Transfer Student 101 - Transitioning Your New Music Students

Not all of your new students will be brand new beginners.  Some will transfer from other teachers, which is awesome, but has its unique challenges at times.  This post addresses ideas to help for a smooth transition.

Get-to-know-you Interview

Holding a get-to-know-you interview with the student and parent(s)/guardian(s) can benefit all parties.  You can get a feel for the skills acquired by the student already, and can assess their level of playing.  You can get to know the student and vice versa, so you have a better idea about whether the personalities are a good match.  The parents can see you in action and also feel confident of their decision to hire you.  I like to offer these interviews for free, and they only last a few minutes, but I find them very essential.  Doing this interview (by the way, I don't like to call it an "audition", because that sounds too scary for little kids) can eliminate problems down the road.  I will put up a post soon with ideas on how to conduct the interview, so stay tuned!

"But my other teacher said this..."

This one makes me laugh every time I hear it.  Not in a mocking way of course, because I'm sure other teachers are doing their best and I'm sure most of the time the students simply misunderstood the teacher's directions.  Hearing a student say these words in itself is not so much a problem, but when it's coupled with resistance to starting anything new or making any changes, then this can cause issues.

It is essential to build up good rapport and trust with the new student.  They were comfortable and familiar with their past teacher, and they are making adjustments and getting to know you starting from nothing.  Show kindness and encouragement, and most of all be very patient with the student.  Take time to get to know the student beyond music, such as sports, hobbies, interests, school, family, etc.  This helps to earn trust and shows you are interested in the student as an individual.  You'll be surprised the things you hear from your students when you stop to listen, and I think this is an important role we play as teachers, and also helps us tailor our teaching to meet the individual's needs.

One of the best ways to address this has to do with the wording you choose.  Instead of saying, "No, your other teacher was wrong, this is how you do it...", simply say, "Okay, well now that you have learned so much about the violin, you are advanced enough and ready to do it this way..."  By saying it this way, you are not discrediting what the former teacher taught (which probably was taught correctly but misunderstood by the student anyway), and you are helping the student feel confident in their abilities and ready and excited to move forward.

Correcting Sloppy Habits

I choose ONE thing at a time to master; otherwise, it's too overwhelming for the student (and you!).  Try setting small goals with the student and add on as they master these, rather than trying to change everything at once.

Most often, it's best to leave all the old pieces behind, even if they aren't completely mastered yet, and start fresh with new pieces.  This is exciting for the student to learn new pieces, and you can start with a clean slate instead of trying to fix engrained habits in old pieces.

Give the Other Teacher the Benefit of the Doubt

This may be unnecessary to say, but I feel like saying it anyway.  I'm ashamed to admit that there have been a time or two when I have received a transfer student and thought, "What the heck were you learning with your other teacher??"  But I assure you that I don't do that anymore (maybe because I'm more mature now and I'm not 14 years old anymore...)!  As music professionals, it's important to remember that we are all doing our best, and as I talked about earlier, if we see problems with a student's technique or other things, it may be that the student misunderstood, or was in the process of making changes and corrections when they switched to you.  I remember one student, who was a transfer student to me, who had poor intonation and struggled with shifting.  We worked on ear training and scales and a number of other things, and I tell you what, that student made SO much progress!  She wasn't quite 100%, though, when I moved out of state, and I'm not sure which teacher she ended up going to next, but I remember feeling self-conscious and wondering what the other teacher would be thinking about me as a teacher.  I didn't want the next teacher to think I allowed my student to play out of tune, or that I didn't take measures to fix the problem.

So, my whole point here is: give the other teacher the benefit of the doubt, and certainly keep a good professional relationship by not bad-mouthing other teachers.  Heaven forbid someone might be thinking the same untrue things about you, which you certainly don't want.  Be kind, respectful, professional, and give the benefit of the doubt.  And then move on.

Just a thought I wanted to share, even though I'm sure you all are already awesome in this regard.

If you have other ideas that helped with transfer students, or issues you'd like to discuss, feel free to leave a comment below.