As a new piano teacher, there’s so much to think about. Even if you’ve received formal piano pedagogy training, you still might not have been taught about business… These are my top tips for new piano teachers as they get started and find their feet in this industry.
Feel free to send the YouTube link to parents in your studio!
Thanks for your very helpful video Nicola. I wish I’d been given this advice when I started out! Something I have also found helpful ‘to make things clear’ is to send out a welcome letter to new students to introduce myself and my terms and conditions. I also put a couple of conditions on each term account which I give in the first lesson of each term. I have found it helps take out the ‘wiggle room’ : )
“Enjoy the journey.” is the best thing I could hear right now. I started my piano studio last September with 3 students. This September, I started with 18, and have added 6 more in the past two weeks, with another 3 to start in October. I work so hard to customize my lessons to each student and to help them relate music with joy and fun. Most of my students have come to me by word of mouth, so that’s very fulfilling. But I am so hard on myself. I’m always second-guessing myself about everything I do. The irony is that my students have so much fun during the lessons (as do I), but I stress about everything in-between lessons. I really need to accept that it’s ok to make mistakes sometimes, or to try one strategy – realize it may not be working – and switch to something else. I really need to “Enjoy the journey” myself!
So glad that message hit home for you. Best of luck with your mission to be kinder to yourself. It’s so important.