Where do you get your students?

[jam8086]

Hey all,

A question for private piano teachers: Where do you get your students? Obviously, they just don't appear at your door asking for lessons, so what kind of advertising do you do to get your name out there?

Also, how much is reasonable to charge per hour?

[lagin]

Lol, actually they do appear on my doorstep (figuratively speaking)!  I'm the only teacher in our neighborhood, though.  There used to be one other, but I don't know if she still teaches or not.  I only just finished my grade 9 exam, so I'm only charging 10 dollars per half hour.  When I finish grade 10, I'll move it to 12 dollars, and by the time I get my teachers and performers ARCTs I hope to have it between 15 and 16 dollars per half hour.  But that's not for a few years yet.

[Appenato]

I've had most luck through church (I play on Sundays so people approach me inquiring about whether I teach), as well as advertising on the e-group for homeschoolers in the area. Also, having your name on the teacher list at the local music store helps. Once you have a few students, word-of-mouth tends to recruit quite a few students. At my university, I've noticed that some teachers have posted ads on the bulletin board in the music building. Some are student teachers of course, but there are also other local teachers that advertise there. Might consider looking into that last option.

[Astyron]

I have a website, and a local music store passes out my cards if people ask about lessons.  I also have word of mouth advertising as my students tell others about me and give them my phone number.

[jeremyjchilds]

I get all of my students through tuning. After I tune thier piano I demonstrate it, and then they want to take lessons. (usually they get the piano tuned because they want to start taking lessons, so it works out very well. )

You need to be charging way more than 10 a half hour.

Charge 15 now (Provided that there are other teachers charging that or more in your area)

Rate changes are a nightmare sometimes...nobody complains about a high fee right off the bat, but you should hear the complaining when you want to raise your monthly fee by $5....

As for you...if you want students, start playing a lot in public. Play in restaraunts for free as long as you are allowed to put some business cards on the piano. Talk to techs, (cause we see all of the people that are interested) and tell them that you are accepting students.  Join a teachers association (well, you will need your gr. 10 to become a student teacher) and they will send students your way. As for advertising, the best thing to do is "networking"  I can put an ad in the yellow pages and get no students or tunings all year...but I can go to a friend of a friend's christmas party and get 5 students and 8 tunings in an evening...just mention to everyone what you do...but find a tasteful way to do it...

[m1469]

At the very beginning, I did do some advertising.  I used to work at a place where I was in contact with *LOTS* of kids !!!  It was an after school program that funneled all of the kids in need of this program in the area.  Anyway, to get myself started, I made up a flyer and was able to hand one out to as many kids as I wanted.  This is how I got my first few students.  From there everything just kept growing. 

I also had a friend who had started teaching piano (among other instruments too) through a local music store and then he moved away.  Upon his moving, he asked if I would take those students of his who wished to continue.  I inheritted several students from him.  My teacher that I had been working with for the past few years, has also given me some referrals.  I get a number of students through word-of-mouth from student to student (or parent to parent).  I no longer advertise and have not since my very first time of having passed out flyers to get started.

As I have given some informal solo recitals, I have cultivated interested students from those (particularly adults).  Also, having my students give recitals and pulling their families in to watch has inspired other members of the family to start taking lessons.

Here is a little something funny.  Perhaps you will find a parent who is very publically involved themselves, or very, very enthusiastic about ... *communication*... when you get those types, make a point of realizing there is a good chance they will spread your name around.  It is better, of course, that they spread your name happily .

I wish you well,

m1469

[Astyron]

Oh, I almost forgot.  Another way to pick up students is to get friendly with other piano teachers.  If they are full and have a long waiting list they may give out other teachers' names.  I know I do, particularly if people want a teacher right away and aren't particular about who they have.  If they rave about me and really want me then they go on my waitin g list.  I don't mind spreading the wealth of students around now that I've reached my limit.

[lagin]

You need to be charging way more than 10 a half hour.

Charge 15 now (Provided that there are other teachers charging that or more in your area)

Rate changes are a nightmare sometimes...nobody complains about a high fee right off the bat, but you should hear the complaining when you want to raise your monthly fee by $5....

Well, I'm going to leave it at ten for this next year since I've already updated and handed out my policy for 2006.  I'm going from monthly payment to semester payment, so that's a big enough jump already for them I think.  If they give me post dated cheques for each month, then that's fine, and I'll cash one each month, but if they insist on cash, as some do, then I want the cash for each semester up front.  It's the cash people that I'm always chasing down anyway.  I'm sure there are better ways to collect, but I'm still in the trial and error stage right now, as I've only been teaching for a year. 

I don't know about 15.  Teachers don't charge as much in Canada.  For example, the best teacher in our area (whose students go to the provincials and win scholarships regularly), I'm pretty sure she doesn't charge over twenty.  My teacher who has 20+ years of experience, has a performance degree, and a teacher's degree, and only charges 19.  Both of these teachers work out of the same music school, and pay overhead out of their fees.  I work out of my home, and have not been playing long even though I advanced quickly.  So I'm only going to be maybe 7 dollars less than them once I raise it next year, and I have no overhead, and I'm WAY less experienced.

And I'm rambling.  I do that alot.   

P.S. Thanks for the getting student ideas.  I'm playing it low key right now, as I'm a full time student myself, though.  When I'm finished my degrees, then I plan to make myself known as a piano teacher.  For now, I don't turn them away, but I don't seek them either. 

[abell88]

I don't know about 15.  Teachers don't charge as much in Canada.

Depends where you are...I'm at around $20 and that's normal-to-low for someone with my experience; I pay $26 for my son's lessons. My friend pays $90 for an hour (very advanced).

[Appenato]

I get all of my students through tuning. After I tune thier piano I demonstrate it, and then they want to take lessons. (usually they get the piano tuned because they want to start taking lessons, so it works out very well. )

you mean people actually tune their pianos before starting lessons??? wow.

[jeremyjchilds]

It's amazing isn't it...people actually tune thier pianos. I think around here, people get thier pianos tuned only once every 5 years...they all sound so bad.

I tune my own piano every two months (because it is played 6 hours a day, and because I can't stand it when even one note is starting to go sour)

I guess the thing is, a piano teacher has room for 50-70 students, so it does not take too long to fill the roster. All it takes is 30 or 40 families...then they are with you for years. So yes...there are enough people who tune thier pianos before taking lessons to keep me busy as an instructor.

[jen]

I have found some great ideas on here.. but , have any of you ever dropped in students? I just can't seem to get  any more "New" students. I am a pianist at church and there's no "new" kids that want lessons.

I've called other schools/churches to let them know.  I just tried to adverstise on a homeschool e group. I leave business cards, I post them on BB boards in the local area.

I called the music store.. one said that we teach here at the store, so that would be like competition for us, so they wouldn't take my name.

Have any of you passed out flyers? Is that tacky?

[pianoannie]

Jen, another thing you can try is to give the students that you do have some visibility in your community.  When you're going to have a recital, send a press release to your local paper (small community papers are more likely to print such articles than a large metropolitan paper).  Try to include a picture of your students as a group, or even just one student playing your piano.  In this press release, include an invitation to your recital, and include a quote from a student or mom about how much they enjoy piano lessons.

You can also try to find places for your students to play publically---an open space in a shopping mall, at a park during a festival (using a digital piano of course--I've done this), some upscale stores have grand pianos in them.  Choose 2 or 3 of your best students and talk with the store manager about letting them play (and of course have business cards and brochures nearby).

Also, car advertising gives you a lot of visibility for little cost.  Search online for a company that does nice, professional looking car window decals.  Short and sweet, something like "Piano Lessons, www.yourwebsite.com" (I wouldn't want my phone number there for all to see).

Get acquainted with school music teachers.  Offer to volunteer as an accompanist, for classes or for competitions.

Do some volunteer library classes to introduce young children to keyboards, and music basics ie rhythm, pitch, high/low, music alphabet, etc.  If you walk into a library and offer to do a free children's class, they will likely jump on your offer.  Then, as long as you're low-key about it, they will probably allow you to have business cards available.  In fact, I just did 3 library classes this morning (for the purpose of introducing my new early childhood music classes) but I got as many or more questions of "Do you teach piano?" as I did inquiries for the program I was actually trying to promote! (so my piano waiting list has grown).

Once you get several happy students, word of mouth will spread like wildfire!
annie

[rubix]

I don't know about 15.  Teachers don't charge as much in Canada.

I charge 10 per half hour. Like lagin said, it seems that they don't charge as much in Canada. The teachers I've had, who have been very good teachers with lots of experience, have charged 15 per half hour. Since I'm working on gr. 10, $10/ half hour seems about right in comparison.

[jen]

Jen, another thing you can try is to give the students that you do have some visibility in your community.  When you're going to have a recital, send a press release to your local paper (small community papers are more likely to print such articles than a large metropolitan paper).  Try to include a picture of your students as a group, or even just one student playing your piano.  In this press release, include an invitation to your recital, and include a quote from a student or mom about how much they enjoy piano lessons.

You can also try to find places for your students to play publically---an open space in a shopping mall, at a park during a festival (using a digital piano of course--I've done this), some upscale stores have grand pianos in them.  Choose 2 or 3 of your best students and talk with the store manager about letting them play (and of course have business cards and brochures nearby).

Also, car advertising gives you a lot of visibility for little cost.  Search online for a company that does nice, professional looking car window decals.  Short and sweet, something like "Piano Lessons, www.yourwebsite.com" (I wouldn't want my phone number there for all to see).

Get acquainted with school music teachers.  Offer to volunteer as an accompanist, for classes or for competitions.

Do some volunteer library classes to introduce young children to keyboards, and music basics ie rhythm, pitch, high/low, music alphabet, etc.  If you walk into a library and offer to do a free children's class, they will likely jump on your offer.  Then, as long as you're low-key about it, they will probably allow you to have business cards available.  In fact, I just did 3 library classes this morning (for the purpose of introducing my new early childhood music classes) but I got as many or more questions of "Do you teach piano?" as I did inquiries for the program I was actually trying to promote! (so my piano waiting list has grown).

Once you get several happy students, word of mouth will spread like wildfire!
annie

Thanks for all the good ideas!

[diegosmom]

Coming into this thread a bit late. At my son's preschool, there was a music teacher who'd come in for 30 minutes everyday to facilitate their music playtime. Pretty simple stuff -- they'd just sit in a circle and sing songs, or march around while she played the piano, clapping their hands to the rhythms and other preschool musical activities. She also made it known to the kids' parents that she gave piano lessons, and pretty soon a lot of them signed up. So she earns two ways -- as the music teacher for the morning preschool, and as a piano teacher the rest of the day. And since she deals with a horde of noisy bratty kids for the morning activities, she does a pretty good job at patiently handling and motivating 5-and-6-year olds at their piano lessons.

[jeremyjchilds]

Coming into this thread a bit late. At my son's preschool, there was a music teacher who'd come in for 30 minutes everyday to facilitate their music playtime. Pretty simple stuff -- they'd just sit in a circle and sing songs, or march around while she played the piano, clapping their hands to the rhythms and other preschool musical activities. She also made it known to the kids' parents that she gave piano lessons, and pretty soon a lot of them signed up. So she earns two ways -- as the music teacher for the morning preschool, and as a piano teacher the rest of the day. And since she deals with a horde of noisy bratty kids for the morning activities, she does a pretty good job at patiently handling and motivating 5-and-6-year olds at their piano lessons.

That is a really good idea.

I just about did this when i was starting, because I could see the same benefits. I decided not to because I wanted to have a mostly older student base...

If you don't mind young kids, then go for it

Just please remember to be patient.

[gaer]

One strange thing about getting new students:

Sometimes you will get referrals from fine students, but the people referred to you will be poor students. I've also gotten wonderful students referred to me by some of my worst students.

I work in a music store. There are advantages and disadvantages to being part of a store. Although I have complete freedom to teach exactly as I please, a percentage of what I make goes to the business. For me it's worth it. I don't have to advertise, schedule students, collect money, etc., unless there are special problems that I need to take care of (usually dealing with long-time students who I allow to break some rules).

I think most of you discussing this are working in your own homes, and then getting "people walking in the door" is obviously a very different matter.

Some of my very best students have been people who walked in and said, "I want piano lessons. How much do they cost." It's ironic, because I could be completely incompetent for all they know. I always say, "What made you pick me?"

Although the strain of working with younger kids is considerable, I personally prefer to start people from scratch, so the younger they are, the more time I have to build. When I get students from other teachers, they are usually very badly taught unless the teachers have left the area or the students have moved from other places, in which case they may have gotten excellent instruction.

It's really hard to know where all the new students come from. If you have been in an area for a long time, sooner or later it seems that people either get good or bad reports about what you do.

Question: is there a thread about the most common problems we have to face resulting from previous teachers who made big mistakes?

Gaer

[bernhard]

Question: is there a thread about the most common problems we have to face resulting from previous teachers who made big mistakes?

Gaer

Perhaps one should not blame previous teachers too hastily. I certainly had my fair share of students from hell who refused to follow instructions and paid no attention whatsoever to what I was saying to them. I am sure that the next teacher was horrified at allthe "bad habits" they got from me... Just as horrified as I was when I started teaching and got my first students. A few years later, I was far less predisposed to blame the teacher.

I also discovered this: It is not that difficult to get rid of bad habits, if the good habit is indeed a good habit. Truly good habits are so far superior in facility and in results that once a student is shown them, they almost immediately take to them. And if they not, it is always worthwhile enquiring if the habit we so believe to be good is indeed so.

The threads below don't exactly cover your question, but they are related:

Have a look here:

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4417.msg41108.html#msg41108
(scolding students – students from hell, their attitudes and appropriate responses – start from the idea that student is put on your path for your benefit, not his – joining the model of the student – using their energy rather than yours – analogy to martial arts – use students form hell to learn this art – logic x psychology x philosophy – example of learning piece backwards- steve wonder is god silogism – analogy with reading)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4269.msg41284.html#msg41284
(teaching a child with bad habits – aim is not for the student to get better, but for the teacher to get better – use pieces the student love – outlining x simplification – how small hands can cope with octaves – fingering)

https://pianoforum.net/smf/index.php/topic,4269.msg39706.html#msg39706
(Helping a student get rid of bad habits)

Best wishes,
Bernhard.

[gaer]

Hello, Bernard,

I also discovered this: It is not that difficult to get rid of bad habits, if the good habit is indeed a good habit.

I agree with you in general, but there are a few bad habits that are incredibly hard to fix. One is "dragging the fingers" in scale work, where two or more keys are held down because they are not released properly. However, I find this is usually a problem for adults (or older teens who are physically nearly grown). I think I could come up with a few other bad habits that are very hard to change. The difficulty is related to how long the habit has been "practiced". In short, people get very good at doing what they practice hard at for a long time. So if what they are practicing is wrong, they become very "good" at doing it wrong.

I especially liked what you wrote here:

“I can’t do that”. The most frequently heard sentence in the whole student vocabulary. My answer: “Of course you cannot, you moron! That is why you are a student, and that is why you came to the course in the first place.[…"]

I say much the same way, explaining that I don't expect anyone to do anything until I've showed them how, and I also mention that it was the same for me, as a student.

In another thread you linked, you mentioned consistent fingering. My teaching also matches yours here, I think. My advice: "I would prefer that you follow the fingering I have given you. As you become more advanced, I will not only allow you to change the fingering I recommend, I will often encourage you to experiment. But you must stick to what you choose, because changing fingering later on can be incredibly difficult, and if you change fingering each time you play a piece, you will confuse your brain and it will not know what to do under pressure—even if the pressure is no more than showing off for your family or a friend.

Finally, I very much like this:

"Unless a student loves to bits the piece they are assigned they will not put any work into it."

I have only one thing I'd like to add to this. My students often enjoy playing things they believe they only like "a little bit" if they are able to learn them quickly and play them very well, because they impress themselves. For the same reason, students who insist on playing things that are too far above them may become so discouraged that they never want to play them again, even later. So if someone insists on playing piece he or she is not ready for, in my opinion, I will sometimes allow them to do so, but I will also say after a lesson or two, "Are you sure you wouldn't rather wait a bit until you are more advanced, because then this 'favorite piece' will no longer seem impossible to play."

What I was really looking for was experiences from other teachers faced specific problems they inherited from other teachers. By the way, if a student comes to me having been poorly taught, in my opinion, I NEVER say that. I simply say, "Well, I see that you have learned some things we can use, so I hope you won't mind as I suggest things we can add to what you have already learned to make things better."

Gaer

[jeremyjchilds]

Hello, Bernard,I agree with you in general, but there are a few bad habits that are incredibly hard to fix. One is "dragging the fingers" in scale work, where two or more keys are held down because they are not released properly. However, I find this is usually a problem for adults (or older teens who are physically nearly grown). I think I could come up with a few other bad habits that are very hard to change. The difficulty is related to how long the habit has been "practiced". In short, people get very good at doing what they practice hard at for a long time. So if what they are practicing is wrong, they become very "good" at doing it wrong.

 

You know what though....

I'm not sure if Smudging scale notes is necessarilly a "bad habit" (a bad habit would indicate a problem that would have been easy to fix from the beginning, had it been taught properly) I would tend to think that it is simply a tricky technical problem, and most people do it because they are ignorant to the problem. I have found that it is no more difficult to teach an experienced player the art of rolling cleanly than a beginner...

I think that your example is just a technical skill and it does not require un-learning of another skill, just a first learning of the skill of rolling your fingers cleanly.

In fact, I would probably argue that most things that people regard as "bad habits" are not actually bad habits, but simply opporitunities to recognize weaknesses and intelligently overcome them.

Let me give you another example. I have heard many times people curse previous teachers for letting their students look at thier hands while sight reading. This is mistakenly called a "bad habit" because it severely affects a student's ability to read. This is not the time to "wrestle" with the student and tell them to never look at thier hands...This is the time to adress the previous gap in learning, introduce a new skill, and watch them expand.

There is nothing that needs to be un-learned in these examples, just gaps that need to be filled.

I think this holds true for almost all situations where a "bad habit" is mentioned. Why is this important? Well, there is a psychological block that happens in a teacher when he says to himself "this student had a stupid teacher" this paralyzes rather than mobilizes...

[gaer]

I think that your example is just a technical skill and it does not require un-learning of another skill, just a first learning of the skill of rolling your fingers cleanly.

So far with children I've never had to do more than mention the idea of striking/pushing/stroking each key separately. I had in mind adults, and I should have been more clear. I think this particular "habit" of holding down extra keys happens between the time people quit lessons, as children, then decide to begin, often a decade or more later. I'm very new to this forum, but I'm afraid I have started a discussion that is off-topic.

Let me give you another example. I have heard many times people curse previous teachers for letting their students look at thier hands while sight reading. This is mistakenly called a "bad habit" because it severely affects a student's ability to read.

I'm an extremely quick sight-reader, and I never was told not to look at my hands. I've never told a student not to do so. In fact, I tell my young students just the opposite: "Don't worry about it. Just make sure that your eyes are very quick so that you never lose your place." I think that looking at music more and more without looking down as often is a natural result of becoming a better reader. If you force people to look only at the music, it produces tension and anxiety. At least this has been my experience.

Gaer

[graeme78]

I'm a new teacher and I have found that putting flyers up on bulletin boards has little effect.  I decided to rent teaching space at a local music store, and they are sending everyone who asks for lessons my way.  Get other people who know your musical capabilities to start talking about you.  Word of mouth is the way to go, even in the beginning.

[joyfulmusic]

I started out with a half dozen students.  I go to the student's home.  I'm veeeeeeeeeery charming.  Scmooze baby schmooze.  I now have 40 students.  My first few came from an ad in a small local paper - the kind that goes to every household for free.  Always have brochures and business cards with you and network network.  Everywhere I go if it comes up that I teach piano, someone asks for lessons.  I couldn't possibly do this for $10 a half hour.  But I live in the Boston area and everything is very high.  I'm reluctant to say how much I get and have some bricks thrown at me.  Suffice it to say I make a good living.  I'm worth it.  They get great instruction and happy kids who keep going and some of them I'm priming for scholarships later on. 

[jeremyjchilds]

I started out with a half dozen students.  I go to the student's home.  I'm veeeeeeeeeery charming.  Scmooze baby schmooze.  I now have 40 students.  My first few came from an ad in a small local paper - the kind that goes to every household for free.  Always have brochures and business cards with you and network network.  Everywhere I go if it comes up that I teach piano, someone asks for lessons.  I couldn't possibly do this for $10 a half hour.  But I live in the Boston area and everything is very high.  I'm reluctant to say how much I get and have some bricks thrown at me.  Suffice it to say I make a good living.  I'm worth it.  They get great instruction and happy kids who keep going and some of them I'm priming for scholarships later on. 

Way to go