socks and violins: violins

[fabricdragon]

this post is in two parts..
rants about the lessons.  this can be catagorized as "whining" as well as asking for advice

Is it normal for a teacher to never have anything good to say about a violin?  the best comments i have EVER gotten from this guy about my violins was about the new one:"you got  a bargain" and "its not bad, probably not worth

Comments

[keastree]

Have you thought of simply asking him to be a little more positive and/or expressing your concerns? It would seem that the violin is something that you are doing for you, and that you need to have the constructive criticism and support that a teacher can provide to get whatever you are seeking from the experience.

[fabricdragon]

yeah

[fencer_john]

I run into the same thing as a fencing coach. There are other coaches/instructors that can fence rings around me, but I'm the better teacher. Often high level performers in a skilled subject (be it music or fencing) believe that qualifies them as good teachers. Rarely is this the case. They confuse the ability to "do" with the ability to "teach."

I have found this to be true in three different fields: programming, music, and fencing. I suspect that it applies in many other areas, if not universal.

[fabricdragon]

true. teaching is a seperate skill.
being able to think like an amateur also helps.
i find that i teach beginner knitting well, because i still remember the mistakes, can stil "get into the beginner mind" so to speak.....

i find it especially true among programmers... most of them seem to lose the ability to speak "english" when talking about computers. i know, my husband is a sys admin. i have tried having him explain how to do things on the computer.. NOT a good idea.

as an aside, my father fenced.. and i have always been interested in it. perhaps you can teach me someday. or recomend a teacher.