Let's say you already own an instrument. Thus, your “out-of-pocket” cost will be for lessons. Let me show you how that cost is MUCH less than you might think. It's NOT zero but it is a great value - with the right instrument training!

Would you be surprised to know that the student has the majority of control of the cost of lessons? This might be a new thought, and I suspect it is. After all, I'm always being asked “How much do you charge?” It's like paying for a bar of soap or a plumber. I point out to folks doing comparison shopping like this that a cheap, lousy lesson is still lousy.

When you take lessons, the actual learning occurs during your regular practice sessions. This means that if you work harder, the teacher can move your lessons along faster and thus you get charged less for the lesson program. (Note that this assumes you are following the instructions of a teacher who is NOT wasting your time and money by teaching you something unnecessary. Anything that is NOT relevant to your interests and needs is WASTING your money. Helping you learn what you need - that's what a good teacher does!)

That's why I say that YOU determine how long you'll need lessons. No teacher can tell you how long this is, and honestly, you likely don't know either. It is sure, however, that the more effort you put in, the faster you'll go.

What to do?

1. Decide what you want to know about making music and what skills you'd like. (You can change this later if you wish.)

2. Tell your teacher what you decided and keep the teacher focused on what you want.

3. Work hard at getting there and thus shorten your time taking lessons, resulting in savings for you.

No honest person, not you or even a trained music instructor, can tell you for sure. That's because the answer depends on:

1. What you want to learn.

2. Where you are starting from in learning it.

3. How much time and effort you intend to put into learning it.

I always have to laugh at promise such as these on books or websites:

• Learn Instant Piano

• Learn to Play Overnight

• Learn to Play Piano in Ten Days

You've probably read such claims but ask yourself this:

How can some person whose never even met you tell you this?

What if you're a virtuoso already simply looking to learn to play the blues?

What if you have several missing fingers?

The makers of such promises can't know these things yet they continue to rant. It's too bad that some people still fall for them. Snakeoil salesman, every last one.

How am I any better? Well, first off, I recognize that what “floats your boat” may be vastly different than anyone else. This means that what you need to learn could well be very different than what some other student needs. I find out “the particulars” from a detailed interview process and then offer you a personalized lesson program for your needs - not someone else's.

Plus, I don't make promises I have no way of keeping. After all, actual learning takes place at home during your regular practice and I'm not even around. Thus, I have no control of the matter and can't promise how fast you'll learn.

There is a final but critical point - how long does it take to enjoy yourself? Well, the answer is RIGHT NOW, if you'd like. Of course, a musician never stops learning to play better. This means that you might as well enjoy the learning experience at this exact moment. After all, you started lessons to learn to play for your own enjoyment - and you can do that from the first lesson!

This is the main topic of your FREE interview. During the course of about half an hour, we will pick each other's brains thoroughly. I need to discover, through careful questioning, what skills and knowledge you'll have to learn to make music the way you'd like. Unfortunately, this sometimes takes awhile. You'll likely want to know WHAT I can offer you, WHEN I offer it, and HOW MUCH I'll charge to offer it. During the interview we will both get the answers we seek.

You should know that the program I offer you will teach exactly what you need to know to use your instrument the way you would like. Everything will be included BUT only those things that are actually relevant. For instance, someone learning classical doesn't need to know about the Blues, and vice versa. Someone who wants to play and sing has quite a different program from someone who want to play only organ music, etc. If you are just starting out your program will contain a lot of things that every beginner gets. Even here, however, I move the program as fast as possible towards where you'd like to go.

As an aside, I recently spoke with a young man who had no idea of what he wanted to learn. I sent him on his way. Without some idea, at least a vague one, you have no hope of ever reaching your goals. Plus, how would you even know if you got there. I suspect he wanted me to do his thinking for him. Sorry, mate, not only can't I do that, I wouldn't if I could.

Probably...for the simple reason that I CAN and WILL teach you what you personally need to know, in a patient, friendly, non-threatening, and successful manner. Remember - I'm not setting your musical goals for you - I'm just helping you get there quicker and with fewer bad habits than if you tried it alone.

Some folks talk about “the fit” as if you were going to marry your teacher. This is silly, as all I'm doing is asking you what you want and then helping you get it. Because I know and can teach so many things, chances are I can teach YOU what YOU want.

How will you know for sure? Simple - phone me to set up a free interview. Ask me anything. Likely I'm been asked the same question MANY times before and thus I have a reasonable, common sense answer for you. References won't do it for you, either, since I'll only give you the ones that make me look good. So do the free interview and make up your own mind. At the least, you'll be a more informed consumer afterwards.

That it! You've “Done Your Homework” and I hope you'll now phone me for a free interview!