Don’t Waste Your Money!

There are a lot of perhaps well-meaning folks, and probably a handful of not so well-meaning folks out there that claim to teach music and charge for their services. But many without the credentials, care, experience, or understanding of the fundamentals and the art, pedagogy, and deeply personal nature of teaching music are fooling people into overpaying and wasting their money.

If you are taking private music lessons, paying attention, and putting in practice, you should be learning and growing! If not, you just may need a new teacher.

I heard yesterday about a piano student that has been studying with someone for quite some time, and paying $100 a month, and NOT learning fundamentals. If you or someone you know is paying $100 a month, your teacher better be highly qualified (with degrees from a major conservatory or university) or an extremely professional equivalent. They also better be equipping you with the fundamentals in scales, theory, technique, sight reading, and repertoire. If not, get a new teacher.

By the way, at TIA, all of our regular faculty meet or exceed these standards and our rates are lower. All of our student and associate faculty may not have the college degrees in music, but they have been carefully selected to be a part of the team because they are highly capable not just in their own understanding and ability in these fundamentals, but in the ability to teach them. They are TIA material.

You can also waste your money on incredibly cheap lessons (you just waste a little less). In the case of really cheap music classes or lessons, you often get what you pay for; lack of experience, lack of expertise, lack of care—and a teacher that does not acquire students because of that so they charge very little in hopes to just get a few students.

Need an assessment? Not sure if you are getting what you need? Give us a call, we would be happy to chat with you about it.

P.s. The student mentioned in this article is now flourishing and has learned all of his majors, minors, harmonic minors, melodic minors, and is working on his modes, reading and playing well and with expression and clarity (under our care).