getting into teaching lessons

[gilmored]

Here's one for the board. I've done a little looking but have yet to find anything. (Maybe I'm not looking hard enough) I'm wanting to start looking for some younger middle school students for lessons. I don't know any of the band directors in the area and don't really know how to go about looking for students. I have the idea of sending a email along with my resume to some of the local directors asking for a meeting and offering to do a sectional with the kids and going from there. Is this a good idea? It's all that I have right now. I spoke with my instructor about it for a moment but didn't get into details which is something that I definatley plan to do this week. I just wanted to get the opinions/ ideas of you guys in the mean time. Any other advice would be amazing as well.

[MileMarkerZero]

You're definitely on the right track. I would suggest that instead of a standard paper resume, do one on CD, and include some tracks of your playing since you say that the band directors don't know you. When I started teaching, I had the benefit of knowing 2 or 3 VERY influential band directors/retired band directors in the area, and their recommendations took me a long way. I met them by playing in a local community band, and you might have the same luck if you join one. Establishing a good reputation as a player AND AS A PERSON will carry you much farther than just some tracks on a CD and a piece of paper with what you say is accurate. You are asking a band director and parents to trust you alone in a small room with their child. It sucks to have to think that way, but it's also real life.

Offering to do a sectional is also a great way for the band director to see you in action.

Once you have the band director on board, make up a good flier with all of your contact information on it and post it on the bandroom bulletin board. Most of the time, the director will already have some students in mind that will benefit from lessons and will enjoy them and do the work required, and he will help you meet them and sign them up.

A few other tips to make it easier for a band director to say "yes" and for you to be somewhat successful (I say somewhat, 'cause you ain't gonna make a lot of money)...

Offer to go to the school and teach them there. If at all possible, see if you can do the lessons during school or over lunch break. Most schools have staggered lunch breaks, so you might fit in more than one student between 11 and 1. This works very well for middle school and early high school kids that have to ride the bus.

Charge your fee by the month e.g. $100 a month gets you one lesson a week. If they skip without due notice, they forfiet the money and you get paid $25 to sit in a practice room and practice while you wait on your next lesson. That usually gets a parent's attention. If the fee isn't paid by the second lesson of the month, there is no third lesson. Sometimes that's hard to stick to, but if you don't you're asking to give free lessons A LOT.

Leave yourself time in your weekly schedule to allow for make-up lessons if they have an excused absence or in case you are ill and have to reschedule.

Build time into the daily schedule to take a few quick notes between lessons. Give 50 or 55-minute lessons instead of hour lessons. That way you have time to jot down what the student was struggling with, what you assigned them, etc. It makes for much better continuity week-to-week.

Be open to lessons of groups of 2 or 3 students. I wouldn't do this as a rule, but there are a lot of parents that will balk at $100 a month, and some very deserving student's parents flat can't afford it. But if they can get another student to split the cost with them, it often makes it more palatable. They still get more individualized attention than they do in band class. Also, if you go about it the right way, in that atmosphere you can foster a little healthy competition between the students at an early stage of their musical development. That pays big dividends down the road, because they will be more engaged and are more likely to stick to it than kids that don't develop that fun competition. I have a couple of former students that I taught that way, and both of them are attending college on scholarship now; the only two tuba students from that particular school that are. They pushed each other all through school, and now it's getting them their educations.

Get a breathing bag and use it.

Get a small hand-held mirror. It does wonders when a beginning student can look at your embouchure and their own at the same time (assuming you don't have an aardvark embouchure...).

Learn how to teach kids concepts like breath support, rhythm, and posture without the horn in their lap.

For your students that don't have a piano as a pitch reference, make a CD of you playing various long tones (do the Remington long tones and also some not connected step-wise with each other) for them to use while buzzing on their mouthpiece. After you record it, you might also rip this to an mp3 file so they can load it onto their iPod and buzz away to their heart's content.

The band director is going to want updates on progress. Be honest with them; don't pump sunshine unless it's warranted. If you are having difficulty in getting a concept across to a student, ask the band director for input. They know these kids better then you do, and it creates a better working relationship for you. Often a director can tell you things about a particular student that open you up to ways of getting the point across.

Drop me a PM and I'll be happy to tell you what worked or didn't work for me. I don't teach much anymore, simply because the cost of a new daughter (now 3) > than the money I could possibly make just teaching private lessons. But if I won the Powerball, I'd be back at it in a heartbeat. It's incredibly rewarding, challenging, frustrating, and fun. I can honestly say that I have never had another occupation that i have enjoyed as much. I hope you find the same.

[tubashaman2]

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[BVD Press]

I don't usually do this (complimenting that is), but holy cow SD says a lot in his post!!! Great post which was incredibly informative.

[pierso20]

You have definitely started it properly.

I would caution against using a CD only because when a band teacher is going through their mail and other stuff, it is a lot easier to read a letter and be done (make a decision) than to insert a cd and look at the materials. While a cd sounds "sexy" the reality is, time is important and may not allow for utilizing the cd.

When you send your resume and other materials, keep it to as FEW pages as possible. Two MAXIMUM!! One page would be the best. Just a few months ago, we received a letter with someone's "materials" and offering their services that was MANY MANY pages. Needless to say, there was just too much material to look through. This isn't to say that everyone would overlook this, however time is a huge constraint.

Just get your name out there. You could also suggest coming in (for free) and perform a masterclass and use that as a recruiting time.

Good luck with the search!

[Quicksilvertuba]

A LOT of really good stuff has been said so far, but I would like to add a few things (my many experiences of teaching while in college):

1.) As James has mentioned above, check with the district's fine arts directors to make sure of any paperwork you need to fill out prior to being a teacher. Examples include: fingerprinting, background checks, mandatory meetings, ISD name tags, liability insurance, and general paperwork (like tax forms). Nowadays you can't get into the parking lot of a school without proper paperwork being filed.

2.) This is a business and should be conducted as such. Be organized, show up when you say you will and on time (THIS IS HUGE!!), communicate problems with parents/directors (I know it's a hassle, but if you don't communicate you're asking for trouble), and be professional (you're their teacher not their buddy). I don't agree with free lessons. That is a sure fire way to get screwed. A free masterclass or demonstration is much better (and you'll learn quickly how difficult it is to be a great teacher ).
I'm stricter about not paying. If I don't get paid the first time, there is no second lesson unless I get paid BEFORE the next lesson. I have tried the nice guy approach and gave over $100 worth of lessons which were never paid. Most all of the parents who really want their child to get instruction will make sure you get paid. Especially if you are up front about fees and due dates and communicate with them in a timely manner.

3.) Most students who are interested can't afford it. If you have 20 prospective kids you might only get 5 (or less) who actually pay you and show up. So don't count on making a living with this income the first semester you do it. What James has said about lesson being REQUIRED is false. It is against the law for a teacher to require their students to take lessons (in Texas anyway).

4.) If you don't know how to play ALL low brass (trombone, euphonium, and tuba), learn NOW! You will be more marketable and a much better teacher for it. You can't make any money off of just tuba students (or euphs/t-bones). I have almost 50 students now and only 6 play tuba .

I with MilkMarkerZero, if you have any questions at all feel free to PM or e-mail me as well. I've been teaching privately since I started college (with a family, while taking 19 hours trying to get my music ed degree, while working a "real" job), and I know what it's like.

[gilmored]

This is great. Tons of information and what I was looking for. I'm trying to really get things together now so that as soon as things start up again in Jan. I will be running with it. I am in my schools community band which has several band directors as members and we are hosting an honor band coming up soon, so I can try to get in with some there. I guess I'm going to have to get over this shyness thing and just get to it. Thank you all!!!