After 10 years of experience teaching music lessons either from home or a rented studio, I feel as though I have enough background, experiences and information gathered to give others a few tips, especially those just starting out. I truly believe it takes a special person to teach, in particular an art such as music, that does not mean I think you need years and years of education, that you need a certain level of Royal Conservatory or that you already have a decade of time spent teaching…I believe it’s the passion someone has for teaching others and for the subject they are wanting to teach. For me, there is nothing like watching a student get that “Ahhh!” feeling when they all of a sudden understand what you have been explaining, or when they look so proud after finishing a difficult piece they have been practicing, this is what passion feels like. And although I say it does not matter the number of years you have with education, experience or exams, I am by no-means saying it is not important. I have a music degree that I worked hard for and I wouldn’t trade that valuable time for the world, I have Royal Conservatory Exams and with that can direct my students better from my own experiences, and I have taught many, many students either from my home just starting out at a young age or from different well-established music schools, so all of this has helped me get to where I am now…in the process of opening my OWN music school business. I just believe that even with all that and more, without a passion for it, you will not be a good teacher.
BEFORE YOU START TEACHING
First off, make sure you know your instrument and are quite good at it! No one wants to take music lessons from someone who does not know the music or instrument themselves. If you have been studying an instrument, taking lessons from another teacher, have gone through several books, and yes, exams, performances and tests help a lot…then you probably feel quite confident with your skills and that will show as you teach. Taking lessons from a more qualified teacher (no matter HOW good you are) is always extremely helpful because you can take skills and tips from that teacher and use them yourself. We all learn from repeating and a valuable teacher for yourself is a huge help. Second of all, make sure your home would even work to teach. Do you have the setup or at least the possibility of setting up an area to teach your students? Before you even begin the process, make sure you are ready to devote your time, your home and yourself as a teacher.
YOUR HOME STUDIO
The space that you will be using to teach obviously depends on the home, who (if anyone) you have living with you and the instrument you are going to teach. Bigger instruments need bigger spaces but you would know that already because you should have that instrument in your home as a musician. For smaller instruments (for example, for me I teach flute as well), you need an area where you can both sit comfortably (so at least two nicer chairs), you need a music stand, possibly two and enough space that you could stand and not hit eachother. The room that you are using should be nice, comfortable, clean but (especially if you have a spouse, children or pets) not where people will be walking through. I use my livingroom but it is a larger room and not in the center of the house. It takes time everyday to make sure that after a full evening and night of taking care of a baby, that this room is clean, vacuumed, no toys lying around, no dog toys in the way and doesn’t smell like a baby or dog 🙂 I also have to make sure that every day the kitchen is very clean with no dishes lying there, no food out in the open and a clean floor because in my house every student and parent has to walk through the kitchen. It does take time, but a clean house makes a big difference to someone who is paying you for music lessons, they want to feel comfortable and like this is professional, not like they just interupted your dinner. That being said, they KNOW they are taking lessons from someones home who also has a life and therefore I would expect them to understand that it will never be like a studio because it IS a home. What I found to be most important is to make sure the room is not too distracting. Too many pictures, little knick-knacks, toys, dog stuff, anything that a child might find distracting can take away valuable time in lessons and most parents are not too fond of knowing their child spends half their time (and money) goofing around. Keep remotes out of reach, NO toys at all and if you have a piano, nothing distracting on top of the piano for them to stare at. As an extra I also use my office on the other side of the house as a “waiting room” for parents who do not want to sit in their car, sit in the same room with you as you teach or have to find somewhere to go for a short period of time. This room has just two chairs, my computer, some books, a few coloring books for siblings waiting and a small TV if they want to watch while waiting, it has proven really helpful and appreciated.
WHAT YOU NEED
Again, it depends on the instrument but here are some accessories that I have found are NEEDED in order to teach from my home:
music stands are crucial, pens and pencils both for you and your students, erasers, I like to use pencil crayons and crayons, stickers if you choose to give them out, extra paper and manuscript, all the information written down for YOU such as the names of the students and parents, the ages of the students, phone numbers and addresses, experience that they had when started, any special information the parent feels you should have and update this information each lesson, also keep track of when they are present and when it needed to be rescheduled (you’d be surprised at how you think you’ll remember something but by the end of a full lesson have no idea what you were going to write down), always keep track of what and when they paid, I actually print out invoices for every month for the parents to keep track and for myself, music books is a must (look at next subject), and I purchased a white board with markers to do theory on. Obviously it depends on the instrument you are teaching with what types of accessories and materials you should have on hand as well such as reeds, valve oil, polishing rags, etc. Be prepared!
ALWAYS USE BOOKS
The right and appropriate music books are very important! They can help you if you are just starting as they lead you page by page with material to teach and in what order to teach it in, and these books are what the students will have at home to practice with, so you want them to understand them and enjoy them! If you have already taken lessons you may have a good idea of what lesson books you really liked and what you know, but you also may have forgotten, so go to a music store nearby (you’ll be spending a lot of time there if you are teaching from home) and take a look at what books they have to offer. Look through them and see what they focus on, look at what age would be appropriate for what books, look at what books each student would begin with (I always have them use a Lessons Book where they play from every day, a Theory Book where we work from, and a Technic Book depending on the age, later on I often have them use a Performance Book for more pieces as well). For me, I found it easiar on myself AND my students’ parents to ask them if they would like for me to purchase the books for them from a store and then they just pay me back. I don’t charge them extra, I just make it less work for them to sign up with me as a teacher and often these parents have no musical background do not even know where to start in a music school. So this way my students use the books I feel is best for them and the parents don’t have to worry about where to find them. Every student is different, every level makes the books different and every age makes the books different, so spend the first lesson getting to know the student, what they want to do with their music and what level they are at, then buy the books for the second lesson. If you are teaching very young children, they are usually books for very young beginners available and I spend my time working with those and on the whiteboard doing theory to keep their attention.
WHAT TO CHARGE
What you charge as a music teacher from home is entirely up to you! You have no one to tell you what the norm is, you have no other teachers to compare it to and you have no one taking a percentage of it (like studios do), but keep in mind that MOST musician,students and parents of students look to teachers who teach out of their home because they want slightly cheaper than a music school. This will also depend on where you live as the price for music lessons varies across the world. I found that always charging 2 to 4 dollars cheaper than a music school works out good. Not only do you get paid well with no deductions, but your students appreciate the inexpensive cost. * Remember that although there are no deductions as a self-employed teacher you are required to claim this income and pay taxes at the end of the year *
HOW TO SELL YOURSELF (ADVERTISING)
The greatest means to sell yourself as a private music teacher is word-of-mouth!! People love to take lessons or put their child in lessons with someone that their friends or family already knows, or at least someone that they have heard good things about. I got many of my students simply from other students recommending me to their friends and then it just continues from there. Although I say this is the best way to advertise yourself, obviously you do not have the most control over this. Try to get the word out by telling all your friends, family, co-workers, church, parent groups or whatever else you are involved with that you are beginning to teach out of your home, the word will travel from there from people who trust you and this makes a HUGE difference. The second best way that I found to advertise was online. There are SO MANY free websites out there that allow you to advertise yourself and you would be surprised how many people turn to the internet and just type in “music lessons” to find a teacher, they do not know anywhere else to turn. So take advantage of the free sites that are offered and spend the time to get your name out there! The third best way I had students find me was through local newspapers and putting up fliers in local stores. Although the cost of lessons are very important to people looking at taking music (or anything for that matter!) the location of the teacher is equally important, so advertise WHERE you are offering lessons from and the area that you live in. Many students will come to you simply because of how easy it is to get to your house! And make sure you know how to get ot your place (the easiest routes and less traffic) and also the bus routes. The more you know, the less they have to find out before signing up. You also have the option of creating a business name, registering your business with the government and therefore having that name, address and phone number in the phone book and in the business sections. This will cost you a small amount of money and take some time, but worth it if you are planning to work from home and build your business for a long time.
BE PROFESSIONAL BUT PERSONAL
As a private music teacher you want to feel as though you are a professional instructor running your own business, and sometimes this can be difficult when it is from your home. You usually don’t have a sign up, you don’t have a parking lot, you don’t have a “business feel” to your home, but that does not mean you can’t be a professional. By knowing what you are doing, having the self-confidence, being able to answer questions about music lessons, costs, your scheduling, etc., having a clean, safe, professional environment, taking the time to document all payments, schedule changes and information about your students, and going the extra mile for your students and teachers, you will come off not only as a professional music teacher who runs his/her own business, but you will also gain more students because they will trust you and respect you. To parents, it is more important for them to know their child likes you, has a good time and is learning something, so always put the most focus and work into your lessons and time spent with your students, the environment, costs, waiting rooms, and all the extras are just that – extras! But all together it will certainly have your home studio growing fast and earning a well-deserved positive reputation.
(For those of you who are curious: I taught from my home from the age of 15 to 17 piano, guitar and flute lessons. I was inexperienced as a teacher and business owner but I only started teaching children I knew from the neighborhood, charging very little and only taking on a few students, this lead me to teaching in a music school for 5 years, then another music school for 3 years and now I am once again teaching from home. It is convenient for me as a stay-at-home mom wanting to make a little extra income and it has given me tons of experience and helpful information as I begin to start my own music school in the area. I went from advertising all the ways I mentioned and no students when I moved here, to now having a full schedule and STILL people calling wanting to take lessons!
GOOD LUCK FELLOW TEACHERS!!
