Along with the equipment required for a child to play guitar, some lessons can be quite useful. Not only will you appreciate having some direction for what your child is playing, but he or she will benefit from having some qualified instruction as well. While there are a lot of factors that can affect guitar lesson prices, the major contributors are listed below. Be sure to consider these aspects when making a choice between two instructors.
Instructor Expertise
An instructor who has decades of experience can command a higher price for guitar lessons than someone who has been teaching for less than five years. Likewise, if the instructor you find has specialized experience, such as with the Suzuki Method or with a particular style of guitar playing, you may find yourself paying a premium for these technique specializations.
As your child advances and becomes more proficient at guitar playing, you will most likely need to change instructors. Since guitar lesson prices increase with the experience and talent of the instructor, it will most likely be the case that your cost per lesson increases in direct correlation to your child’s ability. Keep this in mind when you are starting out with lessons, as well as budgeting for the future. In the long run though, the costs are small compared to the beautiful music you’ll be able to listen to as your child advances in guitar-playing ability.
Lesson Length
Obviously guitar lesson prices for hour-long sessions will be greater than those for half-hour sessions. However, you might find that if you choose an hour lesson every two weeks you will be paying less over time than you will if you choose a half-hour session every week. Your private guitar lesson instructor can help you decide which lesson duration is best for learning and mastering topics.
Over time, it might be in your child’s best interests to change the lesson length. For example, you’ve set up 30 minute lessons but your child consistently requires more time to finish the instruction. In this case, increasing lesson lengths to 45 minutes or even an hour might be worthwhile. Of course, the decision to increase lesson length is always up to the customer, in which case you’ll have to decide what is truly best for your child’s learning.
Location, Location, Location
Location is a two-fold aspect. First, you must consider your geographical location. If you are located in a larger city, your selection of private instructors is higher, but the average guitar lesson prices will also likely be higher. You will have a better chance of finding a guitar teacher that is completely suited for your child’s ability and learning needs. Since the demand for lessons is fairly high in a large urban or suburban area, this can drive the price higher. On the other hand, your selection of private guitar lesson instructors in a rural area is limited, but the demand for lessons is somewhat lower than that of a suburban zone. This balances out to mean less expensive lessons farther away from populated areas, but your selection of guitar teachers and the exact expertise they may possess is more limited.
Second, the location you choose for the lessons themselves can impact the cost per lesson. If your schedule dictates that you need to have your guitar teacher come to your home, this can raise prices. If your instructor charges mileage and/or for time in transit, this will increase the cost per lesson. On the other hand, if your teacher has a studio or a rehearsal space to set aside for teaching, you can travel to that space. If you are meeting at a location of your instructor’s choosing, that requires transportation on your end, which means time and money spent on top of the cost of the guitar lesson prices themselves.
A third option would be guitar lessons via a video chat. This can be inexpensive option, but for some students this should only be used to augment in-person lessons instead of a complete replacement.
Power Chords: The Takeaway
Just like a power chord, you need to make sure you’ve got everything tuned correctly when you find a private guitar instructor. Guitar lesson prices can vary depending on the above factors and other issues, but the bottom line is that you’ll want to find a qualified instructor that is flexible enough to work with you on your schedule. Your teacher should also feel confident enough to discuss changing lesson lengths and frequency with you if necessary, but feel free to ask him or her too!
Photo by ND Strupler
Jill Cole