I am really looking forward to that, Andrew! I have been working on some recordings of my own, but I am never happy with them, so they never make it to my profile... be sure to let us know when you have it done.

I don't like to say this, but I fully agree with Kara and Andrew. Lera lied. People who lie have no credibility. I hate being mean to people and I don't like arguments and I try to see both sides of the story, but if Lera won't give us her side, then there is no more point in this. I don't like raising old arguments, either, but apparently this is unfinished business. I really wish none of this would have happened. But it did, and now we need to either get over it or talk it out. And apparently there is still some unresolved issues.
I really do agree with you, schoolgirl, and I hope this doesn't change anything, and I think it is great you are sticking up for Lera, but I am sticking up for Kara. If Kara has a problem with this, then I will support her.

I don't see why we have to drag our forum problems into the post of a man who needs help with his daughter, a budding musician, and I hope he doesn't think any less of us because of this. (I am not trying to be accusitory and I hope everyone forgives me if I sound rude; I am not trying to be.)

Trying to think the best of people is difficult sometimes, and not all of us have been taught by life the same way, so not all of us will forgive and forget. I am sorry, I really am.

Friends,
I think my post "Lera is pulling our legs" was the first to throw the shadow of suspicion on that infamous crazy spell checker stuff. So pls allow me to float this remark:

I do not personalize, but it's sure to assume that every one of us has lied a little at least once in a lifetime. Could it be to our children, to our terminally-ill grandmother, to teachers, to customers, and so on.

We should all consider the Lera issue a thing of the past and forgiving that episode could become a lesson on living and getting on well with others, no matter their personalities, imperfections -but taking into account her/his good values.

Lera seems to have genuine problems with spelling and it is true it is a little bit frustrating and time consuming to decipher and understand some of her posts (not all, for sure). See does write perfect English (IMHO)now and then.

But if you, with English as a mother tongue complain about these misspellings, remember pls that a few people in this Forum and many, many ppl everywhere else do sometimes write a colloquial English (teenager-type) that is far less comprehensible than Lera's. At least for me.

Just an example (sorry tinuviel to quote you, it's for a good cause):

"i luv soundtracks too! ya i also speculated music for sim. especially for the first chapter! whoa".

Not evident at first glance and this is a rather simple colloquial writing. Sure you have all seen others far more difficult, if decipherable at all.

What I do when I see one, is consider that it is not addressed to me and just let it pass. And as it is usually the case, why bother or be upset?

We must be tolerant to the point of accepting others peculiarities, particularly in this kind of virtual and open forums and chat spaces.

This tolerance is something we all need to develop. And I would add that our politicians an religious leaders should also cultivate it as a priority.

Sorry lostintexas, as you noticed, we always tend to drift from the main subjects... something difficult to avoid, it looks like.

But you have received so much feedback to your question that surely you have now a lot of information to decide. As I said before, the step when you have to decide on your own is not far and it is unavoidable... Good luck again!

Lostintexas. I think your daughter will improve more with a change of teacher. It is quite irritating when a teacher tries to give unsolicited opinion about a decision that has already been made. And the worst of it all, your daughter could be sensing her teacher's dislike for her new flute, which in turn could have undesirable effect/s on her improvement.

I have a Yamaha. To me it is one of the best that I tried. But this goes with the fact that I have tried very few brands and none of them is a Gemmy. But to discredit the rate of your daughter's improvement based on the brand of her flute is outrageous.

I once borrowed a Powell with a harmonic cut headjoint from a friend for a week. It was quite harder to produce a good tone on it at first but when I finally managed to, it sounded truly terrific that I was quite swayed into investing for the same flute. Fortunately, I met my teacher who said that maybe I should consider waiting for a year to make a decision. He believes that a great player will sound beautiful in any flute and that it is possible for my Yamaha to sound as beautiful as Powell if I concentrate on my tone. He advised me to borrow the Powell again, play on it and record myself so that I will have a reference in the future. Second he gave me a list of brands of flute that I may consider trying if I upgrade in the future.

It is true that a poor quality flute can discourage the player but its quality will always depend on the player himself, in physique and perception. It is imperative that your daughter is comfortable and compatible with her flute regardless of the flute brand, so you have to ask her about this. I have a feeling that she is loving her new flute and if she really does, then there is nothing to worry about but the teacher.

Lostintexas. I think your daughter will improve more with a change of teacher. It is quite irritating when a teacher tries to give unsolicited opinion about a decision that has already been made. And the worst of it all, your daughter could be sensing her teacher's dislike for her new flute, which in turn could have undesirable effect/s on her improvement.

I have a Yamaha. To me it is one of the best that I tried. But this goes with the fact that I have tried very few brands and none of them is a Gemmy. But to discredit the rate of your daughter's improvement based on the brand of her flute is outrageous.

I once borrowed a Powell with a harmonic cut headjoint from a friend for a week. It was quite harder to produce a good tone on it at first but when I finally managed to, it sounded truly terrific that I was quite swayed into investing for the same flute. Fortunately, I met my teacher who said that maybe I should consider waiting for a year to make a decision. He believes that a great player will sound beautiful in any flute and that it is possible for my Yamaha to sound as beautiful as Powell if I concentrate on my tone. He advised me to borrow the Powell again, play on it and record myself so that I will have a reference in the future. Second he gave me a list of brands of flute that I may consider trying if I upgrade in the future.

It is true that a poor quality flute can discourage the player but its quality will always depend on the player himself, in physique and perception. It is imperative that your daughter is comfortable and compatible with her flute regardless of the flute brand, so you have to ask her about this. I have a feeling that she is loving her new flute and if she really does, then there is nothing to worry about but the teacher.

<Added>

Oppps. Sorry I posted twice.

lostintexas,

don't feel bad if you didn't get your daughter a Yamaha flute.
you did the right thing....you bought a decent flute for her to begin with. then, if she gets better you can decide to upgrade her flute.

don't be too affected of what the teacher said. getting a yamaha or changing brands doesn't really mean that it would improve the musicians skills.

it depends on your daughter's passion and skills.

to tell you the truth...my first flute was a yamaha...but doesn't mean i was already a good flute player...of course, i didn't have enough skills yet.i REALLY suck back then.ahhh...the good ol days....

lostintexas,
I'd also vote to stick with the gemmy for now and probably the same teacher. No offense meant to the others here but following a blind recommendation to change teachers mey result in one of three things and two are bad for the child's flute education.
1) Improved learning curve. If you can find a teacher to accomplish that...go for it.
2) Equivalent teacher with same learning curve. -That'd be rare.
3) Bad teacher, Loss of interest. Can't go back to that first teacher because the relationship is shattered. Selling of flute. .. School choir.
On the other hand if there is another good teacher available it may be for the best. It all depends upon the teachers in any given area.

As a private teacher, I can say that it is rather easy to get locked into trying to get one thought across to a student. We have a limited time weekly with students and as a result we try to make as much of an impression as possible in as short amount of time as we have. It is frustrating when that impression isn't getting across to them quickly because weeks are wasted. On the other hand, a good intelligent teacher needs to know when to steer a different course and get on with other things. This one needs a kick in the ^^^ but if your daughter has improved so greatly with this teacher, isn't that a positive direction that shouldn't be wasted.
Why is this teacher going on and on about this choice? Is she trying to sell a Yamaha? Is she doing this for what she thinks is the child's best interest or some OTHER reason? My only point is that good qualified teachers don't grow on trees.

It may be good to confront the teacher with something like, "Sorry that we bought this flute without your input but this was the best that we could afford right now. Maybe in a few years we will consider upgrading and will really need your advice." That may shut her up for a while.

I think that it's great that you are taking such an active interest in your child's flute playing. Some parents of students that I've had never even take the time to meet the teacher.

If your daughter actually goes into pro flute playing, wait and see what the real pro flutes cost. Something like a Nagahara or a Platinum Powell. It will be an eye opener.

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

lostintexas,
I'd also vote to stick with the gemmy for now and probably the same teacher. No offense meant to the others here but following a blind recommendation to change teachers mey result in one of three things and two are bad for the child's flute education.
1) Improved learning curve. If you can find a teacher to accomplish that...go for it.
2) Equivalent teacher with same learning curve. -That'd be rare.
3) Bad teacher, Loss of interest. Can't go back to that first teacher because the relationship is shattered. Selling of flute. .. School choir.
On the other hand if there is another good teacher available it may be for the best. It all depends upon the teachers in any given area.

As a private teacher, I can say that it is rather easy to get locked into trying to get one thought across to a student. We have a limited time weekly with students and as a result we try to make as much of an impression as possible in as short amount of time as we have. It is frustrating when that impression isn't getting across to them quickly because weeks are wasted. On the other hand, a good intelligent teacher needs to know when to steer a different course and get on with other things. This one needs a kick in the ^^^ but if your daughter has improved so greatly with this teacher, isn't that a positive direction that shouldn't be wasted.
Why is this teacher going on and on about this choice? Is she trying to sell a Yamaha? Is she doing this for what she thinks is the child's best interest or some OTHER reason? My only point is that good qualified teachers don't grow on trees.

It may be good to confront the teacher with something like, "Sorry that we bought this flute without your input but this was the best that we could afford right now. Maybe in a few years we will consider upgrading and will really need your advice." That may shut her up for a while.

I think that it's great that you are taking such an active interest in your child's flute playing. Some parents of students that I've had never even take the time to meet the teacher.

If your daughter actually goes into pro flute playing, wait and see what the real pro flutes cost. Something like a Nagahara or a Platinum Powell. It will be an eye opener.

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

dumb forum glitch

Hello,
I have a gemeinhardt 2sp that I purchased at a pawn shop for $120 dollars and I just made wind ensemble. I do not think brand matters a whole lot for beginners because at this point it is about perfecting your tecnique and tone on the instrument that you have and then that's when getting a better instrument really helps.

Can I tell her what I want to which is to kindly shut the hell up and stop sabotaging my daughters success with your relentless downgrading of the flute she has now which I thought I did a pretty damn good job of researching. I want to tell her I am saving money for a Yamaha so must discontinue lessons but my daughter enjoys the extra lessons. Do I upgrade? Am I ok to tell her " this IS my daughter's new flute and you either need to accept it and shut up about yamaha's or I'll find another instructor" ?

This is a pet peeve of mine.. Yes tell her.. and tell her good. If she wants her to play on brand whatever because she feels that is the only brand that will make a difference, then she (the teacher) should buy it for her. She has a perfectly good flute and if she (the teacher)is not skilled enough to guide this student with acceptable equipment, she should switch professions and become a dog walker..

I have no patience for teachers that are this overbearing...

True teachers don't act like omnipotent gods..I'd find another teacher too...

Joe B

Hey you guys, i wasn't sticking up for lera. ^_^ i just didn't want to bring up the conversation again. i understand what you think of her. i think we ALL do yea, can we talk about something else now?
sry, i sound annoying..it's important but we all get the point...

i dunno, it's okay, you guys could ignore me. oh, and i wasn't trying to say you were cruel to lera...

It's okay, schoolgirl! Don't get too upset; I agree with you, it's old talking about Lera...

I agree with you, too, Joe. Teachers should not act like gods. They are only human too and humans are flawed, just like teachers. Because teachers are human. (Wow, this is odd...) I would support you, lostintexas, if you just walked right up to that lady and told her to shut up about it. Just get a new teacher for your daughter, a teacher who will really respect her and you, because this other teacher is not respecting you at all.

lostintexas,
i'm just curious,
how old is this teacher?
or...do you know how long she's been teaching?