Teaching your own band students privately

[smurphius]

I voted yes (I am a music education major, about to graduate). The reason for that is because the top high school here in West Virginia is in the capital of Charleston. There, at George Washington High School, in a well-to-do neighborhood, all the students were required to take lessons, either pay for private lessons or get free ones worked into their modular schedule at school. Those who couldn't afford or chose not to, took from the band director, for FREE. Come all-county and all-state time every year, George Washington High School had a very significant number of students in these bands, especially within the all-county band.

These students didn't work on band music, they worked on etudes for their instruments and solos. If the band director is qualified to do so, by all means give students private lessons. If it is the only one on one experience they can get, they deserve it.

Not all students can afford $150 to $200+ per lesson for the greats or even $30 from the professor at the local college. However, a local band director providing lessons may be the difference in a childs life in being able to get a band scholarship in college and actually GO to school, or maybe the difference in that child's life that makes them decide to become music performers or educators themselves.

As music teachers, it is our DUTY to provide students with as many ways possible for them to express their love for music! If other specializing teachers are available in the area, send those kids to those teachers. If you are teaching in a rural or poor area in the nation, TEACH for free! Music goes well beyond any amount of pay in the world. That isn't why we went into this profession.

[The Impaler]

Stipulation: you absolutely cannot charge your own students, whose parents are paying your salary anyways, for private lessons.

That being said, I voted yes. And I did because that's exactly what I did my first semester after taking over a program with (generally) weak individual players. Instead of sectionals, I taught each student a 20-min. private lesson every single week, for about the first half of the spring semester. This was actually at the suggestion of my boss at the time, who had done the same thing when at one point in his career. It's a great way to get one-on-one time with each student, boost accountability, and monitor progress outside of the classroom rehearsal setting. Later in the semester, I switched over to the more-traditional sectionals. For any directors out there with programs of about 70 or less, this is a great (although time consuming) way to really get your individual players more responsible for what's coming out of their instruments. But you absolutely (in my opinion) cannot charge them for it. Just my two cents.....

[windshieldbug]

Well, as having graduated Music Ed (a long time ago), I still voted yes...

AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT DELIVER 1/2 of 1/2% LESS DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR NORMAL ACTIVITIES and are willing to defend so if it comes up, which it likely will...

[Chuck(G)]

Why not simply ask for community volunteers to do the teaching? You'd be surprised at who's out there.

[smurphius]

I find it sad that legal matters always come between helping people to enjoy the art of music. It's a true sign of today's society, though I think it may also be a regional issue rather than national.

There is a simple solution to first chair players also studying privately with the director. Do it by seniority, give out solos accordingly, and rotate "first chair". Obviously, if you aren't teaching private lessons to any of your students, you don't have to do it this way, and can pick the best. It's all a matter of teaching philosophy and the direction of the program. However, if teamwork or enjoyment is of higher regard than competitiveness in music, the students will respect eachother and hopefully pass that along to their parents.

Overall, this is sort of an all or nothing issue. To teach some students and not others is a conflict of interest, biased, and illegal, yes. However, if all students are provided private study at a minimum, it then isn't an issue. Large programs pose completely different problems than small. A music program with 750 choral and instrumental students versus a program with 100 choral and instrumental students have completely varying problems. Chances are that program of 750 students may only have 1 or 2 more people on the staff than the program of 150. In that case, it is completely impossible to provide indivudual attention to students on a weekly basis for extended periods of time.

This issue honestly could have a different answer in every school, school district, or state. Where I'm from, private instruction could be possible in 85% of the schools with no confrontation, guaranteed.

The world we live in.

[XtremeEuph]

I definitely voted yes, if the price is a lot cheaper than most or free................my reasons bring me to believe Im too tired to even type anymore

[tofu]

Taking private lessons from the same band director is probably not the best thing to do. A different perspective can be very beneficial to serious music students.

My viewpoint as well. When I was in HS the orchestra director was a tuba player and out of 12 tuba players I was the only one who did not take paid private lessons from him. The band director picked chairs by talent and didn't care if you took lessons from this guy so it didn't affect me. Since the tuba player for the orchestra was the first chair band tuba player it didn't stop me from playing in the orchestra except the orchestra director wouldn't say my name. I was always called - Mr. Tuba Player. Two years the guy never said my name - could have been worse - at least he didn't call me Miss Tuba Player

[KiwiTuba]

May I play devil's advocate and throw my opinion into the ring? If your contract with your employer is to conduct the band,and possibly give a certain number of lesson and that is the limit of your contractual responsibilities, then surely it is not unreasonable to charge extra to students to give them tuition above and beyond your normal classroom duties? Although I do agree that music education should be about inspiring young people to love music and make it an important part of their lives, and thank god for the teachers who took an interest in my musical development and inspired me to become a professional musician, we should also bear in mind most music teachers are highly trained professionals who should be able to expect to charge for their services. In other words as musicians we have a responsibility to take an interest in investiong our time in the next generation BUT we do have a right to be paid for what we do, and as such we can expect that if people want us to do more than our contracts require then we have a right to charge for it.

If students whose parents choose not to pay for private tuition lose out in auditions because of this (because lets face it, if one child is getting better tuition than another they will probably do better) then that's just a fact of life. Of course it's not fair, but why should the children whose parents are willing and able to pay for private tuition lose out? What purpose is served by denying something to some because it is not something that every parent is willing to provide for their children?-(especially when in most cases everyone could avail themselves of it, although I will agree there are cases where families would not be able to afford private tuition) Surely all this mindset would do would be to keep back those children whose families are willing to pay to give them the best oppurtunities?

On the other hand if you do make a private arrangement with a student to give them tuition outside of regular school hours then the school does have the right to expect you not to monopolise the facilities.

Just my .02

[smurphius]

My band director, who plays trumpet, does not teach private lessons to anyone- we hire professionals or college students to come over and teach lessons. As a result, almost every person in the band gets private lessons from a really good musician.

So is that to say that band directors aren't really good musicians?!?

Being a tuba and bass trombone player, chances are that if I were to teach anyone in my community, my school or not, they'd be tuba or trombone players. Obviously I wouldn't be able to teach a clarinet player as well, I don't have the mastery of the instrument.

BUT... I, and many other music directors I know, are STILL musicians!!

[windshieldbug]

The students (and their parents) who do not/can not study with you will always doubt your integrity. Period. It's society today and human nature.

Defending your choices for 1st chair when you teach the 1st chair player can and will be a "go directly to the unemployment line" card. I have seen this happen at least twice in the metro area in which I live.

The first time a band parent doesn't like your decision on anything you have handed them enough "ethical" ammo to take down an elephant.

Good thing you don't have "teacher's pets" or band-booster's kids where you live...

And I absolutely agree that one should NOT use school facilities, nor do I see how anyone who has a full-time contract even has the time to devote to this. But there ARE part-time people out there...

[zeign7]

Quite the interesting thread. I myself took lessons for a year with my band director for the first year that I played euphonium. That was spring of my junior year of high school and I auditioned for college the following year. I'd say without his lessons I'd be up the creek without a boat, let alone a paddle. I paid him $24 a lesson out of my own pocket that came from working at Kroger and I would say it is worth it.

Just my humble opinion, but I'll throw it in with what has already been said. I agree with the fact that you must charge to make people aware of its value, if it is free then it is crap in the minds of many, many ignorant people. Also, it is beyond the contract of the teacher to teach privately so I don't see why they can't charge for it. It is true that some parents may not be able to afford lessons or may not be willing to pay for them. In that case, the student should work for it. In the end, the student will have learned much more this way than they would from lessons alone, and they will probably appreciate the lessons more as well.

If it comes down to it and a student will have to quit or decide against taking lessons for financial reasons but you can tell they are eager to learn and really want to, THEN I think it is reasonable to lower the price or even give free lessons. There are other options too, like staying after school and helping to clean up the band room or arrange music. Some of these options may not be viable in some circumstances, I know the law is a pain in the butt nowadays and you can get sued for just about anything but I think you all understand where I'm headed with that.

In the end it is about the students education, but at the same time the value of music education must be maintained. This is a controversial subject and there isn't a completely correct answer, just play it to the situation.

[smurphius]

(like I often have to say to my wife...)

Alright, alright! I take it back!

[Chuck(G)]

In a lot of the "east of the river" schools here, the kids are on their own to learn to play their instruments. Many can't afford lessons of any kind, so what they learn in band is it.

I was chatting with a friend who teaches orchestra and band in a high school here. He said "You know, I think we do pretty well--sure, the kids from South are the ones who get the scholarships to study music, but they've all had private lessons--and many are children of professional musicians. Very few students here arrive as freshmen with any kind of private instruction behind them--and many arrive without knowing how to play their instrument at all."

So if the BD doesn't teach them, who will?

[happyroman]

My HS Band Director provided space for private teachers to give lessons after school. His rule was, take lessons with the teachers he provided, or you had to take a weekly lesson with him (no charge, of course). Naturally, he had very few private students.

[GC]

For free, yes. Paid, no. It's a violation of school board policy in my district to teach paid lessons to your own band students. It's considered a conflict of interest.

Problems can also come up regarding chair placements. If students play better because of private instruction, their higher chair placements can be attributed to favoritism by the jealous idiots (who are often extremely loudmouthed about it).