Unbeknownst to many outside the piano teaching world, piano teachers don’t start work the moment a student walks through the door. Hours of planning and preparation go into each and every half hour lesson a piano teacher teaches. And yet a piano teacher salary is based solely on teaching hours; prep time is apparently “off the clock”.
Now, as piano teachers, we could sit back and moan and groan about the injustices. Or… we could remember that, unlike other professions, we have 100% control over our income. So, let’s look at 13 ways piano teachers can boost their yearly salary!
Teach Piano to Homeschool Families
Most piano teacher salaries are limited by available teaching hours after school. Take advantage of the flexibility of homeschool families and make more money by teaching piano during the day. Some clever niche marketing and attention to word-of-mouth generating events in your studio are great ways to break into this market.
Teach Group Lessons to Adults
Adults flourish in a group setting and are often available during “off” times for young children. If you can overcome the hurdle of available pianos per adult you could be on your way to serious success.
Profit on Piano Books
If you supply piano books for your students, you should definitely be putting a mark-up on the materials… if only to cover your time driving to and from the music store.
Monthly Piano Master Classes
At least once a month your piano students should have the opportunity to perform in front of other piano students. Master classes provide a venue for performance practice, listening practice, and community bonding plus power of group fees means more money for less time.
Composing Classes
Like piano playing, composing is an art in itself that requires time beyond a standard piano lesson. Why not consider offering composing classes as an add-on to your regular piano teaching?
Monthy Piano Game Days
Offering a once-a-month “Piano Game Day” is a fun way to really focus in on theory and ear training while building valuable relationships among the students in your studio. Charge a small fee and invite 8-10 students at a time for your monthly game day. Set up “game stations” around the room, pair off your students and set a timer! Students rotate through game stations until everyone has had a chance to play each one! A membership to PianoGameClub.com makes this SO easy to plan.
Keep up with Inflation
Every year the cost of living increases. If your rates have remained stagnant for some time, consider giving yourself a raise. If not, once again, you are simply losing money. If the thought of yearly increases is too scary, consider a slightly higher increase once every two years. Does this stress you out? Here’s our plan for a stress-free rate increase.
Dynamic Duets
The “rock band” concept isn’t as easy for piano teachers as it is for guitar teachers. But instead, try offering “Dynamic Duets” as an add-on program. Kids will love the opportunity to play piano with a friend every other week. Here’s a free duet to get you started!
Teach Piano to Preschoolers
This is along the same vein as teaching piano to homeschoolers; that is, preschoolers have more flexibility in their schedule, which will allow you to teach piano at times when you normally could not have thus increasing your potential for income-earning hours. Our preschool piano program is free to offer giving you the ability to quickly add this program to your studio with no financial risk. Plus… it also allows you to reach a market in your area that may be previously un-touched!
Hire an Accountant
Hiring an accountant will pay for itself and then some. Protect the money you earn with professional help that can recognize ALL of the expenses necessary to run a piano studio.
Go Mobile
It certainly isn’t for everyone, but teaching piano lessons in a student’s home affords the opportunity to charge a higher lesson rate. If you are comfortable with this piano teaching format, and you are needing to increase your teaching hours, parents often appreciate the convenience factor and will be more likely to sign up for lessons.
Sing and Play
For those piano teachers who are vocally gifted, consider offering an add-on program to teach your students to accompany themselves as they sing. Students can choose to increase their lesson time by 15 minutes or even add on a second lesson per week. Glee has inspired a new generation of voice students, so go ahead and capitalize on this!
Private School Piano
This opportunity may vary from region to region, but in Canada, private schools often seek out private piano teachers to offer piano lessons to their students on campus. This is a great opportunity to acquire a lot of students FAST!
Robyn Pfeifer, NCTM says
Offer special group classes. Duet class, ensemble class, rock band class, etc. Group theory classes are a great way to offer additional services. Also, offering accompaniment opportunities for school bands, choir, or piano solo opportunities that your students and their friends may need
Andrea says
Thanks Robyn! We’d love to hear how you do a Rock Band class with piano students – it sounds like a lot of fun 🙂
Marc says
I’ve found many ways over the years to have my piano students play in a “rock band” setting. With some extra instruments (like percussion especially) and utilizing the sound effects on keyboards, a piano ensemble can take a popular music shape easily. Chord progressions are the trick to it all, then have the students fake guitar parts, bass parts, vocals, etc.
Good luck.
Diane Paul says
Some good ideas there, especially homeschoolers and parents. The problem with teaching family members is that when one is off, the whole lot are usually off. That can create a big financial loss. How about selling gift vouchers? Lots of special occasions for promoting them. And once they’ve used their vouchers, they invariably become regular students.
CarolBeth says
I charge a flat rate per month, so others’ vacations or illnesses don’t impact my income. I will TRY (not always possible) to do a make-up lesson, but it has to be in the same calendar week as the lesson missed.
C. Hawks says
Sports events is what wrecks my schedule. I do charge for all lessons up front during the month but parents get discouraged during those months their kids are doing sports and will elect to drop lessons because there is no way to make-up all the missed lessons. We try changing times and doing longer lessons when time permits to do early or after the A m/u’s. Still, the parents get frazzled and it’s a touchy time when they don’t want the hassle of music lessons because sports seem to be more important. . . it’s this social idea of their kids not being “wimps” so they HAVE to participate. Not to mention the schools push sports so hard due to government subsidies which music departments don’t get.