Often, when parents consider putting their child in music lessons, they begin to weigh the pros and cons of private versus group lessons. They wonder which would be a better setting for their child to learn in. Following, you will find some of the advantages versus the disadvantages of private versus group lessons.
About Private Lessons
Following is a list and brief explanation of the advantages versus disadvantages of private lessons.
Advantages of Private Instruction
With private lessons, you’ll get the following:
Personal attention:
With private instruction, the student gets personal attention from the instructor during the lesson. This way, the instructor is able to tailor the lessons: that is the concepts, learning pace, and progression of the student- according to their capabilities.
Customized Pace:
With private instruction, the concepts presented are progressive and build on what the student has previously learned. The instructor can slow down or speed up, according to how the student is responding and comprehending the concepts presented before they move on to the next one.
Students who have an above-average aptitude regarding musical concepts are able to move more quickly, which decreases the risk of them becoming bored with it. On the other hand, the students that need more help will be able to spend more time with the instructor on specific areas they are struggling with so that they can better understand it before they move on.
Progress Quickly:
Studies have shown that students who are taking private instruction to learn piano (or anything else), tend to progress much more quickly than those who are participating in group lessons.
Personal Connection:
With private instruction, the teacher and student are able to make a personal connection since the spend a lot of one-on-one time together. A student who spends many years with the same instructor will usually have a fairly strong bond.
Ease of Scheduling:
Since you only have 2 people involved in the lesson- 1 teacher and 1 student- it is typically easier to schedule the sessions. If you are participating in group lessons, scheduling can become quite difficult because you’re trying to fit into schedules of several different people.
Disadvantages of Private Instruction
With private instruction, there are also a few disadvantages. They are as follows:
Expense:
Many times, private lessons are much more expensive than group lessons- and families that are on a budget may not necessarily be able to afford private instruction.
Solitary Activity:
The truth is that piano playing is a solitary activity and students who already struggle with this may feel even more isolated if they are being given private lessons.
About Group Lessons
The other option for learning to play the piano are group lessons. Again, these types of lessons also have advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages of Group Instruction
With group instruction, you will see the following advantages:
Less Expense:
The more people that are in a group class, the lower the rate everyone will be required to pay. This can be the deciding factor for some families- especially those who are on a strict budget.
Healthy Competition:
Students who know they are performing in front of peers are much more likely to practice their assignments so that they can avoid making mistakes. In addition, having that competition is likely to motivate them to do their homework so that they’re not the only ones not doing it.
Provides Socialization:
Since there is peer-to-peer interaction during group lessons, they are given the chance to improve their social skills. When an instructor is working with multiple students, he/she can be more flexible with playing games- and the students are more likely to enjoy themselves.
Learn from others:
When students are watching/observing students their age/level playing the piano, they are able to have a visual for learning instead of simply doing what the instructor is telling them to.
Learn ensemble skills:
When learning in a group, the students are required to listen to their peers, which can develop their ear training and ensemble skills.
Longer class times:
A group lesson is usually a full hour, whereas a private lesson is typically only about 30 minutes- especially for younger children/beginners.
Disadvantages of Group Instruction
Group instruction also has a few disadvantages as well. They are as follows:
Less Personal Attention:
Since the instructor has more students, he/she must divide their attention and isn’t able to give as much one-on-one time.
Learning Styles:
Since learning styles can be different, it can be difficult on the teacher because they are working with varying skill levels and learning paces.
Less Effective:
For shy students or those who don’t enjoy interacting with others, group sessions are typically less effective.
In group lessons, keyboards are typically used instead of pianos since the piano is such a large instrument. Keyboards are different than acoustic pianos and are usually not nearly as effective once the student progresses to advanced lessons.
Once the student has gotten to the point of using both hands and learning more advanced techniques, it can be much harder on the instructor to work on advanced details in the piece- that is, touch, texture, balance between hands, phrasing, and much more.
When you get right down to it, the decision for a student to participate in private or group lessons depends on a variety of factors including personality, developmental progress, and affordability.
Many people believe that private piano lessons are best because it gives the student a more comprehensive learning experience and they can progress at a pace that is comfortable with them.
