When Should My Child Move to 45-Minute Lessons?

Over the years, I have found that 30 minutes is a good lesson time for beginning students. But as students get more advanced, they often need more time with me and eventually move to 45-minute lessons. Many parents wonder, “When should my child move to 45-minute lessons?” There are several factors that I take into consideration before moving a child up to longer lessons.

Difficulty level

The first thing I consider is their difficulty level. Most beginners don’t need longer lessons, but as students approach the intermediate to late intermediate levels, that often begins to change. Often their pieces are getting longer and harder, and they benefit from having more one-on-one time with me to work on them together.

Age & attention span

The next thing I look at is the student’s age and average attention span. Students younger than ten typically do not yet have the attention span needed for 45-minute lessons. In that case, it’s best to wait until they are a bit older.

Practice habits

I also consider the student’s practice habits. While I don’t require students to track their practice times, it’s still important that they practice on their own between lessons. It doesn’t matter how long of a lesson I have with a student- if they don’t practice in between, it won’t make much of a difference!

How much we’re currently completing each week

The last thing I consider is how much we’re currently completing in each lesson. Are we getting through their material? Or are we always running out of time to work on all of their pieces, do a theory page, or play an educational game? If I feel like we are consistently running out of time, that is a good sign that it’s time to move to a longer lesson.