Private Lessons at Village Music

Private lessons at Village Music are all individual, one-on-one lessons held on a weekly basis here at the studio on 9th Ave. There is no required amount of lessons that you have to take here, and you can start and stop regular lessons when you’d like.

However, when you start lessons here the intention is that you are establishing a consistent, weekly appointment with a teacher who is consistently available at the agreed upon time each week. We understand there is school and family vacation, but during the school year please plan on coming to lessons at least 3 out of 4 weeks per month. Teachers are available year-round.

Currently, lessons are offered on Piano, Guitar, Ukulele, Flute, and Brass instruments. Voice teachers are also available through referral.

Payment

Payment is made each week at the time of the lesson. Cash or Card (debit preferred) is accepted. For card, we have a payment processor so we can save your payment information and charge you after each lesson.

Your first 30 minute lesson is free! After that, the fees are as follows:

30 Minutes: $50

45 Minutes: $70

60 Minutes: $90

Cancellation Policy

All cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance of the lesson. We understand that you can’t plan on being sick, so in that case please text your instructor first thing in the morning to say you won’t be coming to lessons that day; not 3-4 hours before the lesson. Otherwise, you will be charged for a late cancellation

Other Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to own an instrument to take private lessons? Yes! We can make a recommendation on where and what to buy, but you must have an instrument available to you at home before starting your first lesson.

Do I need to be present for my child’s lessons? This is not mandatory and depends on each situation, but for children ages 6-8 it’s highly recommended that you sit in on each full lesson. Regardless of your attention or knowledge of music, being in the room as a parent shows your child that you support and are invested in this as a positive and enriching activity. After age 8 or 9, lessons are usually more comfortable one-on-one.

What is the right amount of time each day or week that I should be practicing as a beginner? This depends on a lot of things. It’s obvious that more practice means more improvement. More important than the amount of time you’re practicing is to generally make feelings to be with your instrument; to nurture your feelings of satisfaction, discard self-critical and discouraging thoughts, and build a positive relationship with doing music. The time will not matter if you feel good about doing it, and this is where lessons and the relationship with your teacher are important.

Ok, if you still need a concrete amount of time that’s good for practice, how about six hours per day!

What is the teaching ‘method’ that you use? This is a complicated question. Learning music is a completely custom-made activity for each individual, that’s why the time tested method is having one-on-one instruction. It all depends on a lot of factors like the student’s or parent’s expectations, previous musical experience, and committment level.

One blanket statement that we can make regarding this is that the intention of the lessons here at Village Music, regardless of age or experience, is to develop and deepen a relationship with doing music and your instrument. This can look like a lot of things, ranging from a ‘traditional’ approach with graded lesson books and assessments, to learning songs totally by ear with no sheet music, to creativity-driven time focused on composition and improvisation. There is no limit, really. The only limit is you!

Feel free to contact us with any other questions you may have!