To think price increases for son's music lessons should be agreed

[mamamea]

My son started guitar lessons at school last year. We didn't check the cost until after we'd agreed to take the place, it turned out it was £17 for half-an-hour.

We've just received the bill for this term which says £17.50 for half-an-hour.

No explanation, just a bill. 50p is not that much, but the prices are already high and he should have asked us.

Is he taking the piss, or what?

£25/hour is the MU rate. I didn't see many over that, though half an hour might cost more pro rata I supposed.

I think ShellingPeas is home counties, just as I am.

I am, indeed, home counties, about an hour from London and in a prime commuter belt. I still think £17.50 for half an hour is expensive, even for London.

Ours are £19.70 per half hour (private school again), 'tis extortinate. I have a hunch that it doesn't all go to the teacher concerned - I think the school takes a cut (for use of practice rooms, piano tuning etc) which would account for why it's more than the MU rate.

Lordy, has the head of music never heard of an 'audition'?

Bloody hell snorkie, that is unbelievably extortionate. I would expect that the school is charging an hourly rate for the use of their facilities but don't you feel you are being held to ransom?

I would agree that most of this charge isn't going to the teacher. I have worked as a peripatetic music tutor for an LEA and while the county charged around £8 per lesson per child, with a group lesson of up to 10 children, I certainly never made £80 an hour myself.

well, not really shellingpeas. The school gives out quite a large number of bursaries (free lessons) so not everyone pays (luckily including me, so I have no right to grumble). Also, they do an incredible number of ensembles (large & small) and aural-training and theory groups for anyone sitting exams which are also free (and also open to people who have lessons outside school, so you're not really over a barrel on that count). If you consider them as part of the package too it's not such bad value. The teachers are also (mostly) excellent - a local music festival organiser asked me who my son's piano teacher was and on being told said 'wow! he's lucky!'.

The people who get the worst value for money are those whose children forget to turn up for lessons week on week - or are persistently late.

Oh, and the school accompanist (aforementioned piano teacher & rather excellent) will accompany exams for free too (free to the students, not I suspect the school).

That makes a difference - viewed as a package rather than individual costs then not so bad at all... lucky you

OMG my boys do drum and guitar at school which cost £100 per term works out at £5 per lesson (half hour)

We've just switched ds's lessons from in school (£16.50/hour) to after school (on the way home..)at £14.00.

I was getting a bit that he had to miss normal lessons, for which we were already paying (school fees!) and pay for an extra lesson at the same time.

I understand they are different etc, but it still felt like double counting!

Also I think there is a lot of faffing about in school lessons - getting there, sorting out their music/instruments etc/ interruptions etc. At least I now know that he gets his full 1/2 hour!

The MU "private teaching" rate from September 2009 is £27 per hour. However, there's a separate rate sheet for "Visiting Teachers in Independent and Maintained Schools" where the rates vary according to the experience and responsibilities of the teacher, and range from a few pounds less to a few pounds more than the £27 rate.

Self-employed private music teachers do not have an employer to give them pension contributions, sick pay, holiday pay, maternity pay, national insurance contributions and so on. They must fund their own travel (often working in several locations), practice time, preparation time, extra appearances at school concerts and time spent putting students in for exams among other things. When you add all that up, I think the MU fees quoted are very reasonable.

However back to the topic. Yes mamamea, it's usual for teachers to inform you of any price change in advance.

dmo, are your boys' music lessons taught individually or in a group?

Spoke to the school music teacher, she basically said 'if he's not having lessons at school, I won't hear him' and 'the teacher is a professional'. Didn't seem too interested really.

Apparently if he's good he might get in one of the school ensembles next school year, but the prospects didn't sound too good, considering that there are much older children at the school. I'm not sure how big a deal it is really.

I do think half-an-hour is quite short for a lesson. Home lessons would definitely be better, only missing thing would be the possible future (maybe in 2 years) time chance to play with others.