Class verses Private lessons

 

Do you ever find yourself wondering if your child would be better off learning one-on-one with a private teacher? Or is your child enrolled in a private lesson and you are interested in finding out the benefits of Forte classes? If so, read on…

Poke your head into a classroom at Forte School of Music and you may get a glimpse of games, movements and dancing. You will hear them singing and laughing, as well as playing pianos and multitudes of percussion instruments. So what is all the fuss about Forte class lessons?

It may surprise you, but Forte teachers unanimously agree that students in Forte classes actually learn more and progress faster than students in private lessons. There are many myths and preconceived ideas about the advantages and disadvantages of class and private methods. While the answer will depend on your child and their specific learning requirements, there are countless benefits for children who learn in Forte classes. Through the Forte class programmes, not only do we create great pianists, we create fantastic musicians.

As a rule, children in classes tend to: Learn More, Progress More Quickly, Stay Interested Longer, Improve Self Confidence and Self Esteem.

LEARN MORE

Class students learn more due to a number of factors, including the length of the lesson and the variety of musical skills able to be covered in a classroom environment. Improvisation, composition, theory, ear training and musicianship skills are easy to teach and fun to learn in a group. These same skills are difficult to teach and not as fun to learn one-on-one, and are often not covered by private teachers.

Class lessons run for 45 minutes - much longer than most individual lessons. With more time each week, the amount of learning, depth of knowledge and variety of skills that can be achieved is much higher.

At Forte, class lessons are not exclusively for learning how to play the piano; we offer class lessons that enable children to develop into musicians. As this development occurs, your child progressively learns and grasps new musical ideas and concepts much faster, which enables them to enjoy and perform more than just the technical aspects of the music. Developing these other skills has untold benefits across your child’s whole education and personal development.

On the whole, class students have a broader musical knowledge.

 SINGING - AURAL

The range of activities taught in class means the lesson is action packed, and the children are always changing from one focus to another, so there is no time to be bored.

During Forte class lessons the children are encouraged to sing as much as possible, since singing is the key to developing aural skills. Good listening skills are essential in most learning environments, especially at school where much new information and instructions are delivered verbally. The Forte aural development programme focuses on key areas: extending length of auditory memory - memorisation of pieces, developing a sense of pitch and “playing by-ear” skills; all important for creativity, improvisation and composition.

 THEORY

In a classroom environment, it is easy to teach theory using games that make the learning experience fun. While these necessary theory elements can also be covered in an individual lesson, it is much harder to make theory enjoyable.

The extra goodies and incentives you get with class lessons have enormous positive effects on ability and child's desire to learn

 ENSEMBLE

Ensemble playing is the skill all musicians need but few pianists learn. Aside from solo piano, most music is played as a group. The enjoyment gained through making music with others is immeasurable. It is sad that most pianists never realise this joy. One-on-one private piano lessons are guilty of creating pianists who are notoriously poor at playing with others. Most struggle to keep together in a piano duet, let alone develop the skills to accompany and/or perform with others. Here at Forte, ensemble work develops the ability to play one’s part while listening to others playing different parts, as well as following the musical score where all the lines are notated.

 PROGRESS MORE QUICKLY

In a group scenario there is the constant gentle impetus of moving forward to keep up with the rest of the group, which can be labelled “positive peer pressure”. This provides an ideal motivational tool, as it involves no “nagging” on the part of the teacher or parent. In a private situation, if the child does not practise, there are no real consequences. They may continue to work on the same pieces, or make many starts on other pieces. When this occurs, motivation will be lost and the progress will naturally come to a halt.

Learning in a class with other children is more enjoyable, which in turn makes the learning easier. Private lessons can become dry, and music then becomes “boring”. The learning is quicker when the children are enjoying themselves.

However, when a child has a private make-up/catch-up lesson, it is easy as a parent to be amazed at the content covered in the lesson. Teachers agree that this “fast-tracking” approach soon wears off. Without the natural peer pressure, the motivation to practise can be lost and the child’s progress can slow dramatically. A senior teacher once noted that a child from a class who changed to private lessons was a whole level behind the class after twelve months!

One of the biggest challenges facing teachers and parents is motivating children to learn.

 STAY INTERESTED LONGER

Lots of children give up music and many other activities because they lose interest.

As has already been mentioned, students in class tend to stay motivated through the natural peer pressure that occurs in the classroom environment. With hassle-free practice, the feeling of consistently achieving, and the fun atmosphere of the classes it is no surprise that class students will often outstay their private counterparts. Add to that the social benefits of classes. There is no doubting that the class environment is a sociable one. Children not only benefit from the range of activities, and increased motivation, but each class is an enjoyable experience. Friendships are formed, and social circles are created that often continue right through into adulthood.

The range of activities taught in class means the lesson is action packed, and the children are always changing from one focus to another, so there is no time to be bored.

IMPROVE SELF-CONFIDENCE & SELF-ESTEEM

Children in Forte classes regularly perform their current concert piece for the class. In this friendly, non-competitive atmosphere, the children build confidence not only in their playing skills but also within themselves. It is not long before they are comfortable on stage impressing a large crowd at our annual Forte Festival!

Self-esteem is also naturally boosted within Forte classes. It is a great feeling to be complimented, but it is even greater to be complimented when other people are around to appreciate the effort you are making. Within the Forte classroom, children are encouraged to excel not only in areas in which they naturally shine, but also within fields in which they never expected to achieve.

There could not be a better environment for confidence building than performing pieces you enjoy for a small group of your peers.

Your Verdict

For the majority of younger students in their first 3 years of playing the piano, it seems to be clear that having class lessons is going to be the more sensible option. Not only do children progress faster, learn more and develop invaluable skills as a musician in a class, but they also have the joys of sharing music with friends. However, the final decision has to be based on your child’s specific learning requirements

For children with special learning needs who find it difficult to focus in a classroom environment the private studio may be a better option.

At Forte, we believe that we give children of all ages a great start to playing the piano and developing as an all round musician in our fun class lessons. However, there comes a time when students are more suited to a private one-to-one lesson and we believe the earliest time to change to private lessons is after students have completed Creative Keys Two. This is the point that most children are ready to study for Grade One exams and an ideal point to change lessons. As you may realize, Forte is set up to teach class lessons and is not set up to teach a vast number of individual students. We can therefore not guarantee to take every student on for an individual lesson when leaving a class. We will, however, endeavour to find a suitable place if at all possible.

Changing Classes:
For children who find themselves moving faster than their class, there will usually be a class at a higher level that may be a better alternative. A few private lessons may be needed in order to catch up to the class. Speak to your teacher if you think this applies to you.