What Should I Charge/Good Times for Lessons.

[KC27]

I am really excited and ready to start teaching piano lessons.  I guess a lot can go with the term "ready."  I have two questions. 1.) How do I determine competitive prices for lessons? 2.) How have some of you  determined what are good times for these lessons?  I'm sure that there are a lot of other questions that I would have to answer before I can even answer these.  Any help is appreciative!!!

[ludwig]

Prices for lessons should depend on several factors,
1) How experienced and what level you are at
2) How experienced and at what level are each individual your students are at (so teach level's price could be different)
3) Are you prepared to travel to teach or teach at your house?
4) What condition is the place you want to teach at?
5) How much time do you want to allocate to each student? depending on what grade they are at? What are their requests for times? etc...

Also, if  you are starting to teach, the best way is to find a space to fit your students in, according to their choice first, then when you get a system going of your own, you'll have to adjust the students' time to suit you in the future more or less. There's not a set time for great lesson times, perhaps not on friday afternoons, not too late in the day, and not to early, depending on if your area has restrictions, eg. piss the neighbours off..:p

[pianoannie]

Regarding fees, it really varies geographically.  From different online forums I participate in, the general range of fees seems to go from $10-$20/half hour lesson.  Don't start out too low just to lure students--you will regret it, in terms of the kinds of students you may attract, as well as feeling you can never catch up to what you really want to earn.  You'll need to talk with people you know who teach in your area, or families who pay for lessons, to find out what the range is in your area.  Music stores may have business cards of local teachers to help with this.  Also be aware that many teachers prefer to charge on a semester basis (like colleges do) which makes it easier to prevent parents from asking for a refund if a lesson is missed.  Of course, you'll need to put a lot of thought into your policy on missed lessons, but I strongly suggest that your students pay whether they show up or not, or you'll have a very high absence rate (translated: greatly reduced income).  Makeup lessons are another issue; some teachers offer unlimited makeup lessons (tranlated: insane schedule for the teacher!), one or two per semester, or none at all (my choice).  Read some various policies on some online teacher websites for ideas.  Regarding good times for lessons....well that is dictated by when your students are available to come.  Adults who do not work, preschoolers, or homeschool kids make great students who can come during daytime hours.  Your hours right after the schoolday will be highly sought after by most school kids.  I happen to teach from 1-9, which makes for a long day, but it works for me.  In your studio policy, spell out what you expect as far as the length of lesson time; in other words, a 30-minute lesson may be sufficient for a beginner, but at some point, do you want to require 45 or 60 minute lessons?  Spell that out clearly in your policy, including fees and general time frame for advancing to longer lessons. Hope this helps.

[kateb]

Hi,

I definitely second pianoannie's advice on charging for missed lessons!

As for charging: I charge the same regardless of the level the student is at. They are paying for the time of a professional (me!). A half hour is a half hour whether it's spent teaching a young virtuoso or a beginner. Plus, the formative years can in a way be considered the most important--a time parents should not skimp on, otherwise students are liable to hate piano and quit after a year.

Oh yes, and I second not starting out charging to low to lure students and also charging according to your experience teaching. If your just starting out, you will see that you yourself have some learning to do about running the business and the best way to present things!

Kate

[emywu]

hi all,

When I first started, I did something called "market research". That is to find out what other studios/teachers' policies and charges are, especially if there is one nearby your own location. You can simply call or visit in person, and see if they can provide you some pamphlets or brochures. After you collect enough infomation, then you can compare, and set up your own rules.

Emy