students

[jmecoolness]

I want to take on a student next year but I'm not sure where to look for one. I'll be at college, so obviously I'd have to take on a beginner or intermediate student, but how do you find students? Also, would it be wrong for me to teach because I myself am still learning? I already taught my friend on a weekly basis, it's not like I'm completely inexperienced. Thoughts?

[fluteguy18]

Well, you can speak to directors of local music programs for a start. Then, if you are a music major, you could speak to your applied lessons professor, to let him/her know that you would like to take a student if any come forward that you professor cant fit into their schedule.

Also, putting up flyers in churches could be useful [but get permission first].

[fluttiegurl]

It is pefectly fine to take on students while you are still learning. In fact, we are all constantly learning. For me, I hope that never ends. The key is to not allow yourself to take on more than you can handle and do not be afraid to ask for help if you need it. I began teaching lessons in highschool, and for the most part, have never stopped. After college, I took on my first high school students.

I have found that the best places to find students is where students go to make music. Sounds simple, right? Contact the local high school/middle school band directors. Some will have lesson programs established, but most likely, most will not. Tell them who you are, who your teacher is, what your corse of study is, etc and that you would like to begin giving lessons. Ask for an opportunity to come and play for the students and bring fliers with you to hand out to the class. Be sure to include your name and phone number as well as what you are trying to accomplish. Keep in mind that this is not to convince the students, it is to convince the parents. Don't expect results right away. It usually takes time, especially in an area where there is more than one teacher or where no one takes lessons at the moment. In the mean time, go to as many performances of that program that you can. Even if you don't know a single person there, you can make appearances and be sure to speak to the students afterwards. Once they see you often enough, they will begin to trust you more and may be more willing.

Another great tool for me has been the local music stores wherever I happened to live at the time. Get to know them and leave fliers there as well.

Other ideas: Ask your teacher if he/she knows of any students looking for someone at the moment. Advertise in the local paper. If you attend church, find out if any students there play and offer to give them lessons (after you have played a time or two so that they can actually hear you).

The key to finding students is letting people know who you are and what you are trying to accomplish. Usually, once you have found one or two and they have made progress, others will come. Then it's more of a matter of time management

[jmecoolness]

Thanks, this was helpful! Also, I wondered how much I should charge, if I should charge? Considering most flute teachers with degrees and/or jobs in orchestras charge like what, $50 on up per hour, I should probably be under $20? I was thinking around $10 seemed fair. Though would it be illegal? Do I need a license of some sort if I am going to charge?

[MonikaFL]

I would join your local MTNA-affiliated music teachers association... here's the Pennsylvania state MTA website: http://www.pamusicteachers.org/

There should be a local chapter near you.

Usually membership fees for college students are greatly reduced. You'll meet other teachers, start to have a network of colleagues. That will help you build your studio -- usually fellow MTA teachers are excited to help new teachers out!

I wouldn't charge only $10. Anything more may seem like a lot to you, but to the parents paying for the lessons, it won't. If you go too low, people may think you aren't good enough, you may not have the respect of other teachers in the area (for the reason just stated, or they might feel you are severely undercutting them).

If most teachers are charging $50 an hour, I wouldn't go under $30 per hour (assuming those other teachers have Master's degrees?).

You need to stay near your area's standard rate... since you're still in college, JUST under it would be fair... but I'm talking $5-10 an hour under, no more.

The business license thing varies from place to place... I would check with other independent (i.e. not teaching at a college/school) teachers in town.

The others gave great ideas for recruiting students. Churches are great. When you contact the middle schools (maybe elementary schools at the upper grades) you might want to ask if you could come in and play for their students. Or, offer to come in one day and coach any of their students who need a little extra help. If you happen to also play piano, you could offer to help out as an accompanist for any of the flute players doing solo & ensemble.

Good luck!

[kodalyflutist]

jmecoolness - Ask your own teacher if your own fundamentals are solid enough for you to begin teaching. Ask if you have areas of weakness where you should learn a great deal more before you begin teaching others, or if you can just be learning as you go along in that area while you teach. It is so important not to attempt to teach any students, and especially beginners, if you are not prepared to address all the bad habits that can be formed by a young student. You can do a lot of harm to a young student by allowing them to play with poor positioning or poor inner hearing skills. If a student stays with you for an appreciable length of time, they will have bad physical or aural habits that they must unlearn after they leave you. All students need the best teacher possible - especially young beginners. Teaching young students is not as easy as one might think, and there are a number of pitfalls that can submarine a young musician's progress if they are started with poor fundamentals. I recently took on a new student who has developed just two years of bad habits - but she has a great deal of work ahead to correct the number of really bad habits that she has. Another student I have had for about 4 years came to me after a similar 2 years with a private teacher who allowed horrible tension in her playing, as well as an incredible rhythmic deficiency. This student is showing that she has the discipline, drive and ability to fix the problem, but she is just now becoming physically comfortable after working with me for 4 years on her tension and beat competency issues. And yet, she still has work to do because of the vast damage caused by this ridiculously poor teacher. I am not trying to say that you are automatically going to be a poor teacher because you are still a student yourself - just take care that you don't let ego or ambition or a need for money cause you to take on students when you are not fully trained yourself. Best wishes to you - be sure to consult your current teacher, get the full training you need from them and then go for it!!

best, Ann

[Hoshi_Flute]

It is pefectly fine to take on students while you are still learning. In fact, we are all constantly learning. For me, I hope that never ends. The key is to not allow yourself to take on more than you can handle and do not be afraid to ask for help if you need it.

This is a good point, we ARE all constantly learning. We all started somewhere.

Another important point: we shouldn't be too quick to assume that transfer students with issues are a direct result of poor teaching. Sometimes teaching/learning styles just don't work out and the concepts do not transfer. Teachers should try to match students' learning styles, but it's just common sense to realize we aren't going to be the best teacher for EVERY student. Or, the student doesn't put their teacher's advice into practice during the week, or there could be lack of effort on the part of the student. There are a multitude of other possibilities. It is wise to give our fellow teachers the benefit of the doubt when taking on transfer students. In the 30+ years I've been teaching, I've found that the student's version of what their former teacher has or has not taught them is rarely the accurate account.

I agree that you should check with your own teacher and see if he or she believes you are ready to begin teaching or coaching other students. Your own teacher can be an excellent resource to you as you begin your own teaching career. Don't be afraid to pull from your teacher's experience and wisdom. Create a network of other teachers you can go to for help and advice. The suggestion of joining your local Music Teachers Association is invaluable.

[kodalyflutist]

This is a good point, we ARE all constantly learning. We all started somewhere.

Another important point: we shouldn't be too quick to assume that transfer students with issues are a direct result of poor teaching. Sometimes teaching/learning styles just don't work out and the concepts do not transfer. Teachers should try to match students' learning styles, but it's just common sense to realize we aren't going to be the best teacher for EVERY student. Or, the student doesn't put their teacher's advice into practice during the week, or there could be lack of effort on the part of the student. There are a multitude of other possibilities. It is wise to give our fellow teachers the benefit of the doubt when taking on transfer students. In the 30+ years I've been teaching, I've found that the student's version of what their former teacher has or has not taught them is rarely the accurate account.

These points are well made and I do not disagree. However, I don't want them to completely negate the point I made - that it is absolutely possible to teach a student poorly if you are a novice teacher yourself, and that the student can develop debilitating bad habits as a result. The older student I referred to earlier had taken at least two years of private lessons and could not keep a steady beat at all. This is absolutely not the student's fault. If a private teacher cannot help a student keep a steady beat in 2 years of private lessons, they are a deficient teacher. If the student has motivation issues, the teacher should have sent the student to a new teacher - I have said that to my lesser motivated students: "Maybe I'm not the teacher for you, since you are not practicing what I consider as important". In my 27 years of private teaching, I have had the experience of having students shape up immediately after that discussion. I also address the practice/preparation issue in my studio policies when I accept a student, so that the parent and student both know that I expect to see progress from week to week. I clearly state that the work between the lessons is the most important aspect in their growth process. I have a reward system that tells the students: "This week was great" or "This week you did not prepare as I asked". When they have more than one of those lessons in a row, or their preparation declines, then we talk about it then and there - we don't let it go for two years as an unspoken subject. It is part of their instruction - part of what they pay money for, that they understand how they are being assessed and that they get feedback on their progress. It is part of the process of creating an independent musician, which is the ultimate goal of private lessons.

The second student I referred to did not take private lessons - her bad habits were formed during 2 years of band classes. She did not tongue at all in her first lesson and had never heard of the concept. She had her second lesson yesterday and had fixed both her poor RH position and was tonguing well. In this same lesson, she had huge issues just trying to play four beats of a single note as an echo after I played - not because of inability, but because she had never been expected to play on time and respond to sound. I helped her through her physical and mental discomfort with the exercise and she succeeded in improving a great deal within the lesson. Both students had learned a multitude of wrong fingerings. Both students are bright, and have no developmental or cognitive issues standing in the way of their progress. These examples are a sign of bad teaching - not laziness on the part of the student or learning style issues.

I am learning every day as a teacher-musician. I know I'm a better teacher now than when I was a novice teacher. However, I also know that my focus in the early years was no different than it is now - to serve the student well in helping them become independent musicians. To give them the potential to use their musicianship as they wish in the future - without the encumberance of bad habits. We all owe that to our students, and should not begin teaching students without a thorough background of study on that instrument ourselves.