Cost of Music Lessons...

[fourlittlekangaroos]

Ok, we spend far too much. How much does a music lesson cost where you live? Is everything more expensive in the south? We pay £20-21 per lesson, 2 instruments each for 3 children...
I think we all need to become vegetarians. There's no extra money to do any holiday music activities (lots in our area) and it's easy to feel hard done by when friends are whizzing off to all sorts of Pro Corda type things. I keep telling our children what a privilege it is to even have a piano in the house, let alone have lessons! I need to remind myself that too.

[MeltingWax]

It's painful isn't it?

We pay £42 an hour for DD's cello lessons and £40 an hour for DS's viola lessons. They both have weekly lessons term time only.

I teach them both the piano, theory and DD the recorder. We cover aural in the lessons I do with them so their cello & viola teachers just concentrate on the instruments. They have only just started and DS has very bendy fingers (apparently) so a lot of the lessons are still taken up with correct holding of the instruments, etc.

Then of course there's the usual exam fees, accompanist fees, music and the actual instruments themselves.

I try to remind them that they are 'lucky' they have had a parent teach them some of it as there is no way we would be able to afford to pay for piano & theory lessons on top. Although we may need to take a different approach soon as DD is starting to work on Grade 6 theory material which is starting to get beyond my reach and am not sure I can take either of them past Grade 5 piano (which will be DD's next exam some time in 2019).

DS also has group piano lessons at his primary school & we pay £70 a term for these. The main thing I hope to get out of these lessons is extra practice with sight-reading.

[Taffeta]

DD plays three instruments and has lessons for two
She’s in three bands locally that are run as a NFP so are very reasonable plus school orchestra

Lesson cost is eyewatering but I guess that’s because it’s 1:1. The musical education she is receiving from two different teachers is excellent.

But I do think the lack of free musical education out there to those that can’t afford it or don’t have musical parents is just awful and so unfair

All the older DC I know that play to a high standard either have parents with ££ or musical parents. Something very wrong about that

[GaraMedouar]

£30 per hour violin

[dancemom]

Dd is incredibly lucky. Free lesson in school for instrument 1, I pay just £10 a week for a 45 minute lesson in instrument 2.

She attends 2 orchestras, one at school which is free and one on a weekend which I pay just £75 annually for.

[QueenDoria]

It’s something that needs to be looked at. There are some lessons available for FSM students in our area and CLA but otherwise it’s only for the wealthy (ish).
Strangely, I have a friend in the US whose son receives free instrumental lessons at school. (California).
There are some pockets of London where music lessons are provided (thru The Andrew Lloyd Weather foundation).

[QueenDoria]

Webber

[MeltingWax]

I forgot about the orchestra fees - 30 pounds a term for one and 72 for another.

[Boyskeepswinging]

£35 for an hour 1:1 lesson for first instrument. About £200 per term for weekly half hour 1:1 lessons for second and third instruments. Eye watering membership fees for NCO. Less eye watering for County and local music service.
I was so lucky to have free lessons and instrument loan when I was at school. I am paying a small fortune to give my DS the same opportunities nowadays.

[Enb76]

£30 for 45 mins piano
£24 for 1hr classical guitar
£50 for 1hr voice (classical and mine)
My daughter has lessons every week, mine are fortnightly.

I do understand the cost, people have to make a living. The music education in school is done by the non-specialist class teacher and is more hindrance than help whereas I went to a specialist music school. I would like to see more music in schools but curriculum and time constraints seem to make it one of the first things to go. When I was at school we also did a double lesson of drama each week and had an afternoon of art. Admittedly I was at an independent school and my daughter is at state but it was the same number of school hours and arguably better results. I don’t know what the answer is but narrowing school curriculums doesn’t seem to be a force for good.

[Trumpetboysmum]

I can’t bear to add it up - but it’s a lot !! I feel your pain . There are bursaries around ( for example Future Talent) which can be used to pay for things like Pro Corda might be worth a look

[horseymum]

Piano is £10 per half hour ( non-qualified teacher, oboe is £20 ( not told the piano teacher this!). I still see it as excellent value for the years of training he had done, plus he comes to the house, which is worth loads to me.

[Toomanybaubles]

Ours are really cheap, excellent teacher goes into secondary for the whole day to teach several wind instruments £14 for 30 minutes.

[rememberatime]

My daughter has had cello lessons via her school since she was 8. This was incredibly cheap at around £60 per term. Orchestra fees are £30 per term, plus cello hire.

When she started college the school lessons stopped and a replacement teacher was too much for us to afford at £500 per year.. term time only. So we looked into a scholarship and were lucky to win it. it now pays for two years of lessons and she will get to grade 8 in that time. We have only just been able to buy her a cello of her own.

As a single parent on a low income I have been reliant on local council run lesson schemes and orchestras. But looking at her orchestra friends, they are invariably very well off and do not struggle like we have. Music lessons really are often only for those who can afford it - which is so sad.

[elfonshelf]

A lot...

Piano - £24/half-hour via school
Voice - £70/hour private 1:1

DD is only 10, but performs professionally and I know her teachers stop her from developing bad habits and are teaching her in a way that means she should, if careful (and lucky) have the training and skills necessary for an adult career in this area. So I consider it money well spent - and at least I haven't had to fork out thousands on a tuba or have the logistical joy of managing a harp on the tube.

Her primary has fantastic schemes for children on FSM (and those who are in the 'just can't quite run to it' bracket) where individual lessons are subsidised or completely free, plus a huge amount of free group music, drama and dance. We are very fortunate.

Most extra-curricular activities seem to end up costing a fortune - DD dances as well but not competitively like many of her friends. Lessons might only be £10/hr which seems a snip compared with music, but add in exams, shoes, costumes, entry fees, travel etc even the singing begins to seem reasonable.

[Moominmammacat]

One year, with courses, travel, junior conservatoire, concert dresses, music, accompanists, exams, the whole lot ... it came to almost £10,000 for my two.

[Eroica]

It varies quite a bit, even in one place!

Piano- £36 p.h.
Clarinet- £40 p.h.
DD percussion- £24 p.h. 1:1 via school
DS percussion- £20 p.h. 2:1
Conservatoire... shit loads. Can't even begin to calculate
NCO is also c.£2k p.a.
Choir is £200 p.a.

[NeleusTheStatue]

Well, if you start counting the cost for more specialised training like JD, a proper investment on instruments, and with multiple DCs, the total spending can easily be equivalent to independent school fees!

It wasn't that expensive at the beginning. Swimming or tennis were more expensive! But as DS advanced and started challenging all sorts of opportunities, the cost gradually increased. A good thing for us is it happened gradually over the years so we had time to adjust our expectation. However, I am sure I would be shocked if I knew how much we would be paying in a few years time when DS started his music lesson...

[fourlittlekangaroos]

Sounds like we're in good company then! I find that if you are earning under 30K then, rightly, there's quite a lot of help available eg, through future talent and other trusts, but if you earn between 30-40k then you are treated in the same bracket as 200k!
I think we live in the least affordable city too!

[PetraDelphiki]

£48 ph first instrument, £55 2nd (both outside school), £25 per half hour 3rd at school

Plus aural lessons £25 per half hour every 2 weeks when have an exam coming up, £65 per term Orchestra....

It really does add up quite scarily!!!

[hertsandessex]

School around £200 per term for half an hour a week. Privately around us £35-40 per hour if travelling to teacher. Have paid £100+ occasionally for top level. Specialist music school - 3 hours a week for free (well included in fees with MDS assistance so I think of them as free ) Overall 3 DSs and multiple instruments really does add up. Too scared to work out the total over the years. Incidentally one of my DCs who is still at school has started teaching and I think charges £6 per half-hour teaching very young children the basics on piano to get them going. Some people seem happy with this budget option.

[TheWildRumpyPumpus]

£10 for 30 mins piano.
£20 for 30 mins violin.
Recorder free at school
County choir £80 a term 75 mins a week
Additional regional music group £10 a term for 3 hours a week

X 2 children

Haven’t dared add up how much we spend a year on music 🙈

[finova]

£58 per term for school drum lessons but that’s for 20 minutes in a group of, so not great.
So have supplemented with the the local council drum lessons. £13.50 a month for a weekly 45 minute lesson, currently just 2 in the group. My 6 year old has started the 30 minute drum lesson for £9.50 per month