cost of music lessons

[LauraIngallsWilder]

Hi everybody

I am wondering what is average to pay for 30 minute private music lessons eg in piano, cello, trumpet etc.

Also are some instruments actually quite hard to find tutors for - such as Cello..............

My ds and dd are HomeEducated (long story, crummy school) so cant access music lessons as school. Given a choice would like to learn piano AND cello (Eeeek)

Id be glad to know what is usual!
:)

[LIZS]

Check with your LA Arts/Music team. Ours has a network of teachers and lessons usually based as schools after school hours, costs about £16 per half hour (payable a termin advance with a term's notice to stop) and some intruments can be taught as a pair or small group (ie guitar) which is cheaper. Also they run ensembles once the kids get going and sometimes have instruments to hire. Cello is not that unusual. dd plays oboe and that was trickier than some to find a tutor for when hers went on ML but the LA Arts had one. Worth giving them a call and see what yours offers.

[taurean]

Around here (South East) it is usually c.£15-17 per half hour. It can be more if a teacher comes to your home. Cello's not that unusual, in fact I've noticed some who teach both the piano and cello.

[UptoapointLordCopper]

Where abouts are you? In Ealing there are weekend music schools where you get lessons that are affordable. Eg Ealing Junior Music School and Questors young musicians club. I'm sure there are groups like that near you.

[Lancelottie]

We pay £10 per half hour (brass lessons, southeast-ish). Sometimes the 'rare breed' instrument can start off cheaper because local bands or orchestras want to encourage children to start (mind you, then you get socked for £1000s secondhand for BIG rare instruments when your child moves off the battered starter instrument and needs their own).

[LauraIngallsWilder]

thanks all :)
we are in a small rural town in an economically deprived area - ie not much happening!
ds has just started with piano lessons - costing us £15

The other teacher I spoke to said it would be £20 but thinks £25 is the going rate - which seemed a lot to me! - especially just for a grade 1 child!

I honestly don't think our LA has an arts/music department......
I will investigate

sorry for somewhat abrupt response from me, I'm sending this from my iPod

[onimolap]

It does reach £20 in London. Claiming £25 is the going rate seems too high to me.

[elphabadefiesgravity]

£20-£30 per hour would be a reasonable rate depending on the experience of the teacher. Dh charges £40 per hour but he only teaches undergraduates, professionals and those preparing for college/professional work.

A young child would only need 30 mins so I would expect to pay around £10-£15 for that.

[applesandcider]

Where in the country are you LauraIW? Here in Devon its about £15 to £25 depending on level and instrument.

[duchesse]

We pay £25/hour here (Devon). Most music lessons until they get really good are only 20 or 30 mn long though (so £12-13 per lesson). Music teachers are self-employed so £25/hour is actually pretty reasonable. They'd have to do 8 lessons a day to earn a semi-reasonable wage of £100 gross/day (£2000/month gross). Most people want lessons after school or in the evenings, so it's quite hard to fit in that many lessons between 4pm and bedtime for most pupils (unless they have HE or older retired pupils in the daytime or work in schools (not all do)). If they come to your house, they naturally charge more because they lose working time travelling.

[Strix]

We have a private teacher who comes round to teach DD violin for 45 minutes follwed immediately by 15 min for DS on the recorder (he is 5 and this seems a good intro to music, probably not his long term instrument of choice).

Cost is £30 per 1 hour session.

This is also a great way to combine instruments so might work for you.

[AMumInScotland]

We pay £35 per hour for DS - but that's with a very experienced teacher and working towards Grade 8, so I think the one who said £25 for 30mins is the going rate is trying it on a bit!

[Lancelottie]

Actually, if you're HE-ing and thus free in the daytime, you might be able to turn that to your advantage and get cheaper lessons. Worth asking, at least!

One of our local brass bands (yes, we have several, despite being far from mines-and-Hovis territory!) offered lessons FREE to new starters. That's the kind of sum I like.

[Lancelottie]

Good point about combined lessons for two children. Some evenings my three have 20 mins brass, 20 mins piano, 20 drumming (arrggh) with the same teacher. If there's an exam coming up Exam Victim sometimes takes the whole hour's slot. It also means that when someone's ill (that would be most weeks, then, at the moment) the other two use their lesson, as we'd have to pay for it anyway.

[JemimaMop]

DS1 has piano lessons, he is at Grade 1 level and it costs £10 for 30 mins. We are in Wales.

[maggiethecat]

£20 for 30 mins of violin lesson in NW London

[maggiethecat]

£20 for 30 mins violin lesson in NW London

[pinkhebe]

Our music service is run by the council and is £10 per half hour lesson, instrument hire (double bass) is £25/term. Lessons are either through the school or after school at the music services.

[GrungeBlobPrimpants]

£20 per lesson here in south-east, via county music service at schools

Private teachers are roughly the same cost. Not sure how you find one from scratch though - much of it seems to be via word of mouth in the school playground or through other music-y types

[musicalmum1]

I am a music teacher and I charge £40 for 60mins going to the student's house.
when teaching in a prep school I got £36 for 60 mins - teaching in 30 minute blocks. this is in the SE - Surrey.
I paid 50 for Cello lessons for my son to a very experienced and fabulous teacher.

[musicalmum1]

BTW it is nearly more important to get the basics right for beginners. there is nothing worse than having to unlearn and correct bad habits which have been left uncorrected for years.

[LauraIngallsWilder]

Thanks for all the responses and thoughts all.
I am astonished to discover that YES my county does in fact have a music service so I shall be emailing them.
I know that the local schools offer a variety of musical instrument lesson options so I am hoping to be able to access a music teacher that way (as they will be in the area anyway teaching at the school)
Contacting music teachers direct is hopeless as there are few (for any instrument) within 20 miles :(

DS is loving his piano lessons so learning a second instrument may still be a possibility :)

[LauraIngallsWilder]

Why did Bratnav's post get deleted?
[nosey] and [paranoid]