Private Lessons V.S. Group Lessons

Advantages of Group  Classes

• Fun Factor: Children enjoy learning in games and with their peers, and a well-run group lesson includes plenty of musical fun.
• Price: Typically, a 30-min group lesson involving about 2-4 students will cost less than 1/2 of the price for a 30-min private lesson at Arete Music Academy.
• Performance classes: Children learn to perform in front of their peers.
• Group activities: These are ideal for teaching musical concepts such as rhythm and counting. Marching around the room to a beat, dancing, and clapping are all more fun for children in groups, and these activities teach fundamental skills that will set the stage for a student's later learning.
• Lower stress: The low-key recreational approach of many groups may be appropriate for younger children who don't yet have the dexterity to develop finer instrumental skills.

Advantages of Private Lessons

• Individual attention: Private lessons focus on the individuals strengths and weaknesses. Learning an instrument is a multi-sensory, complex activity requiring learning by ear, eye, touch, and intellectual understanding. Each student combines these elements differently.
• Appropriate pace: A group class that involves mismatched students will deprive both slower and faster learners for the attention they need. Private lessons go at the student's learning pace, stopping whenever necessary to review concepts, repeat material, or explore a topic the student shows an interest in.
• Skills development: For more advanced students, private attention is needed to work on micro issues such as fingering, as well as finer points of expression and interpretation. Issues such as technique and hand position are also better dealt with privately.
• Progress: Progress is almost always faster in a private lesson than in a group lesson.
• Stability: While the advantages of a group class often fall apart under the weight of an unruly or mismatched group, private lessons can follow a tailor made plan developed for each student, without being derailed by the needs of the group.