Hello Everyone,

I am new to the forum, and new to the viloin (as i dont think forcing my parents to listen to countless squeeky renditions of puff the magic dragon etc in primary school really counts)

I'm currently on the hunt for a teacher, not the easyiest when you live on the Isle of Wight, although it seems there are plenty - none of them want to be found

What I was hoping someone could help me with is info on the cost of lessons. How much roughly does a lesson cost? And for what length of time? Also how would you reccomend for a lesson length- bearing in mind my complete novice status!

Also is it seen as poor ettiquette to outright ask a teacher what qualifications they have - or just common sense - perhaps someone could suggest a more delicate way of phrasing the question.

Thanks Guys

hi and welcome to the forums i am quite new to music too i have only being playing a year in june there is lots of really helpful people on here on all subjects

i will ask my teacher next week if she knows anyone in the isle of wight she is based in london she teaches flute and vilolin

good luck i loved puff the magic dragon as a child which really shows my age

Thats very kind of you. Thanks

Oh everyone i forgot to mention in my first post one violin teacher quoted me £10 for 20 mins does this seem reasonable - it does to me but I have no basis for comparison,

also I guess with teachers like anything else - You get what you pay for - so I dont want a bargin basement teacher!

The best teachers around here are about £25/hr or £13.50/half hour

IMO sounds fairly reasonable without being suspiciously cheap.

Thanks guys.. oh Sarah flute, I noticed your signiture says you student passed her exam? So you are a teacher? In that case how would you like to be approached by a potential student about your quailifications?

Do you think its a reasonable question?

Hi GI!

I'm a very small scale teacher I only have one student ATM. I don't have a lot in the way of qualifications, but it wouldn't bother me someone asking - IMO the potential student has a right to know, although quals can only tell you so much about a person's teaching. As it happens my student's parents were happy to "give it a go" despite my lack of qualifications, so when it turned out that their daughter got on well with me and was inspired to learn/practise by my teaching, they were happy On the other hand if someone decided that that lack was a reason not to have lessons with me, I would be sad but hey, it's their decision and they deserve the info to make an informed choice.

Of course you can ask a potential teacher about qualifications. If that makes them unhappy you should be suspicious. You are arranging a transaction where knowledge is exchanged for money, so you have a right to ask what you'll be getting. However, qualifications aren't everything, because you also need to get on, and people have different teaching styles. Ask around, it is best if you can get a recommendation from someone you know.

I would say between £25 and £30 per hour is reasonable.

I usually ask what the teacher thinks of as his or her priorities in teaching, and whether they tend to follow a general pattern during lesson. It helps to know whether a teacher likes and teaches a range of styles, or whether s/only enjoys one style or only feels qualified to teach one type of music.

Because qualifications are only part of the story, I really like to pay for one lesson/discussion. That way, a lot of questions are "answered" without ever being "asked"!

Good luck!

wow thanks guys,

You all seem really lovely not to mention helpful - and i didn't really think about the possibility of discussing the way the teacher works, and type of music they prefer to teach. INSPIRED!

Although budget restrictions mean i might have to try and get that type of info on the phone rather than paying out for initial lessons with several teachers if I found out one didn't suit. Sneaky I know but a girls got to eat!

Thanks Again

Hi Good Intentions!

I'm a new player too - I started the violin last September and I'm just loving it.

My teacher was reccomended to me by someone I met in our local fiddle orchestra. I just went along to listen 6weeks after picking up my dad's fiddle and they asked me to join in and I asked around if anyone had had lessons locally. I'm very lucky as she's a great teacher - very enthusiastic and motivational. She charges £10 for half-an-hour but may be putting her prices up a little as I think that's quite low overall. Oh and my first 'lesson/discussion' was free which I think was extremely generous because I learned so much!!!

I first asked in a local music shop and they gave me a list of teachers. I picked the one with the most qualifications and phoned but there was no reply and no answering machine. I didn't try the others because they admitted to only teaching 'beginners' and I'm new to the violin but not new to music and didn't want to end up with someone who was not very advanced themselves... I know that sounds snobby but I was a professional myself on another instrument and my current teacher works very well with that.

So I'm glad to have gone on word-of-mouth reccomendation

Just a thought - you may nto have seen this thread http://forums.abrsm.org/index.php?showtopic=22355 with lots of folks in the same boat as you

Don't be embarassed to ask a potential teacher about their qualifications and teaching approach. Try to be clear about what you want from them too in your own mind (in terms of exam preparation/repertoire etc) - the more info you give them, the more likely you are to get what you want out of the lessons. Ideally you want a teacher who is prepared to adapt their approach to suit your needs, not a 'one size fits all' approach. Don't just accept a general recommendation from someone - ask them some probing questions - someone else's dream teacher could be your worst nightmare!!
Good luck

Here in U.S., we are more open about asking questions and the teachers tends to be in one or another teacher's association so if we can see what the general qualifications, i.e. education/certificate/etc. Lots of them are internet-savy enough and have their webpage linked. Most will listed on their own webpages that has their musical background, almost similar to a resume, like how long they've played, school attended, orchestra they were member in, what their views on music lesson/playing, etc.

Our Teach has such webpage so I get to know some of his basic background before we met. He offered the 1st half-hour sesson for free -- he feels this 1st session should be more of an interview/consultation, rather than lesson. We asked questions/get to know each other/discuss lessons expectations/instruments consulting/etc, just to see if he's the teacher we want to work with continuiously. He charges $20 USD per 30-minute lesson, and our lessons are weekly.

I belive it is very important to ask your teacher upfront about their qualifications or it will be money wasted because you will harbor a doubt or distrust about the teachings and that won't accomplish whole lot later down the road. I think discussing what you want & expect from lessons is necessary just so you both can work toward that. I remembered one of potential teachers I met, her expectations is to turn my son into a budding violin prodigy and it is a serious business. Well, I do have a genius for a son , but childhood is too short to be so serious of anything!! You should always feel comfortable about asking the questions pertain to music lessons (they have the rights to refuse answering personal questions, such as what they like to wear when they are learning cello *cough... Sarah... wink* ).

I was ill....

(NOT in pjs today!)

Hi

My lessons cost 10 pounds for 30 mins and I live in Fareham. I am keen to make contact with adult learners in the area. I have just taken my grade 3 but am still awaiting my results.
My teacher is fantastic and if you like I will ask her if she knows anyone who teaches on the island.
I find 30 mins is long enough for lessons, unless practising for exams. I have not idea of my teachers qualifications .... all I know is she plays jolly well!

Hope this helps :-)

Hi Good Intentions

Some of the other things you might like to think about in a potential teacher:

- Do they put their students in for exams - and if so, which examination board do they use and why (or do they use different exam boards for different students?)

- if they do put students in for exams, how do they cover the aural part of the exam - do they teach aural themselves, do they suggest that the student uses a computer package, or does the student have to go to someone else for aural training (not recommended)

- how long have they been teaching and how many students do they have?

- would they be able to accompany you on the piano in lessons (not strictly necessary maybe but it adds another dimension to the lesson)

- how much practise do they recommend you do each week?

- do they only work during school term time or would your lessons continue as normal during the school holidays as well?

- what level do they teach up to?


This list isn't intended to be a list of questions to ask a potential teacher, otherwise it would sound like an inquisition! It's just intended to give you some food for thought as to some of the things to think about.

The best thing might be to email the teacher initially - give a bit of information about yourself and a telephone number that you can be contacted on. Explain in the email that you realise that learning an instrument is a long term process, and for that reason, you know it's important to find the right teacher so would it be possible to meet up to have a chat about it .... If they are agreeable (and it wouldn't be a good sign if they're not), then all the questions you want to ask could hopefully come out more casually during the course of the conversation. If you can get the teacher talking, you may find that many of your questions are answered before you've asked them.

Re asking the teacher about their qualifications, yes it seems a bit of a delicate question, doesn't it... but essential if you don't have any other reference points like a friend's recommendation. You could perhaps ask the teacher conversationally if they trained on the island, and see if that leads to them telling you about their qualifications. Or you could bring up the matter when you're talking about exams. It would be fairly natural after you've asked if the teacher enters their students for exams, to ask which exams they did and which board did they use. That should give the teacher the opportunity to wax lyrical about their qualifications. If not, all the more reason to pursue it - if they don't seize an opportunity to talk about their qualifications, it could mean that they don't have any.

In spite of all of the above suggestions, I have to say that I don't remember asking my teachers any questions like this My first teacher was with a music college so I assumed that all the teachers were suitably qualified. My other teachers came about in various ways, but I only remember one of them telling me about her qualifications.

Incidentally, if this meeting with the teacher is just an exchange of expectations and information, it is unlikely that there would be any charge.

At the end of the meeting, you could ask the teacher if s/he has a business card - if so, that will probably have their qualifications printed on it.

Oh dear, sorry about the length of this post - I've got a bit carried way

Best of luck with it, and hope you enjoy using the forums

Hello Good Intentions (that could be my name as well!!)



I found my piano teacher through this website: http://www.musicteachers.co.uk/browse/90/i...wight/teachers/



and my singing teacher through Yell.com



But then I did some more research, eg searches on Google, to find out more about them before making initial contact.



I pay £10 per 0.5 hours for piano (Teacher has MA and BA(Hons) in music) and £36 per hour for singing (Teacher is a professional singer). Both are excellent teachers.



Hope that this helps

I too found my viola teacher through musicteachers.co.uk and I pay £10 for 30 mins, which is a bit of a discount on her regular prices. Still, she doesn't normally teach viola and I go to her place, (thus reducing the normal travel time and costs for her), so I think you can expect to be looking at this as a starting price. She has a BA and a PGDip in performance.

Ask around for recommendations - local music shop has already been suggested - do you have any local violin specialist shops/dealers/makers/repairers? As a teacher I'm often in my local dealers and it is a good local source of information on orchestras, concerts and other events as well as keeping a list of teachers.

Mine are 6.00 for half an hour, from a retired lady whos plays it seems every instrument!!

For beginners - intermediate (grade 1-5) you dont need to spend a fortune on teachers.

Good Luck

I pay £10 for half an hour, or sometimes slightly more, for the viola. I'm now at grade 4 standard. I travel to the teachers' house. It is £16.50 for half an hour for singing, from a professional singer. The children get charged £13.50 , and £11.50 for half an hour.
Because I have only got grade 7 piano, I charge £5.00 for half an hour for piano lessons.
For piano lessons, I was paying about £10.00 for half an hour, I travelled to the teachers' house. I'm about to move teachers and will probably pay more, but this will be offset by the fuel bill.,The previous teacher lives about 55 miles away, and the other is nearer at 13 miles.

I am afraid I don't agree at all with this last statement. It implies that you don't need as good a teacher when you are beginning or at intermediate standard. My experience is that you can make much more rapid progress with a better teacher.
I feel very priviliged to have lessons from a professional orchestral player and I started with her never having held a cello before in my life.
I would say, get the very best teacher you can afford. You might pay more for lessons, but it is much better value for money.

I'd be inclined to agree with immy - yes, some very good teachers don't cost much, but a good teacher at the beginning levels will set you up forever, and it's a mistake to think that beginners don't need good teachers, if anything they need the good teachers more till their technique is stable and they will also, one hopes, KNOW if a teacher is teaching them total poppycock.