Music Instructor/Professional Musician

Moved by Mozart? Driven by Dvorzak? Whether you specialize in teaching piano, voice, cello, violin, ?ute or any other musical instrument, you will enjoy filling your home with the sound of music when you are a professional music teacher and/or musician. Students are always plentiful, especially when you live near a lot of elementary, middle, and high schools with music programs. Often, there aren’t enough good teachers to go around, so when you become known for what you do, your appointment book will fill up rather quickly. Still, the young are fi ckle, and there will always be lots of turnover with your student roster due to lack of commitment, moves to other cities, or just plain lack of eff ort. Particularly with the younger set, you will need to work hard to encourage your students to stick with it, to learn how to discipline and “fine-tune” themselves into good musicians. Offer incentives (such as free movie tickets or a free video of their latest recital) to keep your students happy and motivated.


You will, of course, need a performance-quality instrument. Some music stands, instruction books, and maybe even a tape recorder would be a good idea as well. Your students may purchase their own instruction books or purchase them directly from you (if you have the space to stock some). A good tuning fork and a metronome to help keep a steady rhythm are the only other items that you will absolutely need to get started. If you already own a good instrument, you won’t spend more than $150 to get this business off to a quick start. Just make sure you bill your students for a set number of lessons upfront and at the beginning of each month, as music lessons are often the first thing to be cast aside by busy families or students with wavering commitment.


Advertising your teaching and performing abilities in community newspapers is often the best way to generate a strong client list in the beginning, along with off ering your services through schools and universities. But don’t forget to do a little schmoozing with party, wedding, and event planners to get the higher-paying gigs. And always take a full stack of ?yers or business cards with you to each performance. Referrals can get you everywhere in this business, and that is a Bach you can bank on.


Approx. cost of start-up: $150 to $25,000 (depending on whether you already own a professional-quality instrument)


Approx. potential earnings: $15,000 to $70,000


Typical fees: $15 to $25 per class per week $150 to $500 per event


Where to promote: Community newspapers, bulletin boards at local schools and universities, wedding directories


Qualifications: Experience as a professional musician; music degree a plus


Things needed: Performance-quality instrument, a piano or tuning fork, music stands, a metronome, and a room dedicated to musical instruction


Required staff: No (but you could partner with others for a chamber group or quartet and split the take)


Hidden costs: Travel expenses, extra strings and related musical supplies