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Original poster

Music teacher not giving the full hour lesson

35 replies

oasishelen · 16/02/2022 19:51

Hi,

My daughter (14 years old) has a private piano lesson, the teacher is very good, I usually go with her to the class. However, the problem is the teacher never gives a full hour lesson in each class, always finishes 10 minutes earlier.

My daughter feels a bit annoyed, she likes the teacher can give the full feedback on each week she has been practised. I feel embarrassed to challenge the teacher about the time.

Do you have any good ideas to solve this situation?

OP posts:
Yuckypretty · 16/02/2022 19:53

Could you just ask him if the sessions are 50minutes or an hour? And see what he says.

makinganavalon · 16/02/2022 19:58

At first I was going to say talk to her, but ap piano teacher you like can be like gold-dust, so am now unsure. However this isnt really on- those minutes add up- and it's not fair on your daughter, esp as she is noticing.
Perhaps next time you go to class, and it finishes early, could you say- I've noticed we've been getting through all of material for the lessons each week really well and I appreciate that, but can we use these last ten minutes of the class to go through scales, piece A, (whatever fits)?
If she goes to a class with lots of people run by a company just be aware that sometimes these are designed to be fifty minutes, so maybe check the terms, and maybe be direct and ask her if that's the case.
It's a tough one though. Hope you get an answer

Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 20:27

@Yuckypretty

Could you just ask him if the sessions are 50minutes or an hour? And see what he says.
Obviously he knows it should be one hour class, my daughter checked the email, he says the fees for one hour class.
OP posts:
Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 20:29

@makinganavalon

At first I was going to say talk to her, but ap piano teacher you like can be like gold-dust, so am now unsure. However this isnt really on- those minutes add up- and it's not fair on your daughter, esp as she is noticing. Perhaps next time you go to class, and it finishes early, could you say- I've noticed we've been getting through all of material for the lessons each week really well and I appreciate that, but can we use these last ten minutes of the class to go through scales, piece A, (whatever fits)? If she goes to a class with lots of people run by a company just be aware that sometimes these are designed to be fifty minutes, so maybe check the terms, and maybe be direct and ask her if that's the case. It's a tough one though. Hope you get an answer
The issue is he always go through the scales and technical at the beginning of his class as warm-up. It's not run by the company, it's a private teacher.
OP posts:
User48751490 · 16/02/2022 20:30

What about showing up ten minutes earlier for the lesson?

SmolCat · 16/02/2022 20:44

Cowards option; Go with her and when she comes out say “oh you’re early! It’s not been an hour yet!” so the teacher will overhear.

Brave option; say something directly to the teacher.

Yuckypretty · 16/02/2022 20:47

But by asking him you're showing him you've noticed that the class is ending early. And it might be an honest mistake, like he may do 50 minute classes with other students or something.

Or you could just be direct about it by saying that you noticed that youve been finishing early and you'd like to class to be an hour. But I expect you don't want to drive that since you're asking how to approach this.

Thewindwhispers · 16/02/2022 20:49

Ugh we had this, teacher booked in back to back full hour lessons then every time we arrived (11am) he was dashing off for a wee. In a different building. 🙄

Left eventually because unprofessional in other ways too

Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 20:53

@User48751490

What about showing up ten minutes earlier for the lesson?
She tried, and he still finished 10 minutes earlier,,,,,
OP posts:
Finchgold · 16/02/2022 20:56

Could the teacher be allowing 10 minutes to air the room between pupils due to covid? My daughters music school does this.

Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 20:57

@SmolCat

Cowards option; Go with her and when she comes out say “oh you’re early! It’s not been an hour yet!” so the teacher will overhear.

Brave option; say something directly to the teacher.

Well, because he is a male teacher, I insisted to sit in the class with her. He literally just says finishes class in from of both of us,,,,
OP posts:
Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 21:00

@Yuckypretty

But by asking him you're showing him you've noticed that the class is ending early. And it might be an honest mistake, like he may do 50 minute classes with other students or something.

Or you could just be direct about it by saying that you noticed that youve been finishing early and you'd like to class to be an hour. But I expect you don't want to drive that since you're asking how to approach this.

I have noticed that most of his students are teenagers, none of them with his/her's parents, he always finishes the class very early. Even I sit with my daughter each class, he still does the same. My daughter really wants to email him about this issue, I'm not sure if that is a good way to solve this situation.
OP posts:
Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 21:01

@Finchgold

Could the teacher be allowing 10 minutes to air the room between pupils due to covid? My daughters music school does this.
I don't think that's the case, he never wears the mask, he doesn't mind if you ware or not. Sometimes we went there, no student before us, but still, finish earlier.
OP posts:
Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 21:02

@Thewindwhispers

Ugh we had this, teacher booked in back to back full hour lessons then every time we arrived (11am) he was dashing off for a wee. In a different building. 🙄

Left eventually because unprofessional in other ways too

I feel the same way, not very professional in teaching, although the technical really good,,,
OP posts:
camperqueen54 · 16/02/2022 21:03

Yes it says at the university I'm a lecturer in that lectures are 1 hr but everyone knows it's 50 minutes and if you go over that you mess up the next persons prep time.

How is he supposed to get to his next student? Or prep?

DisappointingAvocado · 16/02/2022 21:03

I have the opposite problem in that my piano teacher always stays longer than an hour as he's enjoying chatting about pieces too much Grin it's a bit different though as I'm a fairly advanced adult returner and lessons are more a discussion of expression and repertoire than anything else since I already know how to play. I think it's a nice change for my teacher and he gets carried away.

OP now that your daughter knows the teacher why don't you try waiting in the car and not coming to get her until the hour is up?

ladygindiva · 16/02/2022 21:06

@Finchgold

Could the teacher be allowing 10 minutes to air the room between pupils due to covid? My daughters music school does this.
I am an instrument teacher and I have taken 5 minutes off lesson times to enable covid measures between pupils.
Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 21:12

@camperqueen54

Yes it says at the university I'm a lecturer in that lectures are 1 hr but everyone knows it's 50 minutes and if you go over that you mess up the next persons prep time.

How is he supposed to get to his next student? Or prep?

Usually after us, with no student showing up, but university teachers get a salary, but the private class, the parents have to pay the teacher every minute in the class if he says one hour lesson, it supposes to be 60 minutes class. A professional teacher should leave a gap between two students with one hour delivery time.
OP posts:
rattlemehearties · 16/02/2022 21:16

If you're in the room why don't you address this there and then? Your OP reads as if you're at arms length elsewhere!

Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 21:16

@DisappointingAvocado

I have the opposite problem in that my piano teacher always stays longer than an hour as he's enjoying chatting about pieces too much Grin it's a bit different though as I'm a fairly advanced adult returner and lessons are more a discussion of expression and repertoire than anything else since I already know how to play. I think it's a nice change for my teacher and he gets carried away.

OP now that your daughter knows the teacher why don't you try waiting in the car and not coming to get her until the hour is up?

She requested me to sit in the class with her, I can take the notes for her when she practices during the week, those notes help her,,, I presumed if I sit in the car it will be the same situation. Now I sit in the class he even can finish earlier, sit in the car maybe 15 minutes earlier :)
OP posts:
camperqueen54 · 16/02/2022 21:16

That just seems ridiculous. So first pupil 9-10. Next pupil 9.10 to 10.10. Next pupil 10.20 to 11.20. What a nightmare to manage!

Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 21:18

@rattlemehearties

If you're in the room why don't you address this there and then? Your OP reads as if you're at arms length elsewhere!
I feel not very comfortable flagging this issue in front of him, hope can find out a better way to solve it.
OP posts:
Original poster
oasishelen · 16/02/2022 21:19

@camperqueen54

That just seems ridiculous. So first pupil 9-10. Next pupil 9.10 to 10.10. Next pupil 10.20 to 11.20. What a nightmare to manage!
In this case, better just charge 50 minutes lesson, not one hour, the fees I paid it 60 pounds per hour,,,,
OP posts:
Rekorderlig88 · 16/02/2022 21:19

Differnet slant here.
If they had offered 50 min lessons for the same price would you have gone with that?
1hr is a long time for a piano lesson.

Photolass · 16/02/2022 21:20

I see your point. After 6 lessons, each 10 minutes short, it adds up to a full lesson missed.
Can you point this out?