Hello Everyone!

I'm new to these forums, so nice to meet you all! I'm hoping that you can give me some much needed advice on how to get into teaching?

Let me first tell you a bit about myself... I am a grade 8 standard Recorder player who is studying for her performance diploma. I have not entered myself in for it yet as I am in no way ready, and I just want to play for now to be honest, I love it so much. I also have Grade 5 theory and Grade 5 Piano. I am desperately wanting to get into music teaching on a peripatetic basis, but the truth is I don't know where to begin.

I graduated from University in 2004 and since then I have been working a lot of the time to save some money to overcome my massive debt, but this work has not been teaching work. I thought abuot teaching from home but I lack in confidence, for a number of reasons; firstly, my degree was purely academic, it was not from a music college but it is a BMus from a top 10 University. During that time I was so busy writing essays and coursework that any playing I did came at the back of the list in terms of priorities. I also studied composition for a while too. So I imagine that really, for the last 5 years or so my practicing has only ever been intermittent, it is only recently that I have been playing again and I love that I am doing it again. Secondly, as mentioned, I have next to no teaching experience, and I am afraid that this will set me at a disadvantage. Thirdly, I feel like I owe it to my pupils of the future to have got back up to scratch before teaching again. I have no teaching diplomas, and because I'm working to overcome my debt I cannot afford to take a teaching diploma right now. I have been to lots of taster days etc, and I really want to do this more than anything else in the world, but I feel like I have been overcome by obstacles! One of which is that my part time position at a concert hall in London is almost too flexible, in that my hours are not the same every week and I am afraid this will put pupils off?

I am taking theory lessons again to see if I can get my grade 8 theory, and of course plan to take my recorder diploma as soon as I am ready. I am also having piano lessons again as this is the thing that has suffered most, but is this enough? I suppose what I am trying to ask is, to experienced teachers out there, how did you get your first job? How did you know you were ready? And finally, are there a set of qualifications or experience that stand you in good stead? Do you know of anywhere I can get advice on this sort of thing? There are so many things I want to do; teach from home, teach music in primary schools, maybe even work as an examiner one day! But where to begin???

Any help or advice greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!

If it's any consolation you're a heck of a lot more qualified than some!

I started teaching because people asked me to teach them or their kids or their piano student's sister...

At the moment I only have one regular student - I have ME so I couldn't teach that many anyway!

On the instrument that I teach the only qualification I actually have is grade 4 - though I do play at a higher standard than that (exams scare me!) and I have had good teaching on technique etc and a teacher who was happy to see me start teaching, so I am honest with students and thus far no one has been worried about my lack of certificates and my students regular and irregular(?!) have been happy with my teaching/progressed. (I wouldn't teach at all if my teacher didn't think I was enough competent to!!) I did have some teaching experience, but it was all classroom and language based so although some of the thinking is transferable, actual methods aren't really!

If and when I have the health to do more teaching I'll definitely be looking to upgrade my qualifications, and for sure at the moment I wouldn't attempt to teach the higher grades even though I can play the music and the scales! But if you've done taster days then you presumably have had some training if informal? And your playing must be pretty good if you're working towards diploma level... so if you can find students who are happy to be taught by you, and especially if you can find a teacher who's happy to mentor you in some way (even if very informally) then why not take on a couple of students and see how you get on? You obviously have the enthusiasm and want to teach, which is a good start, and you have extensive knowledge of your instrument to be playing at that level, so trying to pass that on is a good way of learning how to pass it on... You might not swing peri work yet (though you have a BMus, G8, and good supporting stuff - piano and theory - so you might - don't know!) but you can surely get some experience?

I'm a parent so looking at this from a different perspective. Firstly I don't think that many parents would not require a list of qualifications or many wouldn't understndn them if you gave them.

I think that those you do have would be totally acceptable, if you want to be a Peri then ring your local Music Service and find out what they actually ask employees to have. You might get the odd bit of stand in work,. Where we live there is no recorder specialist attached to our Music Service and i'm sure if there was an opening for one that they would accept you as you are.

If your worried about teaching qualifications you might find that you are able to do them whilst being employed as a teacher, you might even find it easier. Oh I did teach in a former life but not Music.

Perhaps you could consider taking on some private students to get more teaching experience. If your current job is too irregular, see if it is possible to be rostered on around one evening of teaching to start with.

Once you have some experience, your confidence will grow and you'll probably find that you'll get more out of any teaching course you take as you have first hand experience to draw on, as well as a testing ground for new ideas!!

Good luck with it!

You're worrying too much about not being qualified enough to teach! You have a music degree, you have Grade 8 recorder and are studying for your performance diploma and you have Grade 5 piano; all this makes you as if not more qualified than many other peris out there.

However, you do say you lack the confidence to teach at home because you feel you lack teaching experience. I would suggest you need more confidence to teach in schools than to teach at home, therefore I would suggest finding some pupils to teach at home before trying to break into schools so you can build up confidence in your teaching in an unstressful environment. You also need to find out whether you enjoy teaching!

I started out teaching at home intermittantly for many years before breaking into schools. As a performer, I've always had people asking me to teach them, so finding a few pupils was never a problem. I didn't know how to break into schools, however, until I did the CTABRSM course and made a few contacts. It was through one of these contacts that I landed my first peri job in a secondary school (they asked her; she couldn't do it but recommended me; I got the job).

Finding I enjoyed it I decided I wanted more peri jobs, so contacted the local music service. They said they had no vacancies at that time but would contact me when they did. I waited and waited but nothing happened. It was then that by a series of strange coincidences I managed to land another private job at a local secondary which didn't want any more music service peris. Lovely job - been there three years now.

Then the music service contacted me to offer me three jobs. I was very interested but they informed me I would have to stop working directly for the local secondary and work there for them (taking a £4.50 p.h. pay cut) instead, in order to be able to work for the music service at all. I considered and then declined.

Since then I have got two more private jobs in state primaries, both through contacts.

The local music services usually audition you and if they like you, start offering you jobs when they arise. To get jobs privately within schools you need to find out which schools hire peris directly and which hire through the music service. This can mean a lot of phoning around! It can also be a good idea to get to know other teachers who teach privately as they may then recommend you when they leave.

The other good thing to know is that you can work for several music services if you are able to get to several areas easily. Some may object if you're already working privately within a school in 'their' area, some may not.

Working for a music service may entail rushing about from school to school, doing an hour here and half an hour there. You definitely need transport for this. One of the advantages of working for a music service is that you can also get work at their Music Centres which run ensembles and concerts. Also, they pay your public liability (insurance) and sort out your CRB (police check) and send you on professioanl development days.

I still think it would be best for you to start off teaching at home, though, otherwise you'll be a bit pushed at your first job interview when they will inevitably ask you about your teaching methods. At both my first interview they asked me how I would go about teaching a complete beginner and it would have been difficult to have given them convincing answers without any teaching experience at all. Also, I think it would be decidely nerve-wracking to go into a school for the first time and be confronted with a group of complete beginners!!! The first time I ever gave a group lesson was when I started out in my first school, and you do need specialised skills for this. I had to leanr mine on the job; it wasn't easy and it would have been a complete nightmare if I hadn't already become comfortable teaching at home.

The best way to get home pupils is to get to know mums at the school gate and get your name everywhere - newsagents' noticeboards, local paper, internet ads, music shops, etc etc.

Hope this helps.

Good luck

Violinia

[quote name='Violinia' date='Apr 5 2007, 12:17 PM' post='489137']


You're worrying too much about not being qualified enough to teach! You have a music degree, you have Grade 8 recorder and are studying for your performance diploma and you have Grade 5 piano; all this makes you as if not more qualified than many other peris out there.
[\quote]

You sound just like I felt when I started out but fear not you are plenty qualified.

[quote name='Violinia' date='Apr 5 2007, 12:17 PM' post='489137']
However, you do say you lack the confidence to teach at home because you feel you lack teaching experience. I would suggest you need more confidence to teach in schools than to teach at home, therefore I would suggest finding some pupils to teach at home before trying to break into schools so you can build up confidence in your teaching in an unstressful environment. You also need to find out whether you enjoy teaching!
[\quote]
I couldn't agreee more And I ended up loving it.


[quote name='Violinia' date='Apr 5 2007, 12:17 PM' post='489137']

Finding I enjoyed it I decided I wanted more peri jobs, so contacted the local music service. They said they had no vacancies at that time but would contact me when they did. I waited and waited but nothing happened.
[\quote]
Thats what I've found too, particularly as singing teachers aren't given the respect they should have, unfortunately recorder teachers suffer the same problem.

[quote name='Violinia' date='Apr 5 2007, 12:17 PM' post='489137']
The best way to get home pupils is to get to know mums at the school gate and get your name everywhere - newsagents' noticeboards, local paper, internet ads, music shops, etc etc.

Hope this helps.

Good luck

Violinia
[/quote]


I cannot emphasise the last thine V. has said: advertise everywhere. Now I have about as much work as I can fit in around the children, although some private work int the pimaries would be wonderful as I'm disgusted about the way both singing and recorder are taught at Key stages 1 and 2.

All the Best Jo

hi i would like to learn the recorder are you in hampshire by any chance personal message me if this is possible thanks flute money

yes, very difficult to find pupils! Would others advise ppl to start their teaching in a local music centre first, although the paid is pretty bad?

I'm on the lists for my local music shops, and then as a teacher I get discount too!

I think to teach privately you would be absolutely fine. There are a few books you could read just so you know how to teach different sorts of pupils including old/young, physically/mental disabilities, dyslexia and dyspraxia. I particularly like the Hallam, S (1998) Instrumental teaching. Oxford: Heinemann (sorry, just copied and pasted from my recent essay Bibliography), but its a brilliant book as is the music teacher's companion from ABRSM by Harris and Crozier.
I've just recently applied for a job teaching in a school one day a week and for that they asked for a nationally recognised teaching diploma so I dont know if what you have is enough or if you would have to do a specailised teaching diploma in addition to your degree.

Wow, so many helpful replies, thank you all so much!

All your hints and tips are so truthful, you have given me much needed insight into what I need to do! I suppose the first thing is to advertise as soon as I can and just get started straight away, there is no other way to get experience is there? And hopefully my confidence level will build in the process.

I do still want to get some sort of teaching qualification, maybe I'll plan to do that in September some time once I have researched it all. I also want to take my Masters in Early Music but not for a while yet as it is so expensive, I thought it would help though. You have all given me so much ground to start on, so much inspiration! Thank you so much! Any other tips keep them coming!

Here's an idea - get someone you know to be a guinea pig! You lend them an instrument and give them a course of, say, 10 free lessons. You could make them short ones (half an hour) so it wouldn't take up too much time but still give you valuable insight into teaching a complete beginner. You could also get the friend to give you feedback on the lessons...

Violinia

I started many years ago by teaching 2 children who were in our church choir, sort of as a reward for being faithful choir members. I made no charge at the time because I wasn't a qualified teacher, and had really no idea whether I would be any good! They were happy to accept (came from a large family, so anything free was good), and in due course passed exams.


Many years later... as a qualified science teacher, I was "resting" because I had my daughter aged 1, and was getting really, really bored, but couldn't cope with classroom teaching because of various other domestic circumstances, so I put a small ad in the local shop, and within about 3 weeks had 3 pupils. I explained the circumstances to each prospective pupil, they all signed up and I've never looked back.

I think that you just need to have a basic plan about your first lesson in your head, be prepared to alter it a bit to cater for different pupils and take the plunge. If you think about it, you have had lots of experience of instrumental lessons, being on the receiving end. You will be in charge. Give lots of opportunity to the pupil to play in the lesson, and do everything else as well - a little bit of aural for a few minutes, singing, listening and so on depending on the age of the pupil.

Good luck!