Practice Requirements and Lesson Length

Students who are new to an instrument are expected to build from 10 minutes a day of practice time to 30 minutes a day over the course of approximately 3 months. Once this threshold has been reached my expectation is students should practice the same amount of time daily as the length of their weekly lesson. Always choose a lesson length that will allow you to complete your personal practice in a given week otherwise lessons become unproductive and frustrating for both student and teacher. Students are always encouraged to practice more than this minimum expectation to facilitate growth.

30 min lesson

⁃ Best for students who have not had lessons before or are new to the instrument

⁃ Focus is on fundamentals of the instrument and private tutoring on ensemble pieces

⁃ Students taking 30 min lessons typically make consistant progress to bring them to the level of the ensemble playing they are expected to perform. However, this length of personal practice and individual instruction is not enough to promote rapid growth after the fundamentals are solid.

⁃ Students are expected to “grow out of” this length of lesson based on age and time playing.

45 min lesson

⁃ Best for students who want a more rapid progression on their instrument than a 30 minute lesson allows or are interested in additional topics beyond their ensemble responsibilities. Additionally, this lesson length is used as a “test” for an hour long lesson time.

⁃ Focus is the same as a 30 minute lesson with the addition of extra exercises or etudes beyond the scope of their ensemble playing.

⁃ Students taking 45 minute lessons typically progress well and create and maintain a strong fundamental base that continues to grow more capable over time. They also have the ability to explore topics, etudes, and music outside of their ensemble responsibilities. However, this length of personal practice and individual instruction is not enough to throughly explore topics outside of their ensemble responsibilities.

60 min lesson

⁃ Best for students who have an understanding of how the instrument works and are ready to take on more advanced playing and a full musical load.

⁃ Focus on solidifying and expanding fundamentals while reaching beyond the expectations of the ensemble they are playing in. Private tutoring will extend past assigned ensemble music and into more difficult etudes and solo works with the intent of skill acquisition and instrumental fluency.

⁃ Students taking 60 minute lessons typically progress rapidly and consistently expand their fundamental technique on the instrument. Students can also thoroughly explore topics, etudes, and music outside of their ensemble responsibilities.

Lessons Longer than 60 Minutes

Weekly lessons longer than 60 minutes are generally not necessary with young players with some exceptions.

1. Longer lessons or multiple lessons in a week can be arranged on a short term basis in the event of an upcoming audition or other special event where a student might want additional instruction.
2. Weekly lessons longer than 60 minutes may be offered if student is interested in continuing to play into collage or professionally and demonstrates that a longer lesson would be properly prepared for.

– Best for students who have a strong understanding of how the instrument works and are interested in achieving a professional standard of playing. 

– Focus on acquiring instrumental fluency, musical maturity, audition skills, and professional viability as well as throughly exploring a student’s chosen subjects. Private tutoring will extend well beyond assigned ensemble music and into difficult etudes and solo works with the intent of instrumental fluency and professional viability. 

– Student’s taking lessons longer than 60 minutes are typically: going into music school, currently enrolled in music school, or have graduated from music school and are looking for specialized instruction to work on highly specific aspects of their playing. They are highly motivated and rapidly progress through professional level material.