Maybe just not audio fan

[SadieKate]

Sad when participation in school band especially tied in music school means paying for lessons. Never happened where we went nor I don't think for nieces and nephews.

Really? Your schools had the money and resources to provide private instruction to all students for any instrument? Wow.

Instruction in group activities is vastly different than individual instruction. Those that want to excel in music, sports, etc., must usually obtain private instruction or coaching. A band/orchestra leader is not equipped to provide this for all instruments. So Canada provides this?

[OakLeaf]

I honestly don't remember whether I learned to play the flute in private lessons or group classes, but I'm 99% sure it was through my school. It was definitely at school, unlike my private piano and guitar lessons. Once I started band, no more lessons. No more real progress, either. I think wanting to "excel" (or wanting your child to excel) is vastly different from wanting to "participate."

I don't think in the past, group music classes (as opposed to ensemble rehearsals) were that uncommon in schools. Now it's different, of course. And I don't know any athlete from any of my schools, including college, who had a private coach or trainer - but I didn't go to any big schools where kids might have had professional aspirations, either.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I went to public schools and took orchestra, and the orchestra teacher gave everyone a private lesson every week at some appointed time. It was part of the curriculum I think.
Twenty years later, my two daughters went to public schools too, one was orchestra, one was band...and again, both got a free one-on-one lesson from the teacher each week during school hours. None of these public school were 'affluent', just average public schools I'd say.
I can't tell you if the same setup is still going on now that my daughters are around 30.

[SadieKate]

Wow. Junior high and high schools bands and orchestra at my schools were 50-70 strong. The band and orchestra directors also had the chorus and drama classes.

One lesson per week per student? Don't think so!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Wow. Junior high and high schools bands and orchestra at my schools were 50-70 strong. The band and orchestra directors also had the chorus and drama classes.

One lesson per week per student? Don't think so!

As I recall, the lessons were only about 20 minutes, and not everyone wanted or took lessons. The orchestra had about 35 kids, the band about 45. There was a separate choir and choir teacher. It was certainly do-able. There was a lot of wonderful music in the curriculum in my NYC public grade school back in the 1960's.
Then in the rural area of NY where I live now, my kids got lots of music too in the public middle school and high schools.

[Crankin]

So, yes, my son had private half hour to forty five minute lessons with the band teacher in the average-ish school district. In the more affluent, music oriented school, we paid for an hour of private lessons a week, through ninth grade for trombone. Then he got lazy. He had been playing guitar; I paid for private lessons for that for 2 years, while he did jazz band for awhile, in addition to regular band. There was no orchestra at the school (budget cuts), but the band is huge; well over 200 kids. But, so many kids there played violin through other sources. There was a girl in my younger son's class who performed at Carnagie Hall more than once . If you were in band, you were required to do both marching band and concert band. Our marching band is awesome. Well, I say our, but I no longer live there... in fact the town I live in now is probably more affluent, but has a much smaller music program.
One of the great things about the band was that at the football games, there were almost as many parents there to hear and see the band as the game. There was a mass exodus after the half time show!

[shootingstar]

Really? Your schools had the money and resources to provide private instruction to all students for any instrument? Wow.

Instruction in group activities is vastly different than individual instruction. Those that want to excel in music, sports, etc., must usually obtain private instruction or coaching. A band/orchestra leader is not equipped to provide this for all instruments. So Canada provides this?

It was group instruction for certain instruments only at high school.
For instance, my niece was learning to play the trumpet. But she took private piano lessons via home.

Her brother took basic violin lessons at high school but like his sister took private piano. He actually is probably more musically inclined than his sis.