So, your kid wants to learn to play an instrument, and aside from your limited experience in elementary and middle school band or orchestra, you honestly, don’t have a clue where to begin. Sadly, if you live in a city, town, township or hovel in the United States of North America, and have attended any public schooling institution, you have unfortunately felt the sting of our wise government slashing funding for arts education programming.

Looks Like Its Your Responsibility Now…..

Don’t fret, we’ve got some helpful tips for you to explore, the internet is such a helpful place. Alright parental units, here we go. Depending on the instrument your child is interested in playing, you may have more options than others in your area because of the popularity of some instrument types over the other. If your child is determined to play an instrument.

Check to see if your city has a youth orchestra program or a community orchestra.

Usually the youth orchestra organizations charge an annual membership fee and have a list of teaching artists that provide group and private lessons for the students. Obtaining this list is as simple as visiting the website or calling the executive offices and asking which musicians may be available for private lessons or even group lessons (at a discount).

Also, the youth orchestra operating in your area should offer ensemble (music group) training for varying levels and ages starting from very beginning to advanced levels. You can always find out by Google keyword searching “youth orchestras near me” to see what pops up and begin by visiting their website of giving someone a call.

Fortunately, not all public schools are completely cut off from music and arts programming and may offer music through a magnet arts program or during an afterschool club.

Usually a school’s website should have this information, but I have found that more than a few public schools are usually on the short end of the stick when it comes to updated information on their website. Searching the county’s schoolboard website may provide more information on which schools may have music magnet programs. Calling schools individually and asking may also provide information. I know this seems obvious, but believe you me, sometimes the people answering the phones when you call, are not always very helpful. I find that doing a little research beforehand goes a long way. Also, checking out local parent blogs may be a way to find out about school music programs in your area.

Try your local community center or city parks and recreation center for classes.

Sometimes the city contracts with small businesses or individual artists in order to provide artistic programing for families at pretty affordable prices. Not always, but sometimes. It’s definitely worth a shot.

YouTube is a wealth of knowledge for different levels of musicians.

Using the keyword search “Beginning Lessons in __________” may provide some great videos for your kid to watch so that they can become aquatinted with beginning techniques. By no way am I advocating for YouTube lessons instead of face to face lessons. Truthfully, there are just some poor habits beginners tend to slip into, that can only be corrected by having an actual teacher. But, you know, in the mean while, if that’s where you have to start, its a good enough place as any other.

Have you tried your local College or University?

Believe it or not, this is a great place to look for a teacher at a pretty sweet rate. If your local university or college offers a music program, chances are, there are students willing to make a little extra on the side providing lessons. a great way to find out is by going by schools and checking out different board postings, you know, just like the good old days. You may even want to put up your own flyer “Parent seeking awesome music teacher”.

If you have any other suggestions ways that may have worked for you, please share in the comments below and I would love to update the article with your addition. Thanks for reading! Stay musical!