Hey, music lovers! If you're thinking about learning a new instrument or improving your skills, you might be wondering whether to take private music lessons or join a group class. Well, I'm here to help you out with pros and cons for both options. Let's get started!

PRIVATE LESSONS:

PROS:

1. Increased Personal Attention: With private lessons, your kid is working with the teacher one-on-one. There’s no other kids to distract them and the teacher can focus all their energy on what your child needs to learn. This one-on-one time also leads to a strong student-teacher relationship. This helps your kid be more motivated to practice and go to lessons.

2. Can Go at Your Child’s Pace: All kids learn differently and some kids learn faster than others. In a group class setting, kids who learn faster are bored and kids who learn slower are frustrated. But in private lessons, the teacher goes at your kid’s speed and adjusts to their needs.

3. Can Work Around Learning Obstacles: Even though kids learn differently, some children have a more challenging time learning for a variety of reasons. While a classroom might not work well for your kid, private lessons can be adjusted to your kid needs.

4. Flexibility: Private lessons are very flexible with scheduling, cancellations, and make-up lessons. Group Classes are more challenging to schedule because you’re dealing with a group of people. Private lessons have easy scheduling as long as you let the teacher know ahead of time.

CONS:

1. Often Expensive: Private Llessons are not cheap in comparison to group classes. The cost comes from the increased quality of the lessons and personal attention you get. For some families that works, and for others it doesn’t. You will have to see what is best for you.

2. Kids Can Feel Pressured by You: You know your kid better than anyone. And as much as they want to make you proud, they don’t like to feel that they are doing something because you’re making them. That can often happen in private lessons where there’s no other kids their age to motivate them. This can lead to resentment of the classes at an early stage. But if you get the right teacher, the motivation to learn will counter this feeling.

3. Not a Social Musical Act: Private lessons miss a key component of the musical experience, which is playing with others. This can be mitigated though with a group class, duets with the teacher, and/or forming a band.

GROUP LESSONS:

PROS:

1. Socialization and Cooperation: In any classroom setting, kids learn how to socialize with others and work with them. Group classes are no different. Students can learn vital life skills that help them work with others and build a great community.

2. Peer Pressure: Parental pressure can often lead kids to feel resentful of music lessons. Pressure from their peers often leads them to become more motivated to play.

3. Makes Performing Easier: Another great aspect of group classes is that kids are always playing in front of and with others. This makes performing easier.

4. The Cheaper Option: Group Classes are often priced less than their private lesson counterparts (sometimes by greater than 50%). This is simply because there’s more students, it’s all at one location, and there’s only one lesson plan. This makes it easier for the teacher and cheaper for you.

CONS:

1. Can Be Difficult Learning in a Group: For some kids learning in a large classroom setting is not ideal. They are either too far ahead or lagging behind the rest of the group to make the experience fun. This can cause challenges in making them motivated before, during, and after the class.

2. Less Teacher-Student Time: With private lessons all the focus is on you and you alone. In a group class this can’t happen.

3. Scheduling Woes: Group classes are hard to move around, reschedule, and/or make up. It's due to the different families and people involved. Unfortunately, they can't move the entire class to a different day/time to accommodate you.

CONCLUSION:

So, there you have it. A pro and cons list of private music lessons and group classes. Of course, the best option for you depends on your personality, learning style, budget, and availability. But whatever you choose, remember to have fun and enjoy the music!

For more information about lessons offered through Lone Star Guitar Lessons, check out our Lessons Page.