Group Music Lessons vs Private Music Tuition?

When choosing between group music lessons vs private music tuition for your child, you need to consider the benefits of each!

When it comes to group music lessons vs private music tuition, both have their positives. Let’s dig into the differences benefits and potential downsides of each scenario.

When it comes to music lessons, we often think about sitting with a tutor, one on one, being guided every step of the way. Which is of course a great way to learn an instrument! But if you would prefer lessons to be a more social interaction with other children, don’t forget that the option for group lessons may well be on the table too!

Both private music lessons and group music tuition have their positives and negatives, so here we will take a look at these so you can choose for yourself just which would benefit your child the most.

The Benefits Of Private Tuition

Recent studies indicate that, with private tuition, students can comfortably progress beyond what would be possible without that little extra help. Here are three of the main benefits that your child will receive from private one to one lessons:

1. Working At Their Own Pace

Arguably the most popular reason for a parent to choose private instrument lessons for their child is that the child will be able to learn at their own speed.

This often results in the child retaining a larger percentage of what they have learned and can lead to greater enthusiasm for future lessons.

2. Bespoke Lessons

With most tutors, each private lesson will be individually tailored to your child’s needs and will take their rate of progression into account.

This puts less pressure on your child to try and “fit in” with what the rest of the class is learning, whilst the tutor can specifically focus on any trouble areas with more attention than they could within a group.

3. Flexibility/Convenience

With one to one tuition, you can easily shop around to find a tutor that is willing to travel to you, and given enough notice they can be flexible with times and dates of lessons, working around your availability schedule when needed.

The Negatives of Private Tuition

Unfortunately, one to one instrument lessons aren’t suitable to everyone, and can sometimes have a negative impact on your child’s progress. Here are three key reasons why private lessons may not be right for your child:

1. Too Much Pressure

Children, as with adults, will learn at their own pace, but sometimes this pace may not be quite as fast as their parents would want. Especially with how much money private tuition can cost.

This can often lead to increased pressure on the child to perform, which can negatively affect the rate at which they are learning even further.

Ideally, the suggestion of private tuition should come from the child themselves rather than the parent.

2. Can Be Expensive

Whilst a bespoke one to one lesson with an experience, attentive instrument tutor may sound like an ideal way for your child to learn, it’s worth noting that it can be a little more expensive.

In fact, as of 2021 you could be looking at £20-£35 for an hour’s private guitar lesson with a relatively new tutor in the UK, and as much as £45-£60 for an hour with a highly experienced one. We actually covered the cost of music lessons in a previous article should you wish to find out how much music lessons cost on average.

3. Lack Of Motivation

Despite one of the main benefits of private tuition being the ability for your child to learn at their own pace, this also means that they are entirely responsible for their own motivation to practice and improve.

If your child is highly enthusiastic when it comes to learning their instrument, then this likely won’t be an issue, but with students who may have other more-tempting distractions on offer, this can result in despondency, which could lead to them quitting altogether. But fear not – we have some tips on how to stop kids from quitting music lessons should the issue arise.

The Benefits Of Group Music Tuition

At the other end of the music tuition spectrum is the option of group lessons, where your child will learn alongside other students of a similar age and skill level.

Whilst these may not provide your child with the one-to-one focus that a private lesson would, there are many benefits linked with group tuition. Here are three of the most beneficial reasons to enroll your child in group instrument lessons:

1. Increased Social Skills

When it comes to group lessons a combination of a good teacher, supportive peers, and well-structured tuition will not only help your child to stay focused but will allow them to develop some key social skills along the way.

Whether it is with improved patience, waiting for their turn, supporting/encouraging others, or making friends, a good group class can pave the way.

2. Confidence Boosting

Most group classes will involve four or more students (depending on the instrument), so each and every class comes with its own built-in audience.

This may not seem like much, but for aspiring musicians who are a little on the shy side regularly performing in front of and alongside their peers can really help them to break out of their comfort zone.

3. Group Music Lessons Are More Affordable Than Private Music Lessons

One of the key reasons that parents enroll their children in group instrument lessons is, quite simply, their affordability when compared with private.

Oftentimes, paying for a month’s worth of group lessons in advance can cost less than a single one to one session would!

The Negatives Of Group Tuition

As with one to one lessons, group tuition isn’t for everyone – in fact, there are a few reasons as to why group lessons might be a good choice for your child.

Here are three key reasons to think of when considering this option:

1. Lack Of Flexibility

Rescheduling group music lessons can be a lot more taxing than a one to one lesson, and sometimes it just may not be possible at all.

You should always ensure that your child can commit to the same lesson schedule each week, as otherwise you could well end up losing out on the tuition fees you have paid.

2. Less Personal

Despite the many positives of a group tuition setting, group lessons themselves don’t offer the same kind of opportunity for individual attention as a one-to-one session.

This could potentially result in your child’s progress slowing down, leading them to lose focus and possibly even lose enthusiasm for their instrument.

3. Working At The Pace Of Others

As is the case with any group activity: you can only progress in group music lessons at the pace of your group’s slowest member.

With some students, this can be ideal, as it means they will get to take their time and soak up as much learning as they can.

However, if your child has a real talent and a passion for music they may well become frustrated at having to wait for other group members to catch them up before they can progress. But that’s ok! It just means you need to find a music teacher local to you, or ask the existing teacher for one-to-one music lessons!

Which Is Better – Group Music Lessons Vs Private Music Tuition?

At the end of the day, whether Private Lessons or Group Lessons are more effective will all depend upon your child.

If your child simply wants to learn the instrument as a fun hobby, then a group learning situation could well be the correct choice, as your child can still learn the basic skills needed to get by, but without the added pressure or seriousness which can come with private lessons.

If, however, your child thrives on challenges and shows an immediate knack for their chosen instrument, then private lessons will help to create the kind of environment that they would benefit the most from.

We hope this article has helped you in deciding the best course of action when it comes to group music lessons Vs private music tuition.

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