Question: My recently engaged teacher says that the word “method” jars on her nerves. Kindly advise me whether a method is not the best thing for a novice, and, if so, which one?

Answer: Your teacher, while possibly a little over-sensitive, is not wrong. America is the most method-ridden country in the world. Most of the methods in vogue contain some good points – about a grain of truth to a ton of mere ballast. Your teacher’s utterance makes me think that you were lucky in finding her, and that you have excellent reason to trust in her guidance.

Source: Josef Hofmann, “Piano Playing With Piano Questions Answered” (first published in 1908)