Hi guys, I wanted to hear your views on some things...

Do you think music lessons are extortionately expensive? I personally can't afford any. Even one term's worth would cripple me --;

Do you think lessons are even necessary? There are some that get by fine on natural talent, but may have technical flaws or bad hanits. Is it fair for more well-off kids to get the limelight whose skill was 'cultivated' to that level instead of growing wild?

Do you enjoy music lessons and/or theory exams? From what I hear, theory exams are a stressful ordeal, but they'd help if you're doing GCSE/A level/Btec music. (I just finished GCSE)

What are music lessons actually like? What do you actually do? Do you just play and the teacher points out mistakes?

Um, yep, thanks?

Do you think music lessons are extortionately expensive?

I've been through three private teachers in the past year; the one with whom I am now charges rather cheaply compared to my previous ones (and she's the highest qualified out of all three, educationally). Lessons certainly can get expensive; even though finances are an issue, I look for a teacher with whom I can actually learn something (which I didn't get with my previous two teachers). If you are lucky, you will be able to find a teacher who charges cheaply on purpose; per half hour, my first teacher charged $30, second one $20, and the with whom I am right now $15 (plus it's even more beneficial that I can afford to do hourly lessons with her).


Do you think lessons are even necessary? There are some that get by fine on natural talent, but may have technical flaws or bad hanits. Is it fair for more well-off kids to get the limelight whose skill was 'cultivated' to that level instead of growing wild?

For me, I was one of those people who had flaws and habits even though I made first chair every year. I used lessons to help me with those flaws and habits.


Do you enjoy music lessons and/or theory exams? From what I hear, theory exams are a stressful ordeal, but they'd help if you're doing GCSE/A level/Btec music. (I just finished GCSE)

I don't know about theory exams, but I do enjoy music lessons; however, at least for me, it depends on what teacher you get.


What are music lessons actually like? What do you actually do? Do you just play and the teacher points out mistakes?

I believe that whatever you bring to the lesson is what you will get out of the lesson; i.e. asking the teacher questions based off what you know (even if they happen to be off-topic :heh: ), trying new repertoire on your own and asking your teacher for help, etc. Sure, some days it may be just playing and pointing out mistakes, but to add to the worth of the lesson, I do these things.

Ooh, thankies! So it can be a 'Hey look what I decided to learn!' thing and you get help with it? Sounds fun actually.

I just heard you need to do theory exams to be entered for A level (Eeek!)
Friends tear their hair out over grade exams, so I don't think I'll even go there. But if you managed to find a teacher for that price, maybe it's something I'll consider saving up for and paying for a set of lessons in one go... Hm.. I do worry though, that I might lose part of myself, like I sold out or something. I have alot of people who go 'You're self-taught? WTF?' but if it's going to do me good...

Maybe I'll wait for a few more posts before I do anything drastic XD

What are music lessons actually like? What do you actually do? Do you just play and the teacher points out mistakes?
This differs between teachers, so it's difficult to answer this one. Some of them let you make more of a decision on what you want to learn, while others will tell you exactly what pieces to do and don't give you much choice. Some of them might give you one or two pieces at a time to learn, while others might give you four or five to give you variety. It's always different.

Music lessons should be enjoyable, your teacher should be more like a friend to you compared to your teachers at school. Having private lessons can seem daunting, so personally I think it's important to have a relaxed atmosphere when having music lessons.

The theory exams aren't THAT stressful. It depends on how you learn. In the exam you get much more time than you need (I think for grade 5 you get 3 hours but you only need 1/1.5 at the most). It's only stressful if you didn't understand the stuff and didn't ask anybody about it.

If you're planning to do A Level Music, it's very useful to have grade 5 theory under your belt as especially in the A2 module there's a lot of harmony work.

If you have a piano music professor at a school (preferably colleges/universities), you can stop by during their free time and ask for help; depends if the teacher is willing to help. I did and I don't have to pay a cent.

right now what I'm doing is I'm working at a music store where they give lessons, and I pay for my lessons out of my paycheck.

Music lessons should be enjoyable, your teacher should be more like a friend to you compared to your teachers at school. Having private lessons can seem daunting, so personally I think it's important to have a relaxed atmosphere when having music lessons.


Depends. In general I would agree with one point though, your teacher should not be too lenient. If they allow you to make a ton of mistakes, It'll hurt you in the long run.

In general, my lessons tend to go along the lines of playing my assigned work, be it scales, pieces, eteudes, etc... My piano teacher tends to wait till the end of a piece or etude before doing corrections while my violin teacher stops me, fixes it, then goes on.

Sometimes, lessons can get very expensive indeed. However, depending on you financial situation, you can bargain or maybe get a discount or even free lessons. It really depends.


I would suggest taking lessons because unless you are born with natural talent, you will make mistakes (sometimes without knowing) Also, a teacher can give you tips that can make playing your instrument easier.

You need to have done theory exams for A level music, but a knowledge of at least grade three theory for AS and grade four for A2 is essential, without having to actually take the theory exams themselves.

Personally, i find music lessons okay, but they can drag a bit. I did BTEC and GCSE music, have just finished AS and just taken grade 7 music theory. I think in the end, its all been definitely worth it, especially for that euphoric feeling after a concert or something ^__^