continued...
I have been involved in music and bands in some form or other since I was 17/18 years old, I have had plenty of experience and also wrote most of the songs in many of these bands. I am still writing and composing and my love for music is still as strong today as it has ever been.
I would say the hardest decision I had to make was actually deciding to leave my job and "go for it". I have a wife, mortgage 2 year old son, so the risk was huge but I felt it was something I had to do or later in life I would regret not trying.
I wouldn't consider myself a "risk taker" but as this meant so much to me I felt I owed it to myself to give it a go.
The great thing about teaching guitar is that the overheads are low - of course the biggest problem is time and once your slots are filled its difficult to increase your income except for the yearly increase in lesson charges.
I think the best advice I could give is to build the teaching business slowly and start small, gain a bit of a reputation and take it from there. I had a few money saving advantages, i.e, I built my own website and had a custom made "teaching room" built in my back garden an investment which has well and truly paid for itself by now.
Now it is not all roses, there are the usual difficulties involved with running a business, people being reluctant to pay the current lesson fees and cancellations which can be the biggest problem, especially teaching in schools with a few problems cropping up in the last few weeks. Get a good contract in place, clearly stating the "rules" making yours and the students position clear from the outset. This saves an awful lot of hassle down the line. As I stated earlier it's a "steep learning curve" and I am in the very, very early days of my teaching practice I can only hope everything works out and I develop as a teacher and in business.
I hope this article has been of some benefit to anyone thinking of starting up in the near future I would say if you want it that badly "give it a go".
Music & Intelligence
Will Listening to Music Make You Smarter?
By Duane Shinn
Will listening to music make you smarter? Will learning to play a musical instrument make your brain grow larger than normal? Questions like these ones have been popping up all over the place in the past few years, and not just in scientific...read more...
Spoilt For Choice!
Tablature or Dots?
By Oliver Staines
As teachers of the guitar we have the great good fortune of the many perks that come with being able to teach what essentially is the ‘coolest’ instrument read more...