to ask guitar teacher about the price difference in lessons

[Saltypeanuts]

I've just found out from a friend of a friend that I am paying my DD's guitar teacher £2 more per private lesson than other students (same teacher).

AIBU to ask the guitar teacher about the difference in price - or could there be some kind of perfectly reasonable explanation?

I would feel a bit of a dick saying 'but X only pays you £X' if there's a good reason and then the guitar teacher would maybe think I was being a bit silly and I would be embarrassed!

Are the lessons in the same place/at the same level?

Did your DC start the classes later? I would suggest that might be the case and the other students have historic rates???

Is your daughter a more recent student than the others?
Music teachers often fail to increase prices for existing students in line with what they raise them for new students.

Yes, it might be that they had lower prices in the past and havent raised them for old clients.

oh, yes that's probably what it is. The others have been playing a bit longer so maybe they are on an older rate. But surely everyone should pay the same? If anything I would have thought the more advanced players would be more likely to be more expensive. My DD is a beginner

Why should everyone pay the same? The teacher has the right to set a new price but waive the difference for existing customers if she wants to.

No, it's fairly standard. Keep the long term students on the previous rate as an expression of gratitude for their loyalty I'd have thought.

If anything I'd imagine a beginner is harder to teach than a more experienced player.

Have they been having lessons with that teacher for longer than your daughter has ? Our music school put prices up for new students but left existing on the old price. Or have they had an older brother or sister learn with them (sibling discount), or do they block-book and pay for lessons in advance? Any of those often gets a discount of a pound or two per hour IME. Or if you heard this via a 'friend of a friend', could the message be muddled and they are quoting an old price?

I think it is probably a bit easier and more enjoyable to teach someone they having been teaching a while and seen progress a bit, so they want to hang on to them. If you keep going, your DD may well benefit from a fix in her rate next time prices go up.

Your teacher may increase the prices for others annually e.g. next May. Or may hold a set price for long term pupils. Are they I the same place? Do they pay up front for a term?

As a tutor my prices I increase prices for new students occasionally but don't increase prices for existing students. I've also accepted lower prices for a student who couldn't afford the higher price.

I find it works the same as for instance hairdressers.

New clients pay the price as of when they started, but later once prices rise they don't get asked for more but new clients at that point pay the newer higher price.

For example dp is charged £19 per cut.this year the price was raised to £20 but dp still pays £19.

At my sons kick boxing we pay more than those who started before him.

I'm a tutor and I have a £10 an hour difference between my cheapest and most expensive. The students I've been teaching for seven years are still on my first rate and my prices have risen a lot since then.