Kids music lessons - (merged)

TokochickUK

Not sure if this will be of any use but..
When I was a teen I used to go to the salvation army ( had been for yrs) then when i got to about 11years I joined the brass band and was given a 1 hour lesson every week and also practice at home and on sundays as well as playing with the band as I got better, I learnt how to play the barratone, was fun and different.
If your son or family was that way inclined it wouldnt hurt to give them a call.
take care and I hope he finds an instrument that suits him

(one of my friends teaches flute and i love the sound, she is called jennifer stinton and does concerts her dad was my head master yrs ago lol)

Avoriaz

I would suggest that you consider a guitar or keyboard.

You could pick up a decent Classical/Spanish guitar for under £20 on ebay. Nylon string classical guitars are cheaper than steel string guitars as the lower string tension makes them easier to make inexpensively. The strings last longer too as steel strings corrode from sweat and oils from the fingers.

Depending on how big he is. ½. ¾ and 7/8 size guitars are available.

Alternatively, simple 4 octave electronic keyboards are good enough to learn the basics on and can also be bought cheaply on ebay.

Please encourage your son to learn something. Knowing how to play an instrument and to appreciate music making is a great asset.

elisebutt65

Just a little note for anyone who gets free school dinners as well - My son gets free music lessons thrown in:p I don't know if this applies to all LEAS though.

He did trombone at primary and got bored with it. This years he's been learning keyboard - mainly to learn how to read music and his dad had an old one he could practice on. Now though he's decided he wants to go for trumpet!! Oh my poor ears!!!! But at least my dad has got one he can use and I can play some scales on it as well - if I can remember to give him a hand

MrsNozzle

Avoriaz wrote: »

I would suggest that you consider a guitar or keyboard.

You could pick up a decent Classical/Spanish guitar for under £20 on ebay. Nylon string classical guitars are cheaper than steel string guitars as the lower string tension makes them easier to make inexpensively. The strings last longer too as steel strings corrode from sweat and oils from the fingers.

Depending on how big he is. ½. ¾ and 7/8 size guitars are available.

Alternatively, simple 4 octave electronic keyboards are good enough to learn the basics on and can also be bought cheaply on ebay.

Please encourage your son to learn something. Knowing how to play an instrument and to appreciate music making is a great asset.

Would completely agree with all of this! Both intruments are, in some ways, more 'quick win' than the more orchestral or classical instruments. With a bit of practice and a couple of hours he could be strumming or tapping away a very recognisable song. At that age, it's good for kids to be able to see rapid progress, remember practice should be fun, not a chore!

At 10, he may not be that worried about appearing cool, but come puberty, a trumpet or a flute, say, may not have the same appeal. (No offense to any trumpeters or flautists - lovely instruments!) I think 13/14 is the time when many children drop learning an intrument, but a keyboard or guitar will maybe more likely keep his interest through the teens, especially as he can adapt his playing style to be more 'current'. If he does show an aptitude and wants to continue, then maybe introduce another intrument at that stage.

As for singing - definitely to be encouraged as much as possible - especially as he'll be more inclined to accompany himself! (something you can't do as much on woodwind or brass, obviously!) Singing lessons have really declined in popularity and importance in school over the years - to the detrement of all imho. (maybe to do with less hymns and assembly's ) There are plenty of after school and sat morning drama schools/organisations that teach singing along with drama and dance - again a useful thing, sooo good at improving social skills and confidence building.

Obviously it all depends on what your child actually would like to play, and maybe it'd be worth asking him these questions....

1) What sounds/intruments move you/make you want to dance around/do you enjoy listening to?

2) How much practice (honestly) would you be prepared to do each week?

3) Do you want to take exams at any point?

One last point (sorry for length, girth etc lol!) Whatever you do, don't make a habit of standing over him when/if he does practice, or ask him to play set pieces for grandparents, aunties and friends (unless he obviously wants to). It really does become a chore (and a paradox) if one can't express creativity except in a set, pre-ordained way!

HTH

positivelymummy

so many instruments!!! wow,:D what does HE want to play the most? and check if there are any samba bands in your area he could join, i have never ever met a child who doesn;t enjoy playing in a samba band and there are so many instruments to play in a samba band! but as for learning at home the list is endless? is there a school orchestra or youth orchestra in your area? once your child learns to play an instrument its important to keep the motivation there by getting them involved in playing with others. and another thought even if he gets fed up of what he's learning at least he'll have learnt how to read music! such a bonus, i started with a few private piano lessons when i was 5 and went on to play violin, clarinet, baritone, saxaphone, guitar, djembe (african drum), conga etc i still play now, all the time! i love it. good luck (as there may be lots of concerts you'll have to go to!):D

BusyGirl

Hi, my daughter is 10 and has been playing the alto sax since she was 8. We hired a brand new one from a local music shop for 6 months at a cost of one fifth of the value of it (£100). Then we had to decide after this time to either give it back or pay off the balance.
After 6 months of private lessons we bought it and she has never looked back. We reckoned that 6 months would be enough time for her to decide if she was serious or not. She has joined a local youth orchestra, played in a few concerts and now plays regularly with our church music band. She is getting ready to do her grade 3 soon and really enjoys it.
The private lessons are one-to-one and are the reason she has become so good so soon. They are not cheap but they are worth every penny. My DH has also taken up the tenor sax and his was a lot cheaper, about £300. As a result of all of this, my youngest daughter who is 6 is also keen to start learning an instrument. I'll wait until she is about 8 though!
You could hire his first instrument and then he can decide if he wants to continue with it or not.

pennypitstop_2

Hi mse-ers

As the title says, my question is about the cost of piano lessons... I searched the forums and found a few mentions of £20 per lesson but the threads seemed to be about something else so no detail.

Do you pay less for beginners' lessons? Or all levels the same? And how does someone go about entering for a graded exam? Does the teacher have to be registered or something? I'm really asking for a friend, who asked me 'cos I used to play a bit! But when I learned, I paid £4.50 per hour :rolleyes: and I have a sneaky suspicion that it's rather more than that these days!!!!!

Cheers

Penny

bunty109

I pay £10 for half hour for my DD, and that's reasonable: her old teacher was £12 and school charges £10 for 20 minutes.

I don't think teachers charge more or less depending on experience, certainly I've not found it and DD is Grade 3 now. Anyone can register to enter a child for an exam. I even registerd myself and put DD in for one exam when she was without a teacher. I think the thing you need to ask a prospective teacher is what their training/qualifications are. One woman near me teaches beginners and when probed it turned out she only had Grade 2 piano herself!!!!! It's an extreme example but worth asking around and getting recommendations when looking for a teacher.

BTW entering for exams gets more costly according to grade. DD's grade 3 has just cost over £30 and it goes up to £70 or £80 for Grade 8, I believe.

Savvy_Sue

I pay £10 for an hour, but I know that's a VERY good deal because she's a friend.

DS3 doesn't want to do exams, so I can't answer that question. I would only expect to pay more as my child progressed if they needed a better teacher, to be honest.

pennypitstop_2

Cheers for the advice, will pass the info on.

Penny