| In Private Music teaching the teacher often | | | | might be good! |
| is forced to teach small groups or one on one | | | | |
| lessons at low fees, which are sometimes | | | | Strategy #3 - Increase your retention rate |
| fixed by the school or association they teach | | | | and don't take on every student |
| within. | | | | |
| | | | Increasing your retention rate is vital for |
| In a private studio or in a school, the | | | | all businesses - but particularly for music |
| monetary arrangements for this kind of music | | | | teachers - where your income is determined by |
| lesson involves the parent paying the teacher | | | | the number of students you are teaching |
| "per lesson" and it is these kind of teachers | | | | multiplied by the dollars that you charge. |
| that this article hopes to help increase | | | | |
| their income. | | | | If you can cut down on the number of students |
| | | | you lose, while you simultaneously increase |
| In this article are four strategies for | | | | the quality of those students you'll have a |
| increasing income as a private music teacher | | | | better income, and a more satisfying teaching |
| - some of them may not be suitable for every | | | | career as well. |
| teacher, but hopefully they will give you | | | | |
| some insights on how private music teachers | | | | There is no way you should accept every |
| can improve their income. | | | | student that you get offered. Not every |
| | | | student is going to be right for you - they |
| Strategy #1 - Never refund or credit a lesson | | | | often are looking to learn different things |
| because its in the clients best interest | | | | to what you offer, and they might not be as |
| | | | reliable in terms of paying their fees and |
| Students miss lessons. It's a fact. People | | | | attending lessons as your regular students, |
| get sick, there are special sporting events | | | | so you should always meet and interview |
| that happen, there are times when for | | | | prospective students before you agree to |
| whatever reason students are going to miss | | | | teach them. |
| their music lesson. The fact is that this is | | | | |
| unavoidable. What you can do as a music | | | | By avoiding "problem" students in the first |
| teacher is have a policy that says that | | | | place you'll be able to spend your time with |
| "lessons are always made-up, they are never | | | | more productive activities and better quality |
| refunded or credited to your account", | | | | students.. and this will increase your income |
| however the important thing that is often | | | | in the longer term. |
| missed in this is the WHY of that | | | | |
| statement... it should be because it is | | | | Most of the problems with retention can be |
| necessary for the student's progress on their | | | | traced back to one thing - the students lack |
| instrument. | | | | motivation because they don't practice |
| | | | enough. We have various strategies for |
| If you use this philosophy you won't ever | | | | increasing retention rate by encouraging |
| have to argue with parents over it - because | | | | practice at the Fun Music company teachers |
| its in the students interest, not yours! If | | | | blog, which you'll find a link to at the end |
| you start the arrangement with this agreement | | | | of this article. |
| in place you'll find it much easier to | | | | |
| enforce it - the parents will make the effort | | | | Strategy #4 - Add passive income streams to |
| to make up the lesson rather than you having | | | | your business |
| to insist on it. If you have outcomes for the | | | | |
| student (such as an assessment or exam) in | | | | Teaching income is active income - if you |
| place it makes it even easier to make sure | | | | stop teaching the income stops. That is ok.. |
| that it happens. | | | | because it is like any earned income. What |
| | | | you should be looking to do is also add |
| You will need to make time to make the | | | | passive income to your business. |
| lessons up - it might be necessary to allow | | | | |
| one or two days in the holidays or during | | | | Do you write any teaching materials which can |
| non-contact time to do it, but you'll find | | | | be used in music classes or lessons? |
| that the ability to do this will be worth it | | | | |
| in extra income. Very often the parents will | | | | If so you are in the perfect position to add |
| not bother making it up, and you'll not have | | | | passive income to your income mix. All you |
| to credit or refund any money! | | | | have to do is find a way to publish your |
| | | | materials so that your students and others |
| Strategy #2 - Find your Niche and make | | | | can access them. It can be as simple as |
| yourself exclusive in that Niche | | | | getting the materials printed and bound at a |
| | | | copy shop just for your students only. |
| If you have something special about your | | | | |
| teaching you'll find that you'll attract more | | | | Do you purchase books and music for your |
| and better quality students, and you'll be | | | | students and pass them on to them? |
| able to charge more. | | | | |
| | | | If so you may be able to negotiate bulk |
| For example, lets say you teach the guitar. | | | | discounts from suppliers and then add the |
| | | | full retail cost of the books to the students |
| If you teach anyone who comes you'll probably | | | | account. Parents will appreciate the |
| end up with some young children, some high | | | | convenience of not having to go into a shop |
| school children, and maybe one or two adults | | | | to purchase the books if you put it through |
| and you'll have to teach a variety of styles | | | | your business. |
| depending on the type of music that the | | | | |
| students like. | | | | Can you sell leads to other teachers or |
| | | | businesses? |
| If however..... you start a niche business, | | | | |
| specializing in only one area you'll | | | | For example students all need to purchase |
| eventually find that people will seek you out | | | | instruments. Sometimes possible is an |
| because you are a specialist, and you'll be | | | | arrangement where you can can get a monetary |
| able to charge more for your services and | | | | commission from a music store if you refer |
| you'll be able to only take on the students | | | | your students to purchase their instruments |
| you want. | | | | there. This is certainly possible on the |
| | | | internet, via the use of affiliate programs. |
| Examples of a niche business for guitar might | | | | |
| be: - A business that specializes in guitar | | | | I hope this article has given you some ideas |
| for young children - A business that helps | | | | of ways that you can improve your income as a |
| adults fulfill their dreams of playing guitar | | | | private music teacher. I was a private music |
| in a band - A business that specializes in | | | | teacher for over ten years, and I've used all |
| heavy metal guitar | | | | of these strategies during that time. Private |
| | | | music teaching should be fun and rewarding, |
| These are just examples - there are literally | | | | and it gives you freedom to practice what you |
| thousands of possibilities, but the niche | | | | love, which is sharing the joy of music with |
| must be something that customers actually | | | | others. |
| want, it cant be something that you think | | | | |