Music lessons for children - cost

Free where I am in schools.

Instrumental teacher here.

This is a useful page for checking what teachers receive in your area:
https://www.ism.org/advice/music-teachers-fees-survey-results-2024-2025/

It shows that most teachers are receiving less than the Musicians Union recommended rates.
https://musiciansunion.org.uk/education-and-teaching/teaching-pay-and-employment/music-teaching-rates-of-pay

Hardly anywhere in England actually subsidises music lessons these days (a contrast from the free lessons I grew up on) although most places have means tested bursaries for deserving kids.

Where the teacher is employed rather than self employed (music services/ some increasingly rare schools) you will always be paying more than the teacher receives because somebody else will be getting paid for doing the admin.

I teach an instrument in two schools, (I have a music degree, a postgrad qualification in music teaching, take loads of independent CPD and have about 25 years experience). I am self employed in one school, where I charge £40 ph (£20 for a 30 min lesson). I send out all the invoices, chase repeatedly for payment, get no sick/ holiday pay - obviously. In my other school, I am employed, the parents actually pay about the same, but I get a lot less. However, I do get holiday pay and a contribution to a pension scheme, and someone else chases the money and deals with notice periods etc.

I don’t currently work for a music service, partly because the rates to the teachers are so low, but I’ve just checked and parents pay a bit more than my SE rate, and the teachers get a lot less.

I think paying for activities for younger kids are a waste of money unless you’re minted.

We waited until teen DS got serious with an instrument in secondary school. He then played his dad’s guitar and effectively taught himself the basics.

School music lessons are absolute rubbish. Most of the kids choose the music option for Junior Cert as they think it’s easy so they have zero interest in learning music theory which makes the teacher’s job so much harder. They can choose to sing for the performance part of the exam rather than learn to play an instrument. Ridiculous.

DS now has a 90 min lesson fortnightly with a really good tutor who is working towards his PhD in music and is an experienced session musician.

We pay €50 for 90 mins. Well worth the money!

Our school are always sending out emails trying to promote the music service! It has a very low uptake owing to the costs. I have 3 kids so £90 a week for half an hour each is just not do-able for most people.

My twins do lessons at school through local authority. It’s £12 for 30 mins. One on one.

We pay £30 for 30mins for a teacher to come to the house, which seems completely reasonable to me for what we get but is obviously expensive and not affordable for many.

Lessons are allegedly free in Scotland in school but councils are frequently threatening to cut the services. I think if you are willing to pay, private lessons might be more efficient and you will get better communication with the teacher. It is sadly unaffordable for many. Some places might subsidise it. Professionals should be paid for their skills.

We pay £10 for half an hour…but there’s up to 6 kids in the lesson!

those prices look about right to be for 1:1.

Music lessons are up there with swimming in terms of expense.

We're in Scotland. Dc1 has 40 minutes of violin per week at school (plus violin "hire") for free. It's free across the board, not means tested.
There are only 2 children in his class and we get regular reports on his progress.

Wow yes that’s extortionate. We charge £42 per hour (private not music service).

That’s expensive - we pay £19 for 30 mins for peripatetic teachers at the children’s (state) school

The thing about music lessons from school is although they are usually cheaper the teacher usually spends a while rounding the children up, cancels for no apparent reason and its very hard to monitor progress. Private lessons can be not much different in price if you hunt around but the dedicated teaching time is much greater.

Really?! Many are charities.

There is probably some cross subsidy from middle class full payers to the subsidised means tested lessons though.

Personally I'm very happy for my payments to subsidise others' lessons a little because I received generously subsidised music lessons in the 80s that had a hugely beneficial effect on my life.

It's about £200 a term here in SE London.

It's been a looong time since local authorities had the interest or cash to subsidise music. You may be able to access a bursary through a local music Trust if you have one. They also offer instrumental rental often.

Music teachers are professionals though so I don't know why people expect they wouldn't charge similarly to private tutors, driving instructors and other one to one situations.

I pay £32 for an hour, 30 minutes for one child on the flute and 30 for another on the piano. Am going to appreciate that more after this thread making it seem a bargain!

The going rate for private lessons round here seems to be about £20 per half hour.

That looks similar to our school. But music lessons gave always been expensive.

I pay one to one privately - 40 pounds for 30 mins
Its expensive especially when you have more than one child.

My ds’s piano lessons are £35 per 45 minutes.

£25 for 30 mins 1:1 private lesson delivered at school (so teacher can do back to back lessons with no travel)

we also have music service on weekends which is £50 per term for 2 hours of group practice, which I think is tremendous value for money. It wouldn’t be a substitute for private lessons, though.

Private music school costs for DNephew are much the same.

We pay £20 for 30 mins with one teacher, and £35 for an hour with another, and we're in an expensive part of the country, so it sounds like we've got a good deal. One of those teachers is single, making a living entirely as a musician (he also arranges music, leads groups, performs etc.) At one stage DD had (individual, 30 minute) lessons in school, and they were a similar price.

We pay over £20 for 20 mins, so this looks about right to me! Ours is also one supported by the council. I do think it's pricey but I have honestly seen worse.

It is notoriously expensive to send them to music lessons. We have ruled out horseriding as the prices were wild where we live, but are ok paying for the music lessons.

I pay £13 for 20 mins privately.

We pay £30 for £30 mins.

I think its not bad for 1 to 1 with an educated professional who is self employed.

But I also think its not afforable for huge numbers of people.

There isnt a schools programme. My sons school doesnt even teach music let alone an instrument.