Ah, yes, the question of lesson duration.
The length of a private music lesson depends upon the student and the material to be learned.
Typically, the beginning music lesson length is 30 minutes. A 30 minute lesson is good for:
- A young child (preschool to age 7) with a short attention span.
- A music lesson trial period, when we are trying to see whether or not the student will want to stick with music lessons or a particular instrument for an extended period of time.
- An adult student with limited time to practice each week.
- A student on a budget.
After years of teaching music lessons, I have found that, as a teacher, I strongly prefer 45 minute lessons over 30 minute lessons. Specifically,
- For piano, with a 45 minute lesson I have time to review pieces, assign new pieces, as well as work with the student on piano skill building and on musical pieces played just for fun.
- For singing, the warm-up process, which is full of skill-building exercises and techniques, often takes up 10-15 minutes, leaving only about 15 minutes to work on songs. A 45 minute lesson grants a solid half-hour for working on songs every week.
- A student who wants to learn more than just one skill from music lessons — for example, also learning to sing harmony, sigh sing, play piano by ear, musical ear training, songwriting — this becomes possible with 45 minute lessons.
Hour-long lessons are ideal for students that
- Are interested in building skills quickly.
- Schedule 30-60 minute long practice sessions 5-6 times per week.
- Want to learn more than one instrument.