If your DC takes music lessons in the teacher's home...

[kirstenhill]

I guess this question mostly pertains to kids who take music lessons in a teacher's home, and who also have younger siblings.

 

Can you tell me what your logistical arrangements are? For example, do you drop off older kid(s) taking lessons and go somewhere else with younger kids? Do you stay with the younger kids in the teacher's home while older sibling(s) have lessons?

 

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I know the teacher can set whatever guidelines she wants to, but I am kind of wondering how our experience compares to other in home lessons in case we wanted to "shop around" for a different teacher...

Edited December 9, 2015 by kirstenhill

[MASHomeschooler]

We've always stayed (we do Suzuki so it's part of the deal), but our teacher is a mom of 9 so not bothered by regular kid stuff, and she's also fine with whoever's not having their lesson exploring her large yard. Now all 3 take lessons, and we bring things for them to work on which take about as much time as 1 other lesson, and then during the other lesson they can go outside or do something quiet inside like read. We started with her before my youngest was born, so we've been through stages from nursing there to toddling around (hardest!) to youngest going outside with one of the older 2 to (now) doing their own thing. If she doesn't want you to leave, but can't calmly deal with the logistics of having you stay, I would definitely shop around for another teacher, and ask them upfront about dropping off or staying with siblings.

[Arcadia]

My neighbors who teach piano at home all have a waiting room in their home for the parents and siblings to wait. I do know they don't mind drop offs for older kids but that is if I only drop off one of my boys. They would expect me to stay if both my boys are one after another.

My DS10's flute teacher does teach from home though she prefers teaching at the music studio. She would have expected me to stay and it would be okay for DS11 to wait around with me.

 

ETA:

The ones I asked follow the ABRSM syllabus.

Edited December 8, 2015 by Arcadia

[Roadrunner]

I sit and draw with my younger one during the lesson.

[MinivanMom]

One of our music teachers has an area where we can wait during lessons. I love that.

 

Our other music teacher expects children to be dropped off. When I first had two children taking lessons from her, but didn't trust that the littler one could sit quietly and wait his turn, I actually scheduled their lessons at different times on different days. It was a royal pain, but I felt it was very important to ensure that she wasn't having to supervise or discipline a younger child during the older child's lesson. 

 

Now their lessons are back-to-back so I can drop them off and run errands. 

[StillStanding]

I am expected to stay.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Some teachers want parents to stay so that it gives an extra layer of protection for them against being accused of abuse. 

[Julie Smith]

The teacher is now a friend of mine, and we get together for lunch or just to go for a walk ever other month or so.

 

The piano is in one room. I am with the boy who is not playing in the other room. When eldest is playing piano I read with youngest. This is out loud, but it is okay since they have a closed door between us and the teacher. When Youngest plays I can do whatever. I admit I have fallen asleep on her couch more than once.

 

The lessons are less than a 5 minute walk from our house. Once or twice I had to send eldest with by himself, and once I had to send the boys without me. No problems either way.

[2ndGenHomeschooler]

I don't mind if parents drop kids off. I also don't mind if they stay and have younger siblings in tow. When my own DC were younger I expected parents to stay and supervise their own children but they were welcome to bring younger siblings.

 

I have been teaching since long before I had children and my student's parents are very understanding. They have been ok with my DC being around as babies and toddlers with the accompanying distractions - most were even ok with me nursing the baby while teaching if I had to. I did my best to minimize distractions and I was careful with scheduling to allow extra time if something major happened or I got behind. The parents were all great and even helped out with my DC while I taught theirs.

 

In exchange for an unconventional lesson environment, I charge quite a bit less for lessons than I could and I try to be as accommodating as possible for my students' families. Most parents stay but one mom will occasionally run errands while I teach her four girls and one dad drops his two kids off and then mom picks them up. Another family of 5 will occasionally have the oldest DD drive all the kids over for lessons and the mom doesn't come at all. My DC love playing with my students and their siblings so they all entertain and take care of each other. It isn't usually a problem. Sometimes all the kids get a little loud and I have to shoo them to other rooms of the house or outside but that's about it. Most of the homeschooled kids from big families prefer a little noise during their lessons anyway since that's what they're used to. A couple of weeks ago I had 11 kids ages 6-19 running around my yard while I taught - my 4 + family of 5 w/o mom + 2 whose dad dropped them off a few minutes early - and I was the only parent. It was fine. My students do very well in spite of the comparative craziness. In fact, one of them just scored very well at a large fine arts competition. :-)

 

If you look for a new teacher maybe look for a homeschool mom (or dad). She'll probably be more understanding and flexible in regards to other children and you may get a good deal too. :-)

[TrixieB]

My kids' music lessons have all been held in the teacher's home.

 

When they were elementary school age, I was in the same room (due to the setup of the homes) or sometimes I left and came back.

 

Middle school & high school - either in the same room, another room in the house (depending on the setup), or leave and come back at the end of lessons.  Or drop off & the child walked home.

 

None of the teachers has expected me to stay.  But my kids never took Suzuki lessons, which is when I think the teachers expect the parents to stay?

 

 

[fdrinca]

My older two take piano lessons in a studio space in a private home. (Separate entrance from the house...not sure if this matters, but it's not as if they are sitting in her living room.) 

 

I leave with my two littlest to do grocery shopping while the older ones have their lessons. DD8 waits while DD7 completes her lesson first. He usually brings a book to read or will play around on a keyboard in the studio. DD7 will wait while DD8 has his lesson, but I'm usually back toward the end of his lesson. DD7's lesson is 30 minutes; DD8 is 45. 

 

We used to stay (in our car in the driveway), but it was just too much to ask the little ones to wait around for 75 minutes for the older ones to finish.

 

We could drive home and back with one kid each, but that feels like waiting in the driveway with more gas usage ;)

[Tsuga]

I guess this question mostly pertains to kids who take music lessons in a teacher's home, and who also have younger siblings.

 

Can you tell me what your logistical arrangements are? For example, do you drop off older kid(s) taking lessons and go somewhere else with younger kids? Do you stay with the younger kids in the teacher's home while older sibling(s) have lessons?

 

It actually is really awesome and really crappy all at once. The lessons are 30 minutes during rush hour. So although theoretically, she takes lessons in a lovely, homey, gentle home with a wonderful teacher just 5 minutes from our home, and there's a park nearby, the reality for 6 months out of the year during rush hour is that we spend 10 minutes driving there in the rain with traffic, then need to drive home 10 minutes because rain, or we can go to the library, and then we drive back. When weather is good and traffic is light or we have a different time, it's so easy, just drop off and play at the park. We are allowed to stay there, but my little one is pretty active (to put it lightly) and supervising is super stressful even in the child-friendly, laid back home.

 

...

 

I know the teacher can set whatever guidelines she wants to, but I am kind of wondering how our experience compares to other in home lessons in case we wanted to "shop around" for other instructors.

 

I would not drop off two kids at once to have one wait while the other practiced unless they were old enough to babysit, say, 11+. I share your teacher's concern. The problem is that evaluating things on a case-by-case basis leaves you saying to one family, "That's true, I did let kirstenhill's child stay here at the age of eight, but he was mature enough, and your child isn't." Yeah, good luck with Yelp after that, lady! It's EXACTLY the type of people who are unaware that their kids aren't ready that would have kids that aren't ready and who would raise a stink. So in my opinion, a teacher would be wise to have a waiting-with-parents-only-until-11 policy. That's my opinion, of course--I don't blame you at all for not wanting to drive back and forth for an hour.

 

[rimk3]

I drop off my children (ages 10, 7, and 7) for piano lessons, each 30 min long. They bring books to read, drawing books and supplies, coloring books, and their iPads. Our piano teacher has two young children that my children will play with as well. This arrangement has worked out well. I do check-in with the teacher to make sure that the arrangement is still working and she knows that if it is no longer working, I'm willing to stay.

[Guest]

DS's piano teacher specifically states in the registration forms that non-student siblings either don't come or must be SILENT (i.e. well behaved) during the lessons.  There is a closed door between the music room and the waiting room, however, in an adjacent room is the theory room which is not kept closed and would be distracting for those students.

 

...and she has a VERY nice, not-kid-friendly house.  I wouldn't want young'uns in there either :)

[wintermom]

I've had experience with piano lessons in the teacher's home, Suzuki violin lessons in the teacher's home, and Suzuki guitar and violin lessons in a studio. Over the years and for the different settings I've tried to be aware of the function of the lesson (minimize distractions for the teacher and student), the smoothness of transition between classes. Most lessons are scheduled back to back, so if I go overtime, I cut into the time of the next person's lesson.  When I had my littles in tow, I would make sure they were ready to take out to the car or already in the car at the end of the lesson. Sure, it can be stressful to get everyone out of the house quickly and quietly, but it's frustrating for the next student who's lesson is getting cut short perhaps every single week. For us, every minute of lesson time is $1. I try to be really mindful of this.

[J-rap]

It depends on the teacher and my kids.  For suzuki violin, I was expected to stay.  She was kind of a tense person and the lesson was held in the basement, where there was just one room.  It just would not have worked out for me to take my other kids, even though my kids were pretty well-behaved.  I couldn't send them upstairs alone, and the lesson room itself was too intense! 

 

For piano lessons it was different.  I was never expected to stay.  I'd drop them off, and if two or three had lessons right next to each other, I'd drop all of them off with things to do, usually homework or a book.  But, I knew they'd be well-behaved.  If they weren't, I wouldn't do it that way.  That wouldn't be right to do to the teacher. 

[Bluegoat]

I leave my girls.  Up until this year, only the older one had lessons with this teacher, and I took ll the others away.  Her teacher said it was fine to stay and hang out in the kitchen, but it was impractical - he has a lot of breakable kid fascinating stuff.

 

My dd7 started lessons this year, so she has her 30 min lesson first and I leve ddten as well who reads.  Then I pick up the younger girl and the older has her lesson.

 

It would be easier to leave them both the whole time, and I my try after Christmas.  I think dd (now 8) can probably sit quietly for the 45 min lesson, but I'm not sure.  But I think the teacher would be happy to give it a try.