Biweekly (fortnightly) lessons
Found in: Scheduling
Jo B., Australia
I would love some advice. I have had conversations with a mother of two girls that I teach. The eldest girl has just started Foundation 5, half way through the reading program and is in an accelerated music program at school. The youngest has just started Foundation 4. Both have a very strong playlist and practice consistently.
The family has just purchased their first home, and are going to be on a strict budget. She wants to reduce their lesson time to fortnightly (one comes one week, the other the next). I obviously have strong reservations about this. I’ve never really had experience with giving fortnightly lessons within the Simply Music program, only with my traditional lessons many moons ago. I wasn’t a fan of it then either.
My first reaction to mum was no, it wasn’t a good idea. I rattled off a few concerns, the main one being the progress of the girls through the program. If they don’t progress like they are used to, then they may become bored and lose interest. The girls will take double the time to process a new concept or piece, as they aren’t having the weekly contact to keep the pieces alive through arrangements etc. I simply won’t get the time to deliver the whole program thoroughly.
What would you suggest? Should I accept the fortnightly lessons, as opposed to losing them altogether? I’m worried that they simply can’t afford the lessons as they stand, and will be forced to stop if I don’t comply.
Leeanne I., Australia
I have done fortnightly lessons and it can work. You just need to make sure you give them enough projects to do at home. If you feel you can trust them as students, you may set a project to watch the SHM of the next part of the song they are learning, so you keep the momentum. The elder should be able to help the younger at home with any issues. If you want to keep them as students, I would try it and see how it goes.
Elaine F., South Carolina
I’ve done the same, You just need to have clear expectations and then meet them.
Joanne D., Australia
You could offer them shorter weekly lessons as another option. I offer 30- or 20-minute options. They can expect to progress at half the current pace by having fortnightly lessons. If they are okay with this and understand the ramifications, then I would do it if they are good students. I have a few adult students doing this. One is doing 45 minutes each fortnight. Personally I’d prefer to do 20 minutes weekly as without lessons they tend to be more lacking in good practicing at home.
Heidi M., Canada
I am doing one-hour fortnightly lessons with two of my private students (who for their own scheduling reasons find it hard to come weekly) and it works well so far, but I email with them briefly in the week they are not coming and this gives me a chance to suggest to them to try something extra or move on with one of the SHM videos. I do still prefer weekly but this is a workable situation for these two.