I started teaching private music lessons almost 15 years ago, right out of college. In college, we had a “Mac Lab” which we thought was pretty awesome, and we used Eudora Light to retrieve email. I had a great teacher in college who helped me get started by referring beginners to me that were looking for someone that would come to their houses. From there, I got most of my students through referrals from current students. Advertising consisted of reaching out to schools and asking to be put on their “teacher list” and flyers on community bulletin boards. I left college well prepared to teach music, but not really prepared to be an entrepreneur, which I suddenly was.
Things have changed! Now, I’ve made the decision to teach in my home studio and at a school, and I no longer travel to students’ homes. I still get referrals, but I get just as many new students from the web. There is so much technology available now, and it’s really helped build my studio and in some ways made me a better teacher. But it’s also easy to get bogged down trying to figure out what to invest in, spend time on, or get involved in. And, just because technology can help us be better teachers, improve our studio management and communication, we can’t forget about the tried and true methods that still work and can’t be beat.
So what is this blog about? My plan is to dig into private music study and teaching in the current environment. I’ll cover topics that teachers, students, and parents can use to weigh all the various resources, technologies, and techniques, old and new, to make music lessons more effective and fun. Because at the end of the day, music should be fun!
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