News and Views
Helen Smith Tarchalski, Editor
"I told Lionel that this is going to be very expensive, so he must follow directions and practice a lot. Piano lessons are very important to us, but we're not going to fool around when this kind of money is being invested.
I was encouraged
this past fall when, once again, a new student's family confirmed
for me that a tuition rate requiring a noticeable financial commitment
enlists more dedicated students. Charging appropriate tuition
rates benefits all involved. It allows teachers to free their
minds of financial worry so that they can concentrate on the task
at hand: music-making and developing new and future well-informed
music lovers to fill audiences, support the arts, and continue
to enjoy making music on their own. Because our actions affect
many, it also ensures that we are acting responsibly toward colleagues,
and as Lionel's mother remarked and nearly every veteran piano
teacher can reiterate, charging appropriate tuition rates helps
to ensure that more students treat their piano instruction seriously,
thereby reaping maximum benefits.
In addition to the impact on our own financial security, consideration
for our colleagues, and our students' commitment and progress,
think of how our professional conduct impacts our gifted students
who may be struggling with decisions about their own futures.
Can they consider our business practices, including our teaching
income, as up-to-date as other professionals with whom they interact?
Can they imagine themselves operating a lucrative studio using
our example twenty, thirty, or forty years from now? Can their
parents, who usually pay for college tuition and often
exert influence over a student's career path, imagine this for
their children? And shouldn't all of these factors figure in along
with teacher qualification and tangible operational and professional
development expenses as we make our decisions regarding tuition
rates?
All of our writers
for this issue have had extensive interaction with piano teachers
throughout the country as they have consulted, lectured, and written
about our topic - setting tuition rates.
from Jean Fox's article
A letter to parents and students
The following is based on a letter distributed in the studio of Jean Fox to parents and students.
Have you ever wondered exactly what your tuition dollar buys? Sending out bills is my least favorite job, and I know that you would be as delighted as I if sending and paying bills was not part of music instruction. Since it is, I would like to mention some things included in the tuition. I am well aware of the fact that music instruction is expensive. When preparing a presentation many years ago, my husband and I found figures showing that my parents spent more on pre-college music training than was spent on all of my husband's college education, including his PhD. While in high school, I had as many as four music lessons weekly. As an example of what music education at that time cost, the lowest tuition, based on an hourly rate, was $45.24 when adjusted for inflation by the consumer index to figures for the year 2002, and the most expensive was equal to $96.93. (Editor's note: These rates were for a town in the Midwest. In many areas, these figures are higher.)
What does your tuition pay for?
Your music tuition pays for the teacher's expertise. However, your lesson fees include much more than the teacher's expertise. Our journals tell us that between 33% and 50% of the money coming in goes out for expenses. Because of the added opportunities I offer, my expenses run at the high end of that. Examples of these costs are: recital expenses; purchase, repairs, and maintenance of equipment; professional membership fees and journals; teacher expenses incurred in competitions and festivals (postage, printing for applications, travel); and continuing teacher training (conference registration fees and related travel expenses). These expenses, of course, are in addition to the normal operating expenses any small business proprietor incurs. A self-employed business person must do without many things that you probably enjoy if you are not self-employed-social security contributions, sick leave, paid vacations, medical insurance, disability insurance, retirement pension, and matching savings plans such as a 401K plan.
A significant part of your tuition dollar obviously pays for the teacher's time. But were you aware that it includes much more time than that spent at the lesson? Time is spent preparing lessons, evaluating new music, and research and study of historical performance practices and interpretations. Time is also spent by the teacher in organizational tasks such as planning and preparing for recitals, festivals, competitions, group performance and theory classes, rehearsals, and scheduling lessons. Did you know that we must type at least one application per student, and often judges' sheets and other papers, for each event that a student enters? Did you know that we are required to volunteer many hours to each organization providing student activities? You make tuition payments that are prorated for an entire year's worth of activities, not only for individual lessons. Statistics from professional music teacher journals reveal that, for every hour enrolled in piano lessons, you are actually investing in at least two hours of the teacher's time. . .
Jean Fox is an independent music teacher in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She was selected as a past Distinguished Teacher of the Year by Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association. Ms. Fox has served as a national clinician on studio management for MTNA, as President of the PMTA, and as the MTNA Eastern Division President.
from Beth Gigante Klingenstein's article
What are we worth?
What are we worth? In dollars, a month of lessons might be worth $100 per 30-minute student; $250 for setting up a recital (programs, hall, reception); $500 for attending a music teachers' conference; and for educating well-rounded piano students - priceless! What then, is our "worth" in terms of time (beyond the regular lesson time) during that month? Time spent reviewing new repertoire: 10 hours; 60 hours for chairing a committee for the local music teachers' group; and for all of the other tasks associated with being an involved and committed independent music teacher - endless!
What are the major considerations when setting tuition rates?
What should we consider when setting our rates? I believe
the most significant factors impacting our income are size of
community, educational background, years of experience, services
offered within the studio, method of payment, and the professional
(or unprofessional) image we have of our own self-worth.
Location
In the national surveys that I have conducted, the single
most significant impact on the rates of the independent music
teacher (IMT) is location. Teachers in large metropolitan areas
earn substantially more than those in rural communities. Regardless
of community size, the IMT rates in a given area may be unacceptably
lower than other professions in that same area. If so, teachers
can take action. Teacher groups can conduct anonymous surveys
regarding their community's rates, share the information, and
discuss this somewhat sensitive issue. These discussions are not
intended to encourage any kind of price-fixing. Rather, they educate
teachers who, because of the independent nature of the business,
are often unaware of the economic status of their own profession.
Education and experience
We all assume that educational background should matter when
setting rates, as should years of experience. In reality, most
teachers do not adjust their rates significantly for additional
education or years of experience. A strong suggestion to combat
the generally low income of the IMT is to not only set rates higher
initially, but to raise rates annually to reflect higher education,
additional experience, and cost of living increases. . .
Beth Gigante Klingenstein is nationally known
for her extensive work on business policies for the independent
music teacher. She maintained an independent studio for 28 years
and is presently on the music faculty of Valley City State University
where she is also the Founding Director of the VCSU Community
School of the Arts. The author of A Business Guide for the Music
Teacher, Beth is also a regular contributor to American Music
Teacher and The Piano Adventures Teacher. Her presentations at
local, state and national conferences on music and music technology
issues provide practical guidelines for enhancing the professionalism
of the independent studio.
from Thomas Skousen's article
How do you select your rates?
My wife likes to brag that she started teaching piano at age
nine. She charged $1.00 per lesson. Penny for pound, she was probably
the best teacher in the nation! Or was she?
Music lessons from different individuals are distinctly different
products. Setting rates is the principle tool by which music teachers
can communicate their unique offering. And yet, determining pricing
can be one of the most challenging aspects of setting up a studio.
Pricing
Teachers typically set their tuition rates based on what the other teachers in their area are charging. The MuBuS Pricing Tool, available free of charge, gives a general idea of what people are paying for music education. It tells the average that students are paying for music lessons based on the rates teachers have entered (by state). The MuBuS Pricing Tool can be found in the Community section of www.mubus.com. You can include your rates by registering on the site. The more teachers who register and enter rates, the more useful the tool becomes.
Although the tuition rates charged by others can be useful, pricing is a special tool for communicating to your students the unique value of your learning environment. Thus, the following factors should be considered when setting your tuition.
1. Teaching experience
Experience counts! Training aside, there are things that can only be learned and improved by hands-on experience. It is important that teachers generally raise rates each year, not just to account for inflation, but to also acknowledge that the past year's teaching has improved their abilities. . .
Thomas Skousen holds graduate degrees in business and law and is the co-founder of MuBuS Inc. (Music Business Solutions) and METTA Academy of Music.
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