How to Gently Pivot Towards More Ideal Private Music Students

Who This Blog Is For

This blog is for a certain type of teacher who I identify with completely.

It's for those who're tired of “bad” private music students sucking up their energy, patience, and joy. It's for teachers who - because they've been at it for awhile - have a pretty good idea of what students they most enjoy working with and are best-suited to teach.

In other words, this blog is for teachers who are ready to pivot their studios towards their ideal client, except for one thing: Teaching is their livelihood, and they worry that being more selective will result in fewer students and less income.

This is a real, honest-to-goodness concern - and one I address below.

What I Mean When I Say "Ideal Private Music Students"

But first, a bit of clarification about what I mean when I talk about "ideal private music students."

I believe that a teacher's ideal students are those whose values align closely enough with their own that there isn't any values friction in the relationship. The ideal private music student also has musical and educational needs that the teacher is well-equipped to meet through their skill set, experience, and temperament.

If you and the student's values do not align, and/or you are not able to meet the students' learning needs without great cost to yourself, the teacher-student relationship is not ideal. In this case, I truly believe that guiding the student to a teacher who is a better match for them is best for everyone.

A Few Things to Keep In Mind

If you recognize yourself in the first few paragraphs above but are anxious about how being more selective may effect your business and bottom line, take heart from the following insights:

First, pivoting your studio towards your ideal client doesn’t have to happen overnight. The three strategies I list below help you pivot gradually with minimal (if any) effect on your immediate income stream.

Second, even a gradual pivot away from students who drain or frustrate you and towards those you're best suited to work with will improve your energy and frame of mind. A 5 or 10% positive change is better than no change at all.

Third, You don’t have to sacrifice income in the short-term in order to make this shift. There are ways to gauge interest in your ideal student offer before making the shift.

3 Gentle Strategies To Help You Pivot

1. Run one “niche” advertisement in addition to your standard ads.  If you're gearing up to run ads in the weeks ahead, try putting out a "niche" advertisement that speaks to your ideal potential clients alongside your other ads.  Many marketing experts say that more specific advertising is actually more effective, because potential clients can see themselves in your ad. (For example, “Violin lessons for adult beginners or “comeback” violinists. It’s never too late to pick up your bow!” might appeal to certain potential clients in a way that “Violin lessons for all ages and ability levels!” might not.) Think of this ad as a test balloon to gauge interest. In the meantime, fill openings in your schedule the way you normally would.

2. Build a waitlist. If income is a concern, it’s important to know that you don’t have to let your non-ideal students go before you have better clients to fill their spots. Instead, when you get responses from your ideal client ad, tell them you have a short wait list but expect to have some openings soon. Once you know you have some better-matched students to fill their spots, you can work out a plan to rehome your non-ideal students before scheduling your newcomers. 

3. Begin to reset expectations with non-ideal students NOW. I find that the stress and frustration of teaching certain students often results from a mismatch of values (i.e., I value effort and consistently; the child and parent don’t) or a lack of respect for my policies that I neglect to address because I don’t want them to quit. Trying to pretend everything’s OK when it’s not is exhausting and resentment-inducing. Which is why I suggest that you begin resetting expectations with your non-ideal students even as you're waiting to hear from clients you're better-suited to work with. Maybe this means becoming more insistent about your practice expectations, or really sticking to your lesson cancellation/make-up policies.

   
   

   Resetting expectations starts paving the way for the clientele change you seek. For starters, the new expectations may not sit well with the family in question, so they may very well decide to leave your studio their own (always ideal). And should you need to initiate the rehoming yourself, it likely won't come as a complete surprise. At the very least, while they’re still with you, you’ll have better boundaries and expectations in place that will make working with the student less taxing.

I’m convinced that a lot of private music teachers lose their teaching vim and vigor, or even close up shop altogether, because they’re frustrated and burnt out and can’t find a better way forward.

If teaching “bad” students is taking its toll on you, I recommend gently pivoting your studio towards a clientele you're better equipped to teach. Don't go another year dreading a handful of students who suck up all your time and energy; it simply isn't worth it.