Trial piano lessons can help you make the right choice. If it is available, why not sign-up for one?
Choosing a poor-quality music teacher or school is an avoidable mistake.
We will look at trial piano lessons in this article. Choosing a poor-quality music teacher or music school is a mistake. A good trial music lesson can help you make the right choice. In this article we will talk about the importance of trial music lessons, what you can expect, and how to come prepared for trial music lesson.
Trial Piano Lessons. They are Important.
So let’s dive in, off the top I want to talk about the importance of trial piano lessons for beginner music students that are looking into starting music lessons for the first time. I found that not all music schools have trial lessons as a part of their regular offering to families looking to start lessons. Those music schools or piano teachers that do will provide a trial lesson to families generally without charge as it provides an opportunity to determine fit for both the families and students.
One of the first thing parents should be looking for is to see if this music school, its administration and the teacher will be a good fit for the student and for the parent. Similarly, this is an opportunity for the music academy and private lesson teacher to get to know the family and student as well.
Piano lessons or any type of music lesson (guitar, voice, theory etc.) for that matter is a big investment of time and money. So when a music trial lesson is an option, parents can use that first lesson as their final research step to learn if the music school will be one they can work with over time.
Parent’s First Time or a Child’s First Music Lesson
Trial piano lessons or any other type of music lesson trials are helpful when a family is looking into a music school for the first time and I find that a good trial lesson is a fantastic opportunity for families to explore a new teacher, new lesson or maybe a younger student that's new to music lessons altogether.
What to Expect at that First Lesson
So what should you expect from trial music lessons at a music school for piano or guitar or whatever? If you don’t already have an instrument of your own, it is a good idea to ask if there will be an instrument on site for your trial lessons. Of course there will be a piano or drums there. But as for the other instruments, often times the teacher will bring their own instrument to instruct from and may not want a young student to learn on it.
Look for music schools offering a trial lesson to be prepared and organized. Some music schools will have an instrument on site for that trial lesson that you will be able to play that is the appropriate size for the student to play. But why not ask the question and confirm, before you sign up and come out?
You shouldn’t be expected to rent or buy a guitar if you just have a trial lesson and of course drums and a piano will be on site. Again, it is important to confirm that an instrument will be available for the student to play at that trial lesson.
If You Play One of These...You Will Need to Bring Your Own
Aside from the guitar, voice, piano or drums…you may need to bring your own instrument to your trial lesson. So for example a young student looking to learn the trumpet, sax, flute, violin, or clarinet will likely be required to bring their own instrument to their trial lesson. Neither the parent nor the teacher would want their child to share a mouthpiece with their music instructor to do a trial lesson.
How Long Should the You Expect to Be There?
We normally say plan for an hour. Arrive 10-15 minutes early, half an hour for the private one-one lesson and then 15-20 minutes afterward for questions and administration. A 30 minute lesson would be fine in many cases. A parent, if they want to, would be able to sit in for part of the lesson, but generally not for the whole lesson. I normally will encourage a parent to sit in for maybe five or 10 minutes of that lesson and then have them come out and meet with one the studio host. One of the directors or owners may be there at that first lesson to greet the family and introduce you to the teacher and answer questions about policy, methodologies or philosophies.
As a Parent, Please Come Prepared
Come prepared to talk about what your objectives are for the music lessons. Let's say for example if the student has prior experience and has been taking music for a number of years. If there's an expectation that they want to work towards a formal third-party examination and testing standard like Royal Conservatory of Music or RCM that is something you want talk about up front.
If there's exam or grade level you're looking to work towards and a particular time frame to take that exam, that should be talked about upfront.
On the other hand though if your child is just looking to take music lessons for the experience…just for fun or to learn to play by ear or to learn chording or songwriting…Great! Then discuss this up front to make sure that is an appropriate fit for the teacher and the student.
The above article on trial piano lessons also applies to other instruments. In this article we covered the importance of a trial music lesson, what to expect, and how parents can come prepared for trial music lesson.
Remember - choosing a poor-quality music school or a music teacher that is not a good fit for you or your child is a mistake. Good trial piano lessons can help you make the right choice.
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