Private lessons

One to one, on top of the orchestra.

The orchestra teaches a child how to play with other people. A private lesson is where individual technique gets built, at whatever pace that particular child needs. Most students who move up quickly here are doing both.

A one-to-one lesson in progress

What a lesson adds

The part an ensemble cannot do for you.

In an ensemble the music gets adapted to the players in the room, which is what lets a beginner and an advanced player sit in the same orchestra. A private lesson works the other way around. It’s the one hour that belongs entirely to your child, and it’s where a bow hold or an awkward shift finally gets fixed instead of worked around.

Technique

Posture, tone, intonation, and the physical habits that decide how far a player can eventually go.

Repertoire

Solo pieces chosen for that student, including audition and competition preparation.

COS also runs the Instrumental Technique Advancement Program, a separate group class focused on technique.

About ITAP

Wide · a teacher and student working alone

How it fits

Scheduled with your teacher, not slotted into the block.

Ensemble and musicianship classes run to a fixed Saturday timetable. Private lessons are arranged directly between the family and the teacher, so the lesson can sit either side of your child’s other classes and you don’t make a second trip.