Music School

Music lessons are offered in a variety of formats and qualities, which makes the price range wide as well. More experienced teachers are always more expensive than less experienced teachers, and larger schools or recognized institutions will typically charge premiums for value-adds like better instruments, more extensive facilities, more extra-curricular activity options, and increased lesson structure and accountability.

• The lowest prices begin around $25 per lesson for a less experienced teacher working out of their home or a local music lesson academy.  
• Experienced and established private teachers will charge $50 – $100 per lesson, also working out of their home
• Franchise / retail music locations (Long & McQuade, Arcadia, Sam Ash, Guitar Center) usually charge 25-50% more than a private teacher, usually in exchange for convenient locations and some improved staffing oversight. 
• Certified schools such as Merriam Music (Toronto, Canada), or Musician’s Academy (LA, USA) operate more similarly to full private schools, with full curricular and pedagogical oversight with their teachers, extensive learning facilities, expanded programming options, and various government certifications and credit-granting capabilities. Annual tuitions usually range between $2000 – $5000, and are not usually billed per class, but generally work out to around $40 – $75 / lesson.

There’s no wrong answer when it comes to the ‘right way’ to get excited about learning music. It could be an app you download, a Youtube video, a concert you go to see, or perhaps a friend who already plays a musical instrument. 

However, the statistics are extremely clear on how to proceed once you’ve got ‘the bug’. A very small number of people have the right blend of interest, discipline, natural inclination and accountability to successfully learn any instrument without regular structured coaching & mentoring. By some estimates, over 95% of those who attempt to learn an instrument on their own using videos and apps will have given up within 6 months of trying. 

On the other hand, Merriam Music keeps over 80% of the students it starts as beginners, into subsequent years of instruction. As with any complex skill set, direct instruction from an expert remains the only reliable and effective learning dynamic for the vast majority of people.

Yes! Knowing how to play a musical instrument is a joyful experience that boosts confidence, mood, memory, and can enhance various cognitive performances. It’s a creative outlet, a stress reliever, and an incredible social tool for meeting new people and interacting with other musicians. 

And since we know that statistically, most people need direct instruction from a passionate expert instructor to learn those skills, music lessons are definitely ‘worth it’. 

No one ever regrets learning how to play the piano or guitar, regardless of how quickly or slowly they learn it, or the cost once they’ve achieved their musical goals.

There are a wide variety of free or almost-free music education tools available online. These can be an awesome way to wet your pallet, letting you get a sense of what it might be like to learn an instrument and have music in your life.

Typically these tools do not have great track records – but not for the reasons you might think.

Despite being free, these online options contain phenomenal amounts of good information, accurate instructions, and thousands of songs to learn. There is nothing wrong with the quality of the content whatsoever.

The problems are that these tools aren’t able to hold people accountable, can’t tailor their path to suit their learning style and progress, or provide relevant short term goals that truly motivate you. 

So, while these tools can be fun and a great way to get excited about music, they don’t work in the areas where teachers make the biggest difference: long-term motivation and inspiration, customized learning programs, and accountability.