The Cellist’s Journey #3 Life with a Cello Teacher

First of all, do you really need a cello teacher?

There are now so many YouTube channels and online forums to do with cello playing, maybe that's sufficient?

You can for sure gain a lot from these websites, especially if you have played an instrument before. You can pick up some tips and get started.

The websites don't see or hear you, though. Cause you'll for sure have lots of questions when you start practicing. And maybe you'll find your answers on Quora or Instagram or Reddit or YouTube, and maybe not.

And maybe you don't want to use so much energy on internet searches.

A cello teacher will likely see and hear straight away how you can overcome one obstacle after the other. A teacher can point out where you're tensing your body without being aware of it, and how that gets in the way of your playing overall.

A teacher can see in an instant how you can use your energy more efficiently, and to point out possible bad habits before they grow roots and become very hard to get rid of later.

A teacher can also play together with you, which can be very rewarding and enjoyable, as well as being the groundwork for your future music making together with others.

But taking private cello lessons can be expensive. The teacher has to include VAT and taxes in the price. The teacher might be paying rent for the space. And you're not just paying for some minutes of their time, but for decades of their studies, experience and practice.

If you're not able to pay the required sum of money, you can of course ask them if they can give you a discount. The worst that can happen is that they say no, and that you have to look elsewhere. It's worth asking, since many teachers will want to accommodate someone who wants to make the cello a part of their life.

In some places you can sign up for group lessons, which are probably more affordable than individual lessons. Learning in a group can be really nice if you get along with the others and can therefore get a sense of having a community of beginner cellists, which can be very motivating in itself.

But this is not for everyone.

It's impossible for the teacher to address everyone's individual needs in a group, and therefore you might feel frustrated that your needs are not met, or that you are either learning faster or slower than the rest of the group.

Attending a group lesson can be an exciting experiment though, and if you like the teacher you can ask if they also teach individually.

A more affordable option is to get in touch with the music conservatoire if you live in the vicinity of one, and ask if any of the cello students would like to have a pupil. Chances are high that that's the case, and being students they don't charge as much as a professional. They nevertheless have many years already of cello practice under their belt, and you can likely find a satisfying teacher among them.

With the possibility of online teaching, you can of course roam the internet and find a teacher anywhere in the world as long as you share a language in common.

Online cello lessons can be surprisingly effective. Through the screen and the microphone, the teacher will be able to get a good impression of how your playing has improved and how it can improve further.

But in the very beginning you'll likely want help with tuning your cello. It's not uncommon for beginners to break a string when they start twisting the tuning pegs for the first time, and then you might also need help with changing the string.

Also, playing together is something that doesn't work well over the internet.You also won't get the full impact of the teacher's own playing when they demonstrate something.

That being said, online lessons can be a great and perhaps more affordable option, but preferably in combination with lessons in so-called real life.

Cello teachers are needless to say all different from each other.

If you have an idea of exactly what you want to learn, and even what kind of structure you prefer for learning a new skill, communicate that as early as possible to the teacher you're reaching out to.

For instance, if you know that you prefer to learn using the Suzuki method, or if you prefer to take things as they come and see what happens, or if you need a clear frame around everything where you are learning technique and theory in a structured way, these are all things that your teacher would love to know about.

You might have one lesson with a teacher and afterwards feel disappointed, while if you had voiced your needs and interests during the lesson, the teacher would have been able to give you a completely different experience.

What I've seen the most though, is that beginner adults are simply interested in playing the cello and there are no strong preferences for methods of learning. If that's the case then finding the right teacher for you comes down to personal chemistry, and of course practical aspects such as when they are free to teach and how far you'd have to travel.

Music schools, at least here in Scandinavia where I'm situated, tends to have lessons every week. This is for many adults a bit too often, and when they feel they don't get to practice enough in-between the lessons, they feel bad and might decide to quit altogether.

I have some adult beginner students who prefer bi-weekly or even monthly lessons. That way, they have time for all the other things in their lives, as well as to practice between the lessons.

Cause it's of course up to you to shape your cello life in a way that is sustainable for you long-term.

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