Music Teacher Fun Facts
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Good or bad this is the reality for most if not ALL private music teachers. I’ve accumulated this knowledge from 20 years of teaching experience (so it’s been tried and true). This information is crucial for everyone to know and understand. So as to caution anyone wanting to pursue a career in music, a music degree (virtually useless, there are more practical routes for music education) and empathy for the plight of music teachers. I’m lifting the veil on life as an (over)working musician. Our shortcomings as teachers really boil down to the business and marketing side of things. We pursue music our whole lives and have little to no training or experience on how to build a successful business. This is sink or swim in the worst way and most teachers get burned by the lifestyle and ultimately burn out.
-Avg. prices in Bay Area for weekly 30m lessons: $200 - $300/mo. This is determined by the school, widely varied and not based on quality of lessons or quality of teachers. (Music stores are able to charge less because they offer other commodities like sales, rentals and repairs).
-Music colleges can be $20k - $50k+ a year plus living expenses ($2,400-$50,000 a year is a HUGE gap with not many offerings in the middle for music education options). If you were able to get just as good (if not better) education as a music college, would that not warrant a similar tuition?
-Music Studios and Academies on avg take 60% - 70%+ of the tuition pre tax averaging $25-$40/hr teacher wage
-Real estate rental space in the tri valley is about $5000-$8000/mo ($2-$3 per sq ft)
-Teachers can mainly work Mon-Fri: 4-8pm (Max of 16-20hrs teaching a week at one given location, not including lesson plans, rescheduling make ups, travel, etc). This is due to school and regular 9-5p work hours. (On avg teachers have 10-20 students, not many have 30+)
-To make a living (wage) working through weekends and additional day jobs before the PM teaching times are the norm, resulting in 10hr+ days.
-Impossible to reach full time, overtime pay, 0 health benefits, PTO and no 401k offerings.
-Building a student base takes months if not years. Usually starting off 1 day at a store with 1-2 students. You’re only paid when you teach, gaps in schedules = $0.
How to get the most out of your lessons
-IF YOU DO NOT PRACTICE, YOU WILL NOT MAKE PROGRESS.
-Stay curious about music and guitar. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, and come prepared with 1-3 questions you came across during your week of practice.
-Know the 10,000hr rule. If you practice 1hr daily 5x a week = 260hrs a year.
Students often ask these 2 questions, “how long will it take to get good?” And “How do I learn to play anything I want anywhere on the fretboard?” My own experience, when I started I played 2-3hrs a day and in the first couple years I went from punk rock to playing Metallica and Ozzy. 3-5 years in I started a band, wrote a full album worth of songs, booked and played our first show in 2008. Self taught pre YouTube era which means i learned through books, magazines, CD-roms and DVDs. Yes, i wanted to shred THAT BAD!
-Your teacher should know where you are at and how to take you to the next level. Even if you don’t understand why you’re doing something or how it works, just listen and do it like the Karate Kid. Wax on and wax off, you’ll see in time and all will be revealed.
-Do your due diligence and vet the school + teachers. (Don’t be at the mercy of the big box music store just assigning you someone because it fits in their schedule).
Price is only an issue in the absence of value
To be a successful teacher where teaching isn’t just a side hustle, one must have these factored into their pricing if they want to survive (and someday thrive).
-Dry Spells: Generally, independent contractors may not work 12 months out of the year… more like 9 – 10. So your rate needs to be able to cover your 3-month buffer.
-Burn Rate: Living and business expenses such as rent, gas, bills, groceries, wifi, marketing, etc.
-Clownliness factor: For teaching music specifically, it’s all the time wasted on phone calls just to be ghosted, chasing leads, follow ups and being strung along, last minute cancellations (other than illness), chasing payments, “do you offer a free trial lesson” as if teaching for 20yrs is not proof enough.
1. “Price is only an issue in the absence of value.”
2. Your rate needs to cover your Burn Rate (that money that you need to live on), including savings, and uplifted by a set percentage to cover the taxes (25%-30%).
3. You rate needs to cover any potential dry spells and includes the clownliness factor