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Piano lessons --- how much ?!

804

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EW GURU

Latest post on 20 March 2013 - 08:54

How much do you pay for weekly piano lessons for a beginner? I know littlies only do half an hour as a rule, but how much for an hour's lesson for adults or children?

I would appreciate any feedback you have. Thanks in advance. :)

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134

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 22:56

If you email rightdirectiondubai at gmail dot com there is a lady in jumeirah islands that can do trial classes with her piano there. I have someone coming to my house so you would need a piano for her.

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 13:40

some great responses here.. Good to keep in mind, that if you pay more doesnt really mean you get better teaching, some places charge 300 AED per hour, which is ridiculous IMHO. Also, what works for one child may not work for another, all children and piano teachers are not equal. The teacher can have totally different results with two different children. A balance between learning to read, and play by ear is needed, but this irons itself out when you take music exams, as they test you on sight reading and ear tests etc. I think if you are going the exam route then this is when the importance of being able to read kicks in. When the examiner asks you to play part way through it could be difficult to pick up from memory if not starting at the start... If you get my drift. In our case it is a natural thing to read and play, she may not always need to look at the sheets but for us it is good habits to keep check of where you are.

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EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 13:25

some great responses here.. Good to keep in mind, that if you pay more doesnt really mean you get better teaching, some places charge 300 AED per hour, which is ridiculous IMHO. Also, what works for one child may not work for another, all children and piano teachers are not equal. The teacher can have totally different results with two different children. A balance between learning to read, and play by ear is needed, but this irons itself out when you take music exams, as they test you on sight reading and ear tests etc.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:50

Thanks Ladybee, sorry OP for hijacking your thread!

804

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EW GURU

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:45

PS. Another option - if there does appear to be a genuine interest in learning from your child! - is to check out Dubizzle. Lots of people sell their pianos there at quite reasonable prices and not just good-quality uprights/grands. You might consider paying a smaller amount for an electronic piano (to start with) rather than investing in a 'real' piano. Personally, I'm not a fan of electronic pianos/keyboards, because I think the action of the keys differs too radically from a real instrument. It's not as stark as the difference between an organ and a piano, but it can influence a pupil's finger action-on-keys. If that makes sense. That said, it's a great 'middle man' between having no instrument and investing in a piano which can last for years if tuned/maintained properly. Worth a look anyway! Good luck. :)

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EW GURU

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:41

What you need to do is find a potential teacher who has a piano in their home; you can take your child along for a few lessons and guage the interest there initially. Not having a piano to start with isn't a deal-breaker per se, but you might consider hiring a piano for a few months before purchasing one. As an example, there is a music shop near Safa Park (from memory) which does hire out pianos: Juli Music Centre P.O.Box 74465 Dubai 04 3212588 This might be a way to start off to see whether the piano is a likely fit for your child. I don't know how much Mr Li, the proprietor, charges for hire, but it is a way of starting out without a huge investment. :) Hope that helps.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:35

Yes, it's each lesson. ETA: No offence, but 100dhs per month wouldn't even pay for petrol. edited by LadyBee on 21/03/2013 Ok so thats roughly Dhs 400/month. of course you'd also have the initial investment of buying a good quality piano. What if DC doesnt like it along the way? Is there a good teacher you could take a child to just to see the interest level?

804

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EW GURU

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:29

Yes, it's each lesson. ETA: No offence, but 100dhs per month wouldn't even pay for petrol. <em>edited by LadyBee on 21/03/2013</em>

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:27

Are these prices per hour per lesson? It depends, younger children generally start off with 30mins which starts from around 100, upto an hour which roughly would start from 200. Be careful, although you should expect better quality teaching the more you pay, this isn't always the case. I see children who play without lifting their heads from the keys, my dd can't play unless she has the music sheet in front of her. There are unfortunately a few cheats out there, so beware.... So it is per hour? Sorry to ask again It wasnt clear, Its not Dhs 100 monthly paid to the teacher for coming once a week for an hour but each lesson being Dhs 100?

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EW GURU

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:19

Are these prices per hour per lesson? It depends, younger children generally start off with 30mins which starts from around 100, upto an hour which roughly would start from 200. Be careful, although you should expect better quality teaching the more you pay, this isn't always the case. I see children who play without lifting their heads from the keys, my dd can't play unless she has the music sheet in front of her. There are unfortunately a few cheats out there, so beware.... Half an hour is a perfect amount of lesson time for a child who is starting out on an instrument be it piano, violin, flute, guitar or whatever. Their concentration span will only stretch to about this amount of time and you DO want them to be on the ball for the entire time for which their parents are paying! Older students eg adults who are returning to an instrument ie want to get back into it, can certainly cope with an hour-long lesson, but I would never subject a littlie to this amount of time. What one wants is to leave a student wanting MORE, not to be in a situation where they just want to get out of there. Encouragement is key here, regardless of potential talent, and there is also only so much a little one can take on board in a one-on-one lesson. With apologies, any teacher who insists upon an hour being 'required' for a little child starting out has no idea. They are more likely to put off a potentially fantastic musician than to encourage one. Sad, really. BTW, all students, be they adults or children, should be able to find a balance between playing 'from the music' and being able to play from memory after a good many sessions with a decent teacher. Playing by ear should also be encouraged, if possible, but not at the expense of actual learning. Sight-reading is a MUST as well. No one who wants to play 'forever' for enjoyment can do without the miracle of being able to sight read. Moreover, learning about the music itself comprising of melody, musicianship, background to the composer and the era in which the composer did his bit .... oh, there is so much interesting stuff to learn that will bring the music alive to ANY learner ... you really need that. And you need to find a teacher that will pass those things on. :) <em>edited by LadyBee on 21/03/2013</em>

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:11

Are these prices per hour per lesson? It depends, younger children generally start off with 30mins which starts from around 100, upto an hour which roughly would start from 200. Be careful, although you should expect better quality teaching the more you pay, this isn't always the case. I see children who play without lifting their heads from the keys, my dd can't play unless she has the music sheet in front of her. There are unfortunately a few cheats out there, so beware....

804

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EW GURU

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:09

They vary depending upon the length of lesson. I personally wouldn't put a tiny through an hour-long lesson because it's just too much to take on board. That applies to practice time as well; regardless of the amount of homework children seem to be required to do these days (!!!), for a five/six-year-old starting out on an instrument, 15 minutes a day, possibly twice (making it two x 15 minute sessions at different times) is more than enough. As the child/student grows and learns and becomes familiar with reading and learning about music in general -- not just on the instrument upon which they are learning -- obviously practice time can be increased. But it definitely depends on the student and their level of musicianship. I reiterate: an hour is something I would only consider suggesting for an older student or a child who is reasonably proficient eg has done a few exams, knows how to sight-read reasonably well and can practice without being pushed! Oh, and who has a goal to get better as well. No point in forcing ANYONE to practice for too long or to have a long lesson unless they are invested in the learning process. :)

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 10:01

Are these prices per hour per lesson?

804

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 09:50

I agree and I really dont see the point in learning tunes by heart when the kids could learn how to play properly and then be able to play whatever they want forever. For parents that dont know music themselves I feel they are beeing cheated on. Thinking their kids are learning how to play the piano, they get to hear some lovely tunes and dont kow that will be the very only tunes their kids can play. Three of my friends kids couldnt even read one single note after 1-2 years. Whatever method that is, it is a waste of time and money for sure. TOTALLY! Couldn't agree more. The emphasis should be on musicianship itself. If a student doesn't know how to read music properly, what is the point of lessons at all? A student with a good ear, after all, could run rings around those without that advantage but the end result is still going to be that both students will not be able to progress to advanced levels without the BASICS. I'm all for encouraging students to use their ears and make them work in a positive way, but it's not the be-all and end-all. Technique has to be a part of the learning process and the learning-by-ear method sadly doesn't do everything it should. NB. When I was learning way back when, my piano teacher took ill and I did some time with a Suzuki afficionado just to keep me playing while I was preparing for an exam. Worst four months of my life. We even did Tai Chi (not that there's anything wrong with that, but still!) before the lesson. Shudder.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 09:36

I agree and I really dont see the point in learning tunes by heart when the kids could learn how to play properly and then be able to play whatever they want forever. For parents that dont know music themselves I feel they are beeing cheated on. Thinking their kids are learning how to play the piano, they get to hear some lovely tunes and dont kow that will be the very only tunes their kids can play. Three of my friends kids couldnt even read one single note after 1-2 years. Whatever method that is, it is a waste of time and money for sure.

804

Posts

EW GURU

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 09:08

Thanks so much for the feedback. I heard 150dhs for an hour from another friend but it's good to know that the prices do vary. Of course, the money one pays would depend on the teacher and the goals expected by the student/parent, but y'gets what y'pay for, I guess. Jobert, thanks for your input re the 'learning by heart' issues. That sounds so Suzuki ... which is fine if you're into that sort of thing, but I'm a traditionalist at heart and want the building blocks of learning -- ie musicianship plus technical ability -- to be built over time. And that includes being ABLE to read music and not just parrot off notes from memory. :) Again, thanks everyone.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 March 2013 - 08:56

Started with one kid at 225aed for 45mins at my house, then when the second one started it was 200aed per kid, same teacher. I think it really depends on the quality of your teacher, once you find a great one i am sure you would be happy to pay the extra. Have so many friends that realized after 1-2 years of being at a music school that their children were learning tunes by heart rather than learning how to read the notes. Total rip off! They had to start from zero all over again with a new teacher.

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 20 March 2013 - 09:03

Same rate as marink, but have a 45min for 150

305

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EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 20 March 2013 - 09:02

30 minutes AED 100 60 minutes AED 200

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