As summer approaches, I know my stable teaching schedule during the school year will turn topsy-turvy in a month. With vacations, football practices, and summer musicals, students are busier than ever. This summer I am trying a few new ideas to make summer lessons productive for students and worth a place in their crazy schedules.
When tax time comes around, it’s helpful to see a list of all of your expenses, broken down into categories. Music Teacher’s Helper makes it very easy to do this, totaling up the amounts you’ve spent in each category over a period of time.
When you have an expense, such as office equipment, you can record it Music Teacher’s Helper with just a few clicks, and the report will be generated for you automatically. To record an expense, click on the “Billing” -> “Expenses & Other Income” menu. (more…)
On many occasions I have had students/parents want to stop their reoccurring payment with PayPal. Two years ago I even had a student with a reoccurring payment quit lessons, but did not stop the reoccurring payment. I had to refund the fee for this student for two years, until I was finally able to make contact with her this month and send her directions to stop the PayPal payment. Incidentally, each month when I rejected the payment, the credit card fee charged to me was also refunded.
Below are the steps to cancel a reoccurring payment sent to me from PayPal’s customer support. Copy and paste it to a file in case you need to send it to a student.
As a first year full-time studio teacher, I have to say this has been quite a learning experience. I have learned a lot about the responsibility level of some students- even their parents- and I have also learned that my teaching and time is valuable. After teaching for a year with a fairly light cancellation policy, I have realized that while trying to cater to the parents and students, I really am hurting their progress and dedication to their instrument by being so lenient. After researching a variety of teachers’ cancellation policies, I have found these ideas particularly helpful.
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PayPal has become one of my hardest workers. Signing up and using PayPal is free and painless. Using PayPal with MTH is even better.
When a student pays by credit/debit card through PayPal, you get an immediate email from PayPal as well as MTH advising you of a student payment. That’s not all! MTH immediately updates the Accounts Receivables and credits the payment to the student’s account. What do you need to do? Nothing. The fee you are charged for a student making a credit card payment is $2.62. However, if you want have the funds transferred from PayPal to your bank account, there is no charge.
Occasionally I have a student, who has set up reoccurring payments through PayPal, wanting to stop the reoccurring payment and is unsure of the procedure. Below are instructions I received from PayPal to terminate reoccurring payments. I just copy and paste the information shown below in an email to the inquiring student. Try it. You will like it. (more…)
As a beginning private teacher, I used to feel uncomfortable concerning lesson payment. Coming from academic situations where music education superceded all, I hated ending a lesson asking for money, or reminding my student about next month’s invoice due. What needed to change, however, was my view of what I do, its value, and how I convey its value to my students.
While a performance student in my bachelor’s and master’s degree, I had access to so many wonderful books, recordings, videos, and music. As a student, I spent considerable time in the music library just listening to my favorite recordings, translating all of my repertoire, and looking for ever challenging music that I would some day sing.
Now as a private teacher, I want my students to have access to the same resources I had, and I want to keep an eye out for the latest in technique and performance preparation writings to keep my teaching fresh and on pointe. I have compiled a list of books that include some of the classic standbys, along with some new literature. In my first article, I will focus on studio management, and technique development. If you are currently teaching voice, and have found a resource that you think is particularly valuable that is not listed here, please post it in the comment box below. The art of singing and the teaching of singing are ever evolving, and so should this list!
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Every teacher has a policy. We all can learn from the studio or teaching policies of others. Below is my policy which I give to the parents as well as post on my web site. Please share with everyone what policy you use for your students.
What does your policy say. I would be interested in seeing other teachers’ policies.
As a private music teacher just opening my studio, I found that finding private students via online lesson directories and flier mailings was slow going. However, with a few phone calls to local pubic high schools, I was able to get involved as a voice teacher in their after school music lesson programs. This was the perfect solution to my budding studio, connecting me to a large volume of interested and reliable students.
Let’s take a look at the pros and cons of teaching in an after school program, and what steps should be taken to begin teaching private lessons in the public schools.
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I have been toying around with the idea of having a contest between all of my students. I think it’s a fun idea to get all your students excited about whatever musical theme you choose to base it on. Holding a contest could serve as a way to get your students thinking more about a musical subject they normally might find boring. Here are some ideas for contests:
