FAQ
Q) When do you offer keyboard lessons?
A) We offer keyboard lessons Monday to Thursday from 3:30pm – 9:30pm & Sunday 10am – 2pm.
Q) How much do the lessons cost?
A) All one to one tuition is £13 for half an hour and £26 for the hour.
Q) How often should I have lessons?
A) We would recommend at least 30 minutes tuition once a week.
Q) Do you offer discount for block bookings?
A) No, we work on a pay as you go basis. This allows our students to book as many lessons as they want without being committed into a set amount.
Q) What if I need to rearrange or cancel my lesson?
A) We have a cancellation policy in place whereby we require at least 24 hours notice to rearrange or cancel a lesson. If 24 hours notice is not given the full fee is still payable.
If more than 24 hours notice is given then there is no charge.
Q) How do you accept payment?
A) Card payment through our online booking system.
Q) Do you offer home visits?
A) No, all lessons take place here in one of our purpose built teaching studios at Teesside School Of Music.
Q) How long will it take to learn to play the keyboard?
A) Basically this all comes down to how much effort the student puts in. If the student practices regularly at home between lessons then progression will be a lot faster than a student who doesn’t practice.
As a guide we would expect complete beginners who practice regularly at home to start getting the basics down at around 6 weeks or so.
Q) Do I need to book or do I simply turn up?
A) All lessons are by appointment only. To check availability and book a lesson please visit our lessons page.
Q) What do the lessons entail?
A) Keyboard lessons are based around what the student wishes to do. We do however make suggestions and offer different plans for learning; for example some students come to us specifically wanting to earn a recognised qualification. So we will offer the grade exams operated through the ABRSM exam board. These are recognised qualifications and grades 6 to 8 have the added bonus of extra UCAS points.
Others may simply wish to learn for fun and want to be able to play songs they listen to and enjoy. We would then teach them how to play these songs and the necessary techniques to accomplish this.
For complete beginners however the first few lessons are generally the same for all students, that is, learning the basic notes and playing a simple melody applying rhythm and technique.
Q) Do I need my own keyboard?
A) In a nutshell…yes you will. However we do respect the fact that an instrument can be an expensive investment which people don’t want to make only to find a few weeks later is no longer being used. So you may wish to have a couple of lessons first before purchasing your own instrument.
With the piano being a large instrument a lot of our students have chosen to buy keyboards to practice on at home. What they learn on the piano here at Teesside School Of Music can be applied the same way on their keyboard at home. Although there are a few things to watch out for;
A standard piano will have 88 keys where as keyboards can come in various sizes such as 49 keys, 61 keys and 73 keys. If you want the same amount of keys as a standard piano you will need to buy an 88 key keyboard.
Pianos have weighted and hammer action keys. This won’t be the case with all keyboards available. As you can imagine the larger the keyboard and the more options it has the greater the price.
Q) Which keyboard should I buy?
A) If you are a complete beginner and simply looking for something to get you started then we would recommend the following keyboards –
Yamaha YPT 230 61 Key @ www.TeessideMusicStore.co.uk)
Yamaha P45 88 Key @ www.TeessideMusicStore.co.uk)