Re: [Harp-L] Advice About Being a Harmonica Teacher

[philharpn@xxxxxxx]

How to get MORE business as a harmonica teacher? 

Teach group lessons through an adult education program. Most adult ed (usually a school district) offers flat rate or percentage of enrollment pay. Or set up a program with a music store. 

I checked out your web site. In the late 80s when I first picked up the harmonica as an adult, the last thing I would have tried was internet lessons. Even skype -- even though it didn't exist at the time. What I needed was hands-on workshops and I started out taking several over the years. That's because when you're trying to play the harmonica for the first time you need a teacher in the same room who can see and hear what you are doing. Even in a group setting. 

Your site says you offer workshops. Great. But the average harmonica newcomer doesn't want to book a hall for a workshop, he just wants to sign up a 6 or 8 week session.

(For the rest of the folks, if you're thinking about teaching harmonica, select a book from Mel Bay -- Phil Duncan has the Dirt Simple (w/CD)recently released and the older Deluxe Harmonica Method (w/DVD & CD). Both offer harmonica tab and music notation.

You can buy them at a discount through a music store or from Mel Bay. I have used Deluxe Harmonica Method for decades. It has about 100 songs in variety of styles-- more songs than any other basic harmonica book. Dirt Simple has fewer songs. 

If you use a published textbook you don't waste your time working up lessons plans and tabbing and copying songs. 

If you want to also cover bent notes, you can add that in and incorporate bent notes into the songs in the books.)

The chief advantage of holding group lessons is not that you get rich but that you have a constant flow of new students coming through your classes and some of them might want to take private lessons. Ot skype after meeting you in person.

The advantage for the teacher is that the students pay up front -- whether they attend lessons or not. 
Failing this, set up a stall at the local mall and recruit students for group classes/skype that way.


(Most of  this background is old news for Ari -- but it might be helpful for people who might be thinking about teaching group lessons. Most of the stuff on the internet (and I've seen most of it) is useless to people who have never picked up a harmonica before. )

I have been teaching Harmonica 101 group lessons for over 20 years but I rarely had private students (they don't show up--even if they prepay). I also was contributing editor -- wrote articles and reviews of harp books and CDs -- for American Harmonica Newsmagazine for 17 years, the only U.S. monthly harmonica publication for most of that time. The publisher died in fall 2005 and so did the magazine. 

This is the shortest I could write this.

Hope this helps.

Phil




-----Original Message-----
From: Ari Erlbaum <ari.erlbaum@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Harp-L <harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Mon, Dec 21, 2015 1:40 pm
Subject: [Harp-L] Advice About Being a Harmonica Teacher

Hello all,

I'm looking for some advice about how to get business as a harmonica
teacher. I've been teaching for a few years on the side of my day job, but
am now trying to work less on other things and more on harmonica. But what
I've noticed is that it tends to attract more adults than kids (parents
usually send their kids to piano lessons or something). Adults tend to be
much less reliable for consistent lessons, since they are more connected to
their pocketbooks and busier. They always go away from the first lesson
super excited about playing harp, but tend to email later on saying that
another bill came up so they can't afford lessons for a while, or the trip
is too long for them to get here, etc. So for you all who have been doing
this longer than I have, do you have any suggestions for either making
adult students more reliable, attracting more kids, or finding some other
scheme for being profitable-ish doing harp related things? And for any
non-teachers, what might entice you to drop money consistently on harmonica
lessons?

For reference, my website is www.pocketmusic.musicteachershelper.com. Any
feedback on that would be great as well. Thanks so much everybody!

Best,
Ari