How Much Do Piano Lessons Cost?
Piano lesson cost (and music lesson costs in general), depends on the location of your teacher, how much experience they have teaching piano lessons, what credentials they have earned, how much demand there is for their service, and what comes included with your lesson fee. Sometimes, the price can vary further based on their teaching setup; are they teaching at home or in a professional studio?
Good teachers keep their pricing transparent and easy to find — it’s always frustrating to have to ask for rates when they could be easily displayed online. Either way, here are some guidelines for determining the fairness of a teacher’s rates. You are more than welcome to get in touch if you have questions, and you can always reach out regarding the rates at our studio, please get in touch. We also offer guitar lessons in Philadelphia and voice lessons in Philadelphia.
How Much Do Music & Piano Lessons Cost?
Generally speaking, you can expect to see rates in the ballpark of $1 per minute — $30 per half hour or so. Some charge $25 per half hour, I charge $37.25 per half hour, and there’s plenty in between. But it’s unusual for it to go as high as $40. If you are paying $20 or less per half hour, the teacher may not have many qualifications or they may be particularly motivated to fill up the studio as soon as possible — they could be new to the neighborhood and hope to undercut the market, more or less.
These rules generally go out the window if you are looking for lessons with well-known performing artists or tenured college professors, and it’s usually because they don’t actually need (or even want) students. They get inquiries once in a while and think to themselves, “hey, if I’m going to teach a private student,” I might as well try to get paid as much as possible for it.”
Some doctoral school graduates will try to charge very high rates right out of school, and it’s just not worth paying that rate. A doctorate in piano is just two more years of the same paperwork as a Master’s degree, and they won’t have anything to offer you that another highly qualified teacher without a doctorate cannot.
Questions To Ask About Music Lesson Pricing
How Much Demand Is There For a Teacher’s Services?
It’s a simple economic principle: scarcity raises value. If a teacher is getting inundated with applicants, and if the retention rate is high, they should raise the price for their lessons to a certain extent. You may have to pay more for lessons with this person, and you will most likely be added to a waiting list before you can begin lessons. Particularly busy teachers even have to ask for security deposits if a student wishes to begin lessons several months in the future — it’s not worth holding an open slot for a student who may “flake” before their lessons begin.
Teachers who fall into this category are almost always worth the higher rates, because you don’t reach this level without demonstrating exceptional ability and commitment.
In Which City Are You Taking Lessons?
Firstly, the cost of living is going to influence music lesson rates in your city or neighborhood. The reason is two-fold: the piano teacher must afford to live (obviously), but also, they may be holding their rates in accordance with what their clientele is willing to pay. It stands to reason that a piano teacher in Manhattan would charge 50% more for lessons than a piano teacher in Nashville, because the cost of renting space (or an apartment) is astronomical, and their clients are probably high earners who are happy to pay it.
Second, if you live in an area with a number of people with post-grad degrees, piano lesson rates may be a bit higher. This is because there will be more demand for piano lessons in such and area, and the teachers will probably have a higher average level of qualification as well. If a new teacher moves into this kind of area and sees that all of the other teachers are charging $75 per hour, they may undercut it by charging $70, but it’s still above average.
In What Setting Does the Teacher Work?
In what setting does the teacher work? If you are signing up for lessons at a school or institution that employs teachers, you will usually pay a higher rate. That’s not always the case, but it’s likely — there is more overhead cost at an institution, they may supply benefits, and they are viewed as more prestigious. You may find cheaper rates if you look for a local self-employed teacher who teaches out of their home, in a studio, or who will travel to your home.
If you want in-home piano lessons, you will have to pay the teacher a travel fee, and they may actually charge a higher per-hour rate for in-home teaching as well. Piano lessons in your home for your kids is a premium service.
Also worth noting: some music schools and institutions offer scholarship opportunities. These can be need or merit-based, so dig around on these schools’ websites to see what they offer.
How Old, Or At What Level, Is the Prospective Student?
For some reason, teachers will sometimes charge more or less depending on the student’s age or level of playing. This is sometimes related to the length of lessons and accompanying materials and features, but keep your eyes open.
However, here are two important considerations for finding a piano teacher for a child or adult who is a beginner:
Do not try to go cheap just because they are beginner lessons. Teaching beginners is the hardest part of piano teaching, and you need to find someone with considerable ability, credentials, and experience. Otherwise, you’ll have a bad foundation for everything that follows.
Do not pay a premium just to take beginner lessons with a college professor or performing artist. People who have a background in piano performance, but haven’t formally trained and studied the art of piano teaching (piano pedagogy), are usually far worse at teaching beginners compared to people with advanced degrees in piano pedagogy. However, they will still charge a high rate.
If you’re an advanced student, then you likely have a good idea of the teacher you are looking for, and you can refer to the questions above to help you decide if a rate is fair or not.
What’s Included in the Lesson Fee?
Some teachers charge more than others, but does that include materials, extracurricular activities, or something else? Some teachers display a lower-than-average cost per hour, but they charge a significant application fee or signing fee. Others charge higher rates, but they include an annual recital and masterclass without a signing fee. Also be advised that you will have to purchase lesson materials (books, mostly), and those should not come included in the lesson fee.
Music Lesson Cost Depends on Lesson Frequency or Duration
How Much is a 30 Minute Lesson? What About 45 Minutes or an Hour?
As mentioned above, the average cost for a 30 minute lesson will probably be around $30, give or take. Many teacher charge lower per-minute rates for longer lessons, so a 60 minute lesson may not necessarily cost $60.
However, many professional teachers bill via no-refund monthly tuition models — it’s necessary for the financial stability of the teacher, and it prevents students from canceling lessons frivolously. Here at Erika Gingery Music, lessons are billed monthly (there isn’t technically a per-lesson cost), but if you did break the costs down by lesson, you’d get:
30 min. - $37.25
45 min. - $52.25
60 min. - $69.75
Question:
How often will you take your lessons? Traditionally, and most commonly, music students take lessons weekly, but some teachers offer bi weekly, bi monthly, and one-time lessons. One-off lessons are generally more pricey than lessons in a tuition package.
The Cost of Music Lessons Increases With The Teachers’s Experience or Credentials
What Academic Credentials Does a Teacher Have?
Some music teachers have established successful teaching practices and produced exceptional students without earning an academic degree in music, but these teachers are few and far between. Here’s what to look for, in descending order:
A teacher with a Master’s degree specifically in piano pedagogy is the best choice of all; the course of study, practicum, and residencies done during this degree are specifically developed for teaching piano, and they can’t be replicated anywhere else.
A teacher with a doctorate in piano pedagogy is also ideal, but doctoral grads often charge more — no new material is covered in a pedagogy doctoral degree, but you do get 2 more years of supervised teaching experience.
A teacher with an undergrad in piano pedagogy — This is still a rigorous bachelor’s degree, and they will be more qualified than someone who has a master’s degree in piano performance.
A teacher with a Master’s or Doctorate in piano performance won’t be ideal for beginning or young pianists unless the teacher has a considerable amount of practical experience. Performance degrees include one or two classes on teaching, but it’s mostly practicing repertoire and studying literature.
A teacher with only a bachelor’s degree in piano performance is the bare minimum.
How Many Years of Professional Experience Does a Teacher Have?
No matter how good a teacher’s degree was, there are many things that only be learned through time and experience. Therefore, if you see a teacher with very little real-world experience (maybe someone right out of grad school or doctoral school) charging premium rates, you should probably look elsewhere.
Is Your Teacher an Active Pianist and Performer?
The best music teachers play their instrument regularly — daily! So a teacher that doesn’t perform regularly tends to charge less, and teachers with a long history of performing in a variety of venues will charge much more.
To get a real grasp of the cost of piano lessons around the county, just look up “piano lessons in [city],” ignore the spammy national in-home platforms like takelessons[dot]com or Musika, and see what rates are posted on teachers’ websites. It all comes down to what you are looking for, though — if you find the right fit, it’s worth paying for.
To learn more about lessons at the Philadelphia Piano Institute, or a piano teacher in Nashville, get in touch!