<<As Little Miss Hates Confrontation (seriously), I have always moved in
order
to break up with someone, voice teachers, friends, husband (again,
seriously). Do you HAVE to say anything to her? Can you just say you've
decided to take a break (unspoken text: "from her") and you plan to start
up
lessons again soon (unspoken text: "not with her")? I'm just thinking
about
what someone else said - she may be better connected, at least locally, than
you know, and you don't want to tick her off. Or you could say that you'd
like a longer lesson time, and with her busy schedule, you knew she didn't
have time....
I know, I'm a wimp. I just hate hurting people's feelings, even if I don't
like them, and more so, I hate having people be angry with me.... >>
Christine,
I am like you. I HATE conflict. If I had ever been in a situation where I
wanted to change teachers, I probably wouldn't have. As it stands, I have
only had two, and I am quite happy with my current one. I must say that my
current teacher surprised me (probably because I don't get around much!)
when she told me before my first lesson that a new Russian bass had joined
the staff, and that if I wanted to study with him, that would be fine with
her. When I quizzed her about this "open" approached, she said she had
always been that way...never holding grudges against students who left her
studio, and encouraging her students to get the best education they could
get. If a better education was with another teacher (or if they "thought"
that), then good luck. I was floored with the lack of ego-centrism that I
was accustomed to seeing in a voice teacher. It really made me change the
way I teach at my school.
In some ways, this makes me mad at many voice teachers, who threaten and
bully their students into staying in their studio. I mean, why try to
"make" a student a student stay in your studio who obviously thinks they are
not getting what they need. Now, I have had students leave my studio, and
then change their mind once they start studying with someone else. I try to
let them know that they are always welcomed back, but I think it is hard for
students to go back, after getting the courage up to even say something to a
teacher.
FWIW,
David Grogan
Marshall, Texas
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