Private music teachers are teachers who teach an instrument, usually one on one with a student, or in small groups of students. Often these lessons are in the teachers’ or students’ homes, or are sometimes held within a school setting, often with the student leaving a larger class to spend time with the teacher.
In a private studio or school, the monetary arrangements for this type of music lesson involve parents paying the teacher “per lesson” and it is these types of teachers that this article hopes will help increase their income.
In this article there are four strategies to increase income as a private music teacher; some of them may not be suitable for all teachers, but we hope they will give you some ideas on how private music teachers can improve their income.
Strategy #1: Never refund or credit a lesson because it’s in the best interest of the customer
Students miss lessons. It is a fact. People get sick, there are special sporting events that happen, there are times when for some reason students are going to miss their music lesson. The fact is that this is inevitable. What you can do as a music teacher is have a policy that says “lessons are always made up, never refunded or credited to your account” however the important thing that is often overlooked in this is the POR WHAT about that statement. … it must be because it is necessary for the student’s progress on his instrument.
If you use this philosophy, you never have to argue with parents about it, because it’s in the interest of the students, not you! If you start the arrangement with this agreement in place, you’ll have a much easier time enforcing it—the parents will make the effort to take the lesson back instead of you having to insist on it. If you have results for the student (like an assessment or a test) it’s even easier to make sure it happens.
You will need time to recover the lessons; It may be necessary to allow a day or two on vacation or during non-contact time to do so, but you’ll find the ability to do this will be worth it. in extra income. Quite often, the parents won’t bother to make it up to you, and you won’t have to credit or refund any money!
Strategy #2 – Find your Niche and become exclusive in that Niche
If you have something special in your teaching, you will find that you will attract more students of better quality and you will be able to charge more.
For example, let’s say you teach guitar.
If you teach anyone who comes along, you’ll probably end up with some toddlers, some high school kids, and maybe an adult or two and you’ll have to teach a variety of styles depending on what kind of music the students like.
However, if you start a niche business, specializing in a single area, you will eventually find that people will seek you out because you are a specialist, and you will be able to charge more for your services and yourself. You can only accept the students you want.
Examples of a niche guitar business might be: – A business that specializes in guitar for young children – A business that helps adults fulfill their dreams of playing guitar in a band – A business that specializes in guitar heavy metal
These are just examples – there are literally thousands of possibilities, but the niche needs to be something customers really want, it can’t be something you think might be good!
Strategy #3: Increase your retention rate and don’t accept every student
Increasing your retention rate is vital for all businesses, but particularly for music teachers, where your revenue is determined by the number of students you teach multiplied by the dollars you charge.
If you increase the quality and level of the students you teach while at the same time reducing the number you lose, you will steadily increase your income and have a more fulfilling teaching role on a day-to-day basis.
There is no way you will accept every student that is offered to you. Not all students will be right for you – they are often looking to learn different things than what you offer, and they may not be as reliable in terms of paying their fees and attending classes as your regular students, so you should always meet. and interview prospective students before agreeing to teach them.
By avoiding “problem” students in the first place, you’ll be able to spend your time with more productive activities and better quality students…and this definitely helps increase your earning potential.
Most retention problems can be attributed to one thing: students lack motivation because they don’t practice enough. On the Fun Music Company Teacher Blog, we’ve got a few strategies to increase your retention rate, including practice systems and ideas to make lessons more fun.
Strategy #4 – Add passive income streams to your business
Teaching income is active income: if you stop teaching, the income stops. That’s okay… because it’s just like any earned income. What you should be looking to do as well is add passive income to your business.
Do you write any didactic material that can be used in music classes or lessons?
If so, you are in the perfect position to add passive income to your income mix. All you have to do is find a way to publish your materials so that your students and others can access them. It can be as simple as printing and binding the materials at a copy shop just for your students.
Do you buy books and music for your students and pass them on?
If so, you can negotiate volume discounts with vendors and then add the full retail cost of the books to the student’s account. Parents will appreciate the convenience of not having to go to a store to buy books if you put them through your business.
Can you sell tracks to other teachers or companies?
For example, all students need to buy instruments. Sometimes a deal is possible where you can get a monetary commission from a music store if you refer your students to buy their instruments there. This is certainly possible on the Internet, through the use of affiliate programs.
I hope this article has given you some ideas on how you can improve your income as a private music teacher. I was a private music teacher for over ten years and have used all of these strategies during that time. Private music instruction should be fun and rewarding, and it gives you the freedom to practice what you love, which is sharing the joy of music with others.