There's been a definite theme in my consulting work this week...

Backstory: If you follow me on Instagram, you know I opened up a block of "surprise" consultation appointments this past week.

After initially vowing to take the summer off from consultation services, opportunity struck when I realized (1) I had an unexpected block of open time earlier this week, and (2) I REALLY missed working with teachers.

Back to the present: I had meetings with several brilliant teachers this week, and it reminded me why I'm so passionate about this aspect of my work:

The services we provide the world are too important to leave us feeling like we are struggling to make ends meet.

For a whole host of reasons, music teachers have a tendency to equate their work with compromises to their time - and to their income.

I believe there is a reckoning, of sorts, bubbling up in America. Our public education system is certainly struggling to find a solution to keep quality educators in the classroom... but that's a different subject for a different newsletter. 🙃

But what about those of us who work for ourselves?

Time and time again this week, I found myself reminding teachers that we are often the ones standing in our own way.

Sure; we have to understand our market....our client base...the "going rate" in our area, etc. Those are all good numbers to know.

But - at the end of the day - our tuition rates and studio policies should be determined by what it's going to take to meet our needs.

Rested teachers are better teachers. Teachers who are not frazzled over finances are better teachers. Teachers who don't feel like they are being taken advantage of are better teachers. Teachers who can afford to go to concerts and pay for professional development ARE BETTER TEACHERS.

...see where I'm going with this?

I know SO many teachers who feel "stuck" by favors they've agreed to, or limits they've placed on themselves - knowingly, or otherwise.

If you own your studio and feel a nagging sense of financial insecurity, or a recurring resentment over feeling disrespected, it's time to make a change, my friend!

I know the economy is a concern to all of us (it should be!), but even beyond that, there are a lot of false narratives surrounding the teaching profession and what our work *should* look or feel like.

And the truth is - no one is going to change the narrative for us. We have to do it for ourselves.

YES - teachers can have fun doing what we do.

YES - we may do it primarily for the love of our art.

YES - we are compassionate and are often tempted to put student needs ahead of our own.

YES - we are a service-related industry and we must keep clients happy.

YES - it is a blessing to do what we do.

...and, also...

NO - we are not destined to live a meager existence because of our career choice.

NO - we are not obligated to arrange our lives around those of our students.

NO - we should not have to build a "side hustle" to supplement our income (unless we WANT to!).

NO - we are not responsible for emergencies that arise in the lives of our studio families.

NO - we are not required to work "off the clock" without compensation

​

...Phew! I could go on for quite awhile here (perhaps you can tell?) 🤣

​

I'm a little fired up, I know. It's because I've sat (virtually) with multiple teachers this week, whose eyes were welled-up with tears because - they love what they do - but life feels like SUCH a struggle.

It doesn't have to be that way.

And - the craziest part of all - is most of us don't HAVE to wait on a system to change. We don't HAVE to convince our bosses that we are WORTH MORE.

Well - actually - we do. It's just that the system is ours, and our boss is us. 🙂

May we all be good managers of ourselves, friends. Cheers to THAT. 🥂

My treasured friend... I want to know: Are you holding yourself in a pit of compromise? Are you a prisoner of false narratives about what our job should look or feel like? If yes, HIT REPLY and let me know.

As always, thanks for reading! 👏

Other Ways I Can Help You:

One-to-One Teacher Consultations If you feel stuck in your teaching: whether it's a tuition/policy matter, or you don't know how to "up" your teaching game, let me know and we'll see if I can help! ​ I'm offering THREE (rarely-discounted!) consult sessions next week (Monday, 07.24 and Tuesday, 07.25, time TBD). Save $10 by mentioning One Thought Thursday! Get Yours Here

Teachers Teaching Teachers (TTT) is THIS WEEK! Anyone in the Patreon community at the $6 level gets access to our Zoom meet-up on Friday, July 21st. We'll spend about 30-minutes troubleshooting one another's problems, then another 30 minutes working through teaching strategies and pitfalls found in our selected piece of the month. The meeting IS recorded for those who cannot attend live. Give TTT a Try on Patreon!

Can't-Live-Without Repertoire Speaking of TTT.... I love this series, especially Book 3. It also happens to contain Melody Bober's Skeleton Stomp, which is our focus for TTT this month! Get Yours Here

A Favorite Thing Ya'll can keep your Stanley cups: I am an Owala girl through-and-through. ​ Seriously - this water bottle makes drinking water a more satisfying experience. It just does! It comes as no surprise; I have more colorful ones for myself (and my kids). My husband, on the other hand, is partial to this understated black version. For musicians, this may be just what you need to take gigging with you. Those orchestra pits and stage lights can sure leave us parched, but this will remain discreet and coordinate with your many varieties of Concert Black. Find it on my Favorites List

On the Podcast The Summer Bookshelf Tour continued this week, with our seventh stop: The Ways Children Learn Music, by Eric Bluestine. Other Summer Bookshelf Tour recs are available on my Favorites page. Listen In for my Three Takeaways

Studio Foundations: 6-week session We'll be starting up a new 6-week session of the Studio Foundations Course in September. Register NOW to secure your spot! Check it out!

Piano Pedagogy for High Schoolers I'm considering running the online version of my 6-week pedagogy course this fall. If you have high school students who play at the intermediate level or above and are interested in piano teaching, please have them sign up at this link to receive more information. High School Pedagogy Course

Spoiler Alert: I've already written next week's One Thought Thursday (since I'll be partying at NCKP when it goes out). It's a REALLY important one. It's also about money, but comes with a super practical application. If you have friends who would benefit from this letter, make sure you send them to christinawhitlock.com/subscribe to get on the mailing list!

Hit that REPLY Button and talk to me about where you feel STUCK!

Onward and upward toward building a business that TRULY supports our needs. 🥂

Want to check out PAST One Thought Thursdays? Find the Archives Here.​

*This email may contain affiliate links. That may be smart business, but please know all recommendations are purely my own, and are absent of any icky ulterior sales motives.

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