3 Ways To Become The #1 Guitar Teacher In Your Area
Apr 08, 2023
When musicians start teaching music lessons to make money they must make the transition from musician to business owner and update their mindsets and world view into one that is more congruent to the business world.
Many musicians choose to see music as an art form rather than a competition, and in many ways it is, but it is this non-competitive mindset that leads to them really struggling in business. Indeed the music or the project often remains the #1 thing, and we strive for perfection in our creative ventures and only do business out of necessity as if it was some dirty thing we'd rather not do and only partake in because we need the money.
If you want to be successful in business you have to change your attitude towards business and strive for the same perfection in your business as you would writing a song or performing a piece. You don't have to become a ruthless business person and take out every other guitar teacher in your area but you should aim to rise to the top so you can be first and foremost in the eyes of prospective students just as if you were trying to become the top artist in your city and getting the attention of record labels and promoters.
In this article, I will share with you 3 ways in which you can stand out from the crowd of guitar teachers in your area so that you can attract higher-quality clients and make more money from teaching.
#1 Have a Website
This might seem obvious but something as simple as having a website sets you apart from the majority of music teachers who are unorganised, technophobic or reliant on free classifieds to get students. Having a website automatically makes you look way more professional than anyone who doesn't have one and allows prospective students to contact you 24/7. Furthermore, a good website magnetically attracts your ideal clients while repelling those who don't fit the mould of what you're looking for in a student. Invest in getting a good quality website set up and watch your reputation grow.
#2 Advertise
So many guitar teachers rely on Facebook pages, free listings like Gumtree or Thumbtac, and word of mouth from friends or family. While these are all things you definitely should be doing the single #1 thing that allowed me to rapidly grow my business quickly was advertising. There are many forms of advertising both online and offline which you can use to get clients. If people don't know who you are, they can't do business with you so regularly exposing the people in your community to your marketing will help build your profile and put you at the forefront of their minds when they need a guitar teacher for lessons.
#3 Get Organised
It's a sad reality but we musicians are very unorganised and have a reputation for being unreliable at the best of times. We put 10,000 hours into mastering our instrument and becoming world-class performers but rarely invest $30 and a few hours of our time into personal development or a business book that can help us get more organised and our personal situation in order. If you can become one of the rare unicorn musicians who is organised punctual, reliable, well dressed, well mannered and business- oriented you will immediately stand out from the crowd and earn a reputation as a professional.
The Cream Rises To The Top
There is a famous saying if you're not first, you're last. While music teaching isn't a competition, running a business definitely is and if you want to play the game of business at a serious level you need to develop a competitive edge and aim to be the #1 guitar teacher in your area. If you're not the first person prospective students in your community think of or discover when searching, you're at a serious disadvantage. Fortunately, It doesn't take much to become the #1 teacher in your area and if you get on top of the three tips I've mentioned in this article you'll be well on your way to the top with all the spoils going to the winner!
About The Author - Michael Gumley
Michael Gumley is a professional guitar teacher from Melbourne, Australia. He has over 15 years of experience teaching guitar and is the owner of Melbourne Guitar Academy and the author of Guitar Ninjas - a modern guitar curriculum for students of all ages.
Michael helps guitar teachers grow successful teaching businesses. He is an expert at helping his clients get students to use both online and offline marketing methods while making things super simple to understand and execute.
If you're interested in starting your own guitar teaching business, levelling up your teaching skills, or ramping up operations in your music school then reaching out to request a free strategy session will be one of the best decisions you ever make.
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