s/o piano lesson costs

[egoldber]

How much are piano lessons for elementary kids?

The after care for older DD offers lessons in various insrtruments. She's been asking to take piano lessons for several years now, but honestly it's really just never been a good time to schedule them in.

The lessons are private and they are charging $30 per lesson.

[janeybwild]

we have a younger piano teacher come to the house once a week for 30 mins, and she charges $15 per half hour. Our park district group lessons work out about $13 per half hour.

[Cam&Clay]

A few years ago, I paid $88 a month for a 30 min private lesson each week in my house, so $30 doesn't sound too far off from that.

[egoldber]

So how long is the lesson? I'm wondering if the lesson is 30 or 60 minutes.

[lil_acorn]

I'm in the NE and private lesssons are $25 for 1/2 hour.

[sunshine873]

I am in an area with a low Cost of Living, but I teach and charge $15 for a half hour lesson in my home.

[egoldber]

Thanks, I have an e-mail in to see what the lesson length is.

And to tack on another question, I really don't care how proficient she becomes, but I would like her to be able to play for her own pleasure. What sorts of things should I look for in a "good" teacher?

[mom_hanna]

I would look for patience and someone who knows how to make it fun (fun songs, games, etc to help in learning).

[Elilly]

We pay $20 an hour for a group lesson. In the 1st half hour, the students work on computers and play games that deal with music theory, terminology, keeping a steady beat, improving dexterity etc. Then, in the second half hour, they play together and individually. There are 4-5 students in the class. Taking it in a group has been beneficial for my dd as it also serves as a social event since she is quite shy.

[Cuckoomamma]

We pay $15 for a half hour, but the teacher is a college student.

Our teacher is very supportive and careful with her critiques of dd's playing. I'm much more intense about things and would be more tough with her if I was her teacher. It's been a great thing for dd to have someone less intense than me:) As a result, she practices 45 minutes a day on her own. The teacher only asks her to play 20 minutes a day.

The teacher is also a quieter, more studios type, similar to dd. I know that dd has come to feel that she's a role model for her. So, for us, it's worked out in many ways.

[g-mama]

We're about to start lessons and the teacher charges $30 for 1/2 hour. Many I have talked to say that is what they pay around here, a couple pay $25. 1/2 hour is the typical lesson length.

[Percycat]

And to tack on another question, I really don't care how proficient she becomes, but I would like her to be able to play for her own pleasure. What sorts of things should I look for in a "good" teacher?


It sounds like you have a unique opportunity for piano lessons that will really fit will with your busy family schedule. If your DD participates in the afterschool piano lesson program, do you really have a choice in piano instructor?

When I looked around for a piano teacher, I googled various websites and found teachers in my area and called them and asked about their program. I asked things like: what is your training/experience? how long have you been teaching? how many students do you have? what is the student age range and how long have they been taking from you? what what method(s) do you use? how do you incorporate theory into the lesson? how often do you have recitals? do you provide any other performance opportunities? what are your studio policy's regarding tuition, make-up classes... It was very easy to reduce this list after talking to the teachers -- even if you don't know what the answer should be to these questions right now, you will get a definite feel for the teacher's professionalism, competancy, and how well students and parents like taking lessons from the teacher. I narrowed my list down to three and asked to attend a recital. At the recital I was able to observe the depth of instruction, the variety of music played, listen to the musicality and preparation of the students, and most improtantly see the relationship and interaction between the students and the teacher.

In another post, I mentioned that I am teaching my kids right now, but this research gave me two teachers I will seriously consider when the time comes for them to go somewhere else.

In your case, I think I would try the school program just because it is so convenient. You can see if DD likes piano lessons. In the meantime, you can ask around for references and get more information if you decide a different teacher is appropriate.

Hope your DD has fun!
Angela

[egoldber]

You're right, I don't think we have any choice for the after care teacher. I was more musing how I would evaluate if I liked the teacher or not. ;) And at this point I don't even know if the teacher has any availability for the fall, I just know that they offer it.

Older DD is anxious and perfectionistic. Doing things that don't immediately come easy to her is hard for her. (I wonder where she gets that. :o ) She generally does best when she is given feedback in a positive way and gentle encouragement. She can be given negative feedback and responds well to it, but it needs to be given in a positive way (if you know what I mean) or else she tends to shut down and assume that she is "stupid". Her new word. :irked: .

[maestramommy]

$30/30 minutes isn't out of the norm, but maybe it's for 45 minutes? For a good teacher, I'd look for someone who keeps it fun, and does different activities during the lesson. For example, a little bit of warmup, a little bit of playing of the pieces, a little bit of sightreading/eartraining games, maybe a little bit of writing, which is still sightreading. Incentives like stickers are good for this age too, esp. for completed/memorized pieces.

[fauve01]

I'm in the NE and private lesssons are $25 for 1/2 hour.

:yeahthat: but i'm in So Cal. $25 for private 30-minute lesson at the teacher's house.