<p>Hi Everyone,</p>
<p>My son has a sample piano lesson scheduled with a professor at his first choice school at the end of May. Needless to say, we're very excited about meeting this professor as well as visiting the campus. Any suggestions on how to approach the lesson? Is it a good idea to bring a musical resume? Are there specific questions we should ask? We are new to all of this...</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>My D took many sample lessons and no one cared about a music resume (but it probably wouldn’t hurt to bring one!). They wanted to know who her teacher was and to hear her play. Some were run like mini-auditions, others not.
I would suggest that your son handle as much of the interaction with the professor as possible. It would be good for him to have a couple of questions ready in case the professor asks if he has any. I know the first couple of sample lessons can be intimidating, but he’ll get the hang of it and grow from the experience. Good luck!</p>
<p>Great advice, Lastbird. And congrats on your D’s musical achievements – that’s quite a roster of acceptances.</p>
<p>It would also be good to bring a blank check and some cash in case the prof wants you to pay for the lesson. Congrats on the lesson!</p>
<p>Thanks, Bachmom. And stradmom makes a good point – we asked ahead of time what the fee for the lesson was, and my D brought in a check unless the prof requested cash. I can think of only a couple of cases in which they didn’t want payment.</p>
<p>Thanks Stradmom and Lastbird! We will bring our checkbook.</p>
<p>Once a student has been admitted and has committed to a school, it is not appropriate IMHO for potential teachers to charge the students. This is their day job, for heaven’s sake, though it might be a different issue if the faculty is adjunct. Full time faculty should be interested in supporting incoming students, and advising them on their academic decisions and choice of courses, including teacher selection.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I agree. Two years ago, during April, my daughter was traveling around taking lessons with teachers at various institutions where she had been admitted. Most did not charge, but two charged an arm-and-a-leg (their full price, $90 and $100-something an hour.) And of course we had to travel to these lessons. At this point, another hundred bucks was a drop in the bucket, but still! I was surprised, particularly with the former, who seemed very interested in having my daughter in the studio, and even called her then-teacher to ask pedagogical advice after hearing my daughter play…</p>
<p>My son was charged for private lessons with teachers after he was admitted. I just assumed that was the way it was done. I didn’t mind. These professional musicians were giving their time and energy to my son and I feel like they should be paid for the work they do. And as glassharmonica said it was a drop in the bucket compared to other expenses. Also it is a good lesson for our children about valuing what they do. At some point they are going to have to learn to ask for money from students and they should know that they deserve to be paid for what they do.</p>
<p>DD was never charged for sample lessons either before or after admisssion. It varies greatly and may be another one of those things that varies between instruments and voice.</p>
<p>Daughter was charged for a lesson at one conservatory, but not for a lesson on her other instrument at the same conservatory. This was because the non-charging teacher is full-time and it was part of his job, and the charging teacher is part-time or adjunct (the only reason she came into the conservatory that day was to teach my daughter).</p>
<p>D was charged for a lesson only once, both at the undergrad and now grad level. She always had a checkbook with her, just in case…</p>
<p>We always asked up front what the fee would be for the lesson, and not once did a professor charge us. All of these lessons were prior to the audition process as we were looking at schools. No resume was required, and I don’t think the professors will even look at them. They will just want to hear your son play. Have him have questions ready as pertains to his program. The professor will probably ask him questions too. I think everything lastbird said was spot on in our experience.</p>
<p>Thanks to all for your very helpful advice!</p>
<p>Being a musician and teacher myself I can say that CASH is always a good thing to bring to a sample lesson. Out of ten sample lessons we had only two asked for money and one of those gave us the option of not taking a full lesson ( which required pay ) but more of a “meeting”. I’m thinking " travel 1800 miles and NOT have a full lesson?" so we payed up. One school had a policy that if you paid for school’s the application fee, the trial lessons with the profs were on the house. They figured you were serious enough you shouldn’t pay twice. Nice idea. </p>
<p>In the end I would recommend that you take a practice lesson with every single teacher who’s institution you are considering. Some aspects of your child are better appreciated over an hour of interchange than the ten minute school audition. Teachers are looking for good learners and this can be difficult to convey in a ten minute audition. I don’t know about you but I’m paying , even with a VERY generous scholarship, a LOT of money for my kid to go to an institution and the money for a lesson is nothing by comparison. This would not be a good place to try and save money.</p>
<p>We definitely plan on bringing our checkbook and cash!</p>
<p>Absolutely agree with jb1966. I think sample lessons are the single most important thing to do when visiting a school. The lesson allows the professor to see how quickly the student picks up on the teacher’s advice, the student’s understanding of theory, etc. I can think of at least three different times that assorted professors made a point of saying, “you know, some students audition really well, but then don’t learn quickly once they are here.” The lesson shows them what kind of student your child would be, and gets the professor interested if they like how the student works. This good feeling lasted from junior year to audition season senior year in some cases.</p>
<p>At the same time, the sample lessons help your child sort out what they really want in a professor. For my D, among other qualities, the professor had to be willing to listen and answer thoughtfully if she asked a question (not all did! Some are more into one-way communication). At the end of the audition season she was a confident veteran of many sample lessons (did I mention MANY?) and she knew which professors she most wanted to work with, and which ones she preferred not to work with. For an investment of four years of her life and much of her parents’ money, paying for sample lessons was a smart thing to do.</p>
<p>Bachmom, you state in the beginning that YOU have questions, etc. It has been my experience that the teachers you are meeting with will want to get to to know your child and his or her musical gifts and abilities. Your job is to hover in the back and, as some have indicated, to pay at the end. Do not assume that you will be invited to stay for the lesson, or that the teacher will want to talk to you at all. Quite frankly, I have felt like I was in the way.<br>
What I am NOW doing with sample lessons is:
<p>We went to my son’s first choice school and the teacher was wonderful. I sent you a private message, but not sure it went through.</p>
<p>Nope, didn’t get it! Glad the lesson went well!</p>