i apologise on two points:
1) i misread the previous posts, and thought you were charging 125 / hour / student.
2) that i may come across as being arrogant or rude. Trust words to convey expression. but being rude was not my intention. i retract my statements.
But that aside, we're STILL going off topic. Fine by me if you want to be a piano teacher all your life. I'm not doubting that its a viable career, and one that someone could make a living on. But what of those who want so much more? Is all our hard work for a stupid piece of paper all just so we can charge an extra few dollars / hour to students? I myself have done teaching, and i charge 40-50 an hour for lower grade. But i just don't see myself doing it for the rest of my life.
And there's also the issue of dwindling interest. Yes everyone still takes lessons. But when do most stop? Grade 5 is the average, i believe. Some make it to grade 8. And most of them end up playing pop songs. Those who don't, even less of them even think of taking it seriously. This isn't going to help the classical music industry at all.
and yes... with competitions in its dismal political state, its fairless useless at the moment. The non-winners at the competition may not be bad pianists, and the winners at the competitions may not be great pianists either. Its simply a shortcut for those lucky enough to get a recording contract and a tour.
Most people consider things like that a hobby, not a real job. I wouldn't expect anyone to make a lot of money from performances alone unless they got famous.
That's exactly my point. they take it as a hobby because they don't see themselves acheiving the kind of results at that level. how many a kid has given up on a dream just because they didn't make it to the juilliard? how many more couldn't afford to go to the juilliard in the first place?
So what i was suggesting in the first place is that we, as musicians, need to be trained in financial intelligence. Build up assets. Passive income. Time INVESTMENT.
No more can we depend on performances for money! But if we DO want to perform, how else will we do it, aside from teaching, which eats up so much time, its just simply not worth it for people like me, who want to live comfortably.
They say the music industry is a tough life to live. I don't think it has to be so, if we choose otherwise.
I fully accept your apology, sorry I got defensive. I definately think you have some good points.
I actually use my influence as a piano teacher to show kids how to enjoy classical music. I have only taught classical music, and use my own love and power of pursuasion to instill a love of music in children. I don't think a musician should teach all their life, or even be a full time teacher, but as a musician, teaching music to children will help guarantee a love for music in future generations. Sharing your love for music will encourage others to do the same, and I truely believe if enough musicians learned to share their understanding of music, more people would be drawn to classical music. I am actually taking my students on a "field trip" to the symphony in 2 weeks, and depending on how that goes (it's my first field trip) I will plan even more in the future. Group rates make it extremely affordable ($15-adults, $9-children for this particular show) and turning it into a group activity helps people up to the experience.
I have just recently started back to teaching on my own, and am discovering the benefits and how much money I can actually make for minimal work. I am probably going to quit doing engineering (my full time job) and just teach because it makes so much more money. I know your topic was to avoid talking about teaching, but to me it just seems the most obvious way to go. Most artists in any craft teach to suppliment their income. Heck, even teachers teach on the side these days.
All that stuff you listed about students quitting, etc, that's all stuff that you learn how to deal with as you gain experience. I tackled those problems years ago, and now they aren't even an issue. There is a very high demand for teachers and mentors. Kids really need guidance, and they're everywhere, so why not profit off of guiding them? Somebody needs to! Especially if you can instill a love of music at such a young age. It really isn't "just teaching" unless you make it "just teaching," If you make it about sharing a love for music, your student will NEVER outgrow your services. See what I'm saying?
Also, that $100k a year number I pulled out was just kind of a starting point. As you pointed out, most teachers dont charge $125, in fact, around here the average is $100, and 67 students would be a bit taxing, but even a $50k a year supplement to piano competitions would be nice, don't you think? And this income could then be turned around into investments in property, etc. Also, teaching provides an insane amount of tax right offs. Gas, music equipment, sheet music, gifts for your students (trust me, it's a must), and things of this nature. To tell you the truth, I really don't like kids and I have absolutely no patience, but I was trained by a professional and got really good at it. It's so nice knowing all the work I've put into playing piano (20 years now) can actually pay off (I don't mean just financially either). Teachers are in such high demand, you could choose only adults, or only people with flexible schedules, or only people who want to be professionals, and never charge less than what it's worth to you. I don't like working during the week (after my fulltime job) so I charge more for weekday lessons.
The possibilities are really endless. But I see your point about it not being just an investment. You would have to commit a weekly lesson per student and actually have to be there and what not. Perhaps we could start a training seminar for pianists on how to invest their money in real estate or something? Is this more along the lines of what you mean? It would be nice if there was a financial company with a program for musicians to help them properly manage and invest their money so that they can maximize their profits.
I have immense respect for performers and people who can make a living doing that. I think it's just amazing. One of the engineers that used to work with my dad actually left engineering to become a pianist, and now plays at local restaraunts and bars. I would love to be able to do something like that one day, but I've only managed to perform at a coffee shop that wasn't busy. I don't really like being on stage or being the center of attention, so it's either teaching or engineering for me!
Good luck, I hope everything works out!