Supplementing your income during the summer.

[sharmayelverton]

To fellow teachers.

I've been teaching piano privately now for a couple of years. Whilst I don't earn allot I am managing to get by. However, I always run into a bit of a crisis situation over the sumer holidays as all my students, who are mainly school children, tend to go away for a couple of months  effectively leaving me with no income.

I need to find some practical ways to supplement my income during this period that still leaves me the flexibility to teach the few students that are around.

Has anyone else had the same problem? Has anyone else got any good solutions?

[quantum]

Perhaps you could take the time and attend to other activities that compliment your teaching such as: sight read through music, research new publications for students, attend music reading sessions, learn music to play yourself, get involved with chamber groups, accompany a choir, sing in a choir, attend music teachers organization meetings.  While not all of these activities may directly give you income, the participation in such activities external to teaching may lead to greater income possibilities and professional networking. 

If you are really strapped for cash, get some sort of job.  It may not be as great as teaching, but it will give you some sort of income.  Maybe a library needs some staff working in the music and scores section.

[aintgotnorhythm]

Two suggestions

a) offer additional lessons over the holiday period. As a parent I have taken the initiative with my kids's current teacher and scheduled a few additional lessons during the summer.

b) can you run some more general musical workshops? Again, as a parent looking for ways to occupy the children in the holidays, often there are sporting activities available (e.g. football or tennis camps running at a local school) but not really anything musical. Could you get together with a couple of other music teachers to offer something for a group of children?

[opusmusic]

A suggestion is for the students that ARE here during the summer, offer them an "intensive 8 week music study camp" where you focus on their piano studies vigorously.  Students and parents that are over-achievers will like this program, because it will help their children get ahead during that period.  You can teach the student 4 days a week, at maybe 3x the cost of their weekly lesson costs.  Some of that time can be spent doing intense practice, sight-reading, going into a deep dive into certain theory concepts, watch piano videos on youtube, or anything else you can think of.  Good luck!

-Theresa Chen
Private piano teacher in Los Angeles

[countrymath]

Play cocktail piano.

Try to get gigs on restaurants, hotels, etc...

[dcstudio]

Play cocktail piano.

Try to get gigs on restaurants, hotels, etc...

or churches, lots of gigs there. Some colleges offer "kiddie college" during the summer which pays well and is lots of fun.  I also take the out of town or traveling gigs during the summer.  Community theaters also do musicals and often need a rehearsal pianist or musical director.
Of course, jazz piano solo gigs still pay the best, tho.