Music Lesson Studio Series – Part 2

How Much Time Should I Teach In My Music Studio?

In my last blog, I talked about a where a private music teacher might hold their private music studio for location. Today, I will be writing specifically on whether a teacher might want to teach part-time or full-time in their music lessons.

Offering lessons on a part-time or full-time basis will depend on how much time you are willing to take students in teaching them technique and giving them repertoire (a collection of music). It also might depend on your financial situation. Do you already work during the day? Is that job full-time or part-time? Maybe you work more than one job?

Maybe you’re a freelance musician who plays music at night and has some kind of day job? Or during your day job, you teach lessons during the day and then play gigs at night? These are just some scenarios, but a lot of times, teaching private lessons either might be your “bread and butter” or just a side hustle to make some extra cash. I’m going to provide some benefits and downsides of teaching full-time versus part-time. How are you creating your music studio business?

Pros of Teaching Full-Time Lessons

• You can set your own half hour and/or hourly rate as this will be your main income source and you may charge at a higher rate.
• You can set your own schedule of hours.
• You have a bit more flexibility in how many students you want to take in.
• You may take in anywhere from say, 40-70 students, depending on if you offer both one hourly and half hour lessons in your studio. That’s assuming a 40 hour or more per week basis.

Cons of Teaching Full-Time Lessons

• Students might cancel their lesson at the last minute, so then you lose money that week.
• Students’ families may not always be able to afford their child’s lessons at any given time, so they could stop their lessons at any time.
• It can become overwhelming to learn/teach a student’s music along with your own musical gigs (performances, traveling, personal time), especially if you’re a professional musician- that’s a lot of music to learn for you to teach!

Pros of Teaching Part-Time Lessons

• You may take in say, 3 – 10 students per week, depending on if you offer hourly or half hour lessons each week.
• You make some extra cash on the side and still do your day job or just love teaching part-time.
• You can charge a flexible hourly rate or half hour rate per lesson per student.

Cons of Teaching Part- Time Lessons

• You have a limited amount of students that you can only take, if you work full-time during the day.
• You may need to learn student’s music and that can consuming on  your own free time.
• Students may cancel their lessons, so that can impact your side hustle income.

So why is this important? You as the private music teacher are promoting your business in a way that’s the most unique to you and to your personal artistry. You can absolutely make money teaching music! Check out this article here for more details on income.

At the end of the day, you want to make yourself marketable and be known in your community. There’s not really a right or wrong way on how much time you want to teach private music lessons. You have to determine what’s right for you for your own time and financial needs and benefits.

Next time, I will talk about pricing your lessons and charging at half hour or an hourly rate. Stay tuned for the next blog! Comment below what other pros and cons you’ve experienced as a private music instructor? Did you enjoy reading this article? Share it with your friends and family! Thank you for reading my blogs!

Photo by Rachel Loughman on Unsplash