Should your child learn piano and miss academic lessons?

General forum for Secondary Education

Moderators: Section Moderators, Forum Moderators

Post Reply
11 Plus Platform - Online Practice Makes Perfect - Try Now
suxeprotolondonlo
Posts: 10
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2019 12:01 pm

Should your child learn piano and miss academic lessons?

Post by suxeprotolondonlo »

Dear all,

My child is starting his learning at an independent school and there is a question I want to ask for your advice.

The school has paid individual music lessons. However, the music lessons will only take place during the academic period, which means the children will have to miss an academic period (Maths, English, etc) in order to learn music.

In total, if the child continues with the music lessons throughout an academic year, he or she will miss 30 academic lessons.

Is it alright or is it too risky for the child?

Thank you
mad?
Posts: 5621
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:27 pm
Location: london

Re: Should your child learn piano and miss academic lessons?

Post by mad? »

It is not 'risky' unless your child is struggling to keep up. It is worth it is they love their music lessons/benefit from them in some other way (extra learning, something outside academia etc). It is quite normal for this to be the way extra music lessons are provided.
mad?
doodles
Posts: 8300
Joined: Tue Oct 27, 2009 9:19 pm

Re: Should your child learn piano and miss academic lessons?

Post by doodles »

When dc had music lessons at their prep school the lesson timetable was organised so that they missed a different lesson each week. Their lesson might have always been on a Thursday but it was a different period each week so they didn't keep missing the same subject
.
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit, wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad !
mad?
Posts: 5621
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:27 pm
Location: london

Re: Should your child learn piano and miss academic lessons?

Post by mad? »

doodles wrote:When dc had music lessons at their prep school the lesson timetable was organised so that they missed a different lesson each week. Their lesson might have always been on a Thursday but it was a different period each week so they didn't keep missing the same subject
.
Yes, that's what happened at DDs' school.
mad?
Guest55
Posts: 16254
Joined: Mon Feb 12, 2007 2:21 pm

Re: Should your child learn piano and miss academic lessons?

Post by Guest55 »

suxeprotolondonlo wrote:Dear all,

My child is starting his learning at an independent school and there is a question I want to ask for your advice.

The school has paid individual music lessons. However, the music lessons will only take place during the academic period, which means the children will have to miss an academic period (Maths, English, etc) in order to learn music.

In total, if the child continues with the music lessons throughout an academic year, he or she will miss 30 academic lessons.

Is it alright or is it too risky for the child?

Thank you
Why can't they ensure these are not in academic lesson time? My DS at a state school never missed any lessons for his music.
Moon unit
Posts: 654
Joined: Fri Mar 07, 2014 9:14 am

Re: Should your child learn piano and miss academic lessons?

Post by Moon unit »

We dipped out of school music lessons from the start of year 7 for this very reason.
Also as they get on to higher grades 30 min lessons weren’t long enough.
solimum
Posts: 1420
Joined: Wed May 09, 2007 3:09 pm
Location: Solihull, West Midlands

Re: Should your child learn piano and miss academic lessons?

Post by solimum »

If you want the convenience of music lessons at school rather than having to make separate arrangements out of school times, it is always going to involve missing some academic slots, as the music teachers can't make a living if they are only allowed to teach at break or lunchtime. After school doesn't always work if pupils are on school buses. Usually as suggested the lesson time will rotate for a group of pupils so they're not missing the same lesson each week, and yes that does take some organisation in order to catch up. However as a musician myself I would say that the lifelong benefits of learning an instrument are well worth it!

In the days when there were county music services you could also apply for after school slots, possibly at another local school. And of course there are many private music teachers
Muggle
Posts: 441
Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2009 10:24 pm

Re: Should your child learn piano and miss academic lessons?

Post by Muggle »

I've always arranged music lessons out of school time for my children so that they don't miss lessons. Once they get beyond a basic level they benefit from 1 hour lessons and I felt the cumulative effect of missing so much lesson time was easily avoided by arranging our own tuition.
Post Reply
11 Plus Mocks - Practise the real exam experience - Book Now