Cost of school piano lessons

15 minutes is a crazy length of time for a lesson!

I personally don’t even think that 1/2 an hour is worth it either but I know that some kids can’t stick it out for longer than that.

45mins is the perfect duration.

As for price, I guess it depends where you are but £30-35p/h private rate seems to be the going rate around here.

30 mins is really the minimum unless they're teeny and learning the absolute basics.

I tried school lessons, but switched quite fast to a private teacher outside school where I could supervise more for the first year. Made a huge difference.

It works out at around £45 an hour in central London. DD about to start G3 and I'm hoping to move her to a 60 minute lesson at this point.

Agreed with everyone else. We have private piano tuition and I pay for an hour which is split 40 mins for DD (Grade 4) and 20 mins for DS (nearly Grade 1). This works really well for us at the moment.

When The do music lessons at secondary school they become responsible to know to leave a lesson and attend the music lesson. DS1 managed this well but DS2 didn't as he had anxiety quite badly in the move to secondary school. We found that lessons outside of school worked better as he didn't have to worry about putting his hand up and asking to leave class for music.
Just something to consider besides only 15 min and if they are late they miss that time.

I would try to increase her lessons to 30 minutes a week. She's at an age where she could progress much faster if her lessons were longer. The pieces are getting longer, there are more scales to get through, there simply isn't enough time to do everything in a 15 min lesson. Not to mention, having them at school means 3-4 minutes of those 15 are spent looking for the student (ok, maybe not in secondary), setting up, doing the handover to the next one, etc.

The rate seems okay for London, I charge £45 an hour and only teach 60 min blocks (advanced grades), but I wouldn't go lower than £26 for 30 min. So that fee seems reasonable. Would they be able to offer 30 min for £21? Otherwise I'm sure you can find either a private teacher or a local council music school that offers longer lessons for a similar price.

Ds2 is on grade 3 and has a 30 minute lesson.

Ds1 is in year 7 and has an hour for grade 5. I'm not looking forward to the higher ones!!!

Congratulations on her grade 2 🥳

I dont think it is supposed to be used to support other pupils unless explicitly asked for. Ime that would be pupil premium money or local music service funding.

Most school instrumental lessons are supplied by independent music services these days, so, while you may not be subbing school meals etc, you will be paying admin fees and management wages as part of what you’re charged - the teacher will receive considerably less than you pay.

As has been said, 15 minutes is pointless for all but the youngest, very beginners (and it’s really too short for them too).
Outside of London, expect to pay between £30 and £40 per hour.

The hourly rate recommended by the Musicians Union for instrumental tuition is £35 per hour.

As soon as my private pupils can manage it I encourage them to have 45 minute lessons.

The thing with council music lessons you’re subsidising the free school meals lessons and orchestra’s etc, not mention all the bureaucracy associated with it. If you’re not participating in the orchestra’s and ensembles, which you won’t be playing piano, it doesn’t make great financial sense. You’re usually better to go private.

We pay £17 for 30 mins. When they were total beginners it was 20 mins and priced accordingly. Once they started studying for grade 1 it went up to 30 mins.

We paid £20 for 30 minutes when dd1 stopped lessons about 5 years ago so the price sounds reasonable.
However I'd agree with the others that 15 minutes is too little. Mine have always had a minimum of 30 minutes.

School time lessons are great if you want to try an instrument.

If a kid then wants to do grades etc then private is better due to more time avail.

They also don’t like missing lessons - too awkward.

15 pointless, and she will be missing school lesson!

15 minutes is pretty pointless for a child that age. 20-30 minutes is much better.

Hmmm in one school it was about £8 for 20 mins, a different secondary school was notably more expensive though.

Arg typos.

Our school lessons have been fab. She's just taken her next grade and we've arranged to pay privately for the summer to keep going. (She teaches privately as well asin school so I'm school is far easier for us in term time- we wouldn't gain seeing her outside school). However this is at a good secondary and she's always been let out for her leason. In primary we had a problem wih lunchtime lessons and fonding the teacher/teacher being late ehich wasnt good!

I wouldn't pay for school lessons full stop, too many wasted lessons where the kids were let out late from class,lessons changed at the last minute etc. 15 mins is ridiculously short too. £20 per half hour is the going rate where I am for private lessons, worth looking in to?

I think 30 minutes is a much better amount of time. We pay £12 for 30 mins but not through the local music trust, same teacher but lessons held at his home.

By all means support the local teachers but I recommend using the Simply piano app to supplement those lessons as 15 minutes isn't enough. To really progress.

I downloaded the app over lockdown and think it is brilliant and great for a recreational player, it teaches you to read music and the fingerings. I went from a complete beginner to being able to use both hands and read the music within about a week of 15 minutes or so a day. The programme uses classical and pop songs with lots of sheet music that is available. I think they offer a free trial so might be worth trying over the holiday.