Before you sign your child up for music lessons, check out these tips!
As someone who used to be a music teacher and lessons coordinator for both a music store and performing arts studio in St. Louis, here are a few tips to consider when beginning the music lesson search for your child:
Location
Where do you want lessons to take place? Do you want someone to drive to your home and teach your child in your living room or are you wanting to get out of the house after school? Some music teachers have virtual options available, but I would highly recommend taking lessons in person. Progression will happen a lot faster that way!
Purpose
What kind of experience or goals do you have for your child, musically? Do you want them to have exposure and learn for fun or do they want more competition/performance opportunities? Some music teachers have a laid-back approach and provide a fun learning atmosphere. I think this is great when learning a new instrument! Other music teachers have a disciplined approach and are very mindful of teaching correct technique and entering competitions. This is great for setting and achieving goals for your child!
Scheduling
What day/time works best for your family? I can tell you now, the after-work hours between 5-6:30 pm fill up fast. If those are the only times that work for you, I highly suggest booking your lessons in advance – even if the first lesson is a few months from now. If you have a teacher traveling to your home to teach lessons and you have multiple kids, most of the time, they will teach back-to-back lessons for you. Generally, music lessons are 30 minutes long, so if you have two children, you would need an hour of lesson time to schedule. If you decide to travel to a performing arts studio, sometimes they have more than one music teacher on staff. So if you have two children you can actually schedule lessons for them during the same 30-minute time frame.
Policies
Did you read the fine print? Make sure you read through cancellation policies, make-up lessons, and tuition schedule. Everyone has a different approach in all of these areas! Some teachers ask for 24-hours notice when canceling lessons, while others are more relaxed. Some teachers only provide a certain number of make-up lessons per semester, while others will provide make-up lessons every time you miss a lesson. Some teachers prefer tuition payments on a monthly or semester basis via credit card on file, while others are fine with cash every week. Make sure you know what you are signing up for and be sure to respect the policies of your music teacher when you sign on the dotted line.
Progress
So I signed my child up for music lessons— when are they going to be able to play a song? As with anything, commitment and consistency are key! Your child is going to make more progress the more they practice at home. I can tell you now, your child is not going to learn an entire song in that first lesson, and that’s perfectly normal! As a music teacher, I began to see significant progress in my students after 8 weeks of consistent lessons. Keep showing up on time for your lessons and encouraging your children to practice at home.
There are so many wonderful benefits to signing up for music lessons for your child. It accelerates brain development, kickstarts social development, boosts emotional awareness and regulation, builds fine and gross motor skills, supports sensory and language development, while also teaching patience and perseverance. Not to mention, it is a skill and activity your child can participate in for the rest of their lives!
