Teaching From Home, Considerations Options

[Cadence]

Have you tried talking to your students and seeing what they think? They're probably in the best position to tell you whether the changes you're thinking of would put them off. You might find that some would want to stay at the studio and some would be happy to switch to your home with the digital as a temporary measure - in which case you could maybe organise them so that some of your teaching days were at the studio and the others were at home. I don't really know much about piano lessons (having never learnt it) and am an adult student not a teacher, so it's just a suggestion. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

It doesn't matter what your background - I'm looking for a range of opinions here and in fact most of my students tend to be adults - everyone's opinion is valid!

(just as an aside: I've noticed a few people recently apologising for answering in a topic they have an opinion on but feel there are not the "target audience". I think that the more diverse the responses, the better! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) )

I would talk to my students, only they are mostly who would be staying at the studio, because I teach them during their lunch breaks from work in the city - so I wouldn't be able to change their times or venue.

The people I am thinking about are the many who I have had to turn away or put on a waiting list (5 in the last 2 weeks) because either they can't afford it at the moment (my prices at the moment are fairly high due to my overheads teaching from the studio), or the studio is booked at the time they want. Or it is free, but I am already teaching someone during that time slot. I am very limited in the amount of people I can take on, because the studio is so booked that I can only teach there for 1 full day at the moment - which is why I want more freedom to take who I want, when I want.

I'm also thinking about my child students who I spend to much time traveling to and they would come to me (I've already asked their parents) but I'm not set-up for it at the moment. Hence the decision needing to be made!

[skylark]

Question 2 - I would suggest that it might be a good idea to make the rate you charge your studio students your "normal" rate, taking into account your overheads such as premises and travel; and charge a lower rate to your home students because you don't have the same overheads. I *think* this would be the norm in the commercial world, but whether this is normal in music teaching, I don't know.

This seems sensible to me, but I don't think it is normal in music teaching. Having said that - I really don't know!

The net result is actually the same as Option 3 that you were considering in your first post, it's just the perception that's different.

If someone makes an enquiry and you say "My rate is £x and we'll be working on a digital piano, but if you want to use an acoustic piano at my studio, it will be more expensive", that is less inviting than if you say "My rate is £x, and we have a lovely Steinway piano to work on at my studio. On the other hand, if you're happy to work on a good quality digital, you could come to my home and I can offer a lower rate". I'm paraphrasing obviously, but you get the gist. Put in these terms, more people might think that if they can save some money, they will be happy to work on a digital at your home (IMG:style_emoticons/default/party1.gif)

[miss music maker]

I have the opposite problem with one of my students. I teach from home on an acoustic piano and he complains that it's different to his keyboard at home. As a gigging musician I'd say that as not all venues have good quality pianos your students would benefit from getting used to using a digital piano as well as an acoustic. Maybe this is a positive thing and something you could incorporate into your teaching scheme for people who may only have an acoustic piano at home.

[katyjay]

OK, as you want a range of views, here's mine.

You didn't specify that you were talking about piano lessons, and I am not a pianist. I looked at the questions in the light of being someone who gives and receives singing and recorder lessons and receives flute and violin lessons.

For all those instruments, being accompanied on a digital, or not being accompanied in a lesson makes absolutely no odds to me at all.

As far as the cost for lessons goes, I currently charge the same whether I go to the pupil's location or the pupil comes to me. A mistake when I first started teaching led to me having some differential pricing, which was difficult to clear up, so I would suggest not charging different amounts.

I don't see a lack of parking space, or somewhere to wait inside as insuperable difficulties either. If you can't offer them you can't.

[AmandaL]

Security needs to be considered as well. I have a friend who was badly scammed and eventually robbed - from right under her nose - by a mother and young son who came for lessons. If someone asks to use the toilet you can hardly refuse, but just be aware that they might also be quietly slipping through your property for valuables while they are 'in the loo'.

Sorry if this sounds cynical. I know that most people are genuine, but you still have to be VERY careful.

[Cadence]

oh AmandaL, that is awful! Yes I know I will have to be very careful. Luckily the only thing I have of real value is my piano and that would be hard to take without my noticing!

Seriously though, in general, we are very trusting as teachers - after about 1 consultation, we allow ourselves to spend time alone in a room with people we barely know - whether at our place or theirs. I was thinking about this yesterday when I taught a new student. I know nothing about him and he could have done anything to me. No one would have noticed until my next student arrived 2 hours later. It is of course unlikely, and I don't know why it popped into my head, but safety/security is something that I will be paying attention to.

KatyJay, thank you for your opinion, I agree that I don't think parking is really much of an issue and I think that on balance, keeping lesson costs the same is much easier. However, Skylark's suggestion about 'packaging it correctly' is very interesting and I think bears further thought.

Miss Music Maker - it is true that students need to get used to different pianos. I am just not sure they will see it like that - especially how the results of the poll are turning out.

I'm intruiged though that whilst 19 people have said that they dont think it is acceptable to be taught on a digital piano (question 3), only 15 people find it unacceptable in question 1 ... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/huh.gif) ... am I analysing incorrectly?!

[sbhoa]

As the digital is only temporary I don't think it's too much of an issue.
I don't think it's acceptable on a permanent basis.
As for turning away people because the times they want are not available..... that's how it goes with a busy teacher. Either they are able fit in with a time you have available or they aren't. Somebody who is very keen to learn will make more of an effort to rearrange things so that they can accept a time you have free. There's a fair chance they'd have exactly the same problem with any teacher they approached.

[heartbeat]

As an advanced student, I feel that I need to be taught on an acoustic because I spend most of the time in my lesson learning how to control the tone evenly and how to improve the piece by working with the different nuances of the piano, a lot of which don't apply to a digital. I have a digital to practice on at home because I can't afford a real piano and I am starting to notice how my playing is suffering because I can't practice what I have learnt in the lesson.

Up until now though, I wouldn't have minded being taught on a digital piano, as it was just recently that I began to realise that I need to play constantly on a real piano. So I think up to a certain level, it would be ok to have lessons on a digital.

In terms of lesson costs, I think it is unfair to charge some people more than others, because it is you they are paying for, not the piano or the venue and your level of teaching, expertise, resources and knowledge are not going to change depending on where you are teaching or what type of piano you are using. Although you might feel that an grand piano allows you to better demonstrate your points in a lesson, unless the student is very advanced themselves (which it doesn't sound like you have a lot of) they won't notice/realise.

For what it's worth - if I was to take up lessons with you, from the choices you have described, I would still choose to have lessons in the studio on the better piano, even if you charged more for it. It may be that I am a piano snob (?!) but that's what I'd prefer.

I hope you get everything sorted and it works out for you.

[AnnC]

Security needs to be considered as well. I have a friend who was badly scammed and eventually robbed - from right under her nose - by a mother and young son who came for lessons. If someone asks to use the toilet you can hardly refuse, but just be aware that they might also be quietly slipping through your property for valuables while they are 'in the loo'.

Sorry if this sounds cynical. I know that most people are genuine, but you still have to be VERY careful.

And that's why insurance companies won't insure the contents of music teachers with more than a very few students coming to the house every week. So you need to find an insurance company that will. I found one through the ISM and they ended up cheaper than my former one.
I don't offer waiting facilities either. I have a separate room for teaching which is next to the cloakroom (just inside the front door). Waiting is in my music room, so the outgoing student gets a performance opportunity. No more than a few minutes is allowed though. Parents have to either stay with the student (which most don't want to do), stay in the car, go shopping, or pop across the read to the leisure centre where they can get a cuppa. Otherwise it would have to be in part of my home, which my husband just would not allow, and rightly so - it is his home too and is private.
Personally I would not like to be taught on a digital piano. I know several piano teachers who have two pianos, but none have digital ones. If you potentially have one of each, could you offer lessons on both, depending on what they have at home, or will have to use for their gigs?
A piano teacher friend lives in the centre of a main city with only on road parking, and often no spaces available. He has no shortage of students.