Next to fall registrations, people like to register for music lessons around Christmastime. If you are planning to start lessons next month or in the new year, consider the following:

Family Commitment: Students and their families need to commit to regular lessons, practicing and performing
Lesson venue: Music school, private music teacher or in-home instruction
Teacher Qualifications: Student-teacher, professionally accredited or non-accredited

Here is a checklist to aid in your teacher selection:

Talk to your family, friends and colleagues
Check Teacher Association Directories: Alberta Registered Music Teachers’ Association (ARMTA), Alberta Piano Teachers’ Association (APTA), National Association for Teachers of Singing (NATS) and the Alberta String Association (ASA), Canadian Federation of Music Teachers' Associations (CFMTA), Music Teacher National Association (MTNA).
Ask music store staff for names of teachers
Conduct a preliminary phone interview
Conduct face-to-face interview/audition
Decision time

Please refer to the links on the Studio Resources page to find out more about the music teacher associations or my website's link page.

Tuition varies depending upon the teachers’ educational and performance background, professional affiliations, track record, teaching experience and how their studio is set up. Good chemistry with the teacher, qualifications, high quality education and complementary vision should rate more highly than cost in your final decision.

After the interview/audition, the also teacher considers whether the student and family are a good fit for his or her studio.

Here’s to many years of merry music making once the choice has been made.