Do You Tip Your Child's Music Teacher?

Happyinwonerland

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 1, 2014
DD is 6 and has been taking private music lessons for about 2 months. I feel like I should give her instructor a tip for the holidays, but I'm not sure of the appropriate amount. I was thinking 1/2 month tuition. What is the norm?
 
We never tipped our daughter’s music teacher-I did give a gift card with a handwritten note from her if lessons fell over the holidays. But if you would rather give money I don’t see a problem. Maybe some music teachers or tutors will chime in and give their perspective.
 
Not a cash tip but a gift card equal to the price of one lesson. IDK if that's appropriate, though, since according to what I read online I'm probably an undertipper :P
 


DD is 6 and has been taking private music lessons for about 2 months. I feel like I should give her instructor a tip for the holidays, but I'm not sure of the appropriate amount. I was thinking 1/2 month tuition. What is the norm?

When my kids had piano lessons once a week, we’d give each teacher a $20 gift card at Christmas. The lessons were through a music store so we were billed each month. Since no money exchanged hands with the actual music teacher, it would have felt weird to me to give them cash.
 
When my kids had piano lessons once a week, we’d give each teacher a $20 gift card at Christmas. The lessons were through a music store so we were billed each month. Since no money exchanged hands with the actual music teacher, it would have felt weird to me to give them cash.

This is our case as well.
 
I always gave them a fruit basket. When did fruit baskets go out of style? We use to get them all the time, but haven’t gotten one in years. I still enjoy them.
 


DD teaches piano and her students often give her a piano-shaped ornament. Or a French horn ornament, since she teaches that too.
 
Not a cash tip but a gift card equal to the price of one lesson. IDK if that's appropriate, though, since according to what I read online I'm probably an undertipper :P
This is what I am doing. I actually got multi-packs of Visa gift cards (two 3 packs of $15 cards, deal from Kroger basically waived activation and got me fuel points). I am doing this for my son's tutor and music teacher.

I pay in cash weekly (his tutor and music teacher have full time jobs so I let it be their business how they handle the money tax wise by paying cash). Last year, I just slipped an extra $20 with the music teacher's payment, but I wondered if she noticed! This year I put the gift cards in a cute package.
 
a family member who's a doctor and doesn't drink alcohol, received a case of wine from a patient. The doctor set the wine on top of his out-bound garbage as a tip to the garbage collectors. They gave him really good service for that.
 
"Tip", no. Holiday gift, yes. What I give varies from year to year, but it's always heartfelt. This year, I'm giving a blue sparkling wine from a place in Tuscany I visited last year. I know it's delicious and unusual. Other years, I've gone online to order special music-themed gifts, like a "circle of fifths" clock. I try to avoid gift cards--too generic--but my DD, in particular, had a very special relationship with her cello teacher. He gave her extra time, and even wrote a special piece for her and a talented violinist to perform. One year, I gave him a book on why teachers teach, and he said it was the best gift he'd ever received.
 
I would feel hugely awkward accepting a gift from one of my private students, particularly a new one.

The best tip/gift you could give the music teacher would be to make sure your kid actually practices.
 
https://www.saraceniwines.com/products/blumond-blue-750

I order a mixed case, a couple times a year. I'm too cheap to drink this regularly, but it makes a nice special occasion wine. YMMV, of course. I can attest that their prosecco, strawberry, and grapefruit wines are also very good. I like the sparkling limoncello, too. I haven't tried anything else, except at the actual wine tasting--generally, you buy a case of 6 and get free shipping, and I can easily get 6 among those I listed. I have a case arriving tomorrow--one to replace the Blumond I gave the violin teacher, a Blumond for the cello teacher, and the rest for the family for Christmastime.
 
A card, a small gift, a batch of homemade cookies? Yes! A tip? No, that isn't expected. I mean, no one's going to turn it down, but they also aren't going to act like they deserved a holiday tip.
 
I paid them what they asked for their services. It's been several years since I've used one for my kids, but no, I never tipped them.
 
https://www.saraceniwines.com/products/blumond-blue-750

I order a mixed case, a couple times a year. I'm too cheap to drink this regularly, but it makes a nice special occasion wine. YMMV, of course. I can attest that their prosecco, strawberry, and grapefruit wines are also very good. I like the sparkling limoncello, too. I haven't tried anything else, except at the actual wine tasting--generally, you buy a case of 6 and get free shipping, and I can easily get 6 among those I listed. I have a case arriving tomorrow--one to replace the Blumond I gave the violin teacher, a Blumond for the cello teacher, and the rest for the family for Christmastime.
Sold out :(
but thank you for the link!
 
DD is 6 and has been taking private music lessons for about 2 months. I feel like I should give her instructor a tip for the holidays, but I'm not sure of the appropriate amount. I was thinking 1/2 month tuition. What is the norm?

Your intuition would align with what I would have been inclined to do, but I’m learning as I go!
 

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