Today, I Confess: I Struck a Nerve Last Week (Talking About Margin)
Phew, friends! My inbox has been a BUSY place since last Thursday's Confession... β
Apparently I'm not the only one who struggles with margin. π
As always, your replies assured me I'm not alone in this wild journey through Teacher Life.
Sometimes I feel guilty keeping all your valuable sentiments to myself, so I thought I would do an informal reply round up from last week. Sound fun?
Reading through your responses, the same themes appeared. Over and over again, teachers cited the following as "tipping points" in their schedules that push them past the point of margin:
- Caretaking for aging relatives
- Sickness
- Financial necessities
- Insomnia/Lack of Sleep
Likewise, many of you asked the same questions:
- How do you build missed weeks into your tuition calendar?
- How do you account for missed time, especially if money already feels tight?
SO, FRIENDS. Let's talk about missing lessons:
βAs I said last week, missing lessons is inevitable. Neglecting this truth and "hoping for the best" is not a good strategy.
In the short term, there are several ways to handle unexpected time off:
- Offer Group Classes/Workshops to make up time: Rather than running yourself ragged trying to reschedule private lessons, consider a group class (or classes). Possibilities are endless: performance classes to preview recital/contest pieces, repertoire classes to study different styles of music, theory classes, practice workshops, a master class with another local teacher, an end-of-the-semester showcase... the sky truly is the limit.
- Plan ahead by recording special lesson assignments for an emergency absence. Yes, this requires you to work ahead, but your Future Self will thank you. Upload these videos to YouTube (unlisted) or Google Drive. When you find yourself unable to attend lessons, send out the links and any accompanying resources in place of the lesson you are missing. You have endless options here. Currently, I have three levels of videos recorded for exploring the Blues Scale, and another three videos exploring a composition exercise I use, where students incorporate letters of their names into their piece. These are things (1) I can talk easily about and (2) translate well into video instruction. Choose what works for you.
Those are short-term fixes, but let's talk about how to give yourself even MORE flexibility as you revise Studio Policies for next year:
- Flat studio tuition rates give you flexibility to set your rates and calendar according to your needs. The goal is to erase any correlation of $X per lesson, since we all know students pay for more than contact hours.
- Build a given number of absences into your tuition. For instance, if I have 34 weeks of teaching on the calendar, I calculate tuition for 30 weeks and divide that by the number of months I'm collecting payment. This allows two cancellations for me and two for my students. Note: There is no tuition adjustment if they miss more than two, so I keep tabs on my own absences and let the rest work itself out.
- If that number does not give you the income you need, it's time to increase tuition. Remember, no one is coming to give you a raise. You have to do that yourself. π I will say: since you do not communicate any kind of cost-per-lesson, your monthly tuition rate can (technically) include any number of absences you choose. "Occasional teacher absences have already been factored into the cost of your tuition."
- Friendly Reminder: Sometimes the best way to give yourself a raise is to take more time off and leave tuition rates the same. Again, missing lessons is inevitable.
- Utilize Flex Weeks but Protect Them When Possible. Years ago, Wendy Stevens forever revolutionized Piano Teacher Calendars with articles like this. I still utilize flex weeks in my calendar, but I try *everything* in my power to avoid using them because my time off is valuable.
I hope these ideas help get you started with any changes you want to make to your Studio Policies. If your first instinct is resistance or defensiveness, I'd suggest checking in with yourself to examine why you are having that reaction.
Personally, I knew I should make the switch to balanced tuition payments YEARS before I finally did. Perhaps it felt too big? Even so, more than a decade after making that change, I can't imagine going back to a per-lesson rate.
Remember: oftentimes the THOUGHT of doing something is worse than actually doing it (psst! there's an episode for that). π
If you are looking to make changes in your Studio Policies or would like to flesh out ideas for group classes and/or pre-recorded lessons, I'd love to help you!
Bonus: I just opened up additional appointment times the week of March 16th. Book now for the best selection!β
π₯ May we never confuse the importance of our work with an obligation to run ourselves ragged. π₯
(Side note: Want to make sure this email doesn't get caught in your Spam filter? Hit REPLY and let me know what's going on in YOUR studio these days!)
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My Tried-and-True Recital Selections can all be found in the 2025 Recital Guide.
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