To be annoyed about music lessons?

[jojane]

Ds1 has just started year 2, last year as a class they did violin lessons, £30 for the year and violins provided. Great, all good.
End of last year we got a form to tick any instruments we would like dd to learn to a cost of £120 for the year, ticked piano, guitar and cello as ones Ds would like to be considered for.
Never heard anything back and then last week got a letter stating guitar lessons starting this week, £120 to paid by the end of the month. Ok can just about swing to that.
Ds had guitar lesson #1 and now have a letter stating he needs a 3/4 size guitar, special footstool and music book by next week!
I am annoyed as no way can we sort finances out for that as each month is budgeted for in advance and I feel we should have been told of lessons and associated costs at the end of last term we then could have looked out for a second hand one or budgeted accordingly over the summer.
We rang the music association as we were under the impression that instruments were provided to be told that no it was only the stringed instruments such as violin and cello. Up until now we have had no mention of it only being certain instruments provided.
Dh was made to fellow the phone that we were wired for being so annoyed about this and no other parents complain about only having a week to find an instrument.

Just to clarify I mean we should have been told which instrument Ds had got a place for, ie confirmed he would be doing guitar and what we would need.

Did you mention that guitar is a stringed instrument?!

That's no good If you weren't forewarned about the costs. I'd say it was unreasonable of you to not expect to buy an instrument but if they were provided last year how were you supposed to know otherwise for this year?

That's pretty crappy. I have no other constructive things to say other than - isn't a guitar a stringed instrument?!

If you wanted to be pedantic you could even argue the piano is a stringed instrument too ;)

Guitar is a String Instrument, so YANBU

That seems very odd.
Obviously the music book should not be a problem, ebay is your friend!
But for them not to make it absolutely clear that certain instruments would need to be supplied by parents is very odd.

DD1 did a year of FREE strings in Y3 and DD2 did a Year of FREE clarinet in Y5 - instruments provided and were taken home to play - we just had to sign to say they were covered on household insurance!

they both play piano and another instrument now for which we have private lessons. Even then the teacher hired them an instrument for the first year, for only about £30, then we had to buy one if they wanted to continue - ones now grade 6 and the other grade 4.

MIL is a piano teacher, she gets loads of enquiries from people who want lessons for their DC but do not have one to practice on at home. No good at all!

Could you rent a guitar from a music shop? Sometimes it's possible to have the rental costs deducted from the final purchase price of the instrument.

It would seem that education authority instrument lessons are often not very organised, to put it nicely. I sympathise with your annoyance.

On the other hand I worry that they might not be funded for much longer. And private lessons cost a fortune...

MIL is a piano teacher, she gets loads of enquiries from people who want lessons for their DC but do not have one to practice on at home. No good at all

I teach piano and get similar enquiries. I think if the parents never had any lessons themselves it isn't immediately obvious to them that once a week on my piano won't be enough.

Dh did mention guitar is a stringed instrument! Think it's only 'posh' ones that you find in an orchestra!

It's not even that we have to buy one that I am annoyed about, it's having to buy one in a week, no chance to source a second hand one or budget for it. We aren't skirt as in cant afford food but we do have to work out what needs paying when and work out when we can afford to buy stuff etc. especially September when school snacks, l,ayschool, swimming lessons, etc etc all have to be paid, coming just after August with its school shoes, uniform and summer entertainment.
We don't have credit cards due to bad credit when we were younger and stupider so we now live to what we have now which is the reason I work out what will need paying over the next few months

A lot of music shops run schemes where you can pay a DD for a year and then buy it at the end if you want to.

I do realise they need to practice at home (I did piano and flute) but the playground murmur was that instruments were provided and we had nothing to say otherwise.
I still have my old flute in the cupboard so would have convinced Ds to do that if I had known!

I am just ranting really. Will have to get one

Will try some music shops and see what schemes are in place

YANBU at ALL

Giving you no notice at all of which instrument your child had been picked for, if any, meant that you had no chance to budget for lessons or buying an instrument.

That is completely unacceptable.

Many families would not have picked guitar at all if they knew that would mean they had to shell out for an instrument.

If these lessons are organised by LA music department they should either have access to loan guitars or have a scheme where you can rent/buy from certain shops without paying VAT.

Gumtree or Freecycle for a second-hand guitar?

You can get a 3/4 guitar off ebay relatively cheaply. This is a really nice guitar if you can get to Slough

www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ASTON-3-4-SIZED-ACOUSTIC-GUITAR-AND-ACCESSORIES-/290973800058?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item43bf63d67a

You have to do your homework and read the reviews of different guitar makes if you go the ebay route. Some "guitars" are nothing more than toys.

My children's guitars were both second-hand from local charity shops (and under a tenner).

we bought ours from argos - it was about £30. However we've never had to pay for a stool or music book.

When ds1 played the double bass we did however. Although the stool wasn't required until he took grade one, and we borrowed one from the music centre

www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5406575.htm