Music people - input on group lessons?

[eternallytired]

I'm always long-winded, so I apologize in advance.  Feel free to skim. 

 

ODS started taking classical guitar lessons over the summer.  I like the lessons quite a bit for a young learner (not quite 7) because they're much like Suzuki.  He's in a group lesson (3 being the ideal group size) because that's what the program recommends.  He is in a class with two girls almost exactly his age.  I do agree with the studio that lessons are more fun with other kids and that it's good to learn how to play with others right from the start.  The problem is the pacing. 

 

DS is super passionate about guitar and also has more free time than the other kids, since they're in school.  When we were getting new material, he'd practice for at least an hour each day, and he mastered new songs quickly.  We got our last new material 3.5 weeks ago (4 lessons ago).  It was a song with 3 parts, and DS had mastered two of them by the next lesson; the other girls were still working on the first part.  By the following week, DS had nailed all three parts.  This week, after two more weeks of practice on the same material, one girl had tentatively learned all three parts, and the other girl had just mastered the first one.

 

The teacher had been really good about always having something new to work on--fingering corrections; a different, jazzier tempo for an old song; a new exercise.  Three lessons ago he suggested playing along to a metronome, which DS has loved.  Two lessons ago he suggested altering a warmup slightly--something that didn't really excite DS.  This past lesson, he had nothing new to suggest, despite my request for a challenge.  Next week there is no lesson, so we have two weeks with absolutely nothing new to work on; he said we'd probably get the next song in three more weeks.  The teacher did email later that night and offer to think of something for DS, but I haven't heard from him since then.  DS's motivation has tanked.  Last night he actually asked to play a game on the guitar tuning app instead of practicing.  This from a kid who was practicing 90 minutes a day as of two weeks ago (and still 45 minutes last week). 

 

I emailed the teacher again, but here's my question: In your experience, are group lessons generally a good thing?  Does the pacing gradually even out as everyone gets used to the instrument?  I don't know if this is normal growing pains with a group that just started 3 months ago (and had several weeks where one student or another was out for vacation), or if it's going to continue to be frustrating and I should look for an alternative.  I'm hoping the teacher would say something if he thought it was going to be a long-term problem, but I don't know.

[kirstenhill]

I don't have experience with group lessons, but it does sound like your DS would do better in a situation where the pacing could be tailored to his enthusiasm. I would bet that most young 6-8 year old instrumentalists are going to be like my 8 year old, who barely has the patience to practice guitar for 15 minutes. Time availability isn't the issue...he just doesn't have the patience yet. Even my 11 year old is having a great day if guitar practice lasts more than 30 minutes.

[Matryoshka]

Switch to private lessons.  He needs to be allowed to go at his own pace - I do not think things will even out; I think the gap will either widen, or your son will end up getting so frustrated he loses interest, which would be a real shame.

[MrsWeasley]

My kids both have group lessons and private lessons in their instrument, and while I think group lessons definitely positively impact them as musicians, if I had to choose, I would have my kids only in private lessons. For a highly motivated kid like that, I think private instruction plus an ensemble group would be ideal, as I do think playing with others is very important.

[Doodlebug]

A group lesson of three students is certainly far better than other scenarios I've encountered.  That a child emerges from a small group like this impassioned about an instrument is a good sign.    

 

Group guitar/violin/piano lessons are generally an introductory course to an instrument.  They aren't meant to be intense... So, while I understand your current frustration, it's your son's needs that have changed.  That's a good problem to have.  :)    

 

Your gut is absolutely right in telling you that the current scenario is no longer meeting the need... and yes, a private instructor is the way to go at this point.  But know that the group lesson scenario has done exactly what it was designed to do!  You/DS aren't going backwards!  His hit-the-wall moment is your sign to change.  It isn't the end of the story.    

 

 

[Arcadia]

My boys started with doing their cello lesson together for an hour but now they have individual time with the teacher and together time. It is suppose to be 20mins individual each and 20 mins together. However DS10 is a hyper fast learner even if he practise less than DS9. So sometimes teacher end up doing 10 mins with him and spend more individual time with DS9. The music school they go to have free ensemble if they want to participate.

 

For your son, private one to one would be better and then adding a guitar ensemble for group fun. A few music schools we looked at has one to one lessons and a group recital where kids get together to practise a few pieces. So both the need to advance at your own pace and the need to learn to play as a group are met.

[Michael12]

Group lessons for a short time can be a good low-pressure way to gauge interest. My hometown had a summer program that ran every weekday morning for 8 weeks, I think. One class (30 or 40 min.?) option was an introduction to a particular instrument in a setting of say, 8-10 kids. Over a few years I got experience with several instruments: clarinet, guitar, harp, snare drum, and piano. The first on that list ended up being my fourth grade band instrument the following year (just did small group pull-out lessons in school, never anything else). That summer program also offered a full band class, so that was an introduction to playing with others. The last instrument I continued with outside lessons starting in first grade: one year sharing a lesson with a friend, after that private. The other instruments were just fun summer experiments (though I later did more with those and other instruments). I don't think group lessons are very beneficial after the beginner stage, though they are better than nothing at all.

 

In some situations (notably public schools), teachers of small group lessons have the opportunity to regroup students as disparity becomes evident. No one really benefits when you have kids at very different levels together. This might not be a possibility for private teachers who are locked into fewer choices (beginner/intermediate/advanced) for their groups. A fast-moving beginner still probably isn't ready for the intermediate group.

 

I think there is a distinction to be made between lessons and ensembles. In small group lessons, some duets/trios/etc. are appropriate, but the joy of making music together with others shouldn't really take away from the individual weekly instruction time. So, ideally, have weekly private lessons then find opportunities to play with others. Unstructured encounters work nicely for this - like a play date. Lack of these informal experiences can lead to burnout. But remember, they are additional.

[wintermom]

Our classical guitar group classes have always been supplemental to private lessons, and this is the case for everyone in the group. There is so much technique to cover with classical guitar, and children move at their own pace with learning for many different reasons. 

 

The cost of private lessons is obviously more than group, but your ds will get a lot more personal attention. The enthusiasm decreasing for practicing is totally normal, though, and is going to happen whether someone is in group or private. Just keep up the self-discipline in doing daily practice. Everything with playing the guitar is going to get harder, and this challenges even the most keen and musical child eventually. 

[KSinNS]

Our teacher often starts new beginners in a group, but she will have 10-15 minutes of private instruction with the other kids watching and some games together. She does this because the new beginners are typically too little for a longer individual lesson, but do benefit from watching the others. That being said, the faster kids will usually keep moving ahead of the others. It sure sounds like your kid needs to move on, so if that can't be done in a group, he'll need to do private, which is great. Glad he's loving the guitar!

[My3girls]

Wow, 45-90 min a day is a lot! With that kind of passion, I'd say individual lessons would be a better fit. My dd9 is taking group lessons for guitar and is practicing 15 min a day.