Hello World! (Actually, this has to be significantly less than the world since I haven't put this out there much)
Once upon a time I decided, "Hey, I should teach piano lessons." My supportive husband, mom, sister, etc. all chime in with, "you would be so great! So far, so good right? The thought is there, I live in a populated place (populated with what demographics I am not sure about yet), my family is supportive, I have been playing the piano since I was 6ish, I must have this right?
Well, over the last few days I have been putting real thought into it. I still want to do it, but man there is so much more to think about than I first thought. There is scheduling, how parents sign up, what times I should be available for lessons, do I write a monthly newsletter or a blog, what piano books would I prefer my students to use, how much should lessons cost, what policies do I set in place, is there a point where this is illegal without some form of business license, etc. Whew!
So, naturally, I go to the all-knowledgeable Google--where I find that teachers in other states find lessons in Utah to be ridiculously cheap, and think teachers should be highly trained and qualified (like college-level trained), that it would be a good idea to have a mentor piano teacher. There is endless debate on Alfred vs. Bastien vs. Faber piano books. There are ways to set up web payment/scheduling. Many of them were talking about interviewing potential students/parents.
My conclusions so far: Lessons in Utah may be super cheap, but as a new teacher and one that hasn't taken music to the college level, that is totally okay with me. I must confess that the thing about college training got to me a bit (maybe because it was said with such little respect for those that choose to teach without doing this), but I remembered that I knew someone who was teaching piano in High School, and that I have a degree in elementary education which is super applicable to teaching piano. As for a mentor piano teacher, I am sure my old piano teachers would be willing to speak to me. On the subject of books, well, I have fond memories of the Alfred Series, and if I do a good job, it shouldn't matter what books they use, especially as beginners. Finally, scheduling. My schedule is my own. I do not have to teach at a time that just doesn't work for me. (Though I do need students so I am trying to be realistic and reasonable.) The things that freaks me out the most, is the whole process of trying to get students. Most of my Cedar City friends/acquaintances don't have children to teach. So I am waiting to get accepted to the Facebook Cedar City selling Group. I am also waiting for my husband to get back from his trip to help me set up a Facebook Page. Eventually we will be able to attend church around here and will be able to start networking and stuff that way. (What do nonmembers do without a church setting to meet people?)
Thanks for chomping on Trisa's Nervous Thoughts! Tune in next time for nervous thoughts about.... Just kidding. This pretty much covered the nerves.
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