The Benefits of Private Lessons

Private lessons are highly encouraged in the musical world. When starting kids on an instrument, middle school band directors try to do as much as possible to promote private lessons. Often times students who participate in private lessons do not have to attend school lessons, which is a big perk. School lessons are annoying and not very helpful. They are often very short, around 15-20 minutes long, and are held with multiple students. If there are three students having a lesson at a time, each student only gets 5 to 6 minutes of attention before they are sent back to class. These sessions are not very helpful at all.

Private lessons are between one student and one instructor. This is beneficial because the teacher can focus on the student's individual issues and fix them. Students learn many important things in band, such as listening to others and making your sound blend in with the ensemble. However, it is also very important to address individual problems and eliminate them. This is why one on one help is good. Students do not usually receive much attention during band, but they are given lots during their lessons. It is vital that students feel valued and appreciated. Working with a student individually reinforces appreciation and makes him/her feel like a vital part of the band.

Private lesson teachers can also offer useful tips for practicing. Many students do not know how to practice very wisely. Instructors can explain how and what to practice to yield the best results. These teachers are often specialists for a certain instrument as well. This means they can help with problems or questions regarding something specific to the instrument. All band directors are trained to play every instrument, but it is better to have someone whose main instrument is the same as yours.

As you can see, private lessons are very important to many band programs. By increasing the individual levels of students, the overall level of the band also increases. I hope everyone takes the time to consider signing up for private lessons!