Policies and Procedures

music money

So often, when talking to my music teacher colleagues, we lament how difficult it is to make a living as a music teacher. Teaching during after school hours each week day limits our working hours, and you can’t raise your rates every single year without driving yourself out of business!

So how do we as teachers make sure that we are maximizing our earning potential without exhausting ourselves? Here are some ideas to boost your music teaching salary…

charityEach December, I like for my students to participate in some type of performance for charity. This year, we held our second annual “Piano Play-a-thon“, where students put together a program of up to five minutes, solicited sponsors to donate money to a local organization, and performed their pieces at a casual recital. This year, we raised almost $1,000 for a local non-profit who provides in-home services for families of children with special needs and had the chance to perform at a fantastic coffee shop. I love being able to rally some community support and bring attention to one of the many fantastic charities and the work they are doing in our area.

I think there are so many ways that we can use our studios to give back to our communities. Not only is performing a great way to motivate students to work hard, but charity events teach them the ways they can use their gifts to serve others. As a bonus, you’ll also be reaching members of your community with your studio’s name and services!

By Alyssa Cowell We offer formal vocal training at The Catoctin School of Music. Many times students sign up for voice lessons expecting to learn a new song every week, or practice singing songs that they hear on YouTube or Spotify. This is not the purpose of voice lessons. Formal vocal training is all about evaluating a student’s current vocal technique and teaching them to change...

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