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Have you been wondering how to choose the right music teacher for you or your child? The student/instructor combination has a huge impact on a student’s learning, achieving and enjoyment of their musical experience. It’s important to make the best match possible! We believe so strongly in the importance of finding the right student/instructor combination, that our music school offers prospective students the chance to meet with an instructor at no cost to them. We believe this is the best way to ensure the optimum learning experience.
Every student’s journey is unique, and finding the right music teacher can make all the difference in their learning experience. Here at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts, we hire only the most qualified instructors to teach you or your child.
Understanding your goals
In order to help you choose the right music teacher, we need to understand your goals. Are you or your child a beginner wanting to learn the basics, or are you focused on advanced techniques and performance opportunities?
If we can identify these goals early on, it will help us find a music teacher for you who aligns with these objectives, and who you can work with throughout your musical journey.
Evaluating music teacher qualifications
We believe it’s important to provide our students with the highest quality music instruction. That’s why each of our highly-qualified instructors have a degree in music or the equivalent in performance experience. A majority hold Bachelor degrees, many possess Masters degrees and some have earned Doctorate degrees. Our instructors consider themselves musician/teachers — professional musicians who teach. This ensures that our students receive instruction from experienced experts.
Teaching style and approach
Each of our instructors has a unique approach to teaching piano, voice, violin, guitar, or any other instrument you or child might want to learn. Some music teachers may focus more on technique and theory, while others have a focus on fostering creativity and fun. Think about whether a structured, disciplined approach, or a more flexible, fun style would be a better fit for you or your child.
Personal connection and communication
It’s important to have good rapport between a music teacher and student, especially for young learners. That’s where our free consultation with a faculty member comes in handy. Our free 15 minute consultation helps families and teachers assess compatibility, ensuring a successful learning relationship. We want to help you choose the right music teacher!
Flexibility and accessibility
When considering which of our faculty members you’d like to work with, it’s important to consider practicalities like lesson times, location, and flexibility in scheduling. Most of our instructors teach from our studios at the Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts (in Bryce Hall on the University of Manitoba campus at 515 Portage Avenue). Some offer the option for virtual lessons, or lessons at an alternate location. This flexibility allows us to meet the different needs of our students.
The importance of consistency and commitment
A long term commitment to the right music teacher fosters growth and progress over time. Our highly-qualified music instructors, along with our nurturing and supportive environment, encourage consistent practice and learning.
Next steps
Now that you know how to choose the right music teacher, it’s time to explore our faculty page. We have faculty teaching piano, voice, strings, guitar and ukulele, winds and brass, and drum kit and percussion.
Once you’ve gone through the bios for our faculty members for your chosen instrument, it’s time to request a free consultation, either through our online form, or by calling our office at 204-988-7650. You can also stop by our facilities in person to learn more about your options. Our office is located in Bryce Hall on the University of Winnipeg campus, at 515 Portage Avenue.
Next, a Student Services staff member will speak with you on the phone. You’ll have the chance to let us know what your availability is in terms of which days and times you would be available for music lessons.
You’ll also chat about which genre of music you prefer to play. Do you enjoy playing classical music? How about jazz or pop music? Individual instruction is available for virtually every genre, and our Student Services staff can help to narrow down your options for which faculty member to book your consultation with based on your preferred genre of music.
You’ll also talk about how long you’d like your lessons to be. Beginning students seeking private instruction generally start with a half hour lesson once a week. Once a student’s skill level has moved up to an intermediate level, lesson times usually increase to 45 minutes once a week. Students with a high level of commitment who have progressed to advanced repertoire will need one hour lessons each week.
Once we have a firm understanding of your needs and preferences, we’ll match you with a faculty member for your free consultation. This process will help you choose the right music teacher.
If you have any questions about this process, feel free to call us at 204-988-7650 or email info@mcma.ca. We can’t wait to hear from you!