In my 10 years of teaching, I’ve taught privately in schools, in my home, and now in student’s homes. Without a doubt, my experiences have proven to me that in home music lessons are the most beneficial for my students. They are more comfortable, happier, and many times more focused.
My favorite scenario is when I’m greeted at the door by an excited child who has finished her snack and won the coin toss for who gets to go first. I didn’t necessarily get that same response when they were waiting after school for an hour before their lesson start or if they had to drive to my house for the lesson.
A happy parent makes a happy teacher. I believe parents should play whatever role in their child’s lessons that they see fit and in home lessons give them the choice to be super involved, a little involved, or not at all. Whether they are sitting in the lesson with us or in another room, I love that the parents can see my interactions with their children, how I teach, and how the lessons are run because it builds trust so much quicker.
Consistency is the best part of in home lessons. Because of the convenience, parents are much more likely not to cancel lessons, so students get more lessons, they improve so much quicker, and they continue to take lessons for forever! I almost never cancel a lesson and I know that even if a lesson wasn’t as productive as I would have liked, just me being there every week, instills a sense of importance about music…and I prefer for lessons to feel more like a fun academic and less like a hobby.
My #1 favorite thing about in home lessons is becoming so close to them that I feel like family. It’s fun to watch my students grow up, to be a part of their childhoods, and to hopefully help create happy musical memories!
