Got Questions?: Guitar, Piano, Drums, Singing + more

Frequently Asked Questions

Got a question that's not answered here? Head to our contact info page and send us a message.

When can I start?

You can enrol any time. Just fill in the online enrolment form, hit "send" and we'll be in touch to get you started as soon as possible

How does it work?

Most of our students take a 30 minute, one-on-one lesson at the same day and time every week. Saying that, if that doesn't work for you and your schedule, let us know and we can figure something out. Around 10% of our students take two or more instruments with us each week, and some take hour-long lessons

Do you teach adults as well?

Around 35% of our students are adults who are either learning for the first time, or returning to something that they started when they were younger.

What will I learn?

Our lessons are built around what you want to learn and how you learn best, and use musical styles and songs you can relate to. We find students learn more efficiently, and enjoy lessons more when they are not squeezed into a 'one size fits all' programme. If it interests you we can offer formal gradings in Rock School, and Trinity, but those who want to learn casually are welcome too

What makes you different to the rest?

Of course, learning to play guitar, or bass, or whatever your instrument is very important, but you've probably spotted a clue in our name Musician Makers. To be a well-rounded musician is not just about learning to play, it's about understanding how to look after your instrument, how to perform, understanding how songs work, understanding how to 'jam' with others, understanding how to make your own riffs/songs/solos, and so on. Because we're musicians who put our skills into practice in the real world we know about this stuff and can help you too.

Do I need my own instrument?

Need help buying your first electric guitar, bass guitar, drum set, keyboard? We're happy to help our students make decisions on their instrument purchase and we're able to advise the best guitar shops and music shops in town. Should you buy a cheap guitar to start with, or and expensive drum set? Don't stress. We'll help you decide. And if you are not sure about the outlay initially, we can hire you an electric guitar, bass guitar or acoustic guitar while you decide.

What does it cost?

We appreciate that by taking lessons you are making an investment in your musical future and we endeavour to give you the return on your investment as possible. The exact cost of our lessons depends on the tutor and instrument, but typically you can expect to pay between $32 and $37.50 per lesson. That's for 30 minutes, one-on-one when lessons are taken weekly across the term. Some of our more specialist tutors will cost a little more than that, and sometimes we have junior teachers who have a lower rate. We also have a small termly admin fee to cover phtocopying, printing, etc. We don't accept weekly payments for lessons because that creates too much admin, but we do have a payment plan that splits the cost of a term over three payments.

Why can't I just teach myself from the internet or get a friend to show me how to play?

Of course, you can do that, but if you are serious about learning then you'll want to learn to play properly. An internet video can't talk back to you if you don't understand, or correct your technique if you are doing something wrong. Also, we know what you don't know. If you don't know that a particular scale or technique exists, how are you going to know to look for it? Remember that a video can't talk back to you so can't correct bad technique or help you find and easier way, and in reverse, you can ask questions if you don't understand something. Playing and teaching music is what we do all day long so we like to think we're pretty good at passing on our skills

Can I chose my lesson time?

We appreciate the importance of finding a lesson time that works for you and your family. To that end we will work with you to find a vacancy in our timetables that suits. Our lessons run in the after-school and early evening times on weekdays during school terms. We usually have vacancies across most days depending on tutor availability. Even if we can't find the perfect lesson time for you, things change often on our timetable so the perfect place may come up soon.

Are there any opportunities to perform?

Most certainly - if you want to. We hold around 2 or concerts/performances each year and everyone is given an opportunity to perform in one of those concerts. At Christmas we run a large Showcase event at which we encourage everyone to play. We're also plugged-in the local musical community so often get asked to take part in events around town.

My school do lessons. What do you do that's different?

In our lessons we can tailor the programme to suit you, and we teach one-one-one or in small groups. In the school system where teaching is in larger groups, the group can only move at the speed of the slowest learner, whereas we can go at your speed. School lessons are usually placed second to other school activities (eg sports days, tests, class photos, camps), and that means that learning can be slow progress, and of course, the school students miss a subject class so have to catch up with school work. Our programme is designed to take your playing to where you want to go. In high schools the guitar program is designed to teach only what is required for NCEA music and, indeed, after level 1 many high schools expect their music students to be having private lessons.