If you’re thinking about learning to play the drums, or you’re already a drummer and would like to improve your abilities, getting drum lessons from a good instructor is definitely worth considering.
You’ll also probably be interested in the cost of drum lessons so that you can factor them into your budget. Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced drummer looking to develop as a musician, knowing the cost of lessons is beneficial.
This guide will cover all the important information on how much drum lessons cost, including the variables and tips on ensuring you get the best value for your money.
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How Much are Drum Lessons?
Drum lessons can cost anywhere from $20 to $100 per hour. The price depends on several factors, including the instructor’s experience and reputation, the lesson’s location, and duration. Some instructors may even charge more than $100 per hour if they’re highly regarded.
There are many things to consider when looking into getting drum lessons. You’ll need to choose an appropriate teacher who can provide you with the level of support you need for your skill and confidence levels.
It’s also very important to make sure they are capable of helping you to improve in the styles of drumming that you want to focus on.
How Much Do Drum Lessons Cost?
It’s possible to find drum lessons for as little as $20 per hour, or you can pay hundreds of dollars per hour. This doesn’t necessarily correlate to the quality of the lesson, though, so you’ll need to use your own judgment when deciding on an instructor and lesson type.
In most cases, if a drumming instructor charges a high price for a drum lesson, this will be because they are in demand and therefore have to raise their rates to make the most profit from their business.
Let’s look at some key factors that can impact the cost of drum lessons.
Drum Instructor’s Experience
As is the case with all forms of teaching and tutoring, a drumming instructor’s experience level and credibility will significantly impact the amount they earn from providing drum lessons.
The main reason for this is that if a drumming instructor has a lot of experience, then most of the time, they will also have built up respect in the industry, and more people will know about them. This leads to more demand for their lessons and results in them being able to charge higher fees.
Also, the credibility of the instructor may impact the amount that their lessons cost in the following ways. Firstly, they will have built up a track record of improving many drummers, if they’re experienced, who are likely to recommend them to other drummers.
Even in the age of the internet, word of mouth is still one of the most effective ways for instructors to get work. If a drummer tells another musician how great the tutor’s lessons are, they’re going to be more in demand and therefore charge more.
Reputation
It takes time to build up a good reputation in any form of business, particularly one like giving drum lessons. Success as a drum tutor is built on delivering consistently good lessons to many students over a notable period of time.
Therefore, a drum instructor just starting out may have to drop their fees as low as $20 per hour to get students.
Their lack of experience means there will be fewer testimonies from past students, so new potential drum students will be reluctant to play over the odds for a lesson they’re unsure is going to be of a high standard.
An inexperienced drum instructor can only build their reputation through consistency. Therefore, they may need to take on lots of students initially at a lower rate.
Once the tutor becomes more well known, they can gradually increase their prices as there will probably be more in demand at that point.
Going with a cheap, inexperienced drum instructor for lessons may be a good choice if you’re a beginner on a tight budget. Just because they’re not charging much doesn’t mean they’re not a good instructor.
Cost and Quality
In the majority of cases, if you’re willing to pay more for a drum lesson, you’ll probably get a better experience. Of course, there could be some exceptions to this, but in general, the price is justified by the instructor’s reputation and credentials.
Another thing to bear in mind is that just because a drum instructor is a great drummer, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they will also be a great teacher. Indeed, having a good knowledge of playing the drums will help, but communication is also key.
Choosing an instructor you have chemistry with is very important, and you may need to test out a few different lessons to find the right instructor.
Trying an affordable $20 per-hour instructor, then trying out a more expensive option, is a good way to figure out what you need from the lessons.
Stylistic Matchup
It’s really important that rather than focusing solely on the instructor’s cost or experience, you also pay attention to the styles of drumming that they focus on. Some drum instructors may have experience in various styles, while others may predominantly be jazz or funk experts.
If you have a [particular drumming style in mind that you want to improve at, ask potential instructors whether they have experience in this genre. That way, you will get your money’s worth from any lessons you have with them.
Cost of Different Types of Drum Lessons
A variety of drum lessons are available, from in-person to online lessons. Some lessons are one-on-one, while others are in small, medium, or larger groups. All of these factors impact the cost of drum lessons.
Let’s take a look at them in more detail.
Private Drum Lesson Cost
Private drum lessons are the most effective for the majority of drummers. They involve meeting the instructor alone so that the teaching can be tailored to the needs of the individual.
One of the main advantages of one-on-one drum lessons is that you get the instructor’s full attention for the duration of the lesson.
You can also benefit from being able to ask questions at any point without needing to consider the presence of other people.
As you probably guess, one-on-one private drum lessons are the most costly variety. On average, you can expect to pay $50 for private lessons with an experienced drum instructor.
Private in-person lessons are the best option if you want to achieve the most progress quickly.
Group Drum Lesson Prices
Group drum lessons are often cheaper than one-on-one lessons because the instructor’s attention has to be split between several individuals, so they can’t give them as much of their time.
Nevertheless, some drummers may find that being in a group environment works better for them than being alone with an instructor.
Although the instructor won’t be able to spend as much time focusing on improving your skills, you get the listen and watch them work with the other drummers in your group and can learn from these interactions.
Group drum lessons aren’t necessarily always taken by drummers of similar abilities, but this is common. If all of the drummers are similar in ability, they can easily learn from each other.
However, there is an argument for grouping drummers of different capabilities together, as this can allow the better drummers to develop the skill of teaching, and the less experienced drummers can learn from them.
On average, here are the costs for group drum lessons:
- Small groups (2-4 drummers) – $40 per hour
- Medium groups (4-6 drummers – $30 per hour
- Large groups (6+ drummers) – $20 per hour
These prices will be higher if the drumming instructor is very well-known and in high demand.
Cost of Drum Lessons Online
In recent years, online instrument lessons have become increasingly popular. While there are some drawbacks to learning drums with an instructor online, this may be a good option for those who don’t live nearby their chosen instructor.
You can expect to pay slightly less for online drum lessons because they usually aren’t as beneficial as learning in-person.
When you have an online drum lesson, it’s more difficult for the instructor to show you what you need to work on. In person, they can physically demonstrate any grooves or rudiments for you to play.
There are other obvious flaws to online lessons that also contribute to them being cheaper. For example, issues with an internet connection and the unpredictability of some video chat platforms can be a problem.
Drum tutors are likely to reduce the cost of their online lessons by around 20% compared to in-person rates.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, you now have a good idea of how much drum lessons are likely to cost. There’s no harm in testing out several instructors to find the one that best suits your preferences and budget.
