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100%. None of them are rich in any real sense of the word; a few are upper middle class. Most are in the struggling to make ends meet every month. And I assure you, the military families are far, far, far from rich. Quite a few families are splitting tuition between parents and grand-parents. It's really a matter of priorities for each family. Do they spend their available resources on their children's education or on entertainment or on goodies for themselves?

That's the beauty of capitalism - choice. You can choose the teacher who best meets your needs, and others have the same freedom to do so. No "one size fits all" like we have in certain quarters.

That doesn't answer my question about the inconsistency (between what you expect poor people to choose and what you claim your customers choose: your policy, which is NOT something that I expect a poor man to choose, there might be exceptions but most certainly not 100% like you claim). For people who barely make ends meet, the choice that you offer (logically) seems to be something that's not really an option for them. However, you claim that all of them make it work. You even go on to say that 100% of your clients are not rich, but you began talking about it in this thread saying that most of your families have a steady and reliable income that they don't mind committing to a year's lessons, even with the caveat that you put in your policy about cancellations. I don't quite fathom it. So either your estimate about your clients' wealth in your most recent posts is wrong, or there is some weird sociological phenomenon going on here that I don't quite understand. I know what else could explain this: your conception of "rich" and mine might differ. For you, rich might mean somebody who makes $500,000 a year. For me, rich means anybody who makes more than $100K a year.

If a rich person makes $100k, what does a middle class person earn?

That doesn't answer my question about the inconsistency (between what you expect poor people to choose and what you claim your customers choose: your policy, which is NOT something that I expect a poor man to choose, there might be exceptions but most certainly not 100% like you claim). For people who barely make ends meet, the choice that you offer (logically) seems to be something that's not really an option for them. However, you claim that all of them make it work. You even go on to say that 100% of your clients are not rich, but you began talking about it in this thread saying that most of your families have a steady and reliable income that they don't mind committing to a year's lessons, even with the caveat that you put in your policy about cancellations. I don't quite fathom it. So either your estimate about your clients' wealth in your most recent posts is wrong, or there is some weird sociological phenomenon going on here that I don't quite understand. I know what else could explain this: your conception of "rich" and mine might differ. For you, rich might mean somebody who makes $500,000 a year. For me, rich means anybody who makes more than $100K a year.

$70K? You do realize that a lot of piano teachers only make that much, don't you? They are not rich, they are middle class people who chose to teach (and chose to go to college for music) not for the money. Nobody in their right senses would be a music major in the hopes of making loads of cash.

It's not my job to figure out how my services could be affordable to 100% of the population.

If he says he doesn't teach only rich people, then you'll have to take his word on it.

$70K? You do realize that a lot of piano teachers only make that much, don't you?

?????? That's a lot to assume. Most piano teachers make way, way less than $70K.

For me, those families that cannot afford the rates that I have set do have many options in the community of teachers who charge much less. I am pretty confident that the people who don't make a lot of money would able to afford lessons.

9th Grade or Less
A person who has completed education till 9th grade and older than 25, irrespective of sex, race and occupation has a mean annual earning of $20,308. Which can be a pretty misleading figure as the mean figure will shoot up drastically if one of this sample set earns a lot more. So the median income is given to be around $17,422, which I feel is a more accurate number.

High School Graduate
A high school graduation opens up a lot more job openings in America. And hence understandably, the mean income again is higher. The mean income for a high school graduate is $31,664 while the median earning is $26,505.

Bachelor's Degree
A person with a bachelor's degree on his job application no doubt commands a better salary. The average American income for a person holding a bachelor's degree is more than the national average and stands at $56,740. The median earnings are $43,143. Which basically means that if you're an American holding a bachelor's degree or a higher qualification, you are most certainly earning a lot more than the average American income.

Master's Degree
A person holding a master's degree surely must be holding one of the highest paying jobs in the United States. With a mean earning of $68,302 and a median of $52,390, it is for sure a very impressive amount!

Professional Degree
The cherry on the cake really. Read the figures and gawk. A person with a professional degree on an average makes... wait for it... $119,343 per year. A massive figure indeed. Even the median number for it looks really good. $82,473 per year still means you're right up there! Biggest fish in the job search market!

I was being extremely liberal with my estimate there because John seems to have quite a high bar for his definition of "rich". He would call $50K below poverty line and I didn't want to make piano teachers look that poor!

I'm talking to Stanny. I'm interested in how one handles such a situation where the entire semester is paid but someone needs to leave half-way through/whenever.

liszt85--

This issue really has nothing to do with family income. I have taught and still teach children of wealthy families that make over $250K. I also have taught children of families that make less than I do. Regardless of their family income, all students follow the same studio policy IF they want to study with me. That is their choice.

Many families value piano in their children's education. Spending $2,500 a year on piano lessons is a price that many families ("rich" or "poor") are willing to pay.

If a rich person makes $100k, what does a middle class person earn?