So often, when talking to my music teacher colleagues, we lament how difficult it is to make a living as a music teacher. Teaching during after school hours each week day limits our working hours, and you can’t raise your rates every single year without driving yourself out of business!
So how do we as teachers make sure that we are maximizing our earning potential without exhausting ourselves? Here are some ideas to boost your music teaching salary…
Is it just me, or do students seriously start lacking some motivation during the winter months? The “newness” of the year has worn off, holiday recitals are behind them, and the end-of-the-year spring recital is too far in the distance to really care much.
It’s frustrating for teachers.
So how do we as studio owners motivate our students and keep them moving forward instead of getting stuck in a rut? Here’s a few ideas:
This time of year is always a bit frenzied, trying to fit everything in before the winter break begins at the end of December. But despite my already busy schedule, I always make time for the plethora of publicity opportunities that come up in my community.
These opportunities vary as far as the amount of time involved, the potential exposure, and the nature of the event or commitment, but I look at each as a chance to grow my studio while at the same time increasing my local presence as a small business.
Here are just a few of the opportunities I take advantage of each year; hopefully this list will generate some ideas for how you can do the same in your community.
This month, I did something at my studio that I’ve never done before — I used my studio to raise money for a local charity.
We have a very beloved charity in our area that works with children with disabilities. Each summer, they host a camp for children undergoing cancer treatment, and invite those children and their families to spend a week in the mountains enjoying outdoor activities, musical therapy and fellowship with one another.
To make this recital unique and also get my students excited about the opportunity, I kept my expectations simple and let them have control. I gave them the option to play between one and five songs of their choice, and called the recital a “Play-a-thon”. Pieces didn’t have to be memorized, and they could be any pieces that they have learned in their time with me. Students LOVED this freedom, and even though we had a few random Christmas pieces thrown in the mix, it was fun for me to learn the pieces that they consider all-time favorites.
Our interview with Motif Music Studios of USA SH: Tell us about your studio. Our music studio, Motif Music Studios, opened in 2010 when Jeff & Amie Webster decided to combine their respective skills in computer programming, design and business management and 13 years of teaching experience to create a music school that provided a positive, professional work place for teachers as well as an inspiring environment...
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