First of all, is Piano Teaching a Job?
I don’t think so. At least it’s not if you’re running your own studio.
You might expect me to say “It’s a calling, or it’s a labor of love.”
Maybe.
But it’s not a job.
It’s a business.
But,
Is it just a business?
I grew up in a business family. My Father and my Grandfather (aka Pop and Pop-pop) owned a mason/building supply yard on Long Island, New York. Neither of them had business degrees or any degrees, for that matter. They just worked it, and worked it, and worked it some more.
They had customers, mostly contractors who did work on people’s homes. The business depended on these repeat customers. They had to be treated fairly, and they had to be kept happy because in the next town over, there was another mason supply yard.
Both my Pops worked six days a week from 7:00 am until at least 5:00 pm. We took a one-week vacation in the summer. Sometimes business was good, sometimes not so much. Sometimes orders got canceled at the last minute, and sometimes customers didn’t pay for the materials they had already used on a job.
It was all part of being in business. And “Business is business.” As my Pop would say.
I’m in business too.
What is a business anyway?
“The activity of buying and selling products, commodities or services.”
Chat GPT
Alright, so my Father sold concrete and bricks, I sell piano lessons and piano playing.
It’s not so different.
I know piano lessons improve the quality of someone’s life. But so does having a dry basement or a nice patio on a summer evening.
I love teaching my students, and the families are fantastic. It’s fun; it’s meaningful. But it is also my business, so is my music, my compositions, and my playing.
If I want to have a thriving business, I have to adhere to a few rules.
Number One
I need to know what I am doing. My Grandfather knew the ins and outs of the masonry business. He knew how to figure out how much concrete or sand was needed for a job and what materials were best for a given job. I need to know the piano, how to play it, and how to teach others to play it.
Number Two
I have to keep my customers happy. In my family’s business. Things had to be delivered on time and in good condition. Customers had to be treated with respect and friendliness. I also have to do my best work, which means parents are seeing and hearing results, their kids are happy, and they like coming to piano. I am reliable, I am friendly, I do what is expected of me and then some…and then some more.
Number Three
Know the competition. My Pop knew what the guy over in the other town was offering. He had to keep his prices high enough to make a profit and low enough to be competitive. I have to know my competition too. I don’t want to be the cheapest teacher on the block, but if I want to charge a premium lesson price, I need to justify that. Am I more educated than the next gal? Are my students better? What do I have that would make a student want to study with me instead of someone else?
Number Four
I need to be realistic. Being in business is not easy. It’s risky. Sometimes things are going great, and sometimes they aren’t. There were times when my Pops would try knew thing that didn’t work out. People weren’t interested, or the pricing was wrong. I have the same issue. I can try all kinds of things to make my studio more profitable like yearly tuition, not teaching make-up lessons, registration charges, and selling recital tickets, but I can only charge what the market will bear. People want the best teachers for their kids, but they also want to make sure they aren’t overpaying or getting taken advantage of.
Number Five
I can’t compare apples and oranges even though they are both fruits. When Home Depot came to our area in the early ’80s, my Father wasn’t trying to compete with them. He didn’t jump into selling lumber and tools. H.D. was a completely different business. Piano lessons are different than dance, martial arts, sports, and other group enrichment activities. My business is private lessons. Parents expect to pay a flat fee for dance because it’s a group activity and it requires a lot of space. Group activities are also generally lower priced per student. Sports schedules are not flexible; if there’s a game, piano is getting bumped. It’s annoying, but that’s just the way it is.
Number Six
I don’t expect to earn a full-time income doing part-time work. Throughout my entire childhood, my Father and Grandfather worked 60-plus hours per week. Full-time is 40 hours per week. I have worked full-time, but not just teaching piano lessons; I had to do other things as well. I have a friend who teaches 100 students per week; that’s full-time!
Number Seven
I have to understand economics. My grandparents were immigrants. They came here from Italy with nothing. They got married at the start of the great depression. As a result, they always lived below their means. I need to do the same. I am blessed to have a husband who worked as an engineering manager. His career provided for our family of seven. I could not have supported my family as a private piano teacher. I have to accept that. I could never teach 100 students per week as my friend does. Over the years, I have done lots of things to earn income, but I never relied only on teaching private lessons. Although I need to earn money just like anyone else.
Number Eight
I have to plan ahead. My family’s business was a summer business. They had to plan for winter by working extra hours from April through September. In my case, I have to plan for the summer when I know I will have less income. That means teaching a little more than I probably would like during the school year, and setting some money aside for June, July, and August.
Number Nine
I need to be reputable. My Father and Grandfather started their business long before social media existed, but they still had to maintain a good reputation in the community. It would only take a few disgruntled contractors to hurt their business. Nowadays, it’s really easy to get bad reviews on a website or negative things posted on Facebook. I want to make sure everything I am doing is fair and above board. I want to give people the benefit of the doubt. That means sometimes giving a refund or letting something slide. Not always, I need to set boundaries, but sometimes it is wise to err on the side of grace.
Number Ten
Maybe business isn’t just business. In my Father’s business, he worked with other businessmen. A lot of them did business with him for years and years. He came to regard many of them as friends. I work with families for years at a time too. People who have kids, jobs, stress, and big lives. I understand; I am a mom and a grandmother. I see all of the kids I teach and their families and blessings. Every kindness, graciousness, and compassion I have shown them has come back to me tenfold. I don’t see them as adversaries or even customers; just like my Pop did, I see them as friends.
So there are my two cents on the subject of job vs. business. When I think about it. I really do love piano teaching. In reality, it is more than just a business for me. It’s a way of life, and yes, I believe it is my calling. I’m very lucky; I work hard, but a lot of people work hard.
I know my Father was proud of me when I graduated from college. Although he wasn’t sure about my degree in music theory and composition, he would tell me I could always make a buck teaching piano lessons.
During COVID, I would stay with him in Florida. Every afternoon I would say, “Pop, I have to go teach lessons online now.”
He would say, “Have fun…and go make some money.”
Comments & Discussion