What is my role as a parent when my child begins music lessons to maximize their progress?

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There are 3 components to the success of a student’s progress, especially for younger children: The Instructor, the parent/guardian, & the student. The instructor, usually meeting with a student once a week, is essentially a ‘coach’ who introduces & assigns new material, continually guiding the student along on the right path with each lesson, & sends them off with a dose of inspiration to pre-dispose a student for a successful week of practise until the next meeting. The parent/guardian role, is to set structure to practise time & to incorporate music into the student’s lifestyle. With the continual coaching from the instructor along with a disciplined home routine enforced by the parent/guardian, even the young student will eventually become self-motivated to practise. Once this is achieved, the completely self-motivated student no longer requires any external push to practise. You wouldn’t expect to get fit if you trained only once a week with a personal trainer but neglected to make any changes in your weekly routine or habits, would you? :)

We don’t have an instrument. What are my options?

If you do not have an instrument of your own to practise with, Mojo offers instrument purchase from our fine selection of products, instrument rental (per month), or instrument loan through our no-risk L.E.N.D. Program.

How long should a student practise?

It is recommended that a student practices daily. If this is not possible, than frequent & regular practise throughout the week (e.g.. 3 times a week in addition to lesson day) is much more effective than cramming 1 or 2 lengthy practise sessions in hopes of preparing for an upcoming lesson. Very young musicians can get by with 15-20 minutes per day. Older students should aim for a minimum of 30 minutes of solid practise time per day. Intermediate to advanced students should aim for even longer daily practise times. It has been proven that the more regular & diligent the practise, the greater the rate of progress.

How many lessons should a student take in a week?

1 half-hour lesson per week is standard for most beginner to intermediate students. As a student approaches intermediate to advanced, many can benefit from 1 hour lessons, once per week. The practising between each weekly lesson is the vital part of a student’s progress. Unless you are prepared to sign up your child for 3-5 lessons a week, the responsibility rests on the parent/guardian to setup a reasonable practise schedule & enforce them. A teacher cannot be expected to be responsible for your child’s at-home schedule & habits, if they are not even physically there. Make music a routine part of your child’s life, & they will never ‘practise’ a day in their life.

What is the length of a music lesson?

The most popular lesson duration is 30 clinical minutes. Although each time slot is technically 30 minutes in length, it is reasonable to expect that the lesson time is slightly shorter than that, to allow student changeover and lesson wrap-up & often, a brief conversation with parents/guardians regarding the students performance & lesson plan before a teacher heads back into his studio for the next student. For very young students, it is common that the private lesson time be restricted to 20-25 minutes depending on the ability of the student to focus, with the remainder of the lesson time used to brief the parent/guardian on the student’s progress & practise plans for the upcoming week.

When are group lessons appropriate?

Group lessons are most appropriate & compellingly effective at younger ages when a child is not yet (mentally or physically) ready for private lessons.  We are proud to be an affiliate Yamaha Music School featuring the YMES (Yamaha Music Education System).  The system focuses on 3 things:  Timely Education (Music fundamentals are taught when learning by ear is strongest in young children), Group Format (Ensemble environment is stressed over an individual approach to instill co-operative learning & minimizing pressure on the individual by opting for a group focus), & Creativity (teaching methods that encourage individual thinking & personal expression).

 

Due to the genius of this Internationally recognized method, we can start young musicians as early as age 3.  In-depth information can be found here.

Is there a lesson calendar or schedule that I can see?

Our annual lesson calendar can be accessed here. Our booking schedule fluctuates in real time. As a result, up-to-the-minute information on possible vacancies can only be communicated through an email query, phone query, or a store visit.

Are there additional fees that I need to know about?

Unlike many other Music Schools, we do not charge any administrative or sign-up fees. In addition, unused lessons can be fully refunded at any time with 1 week’s notice, should you want to terminate your lessons for any reason. Mojo simply charges only for quality lessons.

What are your cancellation policies & the reasons they are enforced?

Our official cancellation policies can be found here.  Our policies are first & foremost, to protect the interest and well-being of our professional teaching staff who have devoted a lifetime of study & serious financial resources to take on music education as part of their livelihood. Instructors are paid only for lessons booked, so a limit of allowable cancellations is required to ensure they have a reasonable expectation of employment when they show up for their shifts. We have one of the most generous cancellation policies around, essentially allowing 4 possible cancellations per year (one per Session enrolled).

 

For Group Lessons, there are no makeups for cancellations.

Are there any exceptions for sickness with regards to the cancellation policy?

Although sickness is an unfortunate occurrence & unpredictable, our Music School must continue to run like any other business in order to remain open, be able to retain quality instructors, and be able to pay for our operating expenses. Music Lessons is an extra-curricular activity just like Soccer, Hockey, Martial Arts, or Dance. Those activities & organizations continue to run regardless of a participant’s illness & Music Lessons should be no exception.