How much do you pay/charge for private music lessons?

[Nanu57v]

I'm going to be starting to teach private string lessons (violin, viola) and am wondering what is "normal" to charge. Thanks for the input!

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I don't believe there is a set fee. I think it depends on experience and knowledge. I play the cello and my Mom has paid $40 or more for less than an hour for me and that was over 20 years ago. I have also paid $65 for a half hour for voice lessons a little over 10 years ago. If you are teaching young children beginner lessons then I would probably charge 20-25 per half hour. Good luck!

 

[CapeCodTenor]

Well, I don't take violin or viola, but my voice teacher charges $60 an hour. Of course, he's been doing it for a number of years, and has had an international opera career for a while.

 

[ImarriedGrumpy]

A lot of it depends on the going rate in your area combined with your level of expertise. I have a B.Music in vocal pedagogy so my degree is focused on teaching voice lessons, particularly to teens. When I lived in a smaller community (pop. ~60,000 incl. surrounding areas) 5 years ago, people thought $10-$15 for a 1/2 hr. lesson was reasonable, but $25 for a 1/2 hr lesson was too expensive. Now I live in a very large urban area and I can easily charge $40 for a 1/2 hr lesson and no one blinks. There are several voice teachers with far better credentials than mine who charge as much as $75 per 1/2 hr. lesson.

 

[golfgal]

We pay $22 for a 30 minute trombone lesson for DS15. He takes lessons from a full professor who is also a professional musician who also comes to their high school so one less trip for mom!

 

[ClarabelleCowFan]

DD's private violin teacher charges $48 an hour if you take 1 lesson (at least a half hour) each week. You have to pay by the 3rd week of the month for the entire next month or you lose your slot.

 

[LBAK]

I pay $22 for 30 minutes for my DD's saxophone lessons.

 

[Hannathy]

What other opportunities are there in the area? and how good are you? Where I live there is a University with a very strong and large music program so there are countless opportunities for lessons. My son is in a program for beginners that is $75 a semester for 2, 45 minute group lessons a week. Private lessons range from $13/ half hour for a college student - $21/30min. for an academy teacher to $51/30 minutes for a music faculty instructor. This is thru the University. With a music college in the area there are also lots of teachers who do it on the side and also many college students that do it so again you can pay from $10/30 all the way up to I don't even want to think about it! It really depends on your area.

 

[juligrl]

My piano teacher did and still does charge $20/half hour lesson at her home. She was also my mom's best friend so we got a discount at $10.

 

[wowsmom]

We pay $28 per half hour for both piano and trombone - they are private lessons but held at the local music store.

 

[jemiaule]

We pay $30 for thirty minute piano lessons (per week, per child). The instructor comes to our home each week, we do not go to their place of business.

There are cheaper lessons in our town, I think around $25.00 per lesson but you must go to the instructors place of business.

I prefer to pay $5.00 more per lesson and have the instructor come here.

 

[addicted_to_WDW]

DS's guitar lessons are $25/half hour.

 

[MushyMushy]

We just went from $10 per half hour to $15 per half hour for DD's piano lessons from the BEST music instructor in the world!

Don't tell him this, but I would pay more for him.

 

[disneymom3]

I don't believe there is a set fee. I think it depends on experience and knowledge. I play the cello and my Mom has paid $40 or more for less than an hour for me and that was over 20 years ago. I have also paid $65 for a half hour for voice lessons a little over 10 years ago. If you are teaching young children beginner lessons then I would probably charge 20-25 per half hour. Good luck!

That would be way too much here. I used to pay $12 per half hour lesson for DD on piano. This was for a woman who did this part time in her home and was definitely a beginner piano teacher. Well, up to intermediate. A friend of mine was at the time charging $15 per half an hour for about the same range, but she could probably take them a bit further. I now pay $80 a mnth prorated. So if there are 5 weeks, I pay $80, if there are 2 weeks (Christmas) I still pay $80 for the month. This is for one half an hour lesson for the week. I would pay a lot more for this teacher (shhhhh, don't tell) as she has a degree in Piano and is incredible. The amount DD has advanced in the last two years is astounding.

 

[Doe]

We pay $20 for a half hour piano lesson here.

 

[jimmiej]

I'm a public school band director. At my former school, we had a full private lesson staff, consisting of college music majors up to professionals. For the most part, they charged $15/half hour lesson. Some went as low as $10/half hour.

 

[Nanu57v]

Thanks for all the responses. Before I posted this question, I had told them $10 a lesson to start, since they would be my first students. But I think I'd like to up it to $15/20 if this were a long-term thing. I'm too nice though, so it'll probably never happen. There are no string teachers in the area. They don't even have an orchestra at the local schools. You would have to drive 30 miles to a music conservatory in order to take strings, which is why I think the parent was so interested.

 

[mjkacmom]

The cheapest piano lessons around here are $30 per half hour, out of someone's home. My neighbor's dd takes private voice for $75 an hour. I think $30 - $40 per half hour is the norm, but if you're just starting out, how about $20 - $25, and then you can increase it as you go along.

 

[Southern4sure]

I pay a flat fee. It does not matter if it is 4 or 5 wks in a month. Same kid too!

Piano - $75. a month. The instructor comes to my home
Sax - $85. a month. I drive to the instructor

 

[littleteapot]

I have one child in Guitar. I pay $25 per 1/2 hour lesson. I drive to a more affluent area of town for his lessons. The total is $125 or $150 a month (4 or 5 weeks), because one week a month I pay for an hour lesson with his electric guitar. The rest of the month he plays acoustic.

In our less affluent town, all four children take piano from the same teacher. I pay $240 a month for all of them to have a 1/2 hour per week lesson. I believe she gives me a discount because all four take lessons. I pay the same per month no matter if we are out of town or not.

DH and I never had the opportunity to have lessons and I am thrilled with my children's progress. I pray my 9 year old GMC Suburban continues to run just fine, I rather have music lessons than a new car KWIM.

We live in the Houston TX area