Wow. It's been quite a while since I've updated this blog. My apologies for any readers I have out there.
The big news is, I have yet another instructor (this one is my third).
When I lost my first instructor, the thought occurred to me that it was the opportunity to perhaps study with one of the higher end instructors in Nashville. I got some recommendations and started making phone calls. One member of the Nashville Symphony called me back and let me know that he could not take on any more students, which was fine.
However, three of the instructors never replied to any of my emails or phone messages. This is a HUGE pet peeve. If your answer is that you don't take adult beginner students because you only take advanced students, that's fine. I understand that. Just say so. But to not even take five minutes to return my call or email is incredibly rude and inconsiderate.
But on to the good news of this post: I did find a new instructor through one of the local music stores. She's quite highly-credentialed and while that doesn't make one a good teacher, she has the gift of teaching to go along with the credentials. I love my new instructor. She's the principal cellist in several prestigious community orchestras, and teaches students of all levels, from children beginning to advanced. I'm extremely happy with the progress I'm making under her, and feel like I can really move ahead.
My advice to anyone out there considering the cello is to make sure to take your time to find the right instructor. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably take the time to take lessons with 3-5 instructors and pick the one that felt the most right.
Now, I do want to be clear that there was nothing wrong with my previous two instructors. They set me up on solid foundation for which I will forever be grateful. However, I just didn't think things were "clicking" so to speak, and couldn't escape the feeling that I was a bit mired where I was. It's certainly possible that I'm just working harder for my new instructor as a result of my enthusiasm, but regardless of the impetus, I do feel more velocity in my learning. So, if you're a new student, take some time to find the person who makes you feel comfortable and excited.
