£15 for half an hour!!

[knittedbreast]

Seriously? is that normal for guitar lessons for a 5 year old???

anyone here in the south East who can play guitar and would like to teach my son for less that that please?

urgh. why is everyhting so expensive??

highly qualified - oops

Knittedbreast - I pay £15/half hour in Berkshire. The teacher is a professional guitarist, (we have to cancel lessons when he tours - he has CDs out), but he has a Fantastic way with kids, and really inspired my DS. I feel this is real value - especially as he always over-runs so we got even more value :)

and why should any teacher give out free lessons? How do you propose the teacher pays their bills. Most professionals would be on a higher hourly rate than this, you are buying into their skill and expertise and that shouldnt be cheap. Sorry think you are being VU. Agree with most posts, 5 years too young to start formal lessons.

Its about the going rate, but I would say probably too much for a 5 year old.

DH taught my DS till he was about 8 - he had a bit of rusty guitar skill from his own teenage bedroom playing, and taught himself a bit more from you tube tutorials (some are really good).

DS had lessons at junior school which were ok but not all that inspiring. The secondary school ones really expensive and a bit rubbish. Now he has lessons by skype with a rock tutor,which are excellent (although I wouldn't recommend it for a five year old).

DS is now 12 and 'teaches' next door's 8 year old, and his friend's 14 year old brother. DH also loves it that he's started playing again himself and they have father-son jams.

... My point is, at that age if they are enjoying it I wouldn't worry too much about formal lessons.

Ukulele is easier to learn and easier for little fingers, though and cheap enough you can buy two to learn together.

OP - get yourself lessons!

You sound keen and maybe then you could teach him when he's old enough. :)

£25 an hour here for singing lessons with voice coach. And that's "mates' rates"

Think you've seen that the fee is pretty much usual, but plenty of comments for and against a 5yo learning... as for the petrol cost, I think musicposy was just explaining general problems of self-employment, and as for free trial, can quite understand a negative response from anyone because they might think you are taking the mickey by even asking.

(Thanks for the insight into costs, musicposy - puts into context just how much goes on essentials to remain a valid music teacher and how much goes before one starts to earn income (and lose the tax)).

really? all the music teachers around here do the first lesson or free to see i the child likes it.

as i have said before my son keeps going on about it, we have always been very careul not to push things on him. he dousnt want to be taught by me, he wants lessons with someone who knows what they are doing.

I asked a couple o teachers about the ukilale (whatever) and they advised against it because it just isnt the same as the guitar. the guitar we have is a 3/4 size one and as long as he can physically hold the guitar and enjoys playing we will let him.

we have now booked a ree irst session with a guy a week after we return rom our holiday, lo can do it or as long as he likes it and i it turns out its too much we will try again when hes bigger.

ooh also, the teacher said hed do it or a discount i we book in terms once i my son likes it. he said with children under 7 its best to see how it goes and base it on that.

£30 is a lot o money, esp when you are teaching a child o that age. i work bloody hard, have to travel etc and am well educated and i dont earn that!

also, what are these music colleges you speak of? we have none around here!!!

School music lessons might be a bit cheaper, but not much. Although my DD got some free ones in a group lead by an interested teacher at her school. The other alternative is to see if a sixth former will give a few lessons (but I can't see even them charging less than about £10 for 1/2 hr, and longer is far too much for 5).

The main conservatoire type music colleges are

Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama (Glasgow)
Royal Northern College of Music (Manchester)
Welsh College of Music & Drama (Cardiff)
Birmingham Conservatoire
Trinity College of Music (London)
Royal Academy of Music (London)
Royal College of Music (London)
London College of Music
Guidhall School of Music & Drama (London)

Then there are universities which offer music with good reputations such as Birmingham, Huddersfield, Manchester, Dartington College of Arts, Leeds, York

oh. thought you meant actual colleges. like 6th forms :(

I pay £10 for (piano lessons) an hour but it's mate's rates - I am VERY grateful!

Which area are you from knittedbreast?

I do think 5 is very young for individual lessons in an instrument. i would reccmend a group activity if possible.

Some music students make great teachers for little ones but some are appalling they have no idea on how to make things accessible and if they have never struggled themselves but found things easy they may not know how to find different ways for children who have different ways of learning.

£30/hour is pretty reasonable for a self-employed professional living in the South East. Given that much of their work is done in the twilight hours, it's hard to fit in more than 5 hours a day at best. That's £150, before tax. Take away 1/3 for tax, NI etc, that leaves £100 a day, which even if you worked 5 full days a week (never a given when you're self-employed), you would struggle to take home more than £500 a week net or £2000 a month net or £24000/year net. That's best case scenario. The reality is that most musicians live on much less.

And I agree with anyone who's said that 5 is a little young for proper lessons. Children struggle with concentration that young- most music teachers wouldn't teach a 5yo for longer than 20 mn.

Ds had guitar lessons at school as part of the curriculum, it was £10 per term, in years 3 and 4.

My old teacher charged £11 for 45 minutes. It was meant to be half an hour, but she was v. generous in that respect. Now I have a teacher who charges £12 for half an hour or so. But then we live in the North.

I would concentrate on general musicality if he is keen - look for community music classes that develop rhythm and listening skills. I've seen children who've done that race ahead really quickly when they start an instrument because they understand music much more.

i live in berkshire.

thing is my son needs and thrives one on one care, i think in a group he would get too distracted

i have taken him to music groups before, but he isnt interested in tamberines and whatnot, just guitars really. all the groups round here are either

a. preschool children aged in the middle o the day

b. triangles and tamberines, no real musical instruments

c. these group class are 12 or 45 mins or 25 for an hour and a half. id rather pay 15 or half an hour for one on one

Get a ukulele - much easier to learn than guitar. You can play a C major chord using just one finger.

The tuning is different to a guitar (not the same as the upper 4 strings as has been said up thread - it is tuned G above middle C, middle C, E, A) but as the overall method of playing is the same as a guitar it would be no problem to swap to guitar when older.

I've discovered I'm very cheap for private music lessons. Will have to up my prices!

KB - have you been on the Berkshire Maestros site?