For two hours each evening, Angelique Poteat is hard at work. After dinner with her family and study time, Poteat gets down to business. She carefully prepares the tool of her craft and sits down to practice.

The clarinetist is determined to become the best musician possible.

“One of my friends looks at me like I’m nuts spending this much time practicing, but I’m just determined,” she said. “People sit around watching three hours of TV each night and that shocks me.”

Poteat is among a growing number of young musicians in South Whidbey Schools who are putting in extra hours at home after school, and with private instructors.

“There’s huge benefits of taking private instruction,” said Chris Harshman, the band instructor at Langley Middle School. “Students can work one-on-one to fix their weaknesses, they develop a stronger understanding of the instrument and themself, and in turn become stronger leaders.”

The demand for that private instruction has created a small music industry on the island, in which music teachers can make a living while making a difference with even children who are too young to walk. Maureen Rorex, who has taught piano out of her Langley studio for 12 years, maintains her goal for her students is to become performers.

“What they learn here they take out to when they have to give a speech, or take drama,” she said. “It’s a great gift to see these students get up there and believe in themselves.”

Poteat herself is a performer. Currently a member of the South Whidbey High School wind ensemble, she also plays in various jazz groups, the Saratoga Chamber Players, and Seattle Youth Symphony’s Classical Symphony Orchestra.

She began private lessons five years ago following a trip to eighth-grade honor band. Even that start was a little late for the then-12-year-old Poteat.

“It was pretty obvious sitting in that room who had taken lessons,” she said. “Those who had, their embouchure and fingering were glaringly better than mine.”

Poteat began training with Bill Anderson, with whom she trained weekly for two years. She is now is a pupil of Laura deLuca, a member of the Seattle Symphony.

Often times, students who take lessons end up being in-class tutors and sometimes private instructors themselves. They also become leaders in the groups with which the perform.

“The stronger the individual musician the stronger the ensemble,” said South Whidbey High School band director Brent Purvis. “Inevitably the lessons get passed on.”

Even if a student doesn’t have the desire to become the next Louis Armstrong, Yo Yo Ma or Kenny G, private instruction allows essential one-on-one time LMS’ Harshman says is difficult to give in the classroom.

“I have 10 to 20 clarinets at once in a band of 50 to 90 students, so I don’t always have the time to focus on every students individual needs,” he said.

Harshman said he does his best to “work in the margins,” offering instruction to students during the day at any free time possible.

Private instructors take care of more than just these margins. The South Whidbey School district does not have a string program, nor a choir program in the middle school. Private instructors, such as Langley strings teacher Linda Good help fill the gap, and private voice instructors give younger students a chance to prepare for the high school choir program.

Private support of public school music programs has deep roots on South Whidbey. One of Whidbey’s long time teachers, 85-year-old Bill Martin, still teaches percussion out of his Langley home. He is a strong supporter of the school programs.

“What Brent and Chris do with these kids is amazing,” he said. “They play well beyond what people would expect from kids their age, and they’re taught to do it with expression.”

Martin has been a percussion instructor for almost 50 years, three decades of which he worked with drum corps such as California’s Blue Devils. He has played professionally with big bands, playing during World War II and beyond. Now his love is teaching young drummers, especially those middle school aged.

“Kids these days are really talented, and with the technology out there it makes it so much fun to teach,” he said.

Martin and other teachers have been around long enough to see that private instruction is changing somewhat. Rorex recently opened a new studio called 88 Keys, where students can practice and record their music onto a CD as a studying tool. Rorex said the technology has advanced the learning experience for her 30-35 students per year, who range in age from 6 to 72.

Whether the instructors are technologically advanced, or have years of concert symphony experience on their resume, there’s no denying that private instruction comes with a price tag. Rorex’s normal rate is $35 per hour for school age students, and $40 for adults. She also adjusts her rates for families on financial assistance or those that have a number of students learning with her once.

Martin may still be the bargain of the bunch. Focusing on middle school-age students, he charges them just $8 for a 45-minute lesson. His normal rate is higher, $30 per hour or $15 per half hour.

These are only a small sampling of rates charged by instructors, and are not necessarily the most expensive nor most inexpensive examples. So, with the added cost of all the activities youth are involved with today, why do parents foot the bill?

“A lot of families do sports and spend hundreds of dollars in travel, equipment and time,’ said Angelique Poteat’s mother, Jamie. “This isn’t anymore expensive than that.”

“These days kids have the opportunity to take music so much further than sports, and into so many genres.”

In addition to cost, other factors, such as teaching techniques and compatibility with students, must be looked at when selecting an instructor. Chris Harshman suggests students talk with their school instructor as a resource on leads to private instructors in the area.

Then there’s the instrument itself. Instructors agree that the best bet for most young musicians getting started is to rent instruments.

Joe’s Island Music instrument rental rates range from $17.95-39.95 per month. The first three months rate is asked at start up and then rentals are month to month. Joe’s Music allows transfer between instruments for those indecisive young musicians, as well as a rent-to-own option.

Store owner Joe Patrick suggests parents come to the store before rental night at the middle school Sept. 22, and to make sure the instrument is set up properly no matter where you go to rent.

“That way they can have a leisurely experience on their own time, and not have to worry about us running out of instruments–which we sometimes do,” he said.