Summer can be a wonderful, creative time in our careers. We have more flexibility and time. The downside is that we often have no income. Zero. Zilch. So how do we survive on 9 months of income but 12 months of expenses?...
Read MoreSummer can be a wonderful, creative time in our careers. We have more flexibility and time. The downside is that we often have no income. Zero. Zilch. So how do we survive on 9 months of income but 12 months of expenses?...
Read MoreAs music teachers we face a constant challenge. How do we live for 12 months when our regular, guaranteed income is only 9 or 10 months? Unlike school teachers, we are usually independent studio teachers or work for a music school that is unlikely to spread out our income over 12 months. Summer is wonderful, don't get me wrong. But financially it can be a...
Read MoreThis past spring, I decided to take a bit of a risk with my studio.
I’ve taught private piano lessons for about nine years. Since having a child two-and-a-half years ago, I’ve kept my studio relatively small. I only accept twelve private lesson students, since I like to be a mostly stay-at-home mom. In March, all my private lesson spots filled up, and I began a waiting list. I have always hated turning students down both because I love my job, and let’s be honest–no one likes turning down money. But I know that being home with my little one is most important right now, and in order to make a substantial enough leap in income, I would have to take on quite a few more students which means quite a few more hours away from my little one.
So, I decided to branch out from private lessons. Before moving from Wisconsin about two years ago, a public school there had approached me about teaching piano lessons in a group setting as part of their summer school program. I was all set to begin a certification process, but ended up moving to Montana before I could see it through. The idea of teaching group piano entered my head again this spring when I thought of the way it would work out really well in allowing me to teach substantially more students at my studio without taking away the amount of time from my daughter that it would require if I was to teach each of these students privately.
So I took the plunge.
Now is the time to take active steps to add students for your teachers. Acting now gives you time to implement solutions based on what responses you get to 'The Four Asks.' What are these mysterious questions? 1. Ask teachers if they want more students. It's possible your teachers would like to expand the number of students they teach. If so, adding time slots to their schedule in...
Read MoreLooks Matter! This is a tough time for the economy and parents are often looking for ways to trim expenses...
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