I recently re-opened my piano studio after a three year break. My time off teaching was spent shuttling my children to their activities (piano, cello, violin, soccer, lacrosse), enforcing their practice time, and thinking about what had been successful in my teaching and what I’d do differently when I returned.
These are some of the choices I’ve made in my new studio:
1. Give a rating
I decided to be clearer in my expectations of each student and give them feedback at each lesson about whether those expectations were met. I rate my lessons from 1-10. A 10 is unusual and means the student has gone above and beyond the lesson assignments. A 1 is even more unusual and means nothing was accomplished that week. These ratings help my students and their parents recognize whether or not their practicing is working.
2. Have a two-tier teaching system
After nearly 20 years of teaching, I knew what type of student I wanted to teach: motivated, excited, dedicated practicers who are willing to work hard and be well-rounded musicians. I also know that not all students who want to learn (or whose parents want them to learn) piano fall into these categories. After much thought, I came up with a new approach. I accept motivated students into my Performance Track. This track is private-lesson based. Students who would like to learn piano and musicianship skills but aren’t able to make the financial and time commitment of the Performance Track are good candidates for my Recreation Track. This track is group-lesson based. While the bulk of my studio time is dedicated to Performance Track students, I will teach two or three groups each school year.
3. Have an exit strategy
Now that I have a rating system and a two-tiered teaching system in place, I also have an exit strategy for those private students who slowly suck my teaching energy dry. I spent many years teaching some students who didn’t mind coming to lessons with one or two (or NO!) days of practice per week. My studio policy is now clear that after a certain number of lessons under the rating of 6, parents will be contacted. If consistent practicing is not resumed, that student is no longer a candidate for the Performance Track, but might be a good candidate for the Recreation Track. Many children who are not motivated by a one-on-one teaching environment find music-making more fun when matched with friends of the same level, so we both win.
4. Make the same amount of money every month, including the summer, for my Performance Track students
I was tired of losing more than half my income every summer. I’ve always used a tuition-based, not lesson-based pay schedule, but I’d never figured out how to make it annual. Most of you are probably smarter than I was and figured this out long ago, but I just went through my calendar, figured out how many lessons I’d teach, when our group classes would be, and how many summer lessons I’d teach. I came up with what that total cost was, divided it by twelve, and voila, my new monthly lesson cost. Although I make a little less per month during the school year, my new summer income makes it worth it. Again, if you already figured this out, why didn’t you tell me???
5. Expect excellence
Having watched my children with three different teachers, I recognize that many children will figure out what a teacher expects and never try to reach a higher bar than the one given them. If a student knows a teacher is satisfied with a mediocre attempt, why will she try to be superior? I’ve also decided that excellence is best taught with love and compassion, not fear and trembling. Fear works in the short term, but short-circuits the joy of music I hope to help my students discover.
I could list dozens of smaller things I’ve chosen to do in my studio this time around: incentive programs, technique charts, curriculum ideas, organizational help (thank you, Music Teacher’s Helper!) but these five have reignited the excitement of teaching for me. Not all of us can take three years off to think and plan, but summer is a great time to dream big, explore new ideas and revamp our studios for the fall. What ideas are new for you? Please share…I’m always on the hunt for a great idea!
