looking forward to teaching me.

How nice it will be to be under the instruction of someone who I know is truly interested in teaching me. Often, many musicians are teaching in order to survive financially.  This is completely understandable and to be expected. After all, meeting one's needs as a performer is next to impossible in this day and age.  Nonetheless, even if a music teacher would rather be performing, this attitude should not be displayed to the student.    If a teacher isn't finding joy in teaching music, it will be more difficult for the student to find joy in music.