Hi,

I currently teach piano, mainly between 3:30-8:00 Mondays-Fridays. I would love to be able to teach during the day too but was wondering how teachers go about getting pupils for morning or early artfernoon slots?
I've just quit my job so I'm completely available. I have 23 pupils so far, so enough to keep me ticking over but would be better if I could teach a few in the days too.
I live in Surrey and have contacted local council about teaching in schools, but they've told me that they don't have any places and I would have to audition and then be put onto a waiting list. I don't have any qualifications apart from Grade 8 so it would be difficult anyway.

Any ideas would be greatly apprecicated.

Also, I have a few young pupils doing grade 2 in March and they can't stretch to some notes i.e an octave in the left hand, is it okay for them to play this with the right hand if it isn't really noticeable or will this lose them marks?

Thanks very much for your help,

Amy

Hi Amy

I think this is an age old issue - unless you get into a school there is little scope for teaching piano to children during the school day.

So, what about targetting adults? You could put up an ad where they might see it .... in the library, on the church notice board etc? You could even advertise on a school noticeboard with permission in the hope of attracting some mothers whose children are at school and they might have a free half hour.

There are several teachers where I live who teach from 12 onwards as there are quite a lot of adults in my area learning piano. I, for one, go for my lesson at 12.30pm.

Think laterally .......

Have you considered teaching Adult Learners?

I am one and have my lesson at 10 am. It's a section of the population that would be more likely to seek lessons earlier in the day, especially on weekdays. I'm not a teacher though, so I don't know how you'd best advertise.

Hopefully, others can advise you accordingly.

(elizabeth21 seems to have pipped me to the post!)

As well as adults another possible area for daytime lessons is home schooled children.
I'm not sure how you'd tap into this but you could look for support groups online or try local shops and press for advertising.

If you live somewhere that's easy to get to, you could maybe try to get yourself added to the 'approved teachers' list at your local university. You would probably need experience of teaching advanced students to do this (diploma standard students and above) unless the uni has lower entrance standards - or would need to be able to convince them that you have the skills that would be needed to teach at this level. My flute teacher finds that undergrads aren't always the most reliable or dedicated of students (although some of course are!), but she's happy to be flexible with times and frequency of lessons.

Definitely advertise for adults. Flexitime is being used more and more at work, and I have friends who have language lessons at 9am, some at 11am.

I'd love to have music lessons very early, or at lunchtime, but Italy is like France. Nothing, absolutely nothing must ever disturb the sacred lunch break!!

Steve

There are plenty of pensioners out there with time on their hands. I teach three retired older people, and they are happy to come along during the day, and are some of my most enthusiastic students (one is mad keen to take exams!) You could try notices in parish magazines, newsagents' notice boards etc.

I now have two full mornings of teaching (oboe and piano) for adults. Some are coming to music as OAPs (my oldest oboist is into her 70s ), some are young Mums who are either not working (but children are in nursery or similar) or work part-time and we fit lessons in around that.

Adult pupils can be very rewarding because, on the whole, they want to do this. Often they are trying to make up for something they missed out on when younger.

My latest adult returner is a young Mum I first taught when she was a teenager at school. She gave up when the demands of academic work got too much but is now discovering her love of the oboe all over again and wants to get to Grade 8 eventually.

So, I'd warmly encourage you to look beyond schools for daytime work. Put up some notices in local shops, music stores etc and wait to see what happens.

Good Luck.

Try the primary schools in your area- yes, some will already have lessons provided by county music services, but some prefer to get their own teachers in. I've got two full days teaching in a primary school, and leading from that got an afternoon in a secondary school- all by word of mouth.

Also, someone's already mentioned it but home schooling. I wandered into this by chance but it fills up my mornings wonderfully!

Good Luck!

Housewives, Househusbands, Part-time workers, Shift workers, Retired people (... and the idle rich??)

... it is quite a large potential market.

Wow, thanks to everyone who has posted on here I really appreciate all your help and advice!!
Its interesting to hear from the pupils too who learn during the day.

I was just about to give up hope and take a day job doing some boring admin work but I will now make it my mission to fill my day slots! I shall let you know how I get on, fingers crossed!

Thanks very much again,
Amy

I teach in the afternoons and evenings but a few lunchtimes a week I play the piano in a cafe. I fell into this by chance, but I guess it might be another avenue to try. It doesn't pay amazingly well, but I get a lot of extra business through this (playing at weddings and new pupils etc).

Also, I know it's a bit out there, but you could think about doing pre-school music classes. I know a lot of people who take their babies and toddlers to music groups. A friend of mine with a small baby was complaining that round where we live there aren't many groups for mums to go to.

Oh and my piano teacher used to do little concerts at an old people's home. I don't know if he got paid for it.

I think I'm scraping the barrel now! But there are definitely options if you can't find any day-time pupils.

Hello! I would write letters and send them to all private schools in your area (or that you are willing to travel to) this is how I got all my day work

Even if they do not need anybody, they will keep it on file and the second someone leaves, your letter will be pulled out and considered!

Yes this is a good idea. Also several home schooling parents do stuff together so as to balance out each others areas of expertise, so once you start with one or two you should build from there quite well. Can you offer more general music education as well, the kind of things they would be doing in a primary school with good music provision, rather than 'just' instrumental teaching?

Much of my teaching timetable is taken up by home-educated children. They are a pleasure to teach as they make practise a real priority each day (most of them, anyway). I have to prepare more for their lessons as they are thirsty to learn more than just their instrument. I teach composition, improvisation and get them together in groups from time to time. They also ask me to take seminars from time to time, including on rhythm, singing, and most recently, use of technology. I was head of music in a secondary school for a while and so this calls on my wider skills as a musician, which is very refreshing.

However, in my experience, the only way into this is to know a family - this is how it worked for me, and then it snowballed as they network with one another and passed my name on.

One suggestion possibly worth exploring is speaking to your Local Authority regarding elective home educators - most counties will have a liaison officer who visits home educating families each year, just to ensure they're fulfilling legal obligations - they may be able to offer you more concrete advice.

Home ed is an interesting thought, one I haven't tapped either, but like you say music margaret, not that easy to access.

Agree with twinklefingers, private schools are worth trying as well as the state schools you've already tried - often easier to work for private schools than music services too.

Atypically by the sound of things, my own daytime teaching is mainly with full-time working adults - pre-work (from 7.30am) and in lunchtime. I do have others who don't work or have flexi-time. I guess your area would be a key determiner of what sort of adult market you could acccess.

You could try putting flyers around the place too...it's not the most efficient way to get students, but it can tap into some areas you couldn't reach otherwise. I only tried it once, got 5000 printed, distributed about 2000, and got 1 adult. Still with me though, and has more than paid for itself and would do it again if necessary...