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Extra-curricular activities

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Original poster

Are schooltime group instrument lessons any good?

27 replies

BiscuitMillionaire · 13/07/2015 22:54

DD (7) has been learning violin for a year and a half with a private teacher, and done well, got her grade 1 exam. The teacher is moving away and I have the choice of finding another private teacher (which wouldn't be too hard), or seeing if she can get in to the violin lessons offered by the LEA during schooltime, which are in groups of 3 children. We started privately as the LEA didn't offer them for her age-group at the time.
What do you think? Would she progress more slowly in a group lesson? Could she even hear if she's playing in tune? I don't know how these work. She might enjoy being in a group and it might encourage her to practice, to keep up, I suppose. She's about to go up to juniors, where she'll be able to join the orchestra too.

OP posts:
Original poster
BiscuitMillionaire · 13/07/2015 23:37

Hmm. Yes control... of course I wouldn't be there when she has the lessons. I might do some asking around to try to see if the teacher's good. Thanks.

OP posts:
WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes · 13/07/2015 23:00

I think it all depends on the teacher. DD started keyboard at the start of this school year, made really good progress in the first term, different things to practice every week, all her goals checked off in the grading checklist in her book as they were achieved. But the teacher left, another one took over and all progress seems to have ground to a halt. We have no way of contacting the teacher other than via the book. I'm not very impressed. But DD loves it and says she is learning. We should get their final report for the year tomorrow, it will be interesting.

Whereas with a private teacher you have so much more control, you choose them, meet them, talk to them, work together. But it might not have the fun element of playing together.

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