I teach in 4 schools currently and have very little contact with the parents of the children I teach, though I do have most of the parents' email addresses and I do try to email them if a child does particularly well or if a child isn't making the progress I would usually expect.

My private pupils however are different. Most parents drop off and collect their children so I try to give a short rundown on the lesson and what I'm expecting from the coming weeks practice.

You can check what your child is supposed to be practising and add your own comments as necessary each week for the teacher to read.

I'm always particularly pleased when the pupil adds his/her comments. It tells me he/she has read my notes, understood them and tried to complete everything.

Even a simple tick beside each requested practice item shows that the child has made an effort.

You have enough knowledge now from my previous emails to understand what goes on in a music lesson and discuss your child's progress with the teacher in an informed way.

Music lessons don't come cheap. Get the most from the violin teacher and establish a good line of communication. Ask for his/her email address and get an update occasionally. This is particularly important during the lead up to music exams. My Top Tips on what you need to know about music exams and how to prepare for them are available on this site.

Things to look out for:

 

I can't begin to tell you how important a weekly practice notebook is. If your child is very young then you will of course have to read the notes from the teacher to your child. 

However ideally your child will open the notebook first before turning to any music and read what the teacher has written. 

I always try to write very neatly and use simple words so that my young pupils and read and understand what I'm writing. I use images where possible to make it visually easy to grasp. 

Again, I must emphasis that we are working towards your child being able to practice productively without too much help from you. This is the whole point of my Violin Practice Rescue Program

If you don't have regular contact then I suggest you ask for the teacher's email address or phone number and introduce yourself and ask for a progress update. Do this on a regular basis and work with the teacher to help your child move forward.

Is it possible for you to sit in on a lesson or two? If so, do suggest it and get yourself more in touch with your child's violin learning experience. 

Don't be afraid to write notes to the teacher in the notebook about how the weeks practice has gone. I'm always grateful for some parent input. 

Many children are left to their own devices when it comes to violin practice so when I'm aware that a parent is helping in what ever way they can I'm very pleased. I'm sure your teacher will feel the same.

Are you still using the weekly practice schedule? I gave you a template for this in the 'Getting Started' section. If so why not suggest your child take it to the next lesson to show the teacher?

I hope you have some success with these suggestions. 

ALCM                Associate of the London College of Music

ATCL                  Associate of the London College of Music

LRSM                 Licentiate of the Royal Schools of Music

A Fellowship follows the Licentiate qualification, for example FTCL is a Fellow of Trinity College of Music London. You may come across other qualifications such as a Diploma in Music, which is usually abbreviated to Dip.Mus, or a Graduate Diploma, abbreviated as Grad.Dip.Mus.  

The Bachelor of Music is abbreviated as B.Mus.

Of course having letters after a name doesn't necessarily mean he/she is a good teacher. However, it does show that they have been through some rigorous formal training and you would be safe to assume that they have reached a high level on their given instrument along with gaining a vast knowledge of music as a whole.  

Now all you have to do is find out if they are any good at imparting that knowledge to others!

If you are looking for a new teacher I recommend that you ask for a trial lesson or two. This will give you and your child the opportunity to meet the teacher without getting tied into any long-term commitment.

Try to establish their teaching style to see if it will suit your child.  

What are their weekly practice expectations? Will your child be able to meet those expectations?

Is the teacher a performer? Will he/she be away alot? Will they be able to make up lessons?

Do they teach during school holidays as well as term time?

Will the teacher also cover some basic music theory? Do avoid the quick 10mins theory tacked onto the end of a lesson. This isn't long enough to learn anything new or explain anything fully.