mommyoffive Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Just wondering if your child still takes lessons for whatever instrument over the summer or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 5 minutes ago, mommyoffive said: Just wondering if your child still takes lessons for whatever instrument over the summer or not. Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Yes, but she often ends up missing about a month due to travel, summer camps, etc, and practice is often pretty erratic. A big reason is that I am aware as a music teacher/academic tutor myself, that bills don’t stop just because students take the summer off! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Yes. Every week, and he practices on vacation unless we're going somewhere dirty. We do it for two reasons. First, I don't see the point in stopping for 3 months. It's hard to get back to it and make progress if you give over a quarter of the year to a break. And second, that's either lost income for his teacher or lost payments for us. I'd rather not throw away the money and it just seems mean to stop payment to his teacher. I'd rather have someone devoted to teaching him and not give it up because of 3 months with $0 income each year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Yes, our kids have always taken instrument lessons year round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LMD Posted June 4, 2018 Share Posted June 4, 2018 Yes generally. We, or the teacher, might miss a week or two here or there due to holiday stuff but generally we just carry on as usual, albeit slightly more casual in regards to practicing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catz Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes. Some teachers we’ve had love to dig in for the summer and some take time off. My son is only having 5 piano lessons this summer but that is due to the teacher’s schedule. But should have a pretty full voice and guitar schedule. Sometimes they do music camps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybee Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes. It was something nice to continue through the summer, though we would take a week or two off for travels or camps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rebcoola Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 No but that's because our lessons are through the public school. They are given things to work and video links to practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes, but a light schedule. 3 or 4 lessons over 10 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MinivanMom Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 No, for recreational piano lessons. They only take lessons from Sept-May. My kids need a break and benefit from the downtime. Choir and orchestra also run on a Sept-May schedule, so there is a natural break built in. Yes, for serious stringed instruments. They go to lessons as their teacher dictates. That means that teen dd generally gets a break only when her teacher is touring. The other 46-48 weeks of the year, dd attends weekly lessons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennyD Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes. I feel like summer lessons are the most worthwhile lessons of the year, actually, since everyone has more time to practice and nobody is getting ready for an upcoming performance. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris in VA Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes but a hit or miss schedule. This year, dd is preparing music to audition for her college placement (she already did her college acceptance audition) and needs those lessons to help her place in an appropriate orchestra her Freshman year. It's hard to find teachers who have total availability in the summer; they take off for vacation, too! But practice shouldn't stop. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes, except when we traveled. Continuity is important when learning an instrument; taking a break of several months with a beginner is detrimental. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purpleowl Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Normally we continue piano lessons through the summer (with a missed week here and there due to our schedule or the teacher's). This summer, for long and complicated reasons that no one really wants to read about ?, I decided a break would serve us well. I did talk it over with the teacher and she was fine with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 I tried to keep up the violin lessons over the summer, but our teachers are always away. I tried going to an alternative teacher for the summer and that didn't work out well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
73349 Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes, on a reduced schedule (~2 lessons a month). That allows us to work around day camps and the teacher's travel plans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 7 minutes ago, HeighHo said: We had a great time with instruments and traveling. Usually I sent the kids to the hotel laundry room , but the staff loved their tone so much one summer that they were invited to use the public great room space in the mornings. Fun acoustics! Mine played the piano ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimm Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Yes but we always miss some weeks due to travel or whatnot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 If that is what the teacher wants, then yes, absolutely. For one thing, if we were to pause over the summer, there is no guarantee that our spot would be available in the fall. I also think it's important to support music teachers consistently, not just when it's convenient for me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bluegoat Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 Our regular lessons generally stop. Often we vacation, the teacher vacations or even is away working, everyone has a different schedule. Ds's drum group is on the road all summer. But sometimes we do music camps, or take some lessons that are different in some way - a secondary instrument or with a different teacher, that sort of thing. We don't have any music school lessons now, but most of them here stop in summer. Some have a separate term then, but it isn't expected you keep on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted June 5, 2018 Share Posted June 5, 2018 One thing I've done as a teacher is to go to group or partner lessons in the summer-because half of them end up being private lessons anyway. That way, I get more time off, and kids who have fewer contacts with other kids due to school and school year scheduled stuff being out get some social contact as well. It only works when you have a couple of kids at the same skill level (and within a reasonable age range). This summer I am also doing two age group drop in classes, twice a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frances Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 On 6/4/2018 at 6:25 PM, rebcoola said: No but that's because our lessons are through the public school. They are given things to work and video links to practice. Growing up in the rural Midwest where we only had one band teacher for k12, we did have lessons through the summer. I wonder if any public schools do that anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 My son takes music lessons in 2 instruments all year long. For his main instrument, he never takes a break - sometimes, the teacher is away for 3 weeks for a vacation - she gives him two lessons a week when she comes back to make up for her absence. We take weeks off due to the flu or other illnesses - it is her policy to not teach sick students as it is not productive nor hygienic for other students - we make up for those lessons by attending extra lessons later on. The teacher's income and my son's learning are not held up over summer. He also takes year long lessons in a second instrument - he gets a month's break from lessons because the teacher takes a month off in summer. But, he continues to practice all summer long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zuzu822 Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Sort of...our piano teacher for the last six years (now retired) only did summer "check-up" lessons, so she could travel. My oldest son's pipe organ professor spends two months in Cape Cod, so no lessons.They both assign(ed) summer work, however. My oldest's new piano teacher is still a prolific performer in our area, besides being a college professor, and he aims for 45 lessons a year. He said he used to do 50, but his travel schedule doesn't always allow that. Our younger three are still transitioning to a new teacher, so I'm not sure what that schedule will look like. The big BUT, though, is that my husband is a professional pianist/organist/choir director, so he takes up the reins when our outside teachers are away. Even during the "school" year, he usually does 1-2 intensive practices per week with each of the kids, so they're always having bonus lessons. ? And I am also a pianist (though not nearly as skilled!); my MIL is a piano teacher, so...no chance for music to ever take a back seat. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alice Posted June 8, 2018 Share Posted June 8, 2018 Yes, but they end up practicing less than during the school year and having less lessons. Usually less due to teacher schedules, not ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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