Jess4879 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 My 10 & 8 year old just started piano lessons. They have had 5 lessons so far. The teacher wants to move them from 30 minute lessons to 45 minute lessons. Is this typical? I was under the impression that they stayed at 30 minute lessons for several years? I know absolutely nothing about piano though, so maybe I am kidding myself. The 30 minute lessons are at the max of our budget, so I am not sure what to do. Can they not remain at 30 minute lessons, or will this hold them back? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curlymom Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I took piano lessons for a really long time and my lessons remained at 30 minutes for years. The important thing is that they practice nearly daily outside of the lesson. I think 30 minutes is plenty for a weekly lesson for beginners. If 30 minutes is your budgetary limit, the teacher should respect that. Maybe just ask the teacher if there are any specific things your kids should work on during the week, so they can be fully prepared for the lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 My kids(ages 8 & 10) just began this year and are at 30 minutes. I always thought that was pretty standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 My kids both take lessons. The 10 year old is supposed to have a 40 minute lesson (he's been playing for not quite 2 years), and the 6 year old just started half lessons (20 minutes long, at least in theory) last month. I say "supposed" to because while our instructor has a tight after-school schedule of piano students each afternoon, we come during the daytime when most other kids are in school. Since there's not someone coming in immediately after us she doesn't watch the clock very closely and usually ends up going quite a bit over with my two: I can generally expect her to spend more like an hour with my oldest and 30 minutes with the younger. I'm not complaining. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuzu822 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Our teacher does an hour lesson, even for beginners. Our six year old started this fall and has about 40 minutes at the piano and 20 minutes either recording one of his finished pieces (she produces a CD for each student at the end of the year) or 20 minutes in the "rhythm lab" working on theory. My eight year old spends the full hour at the piano and recording. He loves music and takes after his dad (organist). This is his third year of lessons. Here he playing a Beethoven Sonatina at his recital last year when he was seven: ETA: My MIL is a Suzuki piano teacher, and I think she does thirty minute lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 This is entirely dependent on the teacher and student, there isn't really a standard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I would do it with your ten year old but wait a year for your 8 year old. Unless he or she is a very focused, calm child *and* loves the teacher. My ten year old does 45 minutes with no problem and she isn't all that focused, in general. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grover Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 DD is working on March Slave at the moment! She (5) attends a one hour group lesson or a 20 minute individual lesson, and next year will switch to 30 minute individual. DS (7) has a half hour individual lesson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paula in MS Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 If 30 minutes is at the max of your budget, stick with that. For some of my students that are siblings, I have been known to "steal" time from a younger or less interested student to give to the older/more motivated student. This might work for your situation. Some weeks you could divide your hour into a 40min/20 min. You could also divide it into 3 20 minute segments where each student has a private lesson for 20 minutes then works together for 20 minutes on rhythm or theory exercises. The teacher is probably looking for extra time to go over theory topics. If that is the case, maybe you can split up your time more creatively. Thirty minute lessons are adequate for young beginners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roadrunner Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 My son is 9 and he has always had 45 minute lessons. Our teacher wants to make it an hour, but I can't figure out how to tell her without feeling embarrassed that I simply can't afford it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 My boys have half-hour lessons. My younger DS requested 15 minute lessons :) So I spoke to our teacher, and basically I pay for an hour and she divides it up as she sees fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Dd started at 30 mins and then moved to 45 after 2 years. Our teacher put theory in every lesson, even at 30 mins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuzu822 Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Dd started at 30 mins and then moved to 45 after 2 years. Our teacher put theory in every lesson, even at 30 mins. I should clarify that the piano portion of their lesson does include theory and they have written theory exercises each week at home. Our teacher has a unique "rhythm lab" where she incorporates games, technology, and a variety of other activities to reinforce what they do on the piano. :) I wasn't sold on the use of technology when we first started, but when I saw that it didn't interfere with time at the instrument, I was more enthused. For her wiggly students, I suspect she doesn't go over thirty at the piano and then takes thirty for the lab. Wiggly doesn't describe my older two when it comes to music lessons (or reading) so they have longer piano instruction. Math and writing is a different story, perhaps! ;) They also have hour-long group lessons throughout the year where they prepare group pieces, share their individual work, and learn about a specific composer. I was trying to remember my own music lessons, and I cannot recall if I ever had piano lessons over thirty minutes. Flute was my primary instrument and I know by middle school my private lessons were an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoJosMom Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 DD started at age 9 with 30 minute lessons. We upped them to 45 minutes after 2 years. She is progressing nicely, but she is certainly not a prodigy. The teacher asks for daily practice, but just a 10 to 15 minute session at a time. Her teacher takes a very gentle approach, which works very well for my DD. HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Practice time here for my dd10 is 40 minutes but that's very gentle - around here the really amazing teachers require one hour minimum of practice per day! And they have to sign a contract. We are thankful to have a normal piano teacher who isn't making prodigies just kids who play reasonably well. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Practice time here for my dd10 is 40 minutes but that's very gentle - around here the really amazing teachers require one hour minimum of practice per day! And they have to sign a contract. We are thankful to have a normal piano teacher who isn't making prodigies just kids who play reasonably well. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IsabelC Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I had 30 minute lessons for the first 6 years or so, and then 60 minute lessons. Just depends on the teacher, student, parents, and what level/material is being covered. Did you ask the teacher why she/he wants to increase the lesson length? Because your kids are particularly gifted and the teacher wants to move ahead faster? Because they concentrate well and the teacher thinks why not work for longer at a time? Because the teacher is financially strapped and wants the extra money (hopefully not but you never know)? If the kids are preparing for an exam, recital, audition, etc. then the teacher should be able to accommodate a couple of longer lessons as a one-off, or even some extra lessons, for that purpose. You certainly don't have to increase the lesson time if that doesn't suit you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted October 8, 2014 Author Share Posted October 8, 2014 Thank you for all the replies! This has been so helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted October 8, 2014 Author Share Posted October 8, 2014 I had 30 minute lessons for the first 6 years or so, and then 60 minute lessons. Just depends on the teacher, student, parents, and what level/material is being covered. Did you ask the teacher why she/he wants to increase the lesson length? Because your kids are particularly gifted and the teacher wants to move ahead faster? Because they concentrate well and the teacher thinks why not work for longer at a time? Because the teacher is financially strapped and wants the extra money (hopefully not but you never know)? If the kids are preparing for an exam, recital, audition, etc. then the teacher should be able to accommodate a couple of longer lessons as a one-off, or even some extra lessons, for that purpose. You certainly don't have to increase the lesson time if that doesn't suit you. The teacher has said since day one that the kids are picking up on things very quickly and today she said they needed extended lessons because they are now doing scales. ?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodlebug Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 I'm a violin instructor and would never suggest pushing lesson time (and the lesson budget) up after the first FIVE LESSONS! Barring some extraordinary circumstances, of which I've NEVER encountered despite some very accomplished students, I would continue with 30 minutes and reconsider annually as your children grow in their ability. Stella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Hmmm,.. Well my dd's teacher usually gives 30 minute lessons. She said however that my daughter seems to really enjoy the lessons and ste always practices enough so that her material is always mastered by the next lesson. This means that the teacher can give my dd fun supplemental songs such as Disney tunes, and hymns. But this takes time because the supplemental song must be learned at the lesson and then practiced. Having more time in the lesson gives the teacher more space to add fun things and/or cover more material faster. I would definitely move to 45 minutes especially for your older one. It really has been a plus for my dd!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
................... Posted October 8, 2014 Share Posted October 8, 2014 Just to give you an idea...In my dd's piano, she goes over all songs from the previous week. Then she goes over theory. That takes a long time since she usually has 4-5 songs and needs a little correction here and there. Then they move on to her Hanon practice book and learn that, then they work on Chords, then they learn 3 new songs, usually one supplement and two from her lesson book. If we had only 30 minutes there would not be enough time for the supplemental work and that is my dd's favorite part because she picks those songs herself! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotAVampireLvr Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 we do a half hour of instruction and then when at home I require everything played 3x during a practice session... (we've only been taking lessons for a few years) I used to require a certain amount of minutes for practice but then he dawdled. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peaceful Isle Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 My girls take piano and their lessons are only about 30 minutes each. I could see how my oldest could really benefit from longer. I just don't have the extra cash to make that happen. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwik Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Given the prices I have seen most people are probably limited by funds. If you can't afford it that is just how it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbaeimers Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 My girls (7,9) have 30 minute lessons. I can not see the point at this time to have longer lessons. In this weeks lesson my 9 yo did 5 scales, a Hanon piece, a duet with the teacher 3 songs, and went over theory. It does not seem at all like there is not time to finish everything even though she is working on many songs at once. I did want to say that the above video of a 7 year old playing was pretty amazing to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 Thanks all! I am going to talk to the teacher and request that the 30 minute lessons be maintained as long as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kerileanne99 Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I have a very wiggly almost- 5 year old and her piano lessons are 1 hour total...however, only 30 minutes are at the piano with the instructor (and even then she is very flexible.) Alex then has 30 minutes of theory/game time in the rhythm lab. I was worried it would be too much, but she LOVES it. Her violin lesson usually runs closer to 30 minutes, but I would bet that is closer to 15 minutes of actually playing. Violin is a lot harder for this kid as she seems incapable of standing still:). I don't mind since the lady comes to our house and it is really quite inexpensive. One thing common around here is offering homeschoolers a bit of a discount as they can attend during non-peak hours. I think we get $200 off of our annual price just because we can go before 3:00 pm. Is this a possibility with your children's instructor? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warneral Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 what books are you using? My dd has 5 books (Alfred's) and goes through a LOT of material each lesson. It doesn't leave much time for the teacher to explain but dd seems to be natural with piano and so it works for them. I can see how 45min might be more useful, but this teacher always does 30min increments which seems to work for her. She is very efficient IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 I think that is long for kids that age. My son had one teacher who moved him to 45 mins at around 10. Then she retired and we moved to a different teacher and he keeps the kids at 30. My boys are now 9 and 14. I should add that our old teacher had a very difficult time sticking to a 30 min lesson because of how she taught. It was a personal difference. When I hired our new (now not new) teacher I assumed he wanted my older boy to stay at 45 mins. He seemed surprised he was at 45 mins and told me he saw almost all his students for 30 mins and he doesn't feel the need to go longer until a student is quite a bit older and more accomplished. He teaches music and theory at a music college, btw, so he teaches quite a lot. He is naturally a more efficient teacher and, I think, more mindful of the attention spans or kids, and wallets, of parents. Look, a private piano teacher is aware that people are paying and it can be a struggle. Just tell the teacher, 'we can't do 45 mins right now. Maybe we can revisit in a couple years, but not now." Trust me, you won't be the first. If the teacher pressures you or argues about it, change teachers. I would stop lessons in a heartbeat if I got pushback. And I do understand. My son gets voice lessons and we just cannot afford 1 hour. He takes 30 mins and that is what we can do. At first it was NBD because he was young, but we have continued at 30. I noticed recently that we are her only 30 min student. All the rest, even those younger than my son are at 60. I feel a little guilty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jess4879 Posted October 9, 2014 Author Share Posted October 9, 2014 what books are you using? My dd has 5 books (Alfred's) and goes through a LOT of material each lesson. It doesn't leave much time for the teacher to explain but dd seems to be natural with piano and so it works for them. I can see how 45min might be more useful, but this teacher always does 30min increments which seems to work for her. She is very efficient IMO. They are using Leila Fletcher Piano Course 1 and A Dozen A Day books. There are three books total. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doodlebug Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 Thirty minutes is a very short period of time. But with an efficient teacher, it can be done. I think what concerns me is that most experienced music instructors start with an initial meeting, followed up by a contract that spells out lesson time length, fee schedule, etc. I would consider it a professional oversight on my part if I felt it necessary to change things up 5 weeks in. Older teacher? Musical training? Looking at the method books, which are old school, I'm thinking you have a kind and possibly very experienced community teacher who wants more time with your kiddos to do the things she loves. Not a bad problem to have. But that's a matter of efficiency, not a necessity to up the budget on your end. Stella Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SierraNevada Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 DS(6.5)'s lessons are an hour. He has had two different teachers already after only taking lessons for six months. The first class was three months with two other kids, so the longer lessons were necessary to deal with all kids. The next three months with an independent teacher have also been an hour (and she frequently goes over). I feel like his current teacher is less organized and not at good at keeping him on track. They frequently don't even get through all the songs he learned the week before. There seems to be a lot of wasted time. Practice time is however long he needs to complete his songs, usually at least 30 minutes daily, up to an hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted October 9, 2014 Share Posted October 9, 2014 10 mins for piano pieces 10 mins for scales and appregios 10 mins for theory Your children can easily learn as much music theory independently as possibly and use lesson time for questions. Same for piano pieces, if they prep for class the teacher just need to point out errors or improvements on interpretation. Theory, aural and sight reading took more time at the higher levels so lessons do eventually go to 45mins and then to 1hr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moonhawk Posted October 10, 2014 Share Posted October 10, 2014 DD(5) is officially going for 30 minutes. But the past two lessons she has gone over time, for a total of 45 minutes. Her teacher officially starts kids 7 and older at 45 minutes. She said the past two lessons were anomalies and hasn't charged the difference since it was at her discretion (and not because my kid was goofing off or anything), but if they continue to run over she will start her on an official 45 min lesson when she turns 6 (January). I know as a kid myself, I did half hour lessons until I was 6, then started hour lessons. I never thought it was too long, but the first 15 minutes or so were spent on theory, then Hannon and scales for 10-15 minutes, then pieces, so it was broken up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.