Top 5 Concerns From Parents About Music Lessons

It’s normal for parents to have concerns about signing their kids up for lessons.  They want to make sure the teacher is a good fit, that their child will have fun and that they’re getting their money’s worth.

I’ve spoken with a lot of parents in my 15 years of teaching.  I’ve learned what parents expect from teachers, what they may not understand about lessons, and what their biggest concerns are.

My goal is to give prospective parents and students a glimpse into the inner workings of private music lessons and show them what to look for when hiring a music teacher.

“Lessons are expensive.”

Teachers set their rates based on numerous factors including how in demand they are, their level of expertise, commute time, whether or not they provide materials like books and sheet music for free, etc.

Many teachers don’t charge enough (especially those just starting out) and will lower their rate in an effort to compete with other teachers.  This is detrimental because it devalues all of the great work that teachers do. When this happens, even the most qualified teachers (who are worth paying extra for) are forced to lower their rates. When teachers are paid less than they’re worth they end up under-performing and giving lessons that they feel are commensurate with what they’re being paid.

Don’t choose a teacher based on their rate! This is definitely a scenario where you get what you pay for. Is the teacher you’re considering a generalist or a specialist? Compare their rate to those of other teachers in the area.  Consider their location, education, experience, and any “extras” that they provide in addition to the weekly lesson.

“My child won’t like his/her teacher.”

One of the biggest factors in a student’s success is the relationship they have with their teacher.

Your child’s teacher is someone who they will see regularly every week for 60 minutes. That’s potentially 52 hours a year!

A healthy teacher/student relationship has trust, honesty, support, and friendship.  It’s important that your child’s teacher provides a safe space where students can feel comfortable expressing themselves and making mistakes as they learn how to play their instrument.

Not all teachers are good with kids. If your child doesn’t get along with their teacher then it’s time to move on. It’s worth putting in the effort to find the best teacher you can even if that means traveling farther or paying more.

If the teacher you’re considering offers a trial lesson take this opportunity to see how they interact with your child and if they’re able to make a meaningful connection within a short amount of time.

“My child isn’t practicing enough.”

It’s fair to assume that young students won’t have the internal drive and discipline to practice on their own. They’ll need motivation from their teacher but also from their parents throughout the week. There are many tips and tricks to make practice more fun and accessible but here are just a few:

• After each lesson, when arriving home, the student should take their instrument and lesson materials out.  This will make the instrument readily available for practice and will set the precedent that music isn’t just a once-a-week activity.

• It can be helpful to designate a certain time of day to practice ie. after dinner/chores or in between homework subjects as a “break” from their school work.  Eventually this will become a habit and a routine part of their day.

• Pretend you’re the student and your child is the teacher. They’ll love getting to tell you what to do and it will help reinforce what they learned each week.

Often I structure my lessons as a practice session. I make it a point to show students different practice strategies and how to practice which is a skill in and of itself.  This gives them a clear practice plan and shows them how quickly they can improve when given the right tools.

“My child will end up hating music.”

It’s true that there are a lot of bad teachers out there who unfairly pressure their students and basically ruin the music making experience for them.

Teachers forget what it was like to be a kid discovering music for the first time.

Teachers get caught up in perfectionism and forget that students need to make mistakes to learn.  A mistake can actually serve as an opportunity for exploration.  Pointing out mistakes can make the student feel embarrassed but they soon realize the value and creative impetus that mistakes can provide.

Teachers underestimate the value of discovery and letting students figure things out on their own.  When teachers give their students too many rules to follow it can lead to information overload, a fear of failure, and can be paralyzing.  When a student is able to find their own solutions they develop a sense of owning their accomplishments and they become more confident to take on new challenges.

We all want to have fun playing music.  If we can find ways to make music fun then practice won’t feel like work, mistakes won’t be feared and discovering new music will be exciting.

“I don’t want to be charged if I miss a lesson due to circumstances out of my control.”

Teachers have many different types of cancellation/makeup policies.

Many give no refunds and no makeups for missed lessons. Teachers claim this strict policy encourages students to come every week but this quickly backfires when students insist on coming to lessons sick, injured or severely late because they don’t want to waste their money.

Other teachers may allow makeups but only under certain strict conditions such as requiring at least 24 hours notice of a cancellation (rarely possible in an emergency!) or requiring that makeups are completed within 30 days or they are forfeited.

Teachers nowadays are beginning to understand the value of a good customer experience and are taking a more lenient approach to cancellations/makeups.  They realize that if they themselves want to have the flexibility to reschedule lessons then they need to allow students the same privilege.

When deciding on a music teacher make sure their cancellation/makeup policy works with your scheduling needs! When the focus of lessons is more on “who owes who” we can easily lose sight of the bigger picture.

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Hopefully this short write-up has helped you understand more about the nature of private music lessons and what to look for when considering who to hire as you child’s music teacher.

If you have any questions regarding music lessons or would just like to chat please feel free to contact me!

Sincerely,

Joe Martone