Are you the best piano teacher in the world? How about one of the best, with a comfortable, well-appointed studio, a great instrument in perfect tune, a personal style your students absolutely adore and a passion for what you love to do. If so, congratulations! But even if you are all these things, if students and prospective students don't know anything about you-who you are, what you offer, where you're located––how will all this translate into a fulfilling career as a piano teacher? Unfortunately, it won't . . . unless you can somehow make information about yourself readily available to prospective students, while at the same time ensuring that the nature of this information is exactly what you want your students to know about you.
The power of people
Our suggestion? Consider membership in a piano teachers guild. There are scores of guilds, associations, fellowships and other professional organizations—in which thousands of piano teachers all around the world participate—that offer a vast array of beneficial services and features specifically designed to enrich every aspect of your career as a professional piano teacher.
For starters, such membership provides the independent piano teacher a much larger community presence, particularly in the world of the Internet. If you consider that a presence in cyberspace has, in a few short years, surpassed word-of-mouth as the leading form of economical self-promotion, it's no surprise that thousands of piano teachers nationwide are enjoying this benefit of credibility and exposure.
All about credibility
In addition to sheer exposure to help students find their way to your studio, membership in a piano teachers guild lends the automatic cachet of respectability and reputation through certification, awards, diplomas and such, all of which tell prospective students that you're not only a great piano teacher in your own estimation, but also in that of your peers in the music industry.
Such credibility is further enhanced by actual infrastructure and functionality in the form of nationally and regionally organized recitals, auditions, contests, seminars, workshops, festivals and other events designed to encourage students, reward performance, stimulate communication and creativity, and generally foster community among musicians and teachers.
Additional services and benefits are available on sites such as this one, in the form of simple on-line directories that organize member piano teachers geographically, and instantly share with prospective students such details as location, specialty, types of lessons available, student/parent testimonials, awards, certifications and other professional accomplishments. Personalized web pages are also available through this site and others like it, as well as community requests for certain types of lessons—according to discipline, age group, location, rate and so on—that are actively funneled to members like you.
Out of pocket
All these benefits and many more are available, and the cost of membership may surprise you. In general, annual memberships are reasonably priced in the vicinity of what the average piano teacher charges for a single lesson. So what are you waiting for? If you're reading this article, you're but a mouse-click away from enhancing your teaching career in ways you never thought possible. Join a piano teachers guild today!
About the Author: Mark Buchanan
I am an avid musician with 20+ years experience. I have performed live in the Midwest area with various bands performing mainly as a sideman. I enjoy all types of music and approach the study of music with an open mind. Though my performing schedule is heavy, I have a small group of students I teach when time allows. Music is a lifelong journey and I'm proud to be a part of it!