Any band directors teaching their own students privately?

[Carroll]

First of all, yes... I do teach my own students. But it can be a tricky mess. The students who study privately (with me or someone else) tend to progress faster and thus play better. That means they sit higher in the section. Having your private student win chair auditions can look fishy, even if they clearly perform better. You must be willing and ready to deal with this phenomenon. There is also the appearance of "buying" first chair. One way to deal with this is not to charge your own band students, or to barter the lessons for work around the bandroom.

And you are correct in assesing that it will be parents that cause the most friction. When two of my students are involved in a chair challenge, I prepare both of them as well as I can, but someone will be the better player on the day of the audition. Since I have to make that decision, I could be accused of playing favorites. I already know the weaknesses of each player and so must take care when asking excerpts and excercises.

It can also improve your program, and your studio, to share your skills and knowledge with kids at your own school.

Good luck.

[Kevin Miller]

Record auditions and chair tests to cover your A$$. If a parent or student is not happy with the student's placement, you could easily do a side by side playback for each party and point out why they were placed where they are. As I write this I just realized how pathetic our society has become when we have to do such things to fend off such people.

[GC]

My school system has a Board of Ed policy that forbids a teacher to accept payment for tutoring a student in a subject that he or she teaches that student, so band directors may not be paid for teaching their students private lessons.

[Dean E]

That is a good question. Most state and local governments have ethics laws and regulations that prohibit using one's official position for personal gain. These are often criminal laws.

Teacher-student relationships need special protection against overreaching and the perception of undue influence because of the power imbalance. Teachers wield power over student grades, prizes and awards, assistantships, scholarships, and recommendations.

A sample ethics opinion by the Hawaii State Ethics Commission provides insight:

Hawaii State Ethics Commission Opinion 95 (1971)

"Secondly, the fair treatment section of the ethics law (HRS, §84-13) requires the teacher to be scrupulously impartial. Her ability to remain objective in grading this student could become severely compromised. Also, the extra instruction the student receives, particularly in regard to preparation for a test which all the students must take, may be construed to be an unwarranted privilege or advantage. Furthermore, the teacher's very employment by the parents may be considered the use of official position to gain a contract or special treatment, such as extra income for oneself.

Finally, even though the amount of money earned by tutoring may be modest, HRS, §84-14, requires that "No employee shall acquire financial interest in business enterprises which he has reason to believe may be directly involved in official action to be taken by him." The teacher's tutoring service will be affected by such official action as examinations and grading."

What do you think?

[GC]

Many years ago in my state there was a particular clarinet teacher who taught many of the top students in the state. It was not unknown for his students to drive for hours to get to lessons. There were questions raised several times when he auditioned all-state band clarinets and his students always took the upper chairs, while all other students ranked below his.

[ThomasDodd]

It's a tricky situation to say the least.

In larger communities, I can see a rule against lessons for $$ with students. Same with judging your students. The appearance of favoritisim is as bad as it being there.

But, in many smaller communities there is no choice. The town I was in, had no low brass teachers. The Band director played trumpet, and the assistant (his wife) played sax. Those were my choices for lessons outside of band class/rehearsal locally.
I might could have gone to an nearby school's director, but the choices would have been the same.

At least I knew my director, and he knew my strengths and weaknesses. He also knew what I needed to work on to get what he wanted from the group. Both were benifits to me and the program.

That said, I never took regular lessons due to finances.

[ThomasDodd]

Many years ago in my state there was a particular clarinet teacher who taught many of the top students in the state. It was not unknown for his students to drive for hours to get to lessons. There were questions raised several times when he auditioned all-state band clarinets and his students always took the upper chairs, while all other students ranked below his.

Top players go to a top teacher, and consistantly place well. Humm...

Isn't that what you would expect? The better players have the better teachers?

Would you expect the students of an amature tuba player to play as well as the students of a pro like Bobo, Baadsvik, or Self?

[Tabor]

It's a tricky situation to say the least.

But, in many smaller communities there is no choice. The town I was in, had no low brass teachers. The Band director played trumpet, and the assistant (his wife) played sax. Those were my choices for lessons outside of band class/rehearsal locally.
I might could have gone to an nearby school's director, but the choices would have been the same.

And ethically, it isn't so clear.

I can see how the law would be good for an urban area or some place where people have choices. Where I live, however, someone may have to drive 400 miles (ONE WAY) or more to find a teacher, and it is an impoverished community where many parents can't afford to keep a car running, much less pay for the gas, car, lessons and so on. In many areas the only question is IF they can have lessons at all, not with whom, and a law like this would steal any opportunity away from children.

The meager "payment" that many of the rural band teachers ask isn't for financial gain so much as responsibility. This is why some teachers let their students do a few chores to earn their lessons. Students often don't value something that is given to them as much as something that they must work for.

To be fair, I can see how politicians might see teachers as completely dishonest and accepting money and/or gifts are obviously attempts to buy favor. I can see how to them, family involvement, a hard-working student and a teacher willing to work with a student on their own time would be an outright bribe. I guess they are the experts when it comes to ethics...