How long have you been teaching your longest standing pupil for? I realised today that mine (an adult) has been coming for 19 years.

When she started, at around the age of 40, she was a total beginner. Now she is a fairly reasonable Grade 7 standard. Progress has been slow, but along the way she has really enjoyed herself. Her daughter quickly over took her and got to Grade 8 in about 9 or 10 years! Over the years we have become very good friends too, and got to know each others' families.

I have been teaching piano since I was 17; 20 years.

However, I haven't taught any pupils for very long, as I went to university, then moved away to teach, then moved back home, then got married and moved again! I've only been teaching locally for five years, but the online results archive is a great memory bank!

I taught a family for 14 years - from the eldest started until the youngest finished last week. He's hoping to go to uni in September to study music. his mum says her car will still want to drive to me at the same time every week!

Gosh, 19 years is quite something.

I wasn't in the country 19 years ago, so there's no way any of mine have been with me that long! My longest standing has been with me about 7 years.

My current most longstanding pupil has just paid her last set of fees to me. I started teaching her recorder when she was in Year 6 (and already around Grade 4 standard) and added flute a year later when she changed schools (again at Grade 4). She has just taken her A levels and will be taking DipABRSM flute next month.

My next longest-serving pupil will probably break all records as I have been teaching her since Year 3 and she is just about to finish Year 10.

We have had our teacher for 12 years, but eldest stopped lessons with him last year, so 11 years with one pupil.

I had one lady who started lessons as one of my very first pupils and kept going for 14 years until she passed away in 2006. She was one of my most diligent practisers. We had a few months off here and there when she had back operations and other travails of life, and she was just about to begin lessons again when I had a call to say she'd passed away on holiday. She was only 72 but very lively so it was a shock.

I've a few teenage pupils who have been with me about 8 or 10 years since they were in year 2 or so.

The longest I've had was about eight years; the longest of the current ones is 18 months but then we moved house so everything started from zero again!

I've been taking at least one of my sons to our lovely piano teacher for 22 years

I've been teaching one of my pupils for 8 years - she's the only one still with me from the group of pupils who started when I moved here in 2003. She was 7 then and is now 15 and passed Grade 6 piano in the Spring.
She's a lovely girl and I'm very proud of her achievements. She will get a special mention at our piano concert next week.

I usually teach only children and my longest came to me when he was 7 and left when he left school at 16 = so 9 years.

I still have two adult learners from when I started teaching in 2006. I had a youngster from then too until he left to go off to Uni last year. I get a call during the holidays to see if I can squeeze him in for a lesson.

In my previous life, I had a couple of pupils who were with me from age 6 to age 19 (gap year) until they went to university. In this life, I have a couple who have been with me for 5 years and counting...

W

I taught a girl from the age of 8 until she was nearly 18, and she gave up recently to concentrate on her A levels. The next longest has also been coming since he was 8, and he's now 16.

My longest standing is an adult who was my first pupil in this area. She has sone grade 7 and has been coming for 18 years. She did 7 years ago, but sufers from nerves and keeps putting off grade 8.

I taught a girl from age 8 to 18 and was really sad to say goodbye when she went off to uni. She is now a qualified doctor hoping to be a paediatrician. That makes me feel really old!

My longest standing pupil is 14 years, he started with me when I took over from his previous teacher as she was moving to Holland. Back then I had 9 pupils and I was making baby steps in my career. Now I teach 52 people a week and love my job.

I have and have had, many pupils who start with me at the age of 6 or 7 and carry on until they leave at 18 for university. This year, I have four such pupils leaving me - all have been coming for 12 years. It is sad to see them go but also a good thing!

The longest I ever taught the same people was a group of girls that I first taught in class music lessons at school from Reception age (4). They carried on learning Kodaly with me until they left school at 18 - so 14 years. Of the group, one did a music degree at Cambridge and one at Royal Holloway; one did a Music and English degree at Brunel. The others read other subjects at Cambridge, Oxford, Royal Holloway and Manchester. They're all now around 23 and one got married last Saturday. I can still see her face in Reception...

I let all my students sit down for at least part of the lesson.

I've only been teaching three years, but I have just had my first grade five and my first GCSE music. I'm really hoping the results are good. My GCSE student is a lovely girl and I'm really disappointed she is leaving the school. She was one of my first students, and it's been great to watch that progress.

I was waiting for someone to say that......or something similar!

On the other hand, some of my shortest standing pupils couldn't sit for a whole lesson if I paid them!

How true!

The longest I've had a student for is 9 years. She had her last lesson recently as she's going to University (to study music). It was awful! I was so emotional and couldn't keep back the tears. I got very friendly with her and her family and she achieved a lot in that time so I suppose I was sad that I would no longer be teaching her and she would be going to someone else. I don't know how I'd cope if I had to say goodbye after 19 years!