It's very heartwarming to see that the art of piano is still as relevant as ever, with music enthusiasts of all ages flocking in to start learning to play the instrument. And it's not really a surprise since the instrument has found its place in almost any genre these days. Additionally, it presents a great way to transition to any other instrument and it's fundamental for every professional musician. After all, everything is "laid out" on the keyboard what makes it really useful for anyone who's looking for great ways to learn music theory.
Luckily for every music enthusiast, lessons and resources are available everywhere. With the wonders of the internet, it has become a lot easier to learn to play an instrument, sing, or find out a thing or two about music theory. However, the hard part is that the competition and standards are way higher than they were, and if you want to be really good at it, it's not exactly the easiest task to find the best method to learn to play the piano or any other instrument. And it's not always cheap. So this is why we decided to look into this matter and see how much do piano lessons cost and make some comparisons between a few different models and options that music enthusiasts have to choose from these days.
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Online Piano Lessons Price Range
Before starting on piano lessons, whether it's online or in-person, you'll need to bear in mind that lessons are not always that cheap. Of course, the price will differ depending on the quality and stuff that you can learn in these lessons. However, you'll also need to keep in mind whether or not you're overpaying them and whether the information that you're getting is worth it. Additionally, more expensive lessons should also include more than just a teacher sending a ton of information down your way without giving any possibility of practical implementation.
If you want a short answer, online piano lessons mostly go anywhere between $40 and $60 per full course, depending on what you're aiming for and what also comes with these lessons. Of course, the lessons will be more expensive if you're doing direct sessions via Skype, Zoom, or any other service, imitating what you'd get with regular face-to-face lessons. At the same time, beginner lessons can be cheaper compared to those who are looking for intermediate, advanced, or professional-level lessons.
| Level | One of payment model | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | $40-80 | $10-20 |
| Intermediate | $100-200 | $20-30 |
| Advanced | $200+ | $30+ |
Additional Costs With Online Piano Lessons
But piano lessons don't come with just one-dimensional sharing of information from a professor to a student. In most of the cases, these online piano lessons come as a paid course with e-books, video lessons, audio files for practice, as well as additional support either via e-mail or any other platform.
In some cases, you'll also get the chance to have one-on-one sessions with a teacher or a coach who will clear things up for you if you're stuck. However, this might increase the cost significantly. In this case, you might get charged $30 or more per hour, depending on what you're looking for. If you're doing online courses with multiple other students, you'll get a cheaper deal, but there's a chance you won't be getting full attention to what you want to work on.
As we said, in most cases, you'll get a course with a great collection of gradual lessons for beginners or intermediate players. Sometimes, you'll need to pay some extra for additional books, audio files, or support. Aside from one-of payments for an entire course, there are services that charge monthly fees and come with some additional features.
What You Should Consider When Choosing Online Piano Lessons
Having Direct Support
One of the most important things to look into when choosing online lessons is whether you'll get direct support or any kind of an option to have contact with a tutor. This is the best way for you to figure things out that you read about. Additionally, you'll also get some practical advice on technique and music theory and how it all should play out.
The Type of Additional Material That Comes with It
Of course, you'll also need to think of the type of material that you get with these online lessons. Along with basic techniques, there should be some info about basic music theory as well. For more advanced courses, there should be more than just simple lessons of songs with some info about music theory.
Interactive Content
In the end, you'll also need to see whether the package includes some interactive content. Many of the services these days include interactive tabs that even come with features like transposition.
In-Person Piano Lessons Price Range
When it comes to regular face-to-face or "offline" piano lessons, things can get significantly more expensive. Compared to online courses or "packages" where you get all the additional materials and audio files, these conventional old-school types of lessons are paid per hour and are usually somewhere around $50. Of course, they can get lower, somewhere around $40 per hour. However, if you want top-level quality lessons, you'll need to give $60 or more per hour of tutoring.
Of course, it also depends on other factors, including even the area where you live or where the piano tutor comes from. Longer sessions might get progressively cheaper but are usually not that effective since everything over one hour of intensive piano lessons can be really tiring and maybe even counterproductive. In the end, the $50 per hour is a "standard" rate in most of the cases.
Additional Costs With Conventional Piano Lessons
Just like with any other instrument or any form of education, you'll always need material for learning and practice. A dedicated piano tutor should always have a systematized program of lessons in mind. With this also comes lesson books, practice books, and audio files.
In some cases, they might even recommend a learning app and give additional resources that will help you get through these lessons. In the end, almost the same rules that we had with online lessons apply here. This also comes with additional costs that can be somewhat higher compared to online lessons where it all comes in one bigger "package".
What You Should Consider When Choosing Conventional Piano Lessons
What's Your Preferred Musical Style?
You'll also need to know what kind of genre or exact method you're looking for. Online lessons usually offer more "freedom" in the sense that you can always go with a few different musical styles. In most cases, face-to-face tutoring and lessons are more "directed" and focus on a specific musical style. If not within a specific style, you'll still have to tackle things one by one. At the end of the day, the choice between online or in-person lessons comes down to your personal preferences. Just bear in mind that the latter usually costs more.
Individual Teacher's Methods
Another thing to consider is the teacher's methods and lesson programs. And every individual teacher with have their own approach. However, they usually rely more on the old-school "conventional" approaches or the more modern interactive methods.
Recommendations for Great Online Piano Lessons
Piano for All
Piano for All is a fairly straightforward course, mostly focusing on beginner and up to intermediate levels of playing. The idea here is to pay a one-off price and get enough resources and lessons that you would go through on your own. But although it's a "do it yourself" kind of thing, the lessons are well thought out and have a very systematized approach to teaching you the very basics of the instrument.
Piano for All comes in two packages. The cheaper one includes 9 interactive lesson books, 200 video lessons, 500 embedded audio files, and even email support. The more expensive package (which is really not that expensive) comes with all this on a single DVD that can be shipped worldwide. Both of these models come with regular lifetime updates, which is quite useful in the long run. It's a pretty great choice for anyone who's just starting out and needs something to push them into the intermediate level.
Website: pianoforall.com
Playground Sessions
Compared to Piano for All, Playground Session is based on a monthly membership fee instead of a one-off payment plan. However, it also offers a lifetime membership as a one-time payment. It may be a bit expensive, but you can get all the materials and lessons at the best value. This would be the best option if you're planning to do it in the long run.
The program also comes with a specialized iPad app, as well as other very interactive resources that will help you perform entire musical pieces from the very start. There are also some features that make it similar to a video game where you can "compete" with your friends as you progress.
Website: playgroundsessions.com
Artist Works
Artist Works is not just about the piano. The service offers lessons and programs for plenty of other instruments, including guitar, bass, banjo, and even mandolin, just to name a few. But what we're interested in here is the piano, and Artist Works has three separate courses, each led by a different professional pianist and tutor. We have Christie Peery who focuses on classical music, Hugh Sung who's into more contemporary styles, and George Whitty who teaches jazz.
Each of these separate courses comes with very specialized lessons for their respective styles. However, what's important to note is that they all have the same payment plans. You can purchase a program that lasts 3, 6, or 12 months. And the longer the program, the more value you get for the money. It's a bit more expensive compared to other programs, but you really get some in-depth lessons and other features.
Website: artistworks.com
Conclusion
At the end of the day, whatever your choice of learning approach, you'll always need to work hard on improving your skills. The main goal here is to learn how to play the piano (or any other instrument for that matter) and become good at it. Whether it's online or regular lessons, the right choice will get the best out of your potential and your set budget.