Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum A moral Dilemma of a possibly Real Situation

Dustin, I find your general attitude hard to swallow. You have a lot to learn.

I agree with everything you wrote in your post, except for this statement:

Plenty of piano teachers truly love their jobs, but their studios are not full, and if they raise their rates at all, they'll end up with fewer and fewer students.

I think THAT is the real "moral dilemma" of being a piano teacher.

Oh, so I am not allowed to voice my opinions on any matters other than what you think is appropriate? If someone wants to pass my studio up because of my personal views on religion, then that is up to them. I'll still have a full studio either way.

And not that is should need to be said, but my name will only come up if someone is searching for my religious affiliation. Google uses contextual searches, not searches primarily based off the name alone. You would need to type in my name + church or + religion ... and you'll probably find an atheist forum that I frequent often. Have at it! I do not hide my name or my views because others may be (gasp!) offended!

If you go searching for public officials in office that speak hate against Atheists you won't have to look hard and they are not publically criticized. You know, George W. Bush senior saying that he doesn't think you are an American if you don't believe in God.

general attitude? Are you referencing my criticism on religion? I'd be happy to provide my real thoughts on it if you so desired.

I was also under the impression that many small churches have to give a portion of their rakings to their parent churches and organizations who are all part of the entire chain of command - which eventually leads to the megachurches and high profile church leaders who are making quite a lot of money.

--

"Most" and /or "many" churches have a personnel committee - or deacon body - which decides what to pay the preacher so most of them do NOT get paid mega bucks. (Granted -- there are some out there who make the decision themselves and that is where the "problem" lies). IF a church is part of a larger organization (ie: Southern Baptist Convention) then they CAN give part of their "rakings" (as you put it) to the organization. They are NOT required to by any stretch of the imagination (well -- I speak for the SBC and a few others but not all religious organizations) This organization does NOT just pay their "high profile leaders" -- this group (I will stick with SBC) pays missionary's, HUGE relief efforts (look into them -- they are some of the first responders with VOLUNTEERS), helping small churches pay their mortgage, etc, etc, etc --

It seems like you have an important business decision to make here.

I am in a very similar situation to yours. I hired a professional graphic designer to design my studio website, and I did a web marketing campaign on Google. Shortly after, I had a full studio and a small but growing wait list (note: I only have 11 students, all of whom take one-hour lessons, since I work full-time).

I don't see an issue with raising your rates incrementally. However, as you say in your original post, you will likely alienate many of your current students.

I don't know of any products or services that raise their fee by 33% at one time. Would you continue using your cell phone, electricity, mortgage payment, etc. if the price went up 33%? To me, 3-5% per year is expected and reasonable.

You put yourself at risk for pricing yourself too high if you do this. Plus, you'll be a less reliable teacher since parents are going to feel extremely susceptible to further heavy rate increases. Part of my corporate job is contract negotiations, and I mandate the inclusion of clauses about capping rate increases at 5% over the term of the contract.

I applaud your business acumen in seeing an opportunity for rate increases, but I feel that such a large raise would reflect more greed than business sense. I value my students' and parents' loyalty, so my loyalty back to them is a reasonable rate increase. My policy protects both my students and me by stating that I can implement a rate increase at any time, but must provide 90 days' written notice. I have stuck to 5% per year (rounded to the nearest dollar) for rate increases, and I haven't lost students for that.

Even though you have a waitlist, you don't know a) if the students are actually going to start piano b) how long they will last. What if their availability doesn't match yours? What if they've already found other teachers? What if they come for an interview and decide that you're not the best fit for them? Or what if they quit 4 months later? The grass looks greener on the other side, but is it?

ANZ - I think you misunderstood my position and what I was saying === I know that there are many studios which are NOT filled and they love what they do. I have also been in the position where I don't feel like I can raise rates (FL here) and I am STILL in that position (we are priced low in order to provide quality lessons to most anyone who wants lessons). I was speaking more towards Dustin -- if HE taught because he LOVED it (instead of "worrying" over the huge amounts he can make) then his studio would be full and he wouldn't be having this conversation. If HE wants to price himself high - I say "go for it!" -- see what happens.

I think Minnie is implying that (as you said) you are only 24 with no degree and you seem to "value" yourself above all other teachers (ok -- most). That said, I agree with Minnie -- you have a lot to learn over the years when you get to be 45, 55, 65, and you have LIFE under you and you have a degree (maybe) and you have a better sense of business, and you have been teaching longer. Please respect those who have been at "this" a lot longer than you and who treat others with the respect they deserve.

In our 20's, most of us thought that we knew better than others too, and then we realized later that we didn't know as much as we thought we did.

I am not agreeing or disagreeing with Dustin. But I think that using his age against him, just because he mentioned it, is unfair.

Arguing for OR against his points on the merit of the points seems fair to me. The rest is not.

Here's some gossip, and once said, I won't repeat:

Dustin, In a studio near you I shared with another teacher, my partner was reading The Da Vinci Code and happened to leave her book out where it could be seen. One mother saw it and flew into a rage! My friend meekly put her book away, never to be seen again. Yes, there are those types around, for sure.

Now I can say pretty much what I want to because I have retired from the younger students (people like that parent are partly why), however, I still refrain from expressing my very liberal views on religion because I still work with people who may have me in their church sometime. Maybe not right, but, it's work, and those paying may decide to hold it against one. I have hinted at this, and I will say it again. That area you are in has some of the most viscious people I have ever seen anywhere in my life. Hopefully the current group is growing older and will be phased out. These women even gang up on school children they think should not get what they have earned. Want to know more? PM me sometime.

I do like the way you have your policies set, and I think they will evolve as you gain further experience. It's good to be confident, but it's nice to learn from other teachers, too, don't you think?

I have not checked into these studios on your site, however, I will. Also, know this from someone who has seen it all in this area, the teachers that I mentioned earlier who cannot so much as play a sonatina, have wonderful, outgoing personalities. Unfortunately, this is what draws an unsuspecting public to them, not their abilities. They usually do have great testimonials. Some people can be very misguided when seeking lessons, and have no idea what to look for in a teacher. One of these "teachers" gives out huge piles of material gifts after recitals (in which nothing is played!), getting big smiles all around from happy kids and happy parents. Having seen her students play, I was appalled to see that they didn't even know how to lift a finger up and down from a key. All the fingers pressed at once, and this was a student in a later book. I had to listen to this woman stand up to her students parents, who were rapt as she lectured on Robert Schubert, who, she claimed "was a good one" (whatever that means), and that he was very successful and had lots of money and friends. Well, it doesn't take much to find that this is total crap, and Schubert died penniless and very young, only supported by his close friends. But, she's outgoing, so what does it matter? I truly believe this is robbery by deception. I don't mean to throw a wet blanket on those who have testimony from parents/students, only to be careful at what appears to be good because of testimony. I know of two other just like her. One is online and his claim to fame is his testimonies. Same as previously mentioned woman. I know these people quite well, and this man may have taken a few lessons , but he can't play much at all. Looks good with his suit and pointer sticking out of his pocket, though.

Lastly, on the topic of testimony, I also know a number of professors who have told me that they, and all the good, demanding teachers get the complaints. I've had certain mothers (from guess where?) huff off and threaten to boycott me if I didn't keep rescheduling their lessons. They canceled too much, and I refused. One woman who didn't want to use the swap list, but demanded resheduling actually took my swap list and CALLED others on the list to incite them against me. Another mother from this group went to war with me because I insisted that her daughter cut her nails. I know, unbelievable. But, my point is, complaints can be used as a form of vengeance by some, and others may have glowing testimony who don't deserve it. Things are not always what they appear. That's what I've learned from getting older. Try to associate with those who maintain their integrity through honest, hard work.

I don't know if you can raise your rates by 33% or not, but one year I raised mine by 25%. No one quit.

Whether 25% (or 33%) is too much depends on how low they actually were to start with, I guess.

+1

Um, it's not about how young someone is. Off the top of my head, I can think of one incredible 25-year-old that that is an amazing pianist and can be an unbelievable coach. He's better than most teachers here as both a pianist and teacher, I can almost guarantee that.. And some people here are 40+. So age does NOT matter - what matters is what you actually know and your experiences...... Just saying.

Wow. Just finished reading this thread. Amazing how we let this person drag us down into a "discussion" of churches and the United States (which BTW, if you don't like it here, please leave. I will be happy to buy you a one way ticket! Sorry.....just sick and tired of the syncophant brats who do nothing (including work) but sit around and complain and listen to the national news without getting the facts!). Why not leave this where its lays and move on to more relevant teaching topics!

Surprising as it may seem, I tend to agree. Many people do little with their allocation of years but grow older. I doubt I'm substantially wiser or more competent than I was thirty years ago -- I've just got a whole lot more cynical.

It's all about quality, rather than quantity.

just remembering that we used to pay $2.75 for lessons when i was a kid.. (i'm not that old really).

Yes apple, and I bet rent didn't use to be so high.

I don't have a problem with advertising at all..whatever works. But, you've only been teaching for a year?? That statement in bold is what I'm referring to, and perhaps I misunderstand your meaning. I just find it odd, if that's the case, why you are touting experience as being more important than education when it comes to being a good teacher, and yet you have neither?

I think this is a moral question because the OP may feel that he is not worth what he is charging regardless of whether or not he is able to fill his studio at that rate.

There are piano teachers who charge $200 per lesson and are a bargain, and there are piano teachers who charge $20 per hour who are worse than a rip off.

So, to the OP, you have to define what makes a credible piano teacher worthy of what you are charging, and if you are living up to that definition, then you will not be troubled by what you are charging.