I am working towards my grade 8 flute and my teacher suggested that I could now start teaching some beginners, which is great because I want to be a music teacher when I'm older. I already have to girls (of about 10-14 years) that are interested in starting to play the flute and would like me to teach them. I was just wondering if you had any suggestions as to:

1) How much I should charge for my lessons? ( I was thinking of five pounds per lesson)

2) Which book(s) would be most helpful to teach from? (I myslef was taught from team woodwind but I think there are others that are laid out and explain things better)

Any suggestions would be really helpful!
Thanks

I like the Abracadaba book

Everyone I have picked up in school has Tune A Day, as advised by their previous teacher. Very sound, but also pretty boring. I like the look of Razzamajazz. Flute Basics may be worth a look too.

As for fees, depends as much on where you live as your experience. I charge £11 per half hour and that is with an MMus and a teaching diploma and also a woodwind peri. Don't charge too far below the going rate in your area or you will be undercutting those who teach for a living.

Good luck with teaching.

True! I'm sure this would not be your intention, but you might inadvertently cause bad feeling with other teachers. Why not charge about £7 for these girls, on the understanding that you'll raise this to the going rate in about six months if things go well? Any other new pupils could be taken on on this understanding too - give them all a date by which fees will be increased.

This is what I would do if I was to start again, anyway!

Thanks, I'll pop into the local music shop and look out for some of the tutor books suggested. I didn't want to charge to much since I'm not as qualified as other teachers but now I do see how charging too little could be undercutting other teachers in the area; I didn't think of it that way before so thanks!

You can get loads of tutor books and easy repertoire very cheaply on Ebay as lots of new starters buy them and then give up - that way can you have a thorough look through them, play the pieces and decide which will work for you and your pupils. And then you've also got them to fall back on as extra / alternative material should you need it. All of them have their own pros and cons, and it depends how much you want to slot in supplementary material, and how much you would rather just rely on the one source to begin with.

I got several for an average of about 40p each, although I nostalgically still prefer the ones I learnt with, Graham Lyons' "Take Up the Flute", as they are really clear.

Good luck, hope it goes well.

Hazel

Yes, certainly charge at least £7. A year ago I was charging someone I had a had for a while only £8. Now it's my main living so I charge the proper rate of around £12. Qualifications are not so important. If you are good at teaching, and people will soon pick up on that, THAT is what matters !

David

Thanks for all your helpful replies. I am starting these lessons in the new year and am really looking foward to it. I have looked on ebay and brought some books; Take Up The Flute, Boosey and Hawkes Woodwind methods and Team Woodwind. I was wondering what anyone thought would be the best note to teach first because the books seem to differ; one starting with D and then G and A, the other starting with B,A and G?