Private Lesson Frequently Asked Questions
We offer this list of frequently asked questions to our students and potential students to help you with your lessons.
If you have questions that are not included in this FAQ, please feel free to ask them as a comment below, or contact us on our contact page.
I can’t afford lessons. Do you accept bartering offers?
We will hear your offer, but please understand if we are reluctant. This is not our first time around the block.
That said, one type of bartering offer that we will rarely refuse is an eager high school or college student who wants to work in exchange for lessons. If that describes you, then let us know and we can talk about it.
What is the youngest age student you take?
Mr. Lewis takes students at of all ages. His youngest students have been between six and eight years old. While Mr. Lewis can work with students of any age, we strongly encourage the parents to evaluate whether their child is mature enough for the responsibility of taking care of an expensive instrument.
What if I didn’t practice this week?
Eddie Lewis teaches what he calls The Art of Accumulative Practice. The time management skills it takes for a student to become a world class trumpet player are the same skills ALL other students can use to gain the greatest benefit from the least amount of practice.
When you don’t practice, Mr. Lewis makes it a point to teach you those skills in your lesson. He uses those lessons as an opportunity to share that knowledge and experience.
Where do the lessons take place?
We have a lesson studio in our home in the Sagemont area. That’s in south east Houston near beltway 8.
We also offer online lessons if our home studio is too far.
Do you offer in home lessons?
No, we do not.
For those who cannot make it to the home studio in person, we strongly recommend online lessons.
Another option is what we call “hybrid lessons”. You can take the majority of your trumpet lessons online, and have an in person lesson at the student every once in a while.
We can’t do weekly lessons. Is that a problem?
We have taken great strides to accommodate students who cannot make a weekly commitment.
That said, if you look at the pricing page, then you will see that the students who can make weekly lessons pay less than the ad hoc students. So please keep that in mind as you make your decision.
Also, please remember that we cannot promise a regular spot in the weekly schedule to students who do not commit to weekly lessons. It is logistically impossible.
If the reason you cannot commit to weekly lessons has to do with the cost, then you may want to consider weekly half hour lessons instead of ad hoc hour lessons. You will get the same amount of time but at a lower rate.
What styles do you teach?
Mr. Lewis is a freelance, studio trumpeter. He has experience performing and teaching in every style applicable to the trumpet.
The only students he will not teach are students who desire to become professional orchestra players. It’s not that Mr. Lewis can’t teach orchestra music. He is orchestrally trained and has played two seasons in a professional symphony orchestra.
However, he readily acknowledges that there are other trumpet players in Houston who are far more qualified to teach the orchestral stuff than he is. If you are going to make a career out of it, you would be better off studying with one of them.
Do you teach jazz improvisation?
Yes!
Eddie Lewis has been teaching jazz improv lessons since the late 80’s and was even the advanced jazz improvisation teacher at the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts from 1990 to 1997.
Mr. Lewis’ approach to jazz improvisation is different, but has been proven effective through the success of his students.
Will Mr. Lewis come to my concerts?
The official answer is “No.” This is not a promise we can make to any students.
It is rare for Mr. Lewis to attend his students’ performances. Please remember that his schedule is inverted from most people’s schedules. When you are performing, he is usually working – either performing himself or teaching.
Does Eddie teach trumpet lessons online?
Yes.
Eddie Lewis has been teaching online for a lot longer than most other trumpet teachers.
A lot of trumpet teachers complain about teaching trumpet lessons online. They say it prevents them from doing their best as trumpet teachers. But Eddie’s teaching method is different and the specific issues the other teachers complain about do not affect his method.
Which is better, half hour or full hour trumpet lessons?
Hour long lessons are always better, but you have to decide what fits into your budget.
Some students are concerned that they don’t have the embouchure endurance to do a full hour lesson. This is rarely the case. Even if you have weak lips when you start, Eddie Lewis will use that hour of lesson time to help build your strength and an hour soon will become no problem at all.
The other concern for very young children is their attention spans. This is rarely a problem with in-person lessons at Mr. Lewis’ home studio. However, attention span can be a lot more of an issue with online trumpet lessons.
Do you give group lessons?
No, but with one exception.
If the group lesson is with students of the same immediate family, then yes, we can teach them together and make you a deal on the price of the lessons.