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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

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Original poster

How long a piano lesson for a 6 year old girl?

74 replies

FiveHoursSleep · 23/05/2012 17:10

DD3 has been learning the piano for about 4 months and has been having a 30 minute lesson once a week. She's coming on well, our teacher doesn't usually take them until they are 7 so was only giving her a trial but says she's got some musical ability and is able to concentrate well so can continue. She's almost finished the first
Now the teacher has asked if she can go up to 3/4 hour lessons as she wants to push her a bit harder. DD1 and DD2 already have an hour each with the same teacher and are doing well ( grade 4 and grade 2), so I trust her, but I was wondering if it was a bit long for her age? She's just little and my now 8 year DD2 didn't have go up to that length of lesson until she was 7.5.
What are other 6 year olds doing with regards to length of lesson?

OP posts:

Colleger · 27/05/2012 00:34

I'd listen to your teacher and no one else. If its not working I'm sure she'll suggest cutting back.

roisin · 27/05/2012 05:06

It seems a long time for little ones to me. ds2 has 25 min lessons at school - 30 weeks per yr and is doing very well on that, and he's 13.

pigsinmud · 27/05/2012 10:02

Dh teaches in schools so his grade 8 pupils have 30 x 30 mins lessons a year. He's had a few distinctions at that level.

pigsinmud · 27/05/2012 10:11

Curiousmind - dh would disagree with you about the standard of grade 8. It is the same as it was years ago - going on the brass syllabus. He would say that the load has been lightened, but the standard is the same. He had to play 2 movements of a trumpet concerto in his grade 8, but now you do one movement.

pigsinmud · 27/05/2012 10:16

Sorry one more thing - why do you think the highest mark is 143? Dh had a pupil who got 144 at grade 8.

CURIOUSMIND · 27/05/2012 14:40

The highest mark I have heard NOW is 144!
We used some books from Abrsm 1950, or 1960, those Grade 6 stuff is now Grade 8.1990's sightreading grade one has rythem like 1 1/2+ 1/2, now there is not.Also ,in the old time, they did accompaniment at Grade 6, 7,8, now you only do this if you want to go to specialist school.
we don't want to admit this, do we?I don't want to anyway.

roisin · 27/05/2012 15:12

Sounds like a teacher on the make tbh: maybe she's short of students! Round here piano teachers have waiting lists, unlikely to take on extra lessons.

Are your other two dds making fantastic progress? On their more expensive longer lessons?

Original poster

FiveHoursSleep · 27/05/2012 16:03

She's not on the make, she isn't going to charge us, she just wants more time with DD3. She only charges me half an hour and i'm usually there at least an hour! She is quite old fashioned though, and likes to go through everything in a lesson
DDs 1 and 2 seem to be doing quite well, they have been getting distinctions and merits for their exams and playing plenty of other things between exams, so her style of teaching seems to work for them.

OP posts:

Colleger · 27/05/2012 17:44

DS teacher got 148! I wonder where she went wrong!

Colleger · 27/05/2012 17:47

My son has recently started piano lessons and in the first term he had 30 mins. I discovered two months in that the teacher only had time to work on or listen to one section of his playing each week so sometimes three weeks would go by without her hearing him play his pieces. This would often become five weeks if he was ill or a half term holiday coincided with this. So we've upped it to an hour now and they can fit everything in.

Xenia · 27/05/2012 18:25

Some of ours (a lot of whom have grade 8s and 3 of whom won music scholarships) had 30 minute lessons but here the teacher is giving 15 mins extra for no charge. I would think keeping the teacher happy who knows the girl is probably best. Just agree.

On grade 8s with 30 min lesson, in our case they would be doing 3 or 4 choir, orchestra, band etc things at school also and I tend most days to accompany pieces at home on the piano as I like it (which means accompanied pieces are always better as they do more practice, than studies - entirely my fault!)

DonInKillerHeels · 27/05/2012 19:09

I got my Associate Diploma on 30 minutes a week, so I really do think more than that is overkill for a 6 year old!

Theas18 · 27/05/2012 19:32

They do lots of repertoire and scales/ sight reading , then when they / teacher agrees its exam time they focus on the 3 tested pieces relevent scales etc. gelatinous that sounds very familiar! Dd1 got to grade on first instrument by yr11 but didn't take the exam till autum year 12 ( gcses clashed). She never id take grade 8 piano as she was waiting or the listed repertoire to change as she has tiny hands lol. She also did singling grade 8 early in 6th form.

Again like gelatinous this is all very nice and she is very good ( currently as a choral scholarship but isn't studying music at uni..) . There were many grade 8 1st/2nd study children at her school ( grammar not music school) some post diploma standard but in fact only 3 or thrm doing a2 music as such!

I don't think a fast race up the grades on a single instrument is necessarily the best way to progress .load of non exam fun is vital .

Colleger · 27/05/2012 20:30

The problem with some replies on this thread is that it is being based purely on their experience. They don't know your teacher or our daughter so I think the comment, "overkill" is rather...dramatic!

pigsinmud · 27/05/2012 20:33

What colleger says is true! My nearly 6 year old could not concentrate for that long and personally I wouldn't be keen, but if your dd is keen then give it a try. Can you tell the teacher you'll give it a few weeks trial?

Xenia · 27/05/2012 20:55

On whether the higher exams are easier not with singing I haven't noticed a difference although I suppose I could not remember how sight singing was then or the details of aural tests. Some of the pieces are identical to when I did it. I didn't feel when I taught the children grade 5 theory it was too different but then I have not compared papers side by side so I might well be wrong. Anyway it's like comparing academic exams then and now - sometimes not comparing like with like - I was talking to a child about essay v lots of question history questions today. I felt essays would give more scope than trying to pick off individual marks in a formalistic way.

Pannacotta · 27/05/2012 21:02

I got my grade 8 distinction on 30 mins a week, term time only and I agree that a longer lesson for a 6 year old sounds too much, but there is no reason why you cant try it and see how she gets on.

Colleger · 27/05/2012 21:12

Anyone can get a grade 8 distinction with 30 mins but it depends on a number of factors as to how long it takes to get to grade 8. Not everyone is interested in grade 8 - having it doesn't mean one is a good musician. All the professional musicians I know had two hour lessons after the age of 14 and the music schools give 2.5 hours on the principal instrument - there must be a reason for it! DS is currently on 1.5 on his principal instrument and he's not aiming to tick the grade 8 box but to be an accomplished musician one day. There is a reason the teacher thinks she needs it so I would go with her advice.

Xenia · 27/05/2012 21:22

I just got merit (except grade 8 and almost full marks in grade 8 music theory for some reason - evidence of mis-spent teenage years)...... There is certainly no need to charge through grades for the sake of it although some children do no work at all unless an exam is coming up so depends on their personality.

Also if they aren't good at school work and are trying to get UCAS points for university grades 6 7 and 8 get you university entrance points. In fact daughter 2 had mid 20s had to submit UCAS points recently for a job and so she was rooting out cello and piano certificates.

CURIOUSMIND · 27/05/2012 21:58

I would not try it just because it's free. Quick response, fully focus, making the most improvement in the shortest time is important habit.

Pannacotta · 27/05/2012 21:59

Colleger it is very hard work getting a grade 8 distinction whatever your lesson length - I find your comment a bit odd, I practiced over an hour a day at that stage, I was 18 when I took the exam.
But my point was that you dont really need more than 30 mins a week when you are 6.
I did go to music school when I was younger where we had theory, aural and instrument lessons (plus orchestra) but I was older than 6 when I started.

OP talk to your DD and see how she feels, she might be fine with it, its hard for us to judge as we dont know her...

DonInKillerHeels · 27/05/2012 22:12

"All the professional musicians I know had two hour lessons after the age of 14"

Well I was one, and I had 1-hour lessons at conservatoire, as did everyone else at my institution. I suspect that's far more representative.

FWIW my teacher used to say that if you can't progress sufficiently on just 4 hours' practice a day (at professional level, obviously!) you're not practicing correctly.

Colleger · 27/05/2012 22:46

Getting to grade 8 distinction is not hard if you are capable, have been taught well and are ready for it. It should be a natural progression. But it's not difficult with years and years of lessons at age 18!

BoffinMum · 27/05/2012 23:07

I think 2 x 30 minutes a week is more valuable than 1 x 45 lesson, FWIW. Also joining a choir and learning recorder as well at that age would be a good idea for a very talented child.

(I was one, btw, and am now a qualified music teacher, voice and piano. I also sang professionally for a bit).

At primary school I did a bit of recorder, about 15 minutes a week, plus a very good RSCM choir.

By upper secondary school I was doing 60 minutes voice, 30 minutes piano and 30 minutes violin a week, plus 3 choirs (including another RSCM one and a semi-professional choir), orchestra and so on.

At music college we had 60 mins a week first study, 30 mins a week second study, plus for first study we also had repertoire, recital, music theatre and opera classes (60 minutes a week each) and for second study we had 60 mins a week keyboard harmony. (We also did things like choral conducting, orchestration, harmony and counterpoint, and so on).

BoffinMum · 27/05/2012 23:09

Also I never spent more than 4 hours a day practising, broken down into about 4 stints.

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