How Much Do Saxophone Lessons Cost?

The Complete Guide to Saxophone Lesson Pricing

By Rose Park • 2/10/23 •  3 min read

The Average Saxophone Lesson Cost:

Saxophone lessons generally cost between $35-$70 per hour, but costs can vary widely depending on the teacher’s education and performing level, the location, lesson length and whether the lesson is taught in-person or online.

The average price for a one-hour saxophone lesson is $60. Live online saxophone lessons using Zoom, Skype or Google Meet charge between $20-40 for a half hour lesson. Local in-person lessons range from $35-45 for a half hour lesson, while in-person group ensemble lessons averages $18 for a half hour lesson.

Saxophone teachers without a music degree will charge as little as $25 an hour. Instructors with degrees in saxophone charge $60 on average per hour and professionally performing saxophonists with significant tour and performing experience can charge well over $100! 

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What Determines Saxophone Lesson Costs?

Saxophone Teacher Level

Saxophone instructors without music degrees tend to charge about $20 per hour but they do not offer a professional level instruction.

Teachers who have a music degree that isn’t saxophone related, such as ones with a Bachelor’s in guitar or drums who have some saxophone skills, will often charge $25-$35 per hour. They generally have a solid understanding of music, but they don’t have advanced saxophone performing skills and are very limited in giving practical and detailed instruction. This increases the risk that they will teach beginners bad habits that will be harmful over time.

Your potential saxophone instructor will have at least a Bachelor’s degree in saxophone, and lessons with those teachers range from $40-$60 per hour on average. Teachers with a Master’s or Doctorate typically charging $50-$70 per hour.

Q. Should beginners learn from professional saxophone instructors from the start?

Of course! It’s best for beginners to play saxophone the correct way from the start. A professional saxophone teacher knows how to take a beginner smoothly from a beginner to an advanced level, so you don’t develop any bad habits. Sometimes, it can take years for students to correct bad habits related to posture, breathing, tone production and reading music. The sooner you have an expert saxophone instructor, the faster you will make real, solid progress that sets you up for future advancement.
How much do saxophone lessons cost? Lesson With You Lesson Cost Guide

In-person vs Online Lessons

Online saxophone lessons are generally the most affordable option since the lessons can be set up with a few digital equipments in the comfort of your home. There is an average increase of $10 for in-person lessons at a teacher’s studio, and small additional increase about $10 to have the instructor visit your home. 

In-person prices can vary widely though depending on the number of qualified saxophone teachers in your area. If you want to find qualified saxophone teachers at reasonable prices, live online lessons will be your best bet.

Pre-recorded vs Live Lessons

If you’re looking for the cheapest possible saxophone lessons, there is the option of pre-recorded lessons. These are typically video or app-based lessons that aim to teach you foundational skills for a monthly fee. 

Unfortunately, pre-recorded lessons cannot be compared to the quality of live one-on-one lessons where the teacher can customize the lesson material just for you, provide live feedback on your playing in real time, and help you become better at practicing and performing. Any saxophone student who is interested in becoming a concert saxophonist is better off looking for live 1-on-1 lessons, such as the $35 half hour lessons offered through Lesson With You.

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What Do You Learn in Saxophone Lessons?

Saxophone Techniques

Students learn proper posture, breath support, lip and mouth position and finger placement, and all of which work together to create a good tone on saxophone. Professional saxophone teachers can guide students through solid technique and help them develop good playing and practice habits.

Music Theory and Notation

In saxophone lessons, students learn basic music theory and notation, which includes practicing scales, chords, and harmony. Understanding music theory can also help students grasp the structure of music and develop skills like improvisation and arranging, which are important for students who are interested in Jazz or other improvisational styles of music.

Repertoire

During saxophone lessons, the instructor and student work together on building a good repertoire. The teacher typically suggests music for the student based on their level and interests. Once the student masters the piece, the teacher introduces them to new music styles, helping them to expand their saxophone repertoire.

Practice Methods

Saxophone students learn effective practice methods to develop skills in scales, etudes, and repertoire. Professional instructors can help students set daily to monthly goals and make practice guides to help them achieve their musical goals faster and more efficiently.

How to Find the Most Affordable Saxophone Lessons

We surveyed over 100 saxophone teachers across our own site, Lesson With You, and two other major sites, Wyzant and Takelessons.com, using a random zip code as the location. We specifically looked for teachers who have a degree in saxophone and teach online lessons.

Lesson With You has a fixed price of $65 per hour and indeed the cost value is better than any other site we have found. Saxophone instructors at Lesson With You has at least a Bachelor’s in saxophone from music schools such as the Northwestern University, but the lessons are only $65 per hour, making the live online lessons an incredible value.

Takelessons.com had the highest average price among qualified saxophone teachers, at $60 per hour. Even finding a teacher who didn’t major in saxophone, such as one with general music education or composition degree, charges online lessons about $40 to $50 per hour. Those who majored in saxophone performance during college degree often charge at least $60 for an hour online lesson.

Wyzant has an average cost of $60 per hour among the teachers we surveyed. But like Takelessons, many of the saxophone instructors either didn’t have a music degree or didn’t major in saxophone. Both websites have a very large number of saxophone teachers available, so surely there are some good deals, but finding teachers whose education and prices matched that of the teachers at Lesson With You is difficult and time consuming.

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Meet your saxophone teacher, discuss goals and begin 1-on-1 instruction.
No contracts or credit card necessary.

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Rose Park

Rose Park

Rose Park is a graduate of the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University where she studied Piano Performance and Arts Administration, receiving both Bachelor's and Master's degrees before co-founding Lesson With You. As a pianist, Rose was a prizewinner in many international piano competitions and performed at  various summer programs and festivals across the United States, Italy, and Japan.