the Price of Piano Lessons

One half hour lesson from a private tutor who had played in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway shows and many orchestras.

My teacher was fantastic! She always knew the most effective ways to explain things and was very patient when it took me a little longer to understand certain concepts. It was pretty obvious that she was a professional. She was able to help me with difficult patterns from both the music she assigned and the music from my school. My teacher couldn't believe how well I was playing after just a few lessons. I wasn't getting better, it was just that she helped to explain how certain passages were played and different patterns I could use. In fact, she was very helpful when it cam time for our playing exam because I could ask her for a piece of music that she believed was within my current range. This was helpful because before I began to take lessons, I always had trouble finding a selecting appropriate music. Though I no longer take private lessons, I still use many of the tricks she taught me in other pieces of music as well as different strategies and techniques for practicing. For example, I now know how to walk into a music shop and find music that is appropriate for my style and ability.

Check your local schools, especially if you're a student. My teacher was part of a program that my school's music department offered. Because I was part of the school, I was even offered a discount. Often times, if you are a member of the community, the school has programs that will offer you a discount as well. Another great place to ask around for lessons are music stores as the musical community is often very tight knit. It has been my experience that community theaters are another good place to start. While I was taking lessons, my teacher put me up for quite a few musical pit orchestras around the state and not only did it give me more of a variety of music to practice, but it also allowed me to get to know many other musicians in the area. Eventually, i ended up studying with the woman who served as my section leader for the first show I ever played. As for instruments, I would suggest music colleges in the area over music stores any day. The instruments usually have more of a personality and are light years ahead in tonality, richness, and beauty. Instruments from stores tend to be mass produced and don't have very nice sound.