What music lessons cost in Australia

The short answer

For a qualified, accredited private teacher, the professional associations recommend somewhere between $87 and $110 an hour depending on which state you are in. At the half-hour lesson most beginners start with, that is roughly $44 to $55 a lesson.

Include teachers still working towards accreditation and the published range widens to $56–$110 an hour.

Recommended rates by state

Each figure below is published by that state’s association and linked to its source. Rates are per hour, before we convert them.

• NSW: MTA NSW also publishes the GST-inclusive figures: $121 per hour individual, $165 per hour for a group. It had not published a 2026 rate when this page was last checked.
• VIC: Described as minimum recommended base rates, and they exclude on-costs such as superannuation, annual leave and workers compensation insurance.
• QLD: The group rates are divided between the students rather than charged per head.
• WA: WAMTA has held these rates level across 2024, 2025 and 2026.
• VIC: VMTA has already published 2027 rates — fully accredited member $102.50/hr.
• QLD: QMTA has already published 2027 rates — professional member $90/hr, associate member $80/hr, student member $70/hr.
• No published recommended rate was found for Tasmania, the ACT and the Northern Territory. If you teach there and your association publishes one, tell us and we will add it.

What that is per lesson, not per hour

Associations publish hourly rates. Almost no child takes an hour-long lesson. A young beginner typically does 30 minutes, moving to 45 as they progress, and adults more often take the full hour — so the number you are quoted looks nothing like the number published.

Straight division, which is how most teachers price shorter lessons. Some charge slightly more pro-rata for a half hour, on the grounds that the preparation and admin behind a lesson do not halve with its length.

Group and shared lessons

Sharing a lesson is the most effective way to reduce the cost, and several associations publish a separate rate for it. Note how the states differ: Queensland’s group rate is divided between the students, so three students at $122 an hour pay about $41 each, while the NSW and Victorian figures are the rate for the group as a whole.

• NSW: Group of 3-6 students $150/hr.
• VIC: 2 or more students $125/hr.
• QLD: Shared, 2 students $117/hr, divided between the students; Group, 3 or more students $122/hr, divided between the students.

What actually moves the price

Lesson length

The biggest single factor, and the first thing to establish when comparing two quotes. “$45 a lesson” means nothing until you know whether that is 30 minutes or an hour.

Where the lesson happens

Lessons at the teacher’s studio are usually the cheapest. A teacher who travels to you is paying for the car and the unbillable time between students, and prices accordingly. Online sits at or slightly below studio rates.

Experience and qualifications

Every association’s own tiers reflect this: in Queensland the gap between a student member and a professional member is $20 an hour. A conservatorium-trained teacher with twenty years of exam students behind them is not selling the same thing as someone in their first year.

Exam and audition preparation

AMEB, ANZCA and VCE/HSC preparation is specialised work with deadlines attached, and teachers who do it often charge above their standard rate. Exam entry fees are separate again, and paid to the exam board rather than the teacher.

Term or casual billing

Most established teachers bill by school term, which holds your slot. Ask what happens to a lesson you miss — make-up policies vary widely and are the most common source of disagreement between families and teachers.

GST

Charged only by teachers registered for it, which is compulsory above $75,000 of annual turnover. Many private teachers are below that and add none.

Common questions