1974 San Diego guide to music lessons

Bach, Beethoven and Brahms or the Beatles, Band and Bop

Author

By Stephen Swain

Publish Date

Oct. 10, 1974

After attending a fantastic concert you suddenly decide you want to learn how to play the guitar, trumpet, or perhaps something more exotic like an oboe, dobro, or tympani, but have no idea who is the best teacher or what to pay them to show you how to manage the stops, strings, struts, or whatever. You’ll be glad to know that nobody knows. There is no foolproof method for deciding who is the best music teacher or how much to pay. It’s a lot like choosing a doctor or auto mechanic; there is no sure way to tell except by testing the teacher’s ability.

While the city offers a $25 license for teaching music, few bother to get it since it is not mandatory. Actually anyone who wishes to just has to stick an ad in column No. 247 of the Union/Tribune classifieds, or any paper, and simply call himself a teacher to begin soliciting students.

Lessons

Popular suggestions for testing the teacher’s ability to teach involve checking his credentials, his students’ ability, or his own performing ability. While members of name organizations like the San Diego Symphony or other smaller orchestral, jazz, folk, or rock groups use their association with a performing group as a tool to encourage students, playing well is not necessarily criteria for teaching ability.

Bernice Fenwick of the non-profit California Music Teacher’s Association naturally recommends members belonging to that organization, but doesn’t rule out competent freelance teachers. The Association deals mainly in classical music, all ages welcome, and offers a scholarship program plus recitals and merit certification. Lessons average $8 to $12 an hour and the organization’s referral service accepts only instructors with music degrees or accredited ability.

Those seeking folk, jazz or rock instruction will do best by hitting the classifieds where the average price runs $6-$10 an hour, Or the music stores where prices average $6-$8 an hour for instruments, with voice lessons running from $6 for traditional folk to $20 for pop and opera. Music stores that don’t give lessons usually have a referral service. Those that do give lessons sometimes offer them as a sales inducement, but those who tie lessons with a sale may be only interested in the sale and not whether you learn to play.

The maxim is you get what you pay for, which is not to discredit the $5-10 bracket since that is what the majority charge, but understand what you are paying for and be cautious about entering into long term agreements with anyone you’re unfamiliar with.