5 tips for choosing a music tutor (without breaking the bank)

Selecting the right music tutor is critical, particularly for a beginning music student. Below are five tips that will help you choose an affordable music tutor.

• The tutor can help instill a lifelong love of music, but also has the potential to turn a student away from music.
• Cost is also an issue, as private music tutoring is often seemingly beyond the reach of many budgets. Fortunately, there are a range of lower cost options.
• High school or university students can be effective and low-cost music tutors, group instruction is often preferable and scholarships and online tutoring abound.

• Find out if local high school and university music students offer tutoring.
• Although the instruction may not be on the same professional level as that provided by a more experienced tutor, it's often good enough to start a music student on the right path.

• Group lessons are another effective and cost-saving approach for beginning music students. In fact, a group approach may be preferable to a single student approach for some people. Students get to socialize, play music games and make friends.
• There's also less pressure, as students don't have perform alone for up to 45 minutes. Plus, observation and assimilation often help students learn faster.

• Many music schools, music organizations and music teachers provide partial or full tutoring scholarships.
• In many cases, prospective students fill out an application and are matched with a tutor if accepted.
• Sometimes the tutors are high school or university students, but in some instances, they may be older and accomplished, professional musicians.

• Tutoring in all subject areas, including music, is offered online.
• These programs are often high quality and lower cost because tutors can work at their convenience.
• For example, they don't have to worry about commuting or opening their homes to students.
• Online lessons are sometimes preferable to in-person lessons for both tutor and student.

• Some school's policies may not allow the music teacher to be a student's tutor, but if that's the case, he or she may be able to recommend someone who will work for a budget price.
• One benefit of this approach is that the teacher already knows your child's strengths and weaknesses and can discuss them with the tutor if the teacher cannot do the tutoring.

Music students can, and do, get quality tutoring without breaking the bank. The trick is to find just the right high school or college student or snag a music scholarship. Group lessons add another facet to the tutoring experience and are worth investigating.