Just would like to discuss what is a good amount of time to afford a music student learning theory.

Currently for my grade 1-5 students, I teach theory during their weekly 45 minute practical lesson. Theory usually takes up 10-20 minutes, depending on whom I'm teaching.

For my grade 6-8 students, our practical lessons are generally 60 minutes long. All my students seem to be doing practical exams, so that leaves very little time for theory. Sometimes we manage to get 15 minutes done. However, closer to the practical exam date, I find myself abandoning theory altogether.

Do I have poor time management?

I do have a handful of students who take theory together as a class group for 60 minute lessons once a week. These are for grade 6, grade 7 or grade 8 classes. I prefer this arrangement. Is this what other teachers do too?

*note* Most of my student's parents are adverse to the idea of class lessons for theory. Does anyone else have this experience also??

Thanks

I've only ever learnt theory in half an hour group classes, mostly spanning 3 grades. Or, I've just about taught myself with occasional guidance from a teacher at school. Didn't do me any harm! (Very little theory in my pratical lessons, unless it was directly related to the piece I'm playing, so basically none as I'm a clarrinettist chasing G7 theory!)

For grade 5 I did theory in my piano lesson but it was mostly revision as I'd picked up more or less everything in bits and pieces up til then anyway.
For grades 6-8 I had a separate theory teacher with half an hour to an hour length lessons once a fortnight just for theory. It was fortnightly because my teacher was commuting from college some distance away and wasn't home every week.
This didn't include marking work as I dropped off work for marking a day or two before my lesson.