Private music lessons come with a variety of social and cognitive benefits as do public school music programs. There are benefits and drawbacks with each. Experiencing some level of music education is better than not, however, what are the key differences between them, and what is it like to experience both?

I've asked one of my students, Max Dunbar, to share his personal experience since I've been teaching him privately for over 3 years. Since I began teaching him, Max has joined his high school's jazz band for his second consecutive year. I had the opportunity to sit down with Max and his Dad, Roger, to ask a list of questions about Max's experiences with private and public music education and how it's impacted Max's educational experience. This article isn't written to say one is better than the other, but it's intended to give an inside perspective of how things are experienced from a student's and parent's perspective.

What's been the biggest improvement or learning experience you've gained on your guitar from taking private guitar lessons?

Max - Memorizing various chords and different scales that are showing up in jazz band a lot. When I have questions, I get one on one help from you. In my jazz band class, the teacher has to mainly help the ensemble out as a whole, so there's not as much individual help I get specifically from her. That one on one experience is extremely valuable.

Roger - What about the affect of practicing music and the regularity of it, do you think that has helped?

Max - Yeah, sometimes practicing seems like homework at times. I don’t always want to do it, but you make yourself practice anyways because you know how much it helps with improving on the instrument.

Dylan - I notice that for some people that have to mentally focus on anything, there’s sometimes this mental kickback of resistance towards what they’re working on. My students that just practice consistently and work it into their daily routine eliminate that “work” related mentality that practicing can sometimes take on.

Roger - I will say as a parent, ever since he started playing guitar which is about 3 years now, it’s not that he just plays better but his whole life becomes more regular and efficient. He comes home after school and it’s like a machine where he does his homework and practices guitar. He just gets things done. I was never like that as a student at his age. It’s taken years of consistency but it’s really paying off now with his grades. He’s got straight A’s, 4.0 throughout all of high school so far. I would say that music and the regularity of practicing has influenced that.

• How has joining jazz band at your high school affected your skill level at the guitar?

Max - Reading music (notation on the treble staff) is the biggest part. In private lessons we don't read sheet music too much. There's also more pressure in jazz band than anything I've experienced in private lessons, with the exception of the recitals. I have to play my parts well for the Jazz Band concerts so I don't let the band down. Overall, it's a really fun experience because being able to play with a full jazz band is something a lot of people don't get to experience, so I really enjoy that.

The arts programs in public schools are usually either losing funding or at threat of losing funding. That of course makes the learning experience within the arts less enriching and effective for students. How do you think a reduction in funding will affect your experience going forward in jazz band?

Max - I haven’t noticed a big change because I think funding has been low for a while now. However, I heard that the junior high jazz program was cut entirely due to funding. So I know that in the next few years our jazz band at my high school won’t be as good since a lot of kids will be coming into high school to begin learning jazz versus learning it at an earlier age.

Dylan - That's something I haven't considered too heavily. People don't consider elementary and junior high bands to be as advanced as high school bands, so there could be a perception of music and other arts as not being as crucial as it is in high school. However, high school music programs are building on the foundations and successes of earlier music programs. For those programs to be cut entirely dramatically effects the experience and depth of high school art programs.

Dylan & Max playing in the 2017 summer recital

Although jazz originated in America, it's not a very popular music genre when compared to today's pop music and rock genres. Is there any advice you would give to people to start listening to jazz?

Max - There's different types of jazz for people to listen to, people just think of jazz as this one thing. There's a lot of sub-genre's within jazz. Find out a certain style of jazz or a certain artist you like and begin there.

Roger - Beautiful art forms like jazz take effort, and that's for a reason. So much of the public can't appreciate the style of jazz because they haven't put the education in with learning about it and tuning their ears to it. If they do, there is a whole realm of growth people can experience with jazz.

• You've played regularly in my student recitals for the last couple years, what are some benefits you've experienced with playing in the recitals?

Max - I've learned to play guitar independently and more confidently from the recitals. When I'm on stage performing a solo piece of music, I have to keep the flow of the music going, even if I make a mistake. The recitals have helped to teach me the skills of solo performance and confidence.

Dylan - Do you think it's easier to play in recitals versus school concerts?

Max - I think it's more difficult to play in the recitals because it's just me on stage. There's more pressure when all the attention is on me instead of the whole jazz band.

Dylan - Do you think it's important for other people studying privately to perform in recitals?

Max - Yeah, it holds people accountable to study consistently.

Roger - As a parent, we love recitals because we hear snippets when he's upstairs playing or practicing, we don't normally get to ear a full arrangement. At the recitals, we get to hear a complete arrangement. We also get to have a recording of his recital performances for memories, which is great.

• You're starting your second year in jazz band at your high school, what advice would you give other teens your age if they're considering going into jazz band?

Max - I think they should totally do it, just get through the early mornings! It really makes you a better guitarist.

Roger - You almost didn't go into it in your first year, what do you think the difference would be in your guitar playing if you didn't go into jazz band?

Max - There are a lot of things to learn in jazz that I probably wouldn't have considered playing if I was only studying guitar privately. Things like reading notation on the staff, jazz chords, scales and traditional jazz standards are things I wouldn't have considered playing regularly on the guitar.

Roger - What about the other kids in the jazz band, aren't there other kids you're inspired by in your jazz band?

Max - There are, our bass player loves jazz so much, he's so immersed into music. It's cool to play with people like him that inspire me and give me that experience.

The Takeaway

Private lessons provide students with crucial one on one time that isn’t as prevalent in public school music programs. Having a private lessons teacher to help answer specific questions or teach concepts you’re wanting to study is incredibly valuable. With that said, public school music programs offer a variety of unique benefits and experiences as well. Bing able to play with a full ensemble and having a music director to work with is a very special experience. Performing in public school music programs helps to keep students accountable with practicing because they have a letter grade attached to their performances and participation, as well as a social responsibility to perform well for the entire group as a whole. With private lessons, there's more flexibility with student's sticking to a regular practice routine. Depending on the student, some people will like the flexibility and personalization that private lessons offer, whereas others might do better with a more rigid approach in being "graded" with their participation and studying that public music programs offer. Public music programs and private lessons both offer a variety of unique experiences that most kids can benefit from. If the student is able to participate in both, the benefits will multiply.