How Do I Start Music Lessons?

Perhaps you’ve been hankering to pick up a guitar for years.  Maybe you’ve inherited an old piano.  Maybe you’ve just decided you want to learn something new.

What’s your next step?  What do you do now?  How do you even go about starting music lessons?

There are so many ways you can learn music, and you don’t ALWAYS have to get music lessons – but they are definitely more helpful than struggling through yourself, especially if you don’t have much background in music.

Here's a few things we absolutely recommend.

Shop around

Don’t settle for the first teacher you find, unless you know for sure you’re going to be happy with them.  There are many factors to consider – price, location, qualifications, genres taught, and perhaps most importantly, the teacher themselves.  Realistically, you are going to have to make compromise on at least one of these areas, as you are unlikely to be able to find the Cinderella foot to your instrumental learning shoe….to use a really weird foot metaphor.  It may not need to be a massive compromise, but absolutely do bear this in mind.  We actively recommend shopping around if you need more time, but I would say don’t compromise on rapport with the teacher.  If everything is perfect but you think the teacher is a boring old fart, or is too strict, or perhaps not strict enough, don’t settle for something you’re going to be unhappy with. 

Don’t be afraid to reach out

Contact with schools doesn’t always mean you’re going to sign up to lessons with that school.  Teachers are fully aware of this.  There may be some who will use the opportunity to sell at you, but I am confident that they are few and far between.  As the director of Prelude, I take all incoming enquiries, and I am always more than happy simply to answer questions over the phone or by email.  I understand that finding music lessons can be a daunting task, and I would much rather I was instrumental in helping someone find their way through the confusion than “bagging a client” as it were.  I suspect most other schools and teachers are the same.  Don’t let anybody bully you into taking lessons with them!

Ask Questions

If you aren’t sure about something – ask!  I would suggest having a list of questions to ask each teacher/school you contact, so you can accurately compare.  As a bonus, you could have a separate column for stuff you don’t need to ask, but perhaps you notice – good location?  Friendly attitude?  Whatever works for you – write it down!  Any teacher worth their salt will be more than happy to discuss their lesson structure and/or teaching ethos to you.  Do not be afraid to ask.

Once all that is said and done, the last step is to book your first lesson with your chosen teacher.

Happy hunting!