Multiple Instruments

[contraddictions88]

I posted a flyer about teaching lessons a couple days ago...

I have a student who has played tuba for 4 years and trombone/euphonium for 1/2 year each... AND he wants to take lessons on all three. I have not met with him to hear him play on any of the 3 instruments. I am comfortable teaching all three. He is in high school and I don't know what his future plans are. I was just contact by him today so I don't have all of his info.

What do you think about the 3 instruments?

[contraddictions88]

I guess my other question would be... should I make him have 3, 1/2 hour lessons.... 1, 1 hour lesson split amount the three

EDIT

I guess I've never heard of someone taking lessons of such similar instruments.

[PMeuph]

If he is really keen on learning the 3 instruments, then I would say that one has to be his main focus and the two others have to be secondary. More likely than not, he probably won't have more than 3 hrs of practice a day. While it would seem reasonable to suggest that he equal amounts of the 3, I would suggest that he spend more time just focusing on two at a time.

In that regard, if he were my student, I would suggest that he keep the tuba as his main axe and that he also bring the trombone for weekly 1 hr lessons. I would suggest that he bring only those two horns, for the first month or so until he has really mastered the slide. Afterwards, he could keep bringing in only two horns and changing the rotation of which two horns he brings in.

IMHO, the biggest challenges he will face will be with using the slide, and the then learning to "adjust" the airflow for the trombone and euphonium.

YMMV....

[Bob Kolada]

If he seems serious, why limit him from the start? Rotating two instruments each lesson might be an idea.

[k001k47]

...I have not met with him to hear him play on any of the 3 instruments...

What do you think about the 3 instruments?

uhh...??

-Two of them have buttons to change notes.
-One of them has a looong slide to change notes (sometimes a button).
-Two are swirly cones.
- One of them is a less slope-y (?) swirly cone.
- All the instruments use wind and fart noises to make sound.


On a serious note, I think you should request pay by the hour, regardless of instrument.

[Tom]

If you have a student that's really interested, I see no problem with lessons on multiple instruments.

I did (as I'm sure many other have done) lessons on three different instruments at one point in my life: tuba, bass trombone, and piano. I always was (and still am) primarily a tuba player and took lessons on each of these intruments from a different teacher, but I don't really see any issue with a student doing three instruments with the same teacher.

I eventually moved away completely from bass trombone (a reflection of a change in my own interests, not the teaching) and my wife is the real piano player in our house, but I say let him have fun and enjoy playing. It's pretty rare to have a student that is serious enough about 3 different instruments to want to take lessons. He'll figure out quickly if he can manage to practice and improve on each.