What the heck does Promethean mean?

It means boldly creative and original. Prometheus and promethean have always been associated with innovation, learning, and technology. Prometheus is the titan who brought fire to mankind according to Greek mythology. His name means forethought.

How long will it take for me to learn to play well?

What do you consider "playing well", how much natural ability do you have, and how much are you going to practice? Answer these questions and we can answer yours.Unfortunately, we can't predict results in students. Having said that, most of our students feel they are making music within 2 to 6 months. Most students are pleased with their progress and as a studio we are focused on moving all students forward.  99.99% of students can learn to play as well as they want at Promethean if they practice and follow our methods. Progress = amount of practice x natural ability x efficient learning techniques - that is, the more you practice the better you do and the more natural ability you have the better you do and if you're practicing smart too, wow, you're really going to cook! How long it takes to reach "good" is dependant upon the 3 previous things (practice, natural ability, and smart effort) AND what you define as playing well. 2 students will have different opinions on what it means to really play. Essentially students need to plan on taking lessons for at least 6 months, although most students will see significant progress long before that and many professional musicians take lessons until the day they die.

How much do I need to practice?

How fast do you want to progress? What are your goals? Do you have special abilities or difficulties in your instrument or music in general? These are all factors in determining practice requirements. Unless you already play, you're going to have to practice at least 2 hours a week to make headway on an instrument or voice. We recommend all students practice at least 45 minutes a day and 6 days a week, but when each student begins lessons we get them to commit to one of 5 practice levels ranging from zero practice a week to 15 hours or more a week (some students and musicians actually do that, including some of our students). Most of our students are either practice level 2 (30 to 45 minutes a day) or level 3 (45 to 60 minutes a day). If you're asking our opinion, practice at least 45 minutes a day (pros do more, of course), but we'll accommodate whatever you decide, while encouraging you to do what it takes for you to achieve your musical goals.

Should I take group or private lessons?

1st of all, always be aware that all studios make more money per hour for group lessons (because there are multiple students in the lesson), so there is always an incentive for studios to push groups (frequently hidden as "semi-private" lessons). We recommend private lessons for almost all students because we think that they produce the most progress. In general, we really think group lessons only work for a few months, when all the participants are brand new. Within 2 to 4 months, individual tastes and abilities come out and each person really needs private lessons, just so they can go at their pace (slow or fast) and play their own music. That's why we make each group class only last 3 months and only let a student take group lessons for a year maximum.  Group lessons can only hit the average of the class, and the non-average are hurt. Don't misunderstand - we make our group classes as effective as humanly possible - but you should only choose them if you can't afford private lessons.

Does it really matter where I take lessons?

Well, you could spend about a year talking about how teachers affect a student's learning, but without getting into specifics of individual teachers or studios, a student is greatly affected by his or her teacher. Some studios are focused on teaching and learning without application and have a dry, formal approach without much actual playing or singing of songs (and thus not much real-world progress). Or a private teacher is focused on playing music you don't necessarily like, so everyone in his or her studio must learn jazz or rock or classical. People need room to grow musically, as well as play stuff they like. Some studios and teachers are so warm and fuzzy that while you're feeling great about yourself you don't notice you haven't actually learned anything in 6 months. Some are focused on being "big-time", a "we'll make you a STAR!" attitude, when almost any professional musician/vocalist will tell you no one, NO ONE can guarantee financial success and stardom in music - there are just too many thousands and thousands of people out there pursuing fame with only a few positions available. If there really was a studio that could make you famous, believe me, there'd be only one - every one would go there, including most of the other music teachers in the world. They'd all become famous and then we'd all be done! Many private teachers and studios are organized around a talent search mentality in which lessons are more of a culling process, weeding out the "losers" to find the "gifted". Another kind of private teacher asks every lesson "what do you want to do today?" and never challenges students or pulls them beyond themselves, making you wonder if the teacher has any larger vision for the student other than next month's tuition. And we could go on and on.

The Bible (yes, the Bible) has a good point related to this in Matthew 10:24, 25a. It says "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for the student to be like his teacher". To us, the point here is the teacher really influences his student greatly and maybe even the idea that all students need a great teacher, because most students are going to grow to the capacity of their teacher.  Regardless of that, any student needs a teacher that can believe in that student's ability to learn and become great or at least a good player or singer, whether famous or not. The teacher should be looking for ways to create measurable progress in lessons, and have the student work on performing enjoyable and challenging music as they develop new and better abilities. Lessons should also encourage you without being just touchy-feely pabulum. Go to the Home page and select the Why us? button for more details about what we do. It really matters who teaches you and how you're taught.