Although it is true that anyone can say they are a piano teacher, it is not true that anyone can teach piano. This is a big problem in our industry. Most piano teachers are teaching because they need some extra money and have some spare time. Lacking any formal training in the art of teaching, they just perpetuate the shortcomings of their own training. This is why most people who have taken piano lessons in their youth never touch the piano as adults. They have gained no useable and long-lasting skills. This money and time-wasting tragedy is completely avoidable by finding a professional and dedicated instructor.
Actually, the opposite is true. Beginning students are the hardest to teach and should only be taught by a seasoned instructor. Certain things need to be taught and learned in a certain order and in a certain way. Learning styles need to be taken into account as well as personalities and aptitudes. When the beginner studies with a poor or inexperienced teacher, bad habits and thought processes are learned that can be very difficult to overcome. Besides wasting money (ironic because inexperienced teachers are generally chosen for their low cost), the wasted time is compounded because it actually takes longer to break a bad habit and relearn a skill than it does to just learn it right in the beginning.
You already know that this is not true since it applies to everything, not just music lessons. The low cost provider almost never offers the greatest value. Piano teachers are able to set their own rates and thereby provide an excellent indication of how they feel about themselves as teachers. Teachers that don't charge very much know that they are not offering very much. The problem is that when the student finally transfers to a qualified teacher, it takes longer to relearn things than it would have to learn the correctly in the first place. You end up paying the second teacher more than you would have and have nothing to show for the tuition paid to the first teacher. The other option, of course, is not ever getting that second teacher. Eventually the lessons stop with nothing to show for it. Either way, that cheap teacher didn't give you much value.
The half-hour lesson is great for the teacher. It allows him or her to charge less per month but make more per hour. In our experience working with thousands of students, the 45 minute lesson provides the optimal lesson time. We have found that you can accomplish almost twice as much with just half again as much time. We reluctantly offer half-hour lessons but charge only 33% more for the longer weekly lesson. For 33% more investment, you can expect up to a 100% return. From a strictly financial point of view, It's hard to beat those numbers. If a teacher just doesn't know what to do with those extra 15 minutes, it may indicate lack of training and experience.
This would be true if making music was the only benefit of taking piano lessons and the boy was not interested in pursuing a career in music. However, music students learn much more than just how to make music. The non-musical benefits of music study have been well documented. Some of these benefits include concentration, discipline, creative and analytical thinking, small and large motor skill development, and the skill of performing under pressure. All of these skills are valuable to everyone, no matter which course life takes.
Although many of our students do go on to study music in college, the vast majority of our students are just regular kids whose parents want the best for them. Our program is such that those who desire can go on and pursue music as a career. However, our philosophy is such that we want to prepare our students to enjoy music in the way that they want to. Whether that's all by themselves or on the concert stage, or anything else in between, that is completely up to them. Our job is to provide excellent instruction and lots of great opportunites so they can develop their talents and enjoy them throughout their lives.
Actually, our students practice about one hour a day. A little less for the younger kids and a little more for the older ones. We are huge proponents of balance in life. We are the first to admit that there is more to life than music. Of course our students win awards in music, but they also win awards in art, dance, sports, and academics just to name a few.
Imagine a place where great teachers come together and are really able to focus on their students because an environment has been specifically created for this very purpose. Lessons take place in a professional and distraction-free environment. Most of the administration is taken care of by the back office. Tremendous resources are available to students, teachers and parents. Teachers are able to spend almost all of their energy on the individual needs of their students. Imagine the ideal learning environment for our students and the ideal teaching environment for our instructors and you will see the Art City Music Academy.
