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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Piano lessons: 3 in one week

22 replies

Paperplain · 30/08/2018 13:01

My DS has piano lessons at school (but private lessons they bring a teacher in) and they arrange the timetable at the beginning of term and tell us when they are (DS is yr 3).

Apparently the piano teacher has had to rearrange lessons as she hadn't realised certain events were happening (school play/father's day breakfast) which has resulted in DS in having 3 piano lessons in one week. Oh we are not in the UK.

I raised this as an issue and said didn't know if my DS would actually gain anything as no time to practise. The response is that she has been teaching a long time and wouldn't set homework if she didn't think the student would manage it.

AIBU to think 3 piano lessons in one week is ludicrous and the school/piano teacher/me need to be more organised to ensure this doesn't happen again? The lessons are not cheap?! Not sure how to respond to her last email. Basically she thinks it's ok and I'm overacting.

OP posts:

AlexanderHamilton · 30/08/2018 13:06

Yes, that is ridiculous. The only time I can see it being beneficial is something like the week before an exam. Even then 3 is overkill..

velourvoyageur · 30/08/2018 13:09

So does this mean there'll be two weeks with no lessons? And 3 lessons over the 5-day working week?

They should arrange for cover for the teacher really. He's going to have a flood of new content one week, he'll grasp probably less than half, and then if I understand correctly, have no one to ask questions about what's fuzzy and not quite understood for some time until the teacher's available again, so will likely forget it and have to be retaught.

Original poster

Paperplain · 30/08/2018 13:15

Well it's more he has a piano lesson o Monday: new music. The Piano lesson Thursday; feedback on pieces and new music: piano lesson Monday: feedback and new music.

I pay per lesson. I just don't think 3 lessons in one week helps. She thinks I'm being a pain (have raised this before). I think it's not on. Her view is that she's the teacher and a fabulous concert pianist so what do I know?!

Willing to be told IABU by the the way!

OP posts:

AlexanderHamilton · 30/08/2018 13:16

Thats not so bad, its not 3 lessons in one week its 2. (but why is he getting new music every single lesson?)

CrossFlannelCherry · 30/08/2018 13:20

Are lessons during school time, meaning he would be removed from class for his lessons 3 times in one week? If so, that's a lot of school work to miss.

Original poster

Paperplain · 30/08/2018 13:25

Yes lessons are in school time, so that is a good point. Thank you.

OP posts:

Loveglee · 30/08/2018 13:27

It’s possible that it’s not the teacher who’s being unreasonable, but it’s the school. I have friends with a similar job, and it’s very difficult when the schools tell them they can’t come in because other events are taking place. Perhaps ask the teacher if she can be more insistent about coming in during the breakfast, for example.

Frogscotch7 · 30/08/2018 13:30

That’s 2 lessons in one week, not 3. If it’s a one off I don’t think it’s unreasonable.

Original poster

Paperplain · 30/08/2018 13:31

But then wouldn't you just keep to one lesson and not charge for three in one week!? I'm a bit annoyed as she wrote the lessons in the diary at the start of term which clearly have the other events next to them

I think we rub each other the wrong way. I will complain to the school and her saying there needs to be more organisation to ensure this doesn't happen again.

OP posts:

Original poster

Paperplain · 30/08/2018 13:34

But he had one lesson on Thursday with the next on the Monday. I'm presuming he will then go until the following Thursday or Friday (normal lesson day) until his next lesson. Which in my view is equally rubbish.

OP posts:

Frogscotch7 · 30/08/2018 13:37

I’m a piano teacher. This happens fairly frequently with my pupils when they have to miss a lesson for whatever reason. It has never been a big deal. It’s true that not having a full week to practise means not as much gets done that week, but then I set more for the bigger stretch the following week.

Original poster

Paperplain · 30/08/2018 13:44

Frog. Thank you for your perspective. It's helpful. I'm just annoyed at how often this happens and it seems to never be her fault. I don't want to antagonise her further but it's a pain I have to admit!

OP posts:

Ionacat · 30/08/2018 13:49

Don’t forget it is her income affected, she will be budgeting on providing x amount of lessons a term, when the school turns round and suddenly says you can’t teach here and here, then it you need to do what you can to make sure you still have the income coming in and you have to balance with your other commitments.
I would ask that the school provides her with a calendar in good time before she does her timetable and then hopefully she can work round it, the more notice the better.

Original poster

Paperplain · 30/08/2018 13:53

Loncat, but she wrote the lesson times in the school diary which already had the events in. So I had presumed she had worked around the timings. I'm not sure what happened but I will check at the start of next term on all the times so this doesn't happen again.

OP posts:

Jamboree05 · 30/08/2018 14:05

Hang on. So he's having a lesson the Monday and Thursday. Then lessons back as normal with one the following Monday? With I assume lessons returning to a normal one per week thereafter? That doesn't sound unreasonable and is actually two lessons in a week, returning to one the week after.

I'm also not clear from your original post as to whether these events are something she needs to attend (making her absent from school) or whether they are events that have been scheduled by the school and mean that your son wouldn't be able to attend the scheduled lesson?

I used to teach in schools in this manner and found timetabling incredibly frustrating. Many school events weren't in the school diary that was given to me, and there were constant changes of sports fixtures and suchlike that meant I was constantly shifting my timetable around. It's such a minefield.

Bit, back to the main point. I really don't think what the teacher has proposed is that bad at all...

Original poster

Paperplain · 30/08/2018 14:17

Thank you. Yes it's actually a lesson this Monday and Thursday. He then had another lesson next Friday which she has now moved to next Monday

So he has a lesson Monday, Thursday, Monday. Then going back to a lesson the week after on the Friday.

One point is that she wrote his lesson times in his school diary at he beginning of term which already had the events in. So frustrating but yes I will check next term that she can actually do the lessons rather than cramming them in to get the income.

OP posts:

veggiethrower · 30/08/2018 14:33

I don't think it is bad either.
She's making sure he gets the right number of lessons. She also has to protect her income. If the school organizes some trip out on a couple of Thursdays when her lessons are supposed to be and she has, say, 10 pupils on the day, think what a hit to her income that is. She has rent/mortgage/bills to pay just like everyone else.
Rearranging the lessons means your DS has received the correct number of lessons over the term and her income is not affected.
I'm a music teacher and my pupils pay a fixed monthly fee - if they are unable to attend the lesson then they do not receive money back. I try to reschedule and there is usually no problem but it does mean that pupils occasionally have two lessons in one week or an hour instead of half an hour.
If I did not charge for or reschedule missed lessons due to school trips, family birthdays etc, I would be bankrupt very quickly. You'd be amazed what a hit to monthly income it is if you added up all the missed lessons.

Of course, it isn't ideal - but it isn't 3 lessons in one week - it is two lessons in the first week, adequately spaced out, one in the next week on the Monday and then one in the following week, possibly on Thursday.

However, you seem to hint that this is an ongoing problem. Is this because of school events clashing with the lessons or because the teacher has other things to be doing and therefore reschedules all the time?
To be honest, you don't sound happy with her at all and you may be better off looking for a teacher who can teach your DS after school on a fixed day of the week which won't be affected by random activities cropping up in school.
I can see it from both points of view actually.

veggiethrower · 30/08/2018 14:37

x-posted...
Just to pick up on this
"So frustrating but yes I will check next term that she can actually do the lessons rather than cramming them in to get the income."

That makes her sound greedy. I bet she isn't. She's probably struggling, concert pianist or not. It's a hard life being a freelance musician/teacher, relying on bits of work here and there and then a school organizes a school play and 5 kids can't have their lesson and you're maybe 125 pounds down straightaway.

se22mother · 30/08/2018 14:47

If you have your child practice the exercises set by the teacher on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday after school thoroughly then they would be adequately prepared for the next lesson on the Thursday. My child has occasionally had lessons this close together and it has never been an issue.

Jamboree05 · 30/08/2018 15:52

"rather than cramming them in to get income."

As has been said by myself and PPs, two in a week really isn't cramming them in and whilst she pay be trying to not lose out on a weeks worth of pay for lessons, she will also have your child's best interests at heart. I'm assuming she has a fair amount of experience, knows your child well and knows what you child will be able to manage in terms of lessons and homework.

I also think it's important to point out, it really isn't always about income either. The school I worked in had a minimum number of lessons we had to provide per term (based upon what they thought would help students progress most). I think this was 10. So in an 11 week winter term, where the final week was completely unusable due to Christmas shows and another week in the term was a school trip or suchlike, lessons needed to double up.

Jamboree05 · 30/08/2018 15:53

Uch. A million typos in that!! Sorry!

jay55 · 30/08/2018 16:12

Wouldn’t it be better to find a teacher you actually like and send him after school?

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