Aspiring musicians, and oftentimes their parents, find themselves asking, “Why are music lessons so expensive?”
Many do not realize that music teachers are usually self employed and have to take their own expenses into account. Teachers also factor in the time they prepare for each student, including travel.
Music teachers want to give their students the best experience possible and the best chance of reaching their goals-which is worth every penny. Understanding why music lessons cost what they do doesn’t make it easier to pay for them, though!
Luckily, there are some tips and tricks that can help you squirrel away a few dollars here and there to be able to pursue your musical passion. Check out a few ideas below.
The Latte Factor
Next time you think about waiting in line for that five dollar coffee at the local shop, consider brewing your coffee at home instead. Over the course of a month you’ll save enough for a few music lessons. The Latte Factor may be overused, but when you’re saving for a smaller, specific goal, it can really work. Sacrificing a latte is a small price to pay for musical success!
Eat at Home
It’s no secret that eating out adds up quickly. One of the most common times people eat out is at lunch during the work day. That ten dollars a day could be used for a month of music lessons. Make a little extra dinner so that you have lunch for the next day, or wake up a bit earlier to prepare food. The small change will lead to a big pay off.
Skip the Salon
For all the ladies out there who love a mani-pedi, try doing your own nails. This will not only save you money, but also will let you change your color whenever you want and have fun with it. Plus, if you’re learning a string instrument short nails are easier to work with.
Other Ways to Save Money for Music Lessons
Musicians know that lessons are fundamental to growth and progression. No matter your level, they are an important aspect of learning a new musical skill. These are just a few ways to save money to put towards your passion. The infographic from TakeLessons below offers some other ways to save.
For even more ways to save, Femme Frugality readers can get $20 off their first lesson package with the code GETLESSONS.
This post is contributed by Natalie Hagen.
Thanks for the tips! I am adult who wants to learn the dulcimer . Though first I have to save for the instrument!
Not going to lie–had to look up what that was! Looks really cool!
This article may help with the instrument savings, though I’m not sure how readily available dulcimers are:
https://www.mediumsizedfamily.com/school-band-instruments/
One thing I haven’t done but have considered is that there are a lot of Groupons for music lessons in my town. If you haven’t started, that’s a good way of trying out an instrument and a few different teachers.
That’s cool! I like the idea of shopping around via an online marketplace, too. Lets you compare the IRL prices for after those Groupon rates expire!
Regardless of how you save up, I hope people decide to do it. I would hate for music to get cut because of expenses. Music has brought such an absurd amount of value to my life over the years, that it would have been worth giving up most other uses of money to be able to keep music in my life.
I told my husband if we have a little girl she will learn how to play the guitar and grow up to sing in a heavy metal band. That’s how I sorta knew he was the one for me. We both wanted our children to tour in Europe with Nightwish (or whichever great metal band will be by then!)