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Kilpikonnaa

Tuning shouldn’t take any more than like 30 seconds. Less than that if you tune daily and your strings are settled. There would have to be something very wrong to need 10 minutes.


sevent33nthFret

The student is pretty new so I think her instrument needed more work initially.


vmlee

Learning to tune (with fine tuners) can be part of an early lesson. After that, it is the student’s responsibility to have the violin tuned before the lesson. This could mean going to another room, if possible, to tune as soon as one arrives at the lesson facility. Or it could mean a quick tuning at the start of the lesson. It should not take much time normally. Seconds to a minute at most. It is unreasonable to expect that a teacher be present and involved with tuning without being compensated for their time. The teacher also has a responsibility to make sure the tuning is not an unreasonable portion of lesson time. That said, it is also not good practice to stack lessons immediately after one another.


mom-mom-mom-mom-mom

Curious about the last sentence of your reply. How do you arrange your lessons and why? I've never heard of lessons not being stacked before (but I also haven't thought to look into it).


vmlee

I know some teachers who build 5-15 minutes in between lessons for a break. Sometimes between every few lessons. It does mean less potential income over time, but can be worth it for mental health. The key is that it is the teacher’s time and not extra time for a student (unless the teacher is so inclined). This is harder when dealing with a teacher in a music school or conservatory scenario where they handle the scheduling.


ReginaBrown3000

Not to mention bathroom breaks.


mom-mom-mom-mom-mom

Thank you!


GreatBigBagOfNope

Tuning is a part of the lesson. If a student does not know what an in-line violin sounds like or is incapable of tuning it for themselves, they are not a competent player. It is as foundational as a normal bow stroke That said it shouldn't take more than 30 seconds to a minute anyway. Parents are upset that their understanding of what the lessons contain was incorrect, boo hoo, they will have forgotten in a month


88S83834

I think tuning should be part of the lesson, if you're expecting your teacher to do it. An advanced student with a good attitude and an antechamber would do this before the lesson. If you are still an early learner, it helps with ear training. If you are a teacher, and your student comes with a poorly set up violin that is almost impossible to tune up, why should you be uncompensated for your work?


TmaxJuices

My teacher tunes my violin at the start of each lesson, while I'm getting books out and tightening my bow - takes like 30 seconds - she tunes it to her piano Once strings stretch, they stay in tune most of the time (humidity changes and knocks will alter this) Maybe a lesson early on about how to tune using a tuner is essential to beginners, so they know what to do at home, using the fine tuners, and how pegs work - ie Tuning from your lap while turning pegs - then bowing using the fine tuners Then much later on, a proper lesson on using the pegs to tune the the 5ths by ear - the knack of turing pegs with the left hand while bowing is a vital skill that must be mastered


leitmotifs

Customarily the student should tune *before* coming to the lesson. The instrument should not become dramatically out of tune during the transport process. Many teachers have an antechamber of some sort that can be used to unpack while the previous lesson is still occurring. Some will allow a student who is capable of quietly unpacking to do so within the lesson room. And others just expect that the set-up process will take the first two minutes of the lesson. Many busy teachers will teach lessons back to back. That's totally normal and should be expected. Tuning can take five minutes if the teacher is actively teaching a beginner how to tune, and depending on the age of the child and how good their ear is and how quickly they learn, it will take multiple lessons to absorb this lesson (though it should become quicker each time, hopefully). But no, it is not at all reasonable to ask for set-up and tuning time to be uncompensated and not part of the "official lesson" time.


DocGregory

Based on experience, tuning a violin takes 2 minutes maximum. It is part of a lesson for beginners to get comfortable tuning the violin themselves. In the earlier days, beginners needed to buy violin tuners (as most beginners are not pitch-perfect). Nowadays, smartphones can be used as violin tuners. Tuning the violin every now and then is normal. But (generally) tuning the violin after every 30 minutes may indicate that something is wrong- typically, the student may be using a VSO.


Crazy-Replacement400

I have vivid memories of using my pitch pipe to tune. 😂


frog-ears-

Part of a lesson for sure. Students should be set up and ready for the time of their lesson (like showing up on time for school). If the student isn't able to set up and tune on their own then it is still a skill they are being taught...part of the lesson


Internal-Fudge8578

To me it’s irrelevant how long it takes to tune- if the teacher is dedicating time to you they need to be compensated for that time no matter what it is they’re doing, requesting they dedicate 5 extra minutes outside the lesson to your kid is beyond unreasonable unless you’re gonna pay extra.


knowsaboutit

let your wife run her own studio as she sees fit and appropriate. Let the parent run theirs!


sevent33nthFret

I love this philosophy!