How to choose the right music teacher for you or your child
For a student to get the most out of their music lessons, it is vital to find a tutor who is the best fit.
Of course, we all have different personalities, different levels of experience and different goals. As such, it would be remiss to claim that a “best teacher” truly exists as not only is this subjective, but also and dependent on the parameters on which it is measured; the needs and preferences of the individual. Nonetheless, you can and certainly should find the music tutor who is the best fit for you and your child. All being well, the relationship between student and pupil will last for years (and likely cost a fair bit of money!) so it is essential to start on the right foot.
In this article, we will discuss a few of the major points of consideration to help pick the best tutor for you and / or your child.
Logistics
This is not necessarily the most interesting of topics but likely the most important to start with.
Location
The first thing to think about is whether you would prefer to travel to the tutor or if you would like someone to come to you. If you are able to travel to the tutor, how far are you willing to go? Some tutors offer both home tuition and lessons in their own studio, though most will favour one of the other. Of course, there are pros and cons to each. Being open minded where possible will certainly increase your options. However, if leaving the house is simply unrealistic, finding someone to come to you is a must.
Availability
Some tutors ask students to have regular weekly slots whilst other will book lessons in on a more casual basis, possibly around a performance career or child care. If you are fairly flexible, booking ad hoc lessons may not be an issue and may even be preferable. However, if you have a busy schedule with limited availability, fixing in a regular time is certainly a necessity.
As the best tutors are in high demand, there may not be a space right away with your favoured teacher. If you have a young child, I would highly recommend researching tutors a year or two before they intend to start so that they may be placed on a waiting list if necessary.
Starting Age
Some teachers will take students of all ages, whereas others have minimum age requirements. This can vary from instrument to instrument too. For example, five-year olds can make consistent progress with piano as the movements are fairly large. Producing a single note is fairly simple, so, whilst it’s unlikely many 5-year olds will sound like Beethoven, the barrier to entry to get started is fairly low. However, with guitar for example, students below the age of six or seven tend to struggle with the fine motor skills required.
If you’re thinking of stating guitar lessons for your child but you’re not sure if they’re old enough yet, we’d recommend reading our blog, “Is my child old enough to start guitar lessons?”
Price
As with most things, you get what you pay for and with music tuition is no different. Nonetheless, rates vary massively from tutor to tutor and it can be very difficult to determine what is the right price to pay and whether or not teachers who command a higher rate will necessarily deliver the results to justify them. For a better idea of the what you’d expect to pay for music lessons in Bushey, Watford and surrounding areas, you may like to read our blog, “How much do guitar lessons cost and what one question should I ask to find out if they’re worth it?” When determining your budget, consider:
- The length of the lesson. Students learning with a more experienced tutors may make just as much if not more progress with a shorter lesson
- How often the lessons will take place. Would you like the lessons to be weekly, or would you be happy to undertake more independent study with fortnightly or monthly lessons? In large parts, this will be dependent on the age and maturity of the student
- Are one to one lessons necessary? For beginners in particular, group lessons may provide a far more cost-effective and enjoyable solution than the traditional one to one format, especially if top-up one to one lessons are offered so that students’ specific needs may be addressed. In fact, there’s at least 6 reasons group guitar lessons may be a better option than one-to-one.
Making sure the teacher is the right fit
What do you want to learn?
Whether or not it’s better to start learning classical music first or go straight into pop, rock or jazz is certainly an issue that divides many instrumental teachers. I’m sure I’ll write a blog on this one day, but to cut a long story short, I always advise that students go with their passion. A student who is enthused about what they’re learning will always do more practise, make better progress and have a more positive experience than one who isn’t!
It is rare to find teachers who are good at teaching all style so music. What do you listen to and what do you see yourself playing? Find a tutor who can teach the style you want to learn and ideally who specialises in it.
What is the tutor’s teaching style?
Of course, highly experienced teachers are usually excellent at adapting to the needs and aspirations of individual students. Nonetheless, all music teachers will have a different teaching style and personality which you may or may not click with. Temperament also varies between tutors who may be extremely strict, completely carefree or more likely somewhere in between.
I would recommend thinking seriously about what you want out of the lessons for you and your child. If you are exam focused or want to make progress in a short period of time, such as to prepare for an exam of the 11+ music aptitude tests, a more traditional, strict teacher may be the best fit. However, if you see music as more of a hobby and release and would like to enjoy progress at your own pace, finding a teacher with a more relaxed view may be more suitable. It is worth noting that with the right teacher, fun and progress are certainly not mutually exclusive; particularly for younger learners where fun and play are a vital part of the learning process.
Have a look at the tutor’s website, read reviews and testimonials. If you can, speak with current students or their parents. It’s usually possible to book in a taster lesson or two. This is the best way to see if there is a rapport with the teacher and if you can see yourself working together for years to come.
I hope you have found this article helpful and we’d love to hear your thoughts and comments.
- How did you choose the right music teacher for yourself and your children?
- Did we leave anything out that you think is important?