The Best Music School in Boston for an Adult: How to Choose One

The best music school in Boston for an adult is the one built around an adult's week: evening and weekend hours, teachers who work with adult hobbyists, somewhere to practice, and other adults to play with. Boston has several kinds of music school, and most were designed for someone else. This guide explains the kinds, the questions that separate them, and where each one is the right choice.

We are one of the options, an adults-only studio in Downtown Crossing, so read this as advice from an interested party. Where another kind of school suits you better, we say so.

The Four Kinds of Music School in Boston

1. Conservatory and College Extension Programs

Boston has some of the best-known music colleges in the country, and several run evening or continuing education courses open to the public. The teaching level is high and the course structure is academic: terms, syllabi, sometimes grades. Choose this if you want theory, ensembles or a credential, and you can commit to a fixed term. It is a poor fit if your schedule changes week to week.

2. Community Music Schools

Nonprofit community schools teach a wide range of instruments, usually on a term calendar and with financial aid available. Adult students are usually a minority there. Choose this if price is the deciding factor or you want an orchestral instrument. Ask how many adult students they have and when adult lessons are scheduled.

3. Independent Private Teachers

A single teacher, in their home studio or yours. This is the most flexible option and often the best value for pure one-to-one instruction. A great private teacher is hard to beat. What you do not get is a place to practice, an instrument to use, or other people to play with. Choose this if you already have the instrument, the space and the discipline.

4. Adult Membership Studios

A studio that enrolls adults only and sells a monthly membership covering private lessons, small group classes and practice time. This is what Musicians Playground is. Choose this if you want to learn with other adults, need somewhere to practice, or want to play in a band. It is the wrong choice if all you want is one lesson a week and nothing else. The numbers are in membership vs pay per lesson.

Seven Questions to Ask Any Boston Music School

• Who are your students? If adults are the minority, the calendar and the recitals will not be built around you.
• When can I come? You need lessons after 6:00 PM or at weekends, and a way to reschedule when work runs late.
• Does my teacher play this instrument first? Many teachers cover three or four. Ask what they perform on.
• Where do I practice? In a Boston apartment this decides whether you improve. Ask about practice rooms and what they cost.
• Do I need to buy an instrument first? A school with instruments in the room lets you start before you spend.
• Will I play with other people? Group classes, ensembles and performances are what keep adults going past month three.
• What does a month actually cost? Get the monthly total, not the per-lesson rate. See what music lessons cost in Boston for the going rates.

Red Flags

• No published prices, only a contact form.
• A long registration fee or a full term paid up front before you have met the teacher.
• A teacher list where everyone teaches every instrument.
• No answer to "where would I practice?"
• Adult lessons offered only during the working day.

Location Matters More Than You Think

The best school you cannot reach on a Tuesday at 6:30 PM is not the best school. Look at your commute first. A studio on your train line, between work and home, gets attended. One that needs a car and a parking space gets skipped by February.

Our studio is at 33 West Street in Downtown Crossing: the Red and Orange Lines at Downtown Crossing, the Green Line at Park Street and the Blue Line at State are all a short walk away.

Where Musicians Playground Fits

Adults only. 200+ members, 200+ group classes a month in groups of 3 to 6, and 20 instructors who each teach their primary instrument. Memberships run $170 to $480 a month and include group classes and open practice time. For intermediate and advanced players there is MP BAND+, a selective 12 week band program that ends in a public performance.

We are not the right school if you want a degree-track program, an orchestral instrument, or the lowest possible price for a single weekly lesson. We are a good fit if you want music to be part of your week the way a gym is. Still deciding how you want to learn? Read private lessons vs group classes.

Try It Before You Decide

Start with the $100 Intro Week: a one hour private lesson, seven days of unlimited group classes and open practice time. It is a paid week, and the $100 applies toward a membership or a lesson pack if you continue.

Or start with the instrument: guitar, piano, singing or drums.

We are at 33 West Street, Downtown Crossing, Boston, MA 02111. Call (617) 356-8206 if that is easier.