Give Music Lessons?

BungleGirl

Hi,

My husband plays guitar (rather well!) and gigs locally - we often talk about him giving guitar lessons. Not really sure how he would go about doing this - he doesn't have any formal music qualifications and I'm not sure if he needs these.

Has anyone any experience of this kind of work from home business?

Sophie

jobbingmusician

Strangely yes! You can sometimes register with your local library (although I am not sure if they only take people with qualifications). Otherwise the main way is word of mouth. You could put an advert in the local paper - I would guess that if your husband plays lots of gigs locally, that might bring him in some work ('as heard at the local Frog and Fox' that kind of thing).

mattogier

Pop a flyer or poster up at the local:

shop, school, youth group, old peoples home, paper , website (eg our village has a free ads section in our forum) , supermarket, music shop (sheet and instrument if you have them) .

If he has a selection of Xmas songs in his rep then why not offer services playing at local xmas events (fayres etc) in return for having flyers on hand for anyone interested...

Find other teachers in the area who MAY be over subscribed and be able to refer him on to them - or provide holiday cover too!

Once he's got a couple of students on his books I am sure WOM will get things going...

kippers

I was wondering the same thing about qualifications. I play the violin and years and years ago passed my grade 5 theory and grade 5 practical (i was taking my grade 8 practical but them left school as i had a job so i didn't take it...regret it like crazy).

How in earth do you find out what qualifications you need to teach and how do you find out how your students can pass their exams?

jobbingmusician

Easy to find out about exams - ABRSM have their syllabus online. You don't actually 'need' any qualifications to teach (although most employers would expect you to have something like an LRAM) but I would be seriously worried if teachers were putting kids in for exams without having at least Grade 5 theory.

Personally I wouldn't send a child to learn the violin from someone who had not had lessons since schooldays, as the teacher might have developed all sorts of bad habits which a child could pick up. Would you consider some top-up lessons for yourself? - you could tell your teacher you'd been asked to teach a friend's child and wanted to make sure your technique was sound first..........

Nothing to stop you taking Grade 8 now, btw!!! (You can enter yourself. You do NOT have to be a qualified teacher to enter candidates for grade exams).

HTH - JM

BungleGirl

Thanks for the replies - we did a bit of research on the internet and found someone who was offering kind of alternative guitar lessons - it looks like exactly the kind of thing that my husband would like to do. Not based on teaching theory (the guy whose site we found teaches TAB and not proper sheet music and lots of stagecraft, how to audition for a band, how to start your own band etc. It's aimed at beginners who want to be able to play a few songs they know in a short space of time, intermediates who want to improve and get out gigging etc.

This kind of thing would suit my husband down to the ground! I understand that many people would think that proper theory should be taught but I think there are some people that don't want to learn that way. Anyway the website we found has given us lots of inspiration and plenty tothink about!

Sophie

LittleVoice

If he would be teaching children, you may also find that parents want to see a CRB document.

Sensemaya

I would recommend you join the Musicians Union. You need to register as self employed with HMRC within 3 months of setting up. Get a contract drawn up - the MU has a template private teaching contract, for example. And,by god, you will need it.
CRB enhanced clearance via MU via Rockschool costs £46.

Please charge a reasonable fee in line with other teachers in your area. There is nothing more irritating to an established teacher when the " little old lady down the road" is charging a couple of quid for a private lesson to supplement her pension!

I wholeheartedly agree with jobbingmusician #5. Although there are excellent teachers/ musicians without qualifications, I would be very skeptical of employing a 'teacher' that was not proficient in their instrument. G5 is not proficient.

Theory walks hand in hand with practical. It needs to be taught alongside.

ABRSM website contains fora, including a teachers one. Have a read through those and it will give you some idea of what's involved.

Teaching is not just about thinking of earning some extra dosh. You are educating children and adults, so think about lesson planning and teaching materials you need too.

Best wishes and good luck.

karendb

My 15 yr old daughter is currently studying Grade 8 piano and has passed her Grade 5 theory. I wondered if she might be able to earn some extra cash by teaching piano to beginners - probably small children?

What do you think?

Karen

Sensemaya

karendb wrote: »

My 15 yr old daughter is currently studying Grade 8 piano and has passed her Grade 5 theory. I wondered if she might be able to earn some extra cash by teaching piano to beginners - probably small children?

What do you think?

Karen

Karen

I suggest your daughter does NOT charge for lessons yet. I recommend she builds up some experience first and asks her own tutor for tips and advice.

Funnily enough beginners are the most difficult to teach and small children can be a right handful.It's a good idea to have the parents in the room, but make it clear they must not interfere.

Would you have an issue inviting strangers into your home? Is your daughter dedicated enough to give weekly lessons when she has her own G8 and GCSEs coming up? Is she mature enough?

Some questions you need to ask yourself.

Edit:The most important question you must ask prospective pupils is do they have a piano??? :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

You will be surprised the number of people that don't! They might have a crappy keyboard that lights up red when you depress each key, but that's another story.

karendb

Thanks Sensemaya for your input - if my daughter is going to be serious about giving lessons, then it's a good idea to practice on someone who's not being charged - I like that!

She is mature enough but you're probably right about her workload at the moment. Funnily enough, when she first started, she only had a keyboard (the keys did work though) and I do think it's a good way to start off if you don't already have a piano in case your child decides it's not for them - it's not like forking out for a recorder!

We'll see how it goes - meanwhile Happy Moneysaving!