Learning guitar or any other musical instrument for that matter can be an expensive ordeal. Not only does the student need an instrument, they’ll need to buy books, will likely take exams and oh yes, have weekly lessons!
As with most things, the price of music tuition has risen over the years. In this article, we will outline what parents should expect to pay for instrumental tuition and to give a guide of what to expect at these different price points.
Paying peanuts and getting monkeys
We all love free or it’s close friend, CHEAP. Who wouldn’t want to save a few quid? How bad can it be right? Rumours abound of excellent tutors who charge low rates.
In some instances, this isn’t too good to be true. Perhaps the tutor is highly experienced but has recently moved to the area and is charging low rates whilst s/he builds up a client base. Perhaps the tutor has low outgoings and is content on charging a small amount to help budding musicians flourish. Indeed, there may be any number of reasons a skilled practitioner chooses to charge below market rates. However, most of the time a tutor is cheap for a reason and if they appear great value now, they probably won’t be for long.
As the old saying goes, “you get what you pay for.” With music tuition as with most things in life, this is certainly the case.
Beware the inexperienced tutor – £20-35 per hour
Young, accomplished musicians often seem like a great bet. They can certainly play their instrument and may have an impressive pedigree; studying at renowned institutions and performing in revered venues. However, there are several pitfalls to be aware of.
Can they teach?
Playing and teaching are certainly different things. They require a different way of thinking and a different mindset. Counterintuitively, unless they have a genuine passion for nurturing the learner’s development, the best performers often make poor tutors as it takes skill and experience to adjust the delivery of a topic to each individual learner. When we take our own abilities for granted, it can be even more difficult to teach others. Try explaining what “the” means to an eight-year-old… You get the point.
Do they understand the requirements of the various exam syllabuses?
There is no substitute for experience and putting students through grades is quite different than taking them yourself. An experienced guitar tutor will have a better understanding of the content and requirement of exams across different boards. Moreover, the teacher will be able to deliver mocks and accurate appraisals so that the student and parent have a clear sense of how they are likely to perform and a clear strategy of how best to maximise their results.
Are they dedicated to teaching and their students?
Do they teach guitar because they want to or because they have to? If it is the latter, they may not stick around for long when the bright lights of a gig or tour come calling. They may also lack in dedication, reliability and commitment if their heart is not truly in it. As The Lindy Effect tells us, younger tutors are also more likely to leave the profession entirely or move area.
Beware the novice or unqualified musicians – £20-35 per hour
Counter to the example above, some guitar tutors are patient and nurturing and put every effort into their student’s endeavours. However, if they are lacking in musical accomplishment or have not worked as a professional musician, they may not know the most effective practise methods and the student’s progress is likely to plateau after the initial stages. These tutors usually charge less than those who have a degree (or at least an equivalent knowledge base) and industry experience but the student may pay the price in their long-term development.
As well as musical training, serious students may also wish to pick the brains of tutors who have more real-world experience. Perhaps this will shape their decision on whether or not to pursue music professionally.
Top local tutor – £45-60 per hour / £16-25 for group lessons
These are the tutors we would all want for our children. Accomplished musicians with years of performance and teaching experience. Each lesson is carefully planned to be the right level for each student, to teach them what they want and / or need to learn in a fun and engaging way. A dedicated practitioner who put their hearts and soul into what they do and go above and beyond for their students. Always seeking ways to improve and innovate their practice, these teachers develop unique and innovative methods and resources that enable the learners to make the most out of their guitar lessons. The lessons are more than a music lessons, they are an enriching experience that will help shape their child’s future and offer them transferable skills and countless opportunities.
Now, I’ll be the first to admit that, taken at face value, the higher price that these teachers command can be off putting when taken out of context. Some tutors even charge hundreds of pounds per hour if they are particularly sought after and specialised, such as those who perform with established orchestras. In any case, one could argue that even then these tutors are cheap in relation to equivalent professionals in other industries.
“If we only focused on price, every meal out would be at McDonalds. Instead, as with all transaction and purchases, whether product or service, the price is only one component of the overall value.”
How to find out if a tutor is charging the “right” price
Let’s imagine there are two local guitar tutors; Bob who is charging £25 per hour and Judy who is charging £50 per hour. Now, it is clear who is the more expensive, but who is the better value? Luckily, we can find this out with just one simple question,
“Do you have space to take on more students?”
Cost vs value
As a firm believer in free market price discovery, I truly believe that the market (in this case parents and guitar students) will determine the value of the lessons. It would be remiss to assume that none of Judy’s students know they could get cheaper guitar lessons with Bob. However, despite this, they choose to pay more for guitar classes with Judy. Why? Because they deem the service to offer at least twice as much value. In the words of Warren Buffett;
“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.”
Of course, value itself is a rather subjective and complex matter with many factors to take into consideration. Nonetheless, if a tutor has a full teaching schedule, I think it is fair to deduce that students have determined their lessons to be better value than a less busy, cheaper teacher irrespective of the cost.
Whether a tutor seems too cheap or too expensive, I would urge you to delve deeper into the value they offer rather than focusing too much on the price.
Solutions on a budget
In my opinion, fewer lessons with a better teacher are almost always a better option than more lessons with an inexperienced one. It can take years to rebuild the damage of incorrect instruction and many guitar students give up in the process.
If your budget doesn’t allow to take weekly lessons with your preferred guitar tutor, it is worth asking if fortnightly or ad hoc lessons are an option instead. Some tutors and music schools offer group classes. At Guitar Teacher Bushey, we specialise in group guitar lessons as we feel this democratizes music education, making quality tuition affordable to as many students as possible and, we hope, offering the best of both worlds to parents and students alike.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this blog, please share it with your friends and family. You may also be interested in out blog, “How to choose the right music teacher for you or your child”.
What do you think?
How much do you think is fair to pay for a great guitar lesson?