Since I have gone into the private lesson business (mosaic, drawing) instead of the business of teaching classes, I thought I’d explain some differences for you, the student.

Really, for the teacher, classes of adults and small classes of children are desirable because the teacher gains more income in a shorter amount of time, leaving more time to create art and manage the art business.  I started off teaching small classes in my home studio because that is the most expected format and it can be quite stimulating and fun for you, especially in a weekend workshop.  Because of city residential code, I cannot legally have more than three car trips per day on studio-related business at my address.  That means only three or four students for me in a day.  I rather suspect that music teachers exceed this by quite a bit!

The advantage to you of taking classes and workshops is being able to see what other students are doing with exactly the same materials and instruction, and being stimulated by class questions and comments.  And then, of course, there’s the camaraderie, for which there is no substitute.

On the other hand, there is one significant advantage in weekly private lessons, and that is the course of study is tailor-made for you.  I can address your learning style, your pace, and your particular interests.  Also, since adult students are often quite insecure in their new area of interest, private lessons offer the chance to develop apart from comparisons and competition.

Because being in a class is so much fun, and because you really do learn from your peers, I have student get-togethers to meet, greet, and discuss each other’s work and ideas from time to time. I am trying to give you the best of a class and the best of private lessons.

Another observation I have made is that when you take weekly lessons, you are thinking about your new skills as a long-term project, so you have time with a teacher to figure out how to integrate your learning and your practice into your life.  Sometimes people will have a blast in a weekend workshop, then not carry through at home because they haven’t had time to re-shape their daily environment to include the new activity.

Although I am open to teaching classes in a location that isn’t my studio, I am really enjoying my private students and their progress.

Here are a couple of photos of my studio at night:

My studio does have cats, unless you have allergies, then I banish the cats.