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karslima
I just wondered whether weekly one hour lessons is the norm for an adult complete beginner (as proposed by teacher)? It seems a long time to concentrate.
Louise H
I do half hour lessons for complete beginners as I think that's enough do cover a few things at a time and for the student to work on at home between lessons.
dolce@piano
QUOTE(karslima @ May 16 2012, 06:02 AM) *

I just wondered whether weekly one hour lessons is the norm for an adult complete beginner (as proposed by teacher)? It seems a long time to concentrate.



Not the norm but a great idea if you can afford it, are motivated and want to progress fast.

I don't think concentration should be a problem (!) for an adult - I've never heard of adults having a concern over this.

It depends how much practice you can do in the week.

I think one hour lessons every two weeks often works well for adults.

You could always give it a go and see. If the financial side is a a worry, though, your teacher should be able to propose shorter or less frequent lessons too.

linda.ff
I agree about the amount of practice in between lessons being more important.

Anyone who thinks a longer lesson will compensate for not much practice is not going to leanr to play properly.
maggiemay
I generally won't do an hour for a complete beginner. I find 30 or 40 minutes seems about right.
It's easy to think longer = more = better, but it's not always the case. A beginner usually finds their head is spinning after this sort of time, and it's better to leave it there. In other words - yes - it IS a long time to concentrate, and after a while it may just not go in. I resist strongly if a beginner asks for an hour's lesson.
Susie
QUOTE(maggiemay @ May 16 2012, 08:59 AM) *

I generally won't do an hour for a complete beginner. I find 30 or 40 minutes seems about right.
It's easy to think longer = more = better, but it's not always the case. A beginner usually finds their head is spinning after this sort of time, and it's better to leave it there. In other words - yes - it IS a long time to concentrate, and after a while it may just not go in. I resist strongly if a beginner asks for an hour's lesson.

Well said. I agree.
VH2
For the majority of adult learners, from beginner up to Grade 7 or 8, I find a lesson of 40 or 45 minutes is optimal. 30 minutes is not enough, but by an hour concentration has fallen off, and too much material covered in a lesson can become confusing.

For more advanced students it depends entirely on the individual student. Some are capable of maintaining concentration for two hours or more with only one or two 5-minute breaks.
clarry
QUOTE(karslima @ May 16 2012, 07:02 AM) *

I just wondered whether weekly one hour lessons is the norm for an adult complete beginner (as proposed by teacher)? It seems a long time to concentrate.


I think half an hour is quite enough for a beginner, adult or child, as concentration levels on a new and quite challenging skill have to be built up, after all. It's difficult enough, I would think, for an adult to get into the routine of practising, anyway. Once someone's got past the beginner stage, I would think to increase to 3/4 hour, then up to an hour, but they might have reached about Grade 3-4 by then, in reality.
niobe
QUOTE(karslima @ May 16 2012, 07:02 AM) *

I just wondered whether weekly one hour lessons is the norm for an adult complete beginner (as proposed by teacher)? It seems a long time to concentrate.

I started off with 30 mins lessons with a couple of 45 mins lessons in the run up to exams. Currently working for G4 and we have moved to 45 mins lessons on a regular basis, which I now prefer as I can ask more questions! However, I think 30 mins was more than enough for me at G1 as I needed to consolidate lesson activities by daily practice.
Enjoy your lessons piano.gif
stetenorve
I have 30 minute lessons. Teacher comes to my house, so I am warming up with scales etc before he arrives. Therefore I do get a good half hour's tuition, and I can also try out any tricky bits straight after the lesson!
karslima
Thanks very much for your responses. I'm getting a clear message that one hour is on the long side for a complete beginner.
maggiemay
You can probably keep open the possibility of increasing the time later. Best of luck - hope you can sort out something that suits you!
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