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If you\u2019re a musician, you want to make
\nmusic. You need to make music. You also need to pay the rent (and buy, say,
\nguitars). Often it\u2019s hard to earn a living from just playing or writing music,
\nand it\u2019s much, much harder to get by
\non just the music you want to write
\nor play. Even the best-paying jobs in music performance (famous orchestras,
\nWest End shows) don\u2019t always pay especially well, and earnings there are not a
\npatch on what people with far less dedication to their art and craft can earn
\nin the public or private sectors doing much more sensible (read \u2018much less fun\u2019)
\nthings than music. This is partly why many musicians also teach music \u2013 a 2012
\nstudy found that 60% of professional musicians in the UK earn part of their
\nincome from teaching. It can be very rewarding. <\/i><\/p>\n
Teaching music, as any engagement with this
\nmost magical art form, can \u2013 and should \u2013 get emotional. After all, if music didn\u2019t
\nmove us, why would we bother with it? Teaching is truly exciting if (when \u2013
\nit\u2019s inevitable) you work with pupils who devour information and develop
\ntechnical expertise with alacrity, and who push you to think differently and
\nwork harder. Engaging pupils of varying ages with a broad spectrum of interests
\nand motivations, with different circumstances and anxieties, makes teaching an
\nexhausting and fulfilling occupation. Teaching is intense, if you do it right. It
\nrequires you to be energetic, inspirational, empathic and humble. Plus, you get
\nto work with some of the zaniest, weirdest, coolest, most creative and
\nexcitable people around. If a kid is interested enough in the trombone\/drum
\nkit\/nose flute\/zither to make their parents buy one, chances are you\u2019re on to a
\nwinner! <\/p>\n
One of the cool things about teaching is
\nthat it is a highly creative activity. It provides a great income stream for
\nmotivated, inspiring musicians; it\u2019s a terrible idea if you\u2019re lazy, stubborn,
\nor think others should be able to learn music through osmosis, simply by being
\nin your awesome presence for half an hour a week (which would also be nice).
\nSome teachers complain about how pupils \u2018don\u2019t listen\u2019 or \u2018don\u2019t get it\u2019; while
\nthis is sometimes the case, the burden of responsibility lies mainly with the
\nteacher: if you\u2019re in a one-to-one lesson, and little or no learning is taking
\nplace, it\u2019s not really fair to assume that the pupil (the one without <\/i>the musical and pedagogical
\nexpertise) is to blame!<\/p>\n
Most local authorities in England provide a
\nmusic teaching service that farms music teachers out to schools. It is often
\neasier, though, to find work as an instrumental or vocal teacher if you go
\ndirectly to a school\u2019s Head of Music, as there is less politics involved this
\nway for her\/him. This is especially the case for private schools, which have no
\naccess to state-funded music service provision. Alternatively, you can teach
\nfrom your own studio\/back room, or visit pupils\u2019 homes. You can typically
\ncharge between \u00a325 and \u00a350 per hour for lessons in the UK. As a guide, consider
\nwhat driving instructors and lawyers charge, decide whereabouts on the spectrum
\nof human needs \u2018cello and flute lessons fall, check out what\u2019s competitive in
\nyour area, and let your conscience be your guide. <\/p>\n
Whether you\u2019re working as a solo agent or
\nfor a school or local authority, there is always likely to be an ebb-and-flow
\nto the number of pupils you see. This is, as with most self-employed work, a
\ndouble-edged sword, because it gives you, at different times of the year, both
\nmore work than you want or can reasonably handle, and far too little. The
\nflip-side of this is that you can end up with quite a lot of time for creative
\nprojects, and that students (and their parents\/school teachers) are likely to
\nbe forgiving when you have a run of festival gigs across Europe and can\u2019t make
\na week\u2019s teaching. <\/p>\n
The
\npossibilities for teaching music, as with making it, are pretty boundless. You
\ncould set up a summer rock camp, start a local community choir, organize
\nhip-hop workshops, or convene a ceilidh collective. Let your imagination run wild!
\nPut in the effort, and teaching will be its own reward.<\/p>\n
Gareth Dylan Smith is based in London, England. He drums in punk, Do you teach music? What do you think people starting out as teachers need to know? We’d love to hear your thoughts!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" If you\u2019re a musician, you want to make music. You need to make music. You also need to pay the rent (and buy, say, guitars). Often it\u2019s hard to earn a living from just playing or writing music, and it\u2019s much, much harder to get by on just the music you want to write or<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[56],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nmusical theatre, pop, and alt. rock bands. He writes for <\/i>Rhythm magazine<\/a>, <\/i>DrDrumsBlog, and for academic publications
\nincluding <\/i>The Grove Dictionary of American Music<\/a> and Psychology of Music.
\nGareth\u2019s book <\/i>I Drum, Therefore I Am: Being and becoming a drummer, was published in 2013.<\/i><\/p>\n