Parents will go either way on this question. Some believing that to get anywhere, kids should start with long lessons (like an hour), regardless of the age of the child. Others believe that 30 minutes is plenty, again regardless of age and even level of playing.
I will generalize my answer since of course, each child is different, but even keeping those differences in mind, the following rule of thumb still stands.
The 30 minute lesson.
Regardless of age, private lessons should begin at 30 minutes. It is easy enough to increase the time should the teacher deem it necessary. A three year old will get to spend time on the instrument, mastering basic techniques and will also get to spend time playing fun games that will teach basic theory. The 30 minutes will also allow the child to build a relationship with the teacher. This is vital for a young child. Wanting to spend time with his or her teacher can actually be THE most important motivator at the start of music lessons. The love of music usually comes a little later.
For the older child, 30 minutes is about the time they should practice each day and so the teacher will have just enough time to run through the material being studied.
The 45 minute lesson.
There comes a time when the teacher simply cannot review and work on everything that the child is practicing during the 30 minute lesson. When you start seeing comments like 'work on everything else' or 'will look at pieces next week', you know it's time to increase lesson times.
At the very beginning of learning music, children should practice between 10 to 20 minutes a day. This should increase within a few months at the very most. Once they have more material to work on, the natural progression is for longer practice times. Longer practice times means longer lessons.
The 60 minute lesson.
Your child is now proficient on his or her chosen instrument. He or she has been playing for a few years and is serious about practicing and progressing. Examinations are usually being taken by this time.
There may come a time when the teacher asks for the student to take 2 lessons a week. A serious music school will provide opportunities for the second lesson to be taken in a group setting. The first lesson remains private, with the main teacher. This second lesson can be invaluable to work on technique, theory and ensemble work. A different teacher can easily take over this lesson.
By taking these two lessons per week, the student has more time to work on repertoire with his or her main teacher.
Basic Guidelines to follow
Lessons should be long enough for the student to go through most of his work, whether pieces, technique or theory. Of course, during festival or exam time, priority will be given to specific material. During these times, the student will have to learn to practice the peripheral work more autonomously. There may not be enough time during lessons to go through everything. But at regular times during the year, everything should be looked at or at least mentioned. If week after week the teacher runs out of time, consider adding to the lesson.
If, on the other hand, your child feels that the lessons drag on, two factors may be quickly considered. One, the teacher doesn't know how to manage the allotted time, or the student is not practicing enough and progress is slow. This means that the teacher constantly reviews the same material and never adds anything new. This makes for a very long lesson for all involved.
Hopefully, I have given you enough food for thought to help you navigate this issue. Please post any questions you may have. I'll be happy to answer any concerns.
Play on!
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