Yes. All of our teachers have a degree in music or extensive professional performing experience.
Part of the advantage of taking music lessons at a school is that we have several teachers for each instrument. If you don’t find your personalities mesh with your teacher, after giving it a fair try, we can switch you to another teacher.
We differ from in-home in that teaching is a full-time occupation for our teachers, not a part-time or hobby. It is their full-time occupation. That means that they are more highly educated and have much more skill at dealing with a great variety of students. As for other music schools, we can only comment on what we offer and that we offer one of the most extensive programs available with extremely qualified and personable staff. We are the largest music school in Hamilton, Ancaster, and Stoney Creek.
Every person learns in their own unique way. If we have a class of students it is impossible to ensure that each student has fully understood the concept. Also a teacher cannot physically ensure that the technical aspect of playing is proper for each student of a group as they can only be watching so many things at once.
Private lessons ensure that each student is taught in a way that is uniquely designed for them. Many students switch over to us from other studios that conduct group lessons. We notice that many students in group programs develop bad technique habits or don’t fully understand concepts because of lack of personal attention.
You can sit in for the first few classes, after that we recommend that you wait in our waiting room. If the parents sit in every week it is too distracting for the students. There are too many authority figures and children either lose class time looking for Mom and Dad’s approval, or they act out to see what reaction they will get. We encourage parents of young children to wait in our waiting rooms so that if they are needed they are close by.
We only do private instruction. Even people from the same family learn concepts differently. One might master a skill very quickly while the other needs more time and vice versa on another skill. If you are looking for convenience we suggest that you try to book both lessons at the same time or back to back.
We only offer weekly lessons. If you make a mistake and practice that way for 2 weeks, it becomes a habit which is difficult to replace with a new one during the next lesson. In this case, most of the lesson time is wasted and dramatically hinders the student’s progress. It is really important that the teacher checks your progress and corrects your form every week.
Although a real (acoustic) piano is always best, it is not necessary to start. The majority of students start with keyboards and once they decide they like it, then you can look at an acoustic piano. The most important thing to know when renting or purchasing a keyboard is that it must have full sized keys (each individual key should be the same size as an individual piano key). It is best to get a keyboard with at least 60+ keys so that you don’t outgrow it too quickly (a regular piano has 88 keys).
They can try another instrument – the school director will discuss this with you and your child.
That varies from student to student and really depends on the individual and how much practicing you do. Playing is a physical skill so it does take repetition to improve. Typically if you start piano in September, by December you will be able to play a recognizable Christmas carol.
No. Still come for your lesson and the teacher will work on theory with you for that lesson. You can choose to miss it, but no make-up lesson will be given.
Yes. In the beginning it gives the student a lot to practice at home. In a half hour they will get enough material to be able to learn well and develop proper technique. As they progress, the teacher will be able to suggest when they should begin having longer lessons. The best results can be achieved using the so-called European system of two 30 minute lessons per week.
We recommend a minimum of every week day. For beginning students the teacher will assign repetitions instead of a set amount of time. For example, practice this scale 2 times a day and this song 5 times a day. Younger children find repetitions easier than a set amount of time. Typically a beginner practices 20-30 minutes a day and it helps if a parent supervises.
Our prices are very competitive for the quality of music lessons we provide, and all other supporting services we offer.
In many cases you will find that our teachers are more highly qualified than other schools and have a lot of teaching and performing experience. When choosing an educational activity for your child the quality of the instruction is very important. The whole environment of taking lessons in a school environment is more conducive to learning. There are no distractions to deal with like there are in in-home lessons, like doorbells and phones ringing etc. The teachers that teach with us do this as their full-time occupation, not as a side venture.
The registration fee covers initial administration expenses and is a one-time fee for all students.
You can claim music lessons under the CRA’s Children’s Arts Tax Credit.
Yes, you can arrange practicing time in our studios as long as it does not conflict with our lesson schedule. Please call for pricing.
Absolutely no photocopying can be condoned by us. It is an infringement of copyright laws and a person copying music can face legal penalties.
No. Books on display are for sale only. When you forget your books, let the teacher know and they will adjust the lesson plan to effectively use your lesson time.
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