Singing teacher won't discuss with accompanist

Hannaho

Hi!

My daughter has a musical theatre singing exam in one week's time. Now it appears that her singing teacher has not prepared her properly and may not actually even be a registered singing teacher even though she advertised herself as such. Also, and more importantly, when we went to the accompanist who is very well known in music circles, she said that my daughter was not adequately prepared. She asked several times that the music teacher contact her re a key change in one of the songs etc. and other issues. She also offered that the singing teacher come along to one of the times that my daughter was goiong for accompaniment. I gave the singing teacher the telephone number of the accompanist several times, and offered that she could come with us to the accompaniment practices before the exams, but she absolutely refuses to contact the accompanist. My daughter is now very distressed about the whole thing, and after practising since September is not thinking of not doing the exam. I am also worried now that the 'teacher' has not prepared her for the theory part of the exam. The accompanist says we should just make the best of it and do the exam. We have got another well known teacher who teaches in a recognised music school to give my daughter some intensive lessons before the exam.

I haven't got a clue of music etiquette as I don't play music or sing - would really welcome advice in this situation - is the accompanist right and should the singing teacher be discussing things with her before the exam?

evolving_doors

What reason did the singing teacher give for refusing to talk to the accompanist?

Hannaho

None. She just kept refusing to call her, and no matter how many times we arranged for her to go to meet with the accompanist - 10 minutes from her by car - she would always cancel or say she had something else on.

evolving_doors

ya a bit odd, the meetup/run through with the accompanist is usually the last piece in the jigsaw before a performance. Maybe there is ' history' between the two! Also the singing teacher might have been a bit miffed that your child is getting lessons from another teacher at the same time so might be giving you the hint that shes not going to do anymore outside the required lessons. In other words... Have a, look for a new teacher...

All a bit odd but I suppose musicians can be a temperamental bunch.

Good luck in the competition, stay positive for your daughter. Maybe pass on the concerns of the accompanist to the teacher and act as a go between (make the best of a bad situation and all that)... Maybe the accompanist might be overstepping their brief too and they are missing something that they should know in the music!

mqq

my god

Hannaho

Hi! Thanks to both of you for your replies.

Armelodie, I have two intensive lessons booked with another teacher next week - the singing teacher that my daughter has had all year - the one that won't contact the accompanist - doesn't know that I have booked extra lessons for my daughter. The accompanist and the singing teacher do not know each other at all. I'm glad that this is seen as completely unusual. Why someone, especially a singing teacher, would try to make a mess of a child's first singing exam, I don't know. But I suppose there are a lot of weird people out there! It's Grade 3, Musical Theatre - my daughter who is 12 is aware now that the teacher didn't prepare her properly, and wants not to do the exam as she is afraid she will do so badly.

Dilbert75

Tough situation and it's most regrettable that your daughter has become aware of it. So your big task is obviously to get her to realise that it's just an exam and she can only do her best from where she is. It could well go a lot better than she's expecting. She needs to forget about the concern over the teacher till it's over.

From what you're saying, the singing teacher's behaviour is very strange. Even if she had a personal dispute with the accompanist she should behave in a professional manner - it doesn't sound to me like that's what she's doing. Reputation would stand for a lot for me here and from what you say it's the accompanist who has a better name, so I would probably tend to side with her opinion.

username123

Hannaho wrote: »

My daughter has a musical theatre singing exam in one week's time. Now it appears that her singing teacher has not prepared her properly and may not actually even be a registered singing teacher even though she advertised herself as such.

Although this does not solve your immediate problem, I would be asking this singing teacher for proof of her credentials and in absence of such Id be looking for my money back - you paid for a registered singing teacher, if you didnt get one, then you deserve a refund.

On the issue that your daughter may not be properly prepared, Id go ahead anyway and maybe do some research to find another singing teacher that is more reputable going forward.

Hannaho

Thanks again to all of you for your replies. I'm happy to report that my daughter was with the accompanist tonight and she feels she is doing really well, even without the 'extra' lessons from her original singing teacher. My daughter has been practising several times a day, every day, since she met with the accompanist two weeks ago. She has another session with the accompanist tomorrow. Meanwhile, the original singing teacher who would not link up/talk to the accompanist can't understand why I am so annoyed with her. I said that I did not think my daughter was properly prepared for the exam, and that I was really annoyed that I had to ask her to phone/meet up with the accompanist on several occasions, and she did not do so, thus putting my daughter's success at the exam in jeopardy. I also said that it was costing me about e300 euros extra to get my daughter the help she needed to prepare her properly for the exams at short notice. The response I got was that she was upset and would we be back to her after the exam!

The only other part which might pose a problem is the theory - as I don't know music at all, I don't know whether the teacher we had all year has adequately prepared my daughter for the theory part of the exam. Hopefully, the extra singing classes with a new teacher on Monday next will help.

Niamho!

Not 100% on the details, but is your child's singing teacher's name not listed on her application for the exam? or on the paperwork that you got back for her exam dates? Are there not fairly strict controls on that end of things, like is the teacher checked to see if she's registered/qualified?

I don't know maybe I'm way off on that....

I remember my teacher's name being on the paperwork, that's the only reason I ask.

rhapsody

I'm just wondering what everyone is thinking regarding "registered teacher"? I'm not aware of anything like the medical register for instrument/voice teachers, what do you mean when you mention the teacher being registered? Registered with who?

It sounds strange indeed that the teacher wouldn't communicate with the accompanist. In my experience, it's usually the teacher who arranges getting an accompanist etc! I take it you arranged it yourself Hannaho? I'm glad your daughter is doing better now; she can possibly take a few extra lessons for the theory part if needed, so she should be grand

wet-paint

Aye, you don't register with anyone to become a singing teacher, you just open up shop and start touting for clients.

Hannaho

Hi! Rapshody, yes I arranged the accompanist as I was asking the teacher for about four weeks to arrange it, and like with meeting up with the accompanist, she kept fobbing me off, until I got worried that the exam was getting close and got our own accompanist.

Wetpaint - on the day of the exam, the singing teacher turned up unannounced at the exam, and ended up ranting at my daughter and I about not turning up at her last few singing lessons - My daughter ended up in tears, the singing examiner heard the whole thing, as well as my accompanist and other parents, students and acccompanists waiting in the corridor. I had to ask her to stop and have some respect and explained that I was aware that she had not covered large sections of the syllabus as well as not contacting the accompanist to go over the music and that I had to get intensive lessons from another singing teacher to cover the missed material. She wouldn't leave and my daughter was getting increasingly upset. Evenutally the singing examiner opened the door to his room and my daughter, myself and the accompanist collapsed into his room, and it was only then she left. The singing teacher saw upset my daughter was and afterwards told the ladies in the examining office that he was aware of the commotion outside.

When we went for coffee said singing teacher was in the coffee shop - on the way out I said that it was an awful thing to do to a child before her singing exam - my daughter who was facing her said she walked away with another lady smirking and laughing. The next day when we got the result - 85 per cent - I texted her to say that despite what she had done, my daughter had done really well. So, if there's not register for singing teachers, perhaps there should be!

aisling03

Really awful but some teachers are like that. Fortunately we have the power to change.I have completed all the theory grades myself and teach piano and violin. With what exam board are you doing the theory exam?

riffmongous

Hm, dont post anything yet, but perhaps you should PM one of the mods here about if its possible to name and shame? It's probably not allowed but it's common practice on the Motors forum and might help someone else avoid the same bad service

Dilbert75

I wouldn't. It could be libellous. If anyone needs to know they can PM you.

riffmongous

Dilbert75 wrote: »

I wouldn't. It could be libellous. If anyone needs to know they can PM you.

Possibly, which is why I said contact a mod first alright, but if someone is providing a bad service there has to be some way of writing a bad review

Edit: I checked the motors thread and it's actually not allowed

Still I am sure you can find some other avenue OP

Wurly

Do not name and shame. Just a warning.

Thanks,
Wurly

Hannaho

Hi! Thanks to all of you for your replies. I wouldn't be interested in naming and shaming, apart from the libel issue - music circles are very small - the teacher in question made a show of herself in front of our accompanist. Our accompanist is very good friends with the accompanist that the singing teacher uses when she sings at weddings, funerals etc. and the singing teacher's accompanist is also our son's piano teacher. The singing teacher's accompanist was there doing accompaniment for someone else on the day and actually witnessed some of the singing teacher's behaviour. I would assume, when music circles are so small, that stuff like this goes around very quickly without me ever having to say anything else.