Introduction

Every teacher was at one time an inexperienced one.

Adults tend to back out of lessons during the holidays or when their children are on
school vacation.

Young students tend to be very organized during school days and fall completely apart
during school vacations and summers.

For the most part, music lessons take place after regular working hours for adults and
after school for children.
Peak lesson hours fall between the late afternoon and the evening.
A teacher who can comfortably teach students of all ages at most levels in various styles
has no trouble filling out a lesson schedule.
Dont sell yourself short but at the same time be realistic about your limitations.
If your pool of potential students is small, you may have to travel or do more work to
gain referrals.

Finding Teaching Opportunities

If you want to fill a lesson schedule completely, you have to look in several places or
work in different venues until your net stretches across a sufficiently large pool to gain
enough students.
Schools represent a tremendous teaching opportunity.
Not all positions require teacher certification or a full-time commitment to the school.
If you do not want to work in a school but you are looking for lesson referrals, it benefits
you to be in contact with the schools in your area.
As a full-time music teacher in a school, you are usually given a teachers contract and all
associated benefits and responsibilities.
Positions that require traveling or are located in rural or inner city areas may elicit less
competition from experienced educators.
A school music teacher inspires children to express themselves musically, and you may
make a real difference in the lives of your students.
Aside from being a traditional music teacher, the school may act as a referral agency for
you in private lessons, or they may hire you to teach lessons right in the school, either
during school or after hours.
Most schools do not require educational certification for such ancillary positions.

The best way to get your foot in the door at a school is to get to know the principal, the
faculty and most importantly, the music teachers in the schools where you want to teach
lessons.
Music Teachers are good people to know if you are looking for students for private
lessons.
If you want long-term results, make the decision to put some long-term work into
developing a relationship with your schools music departments.
Drop off a stack of your business cards in the guidance department or with the music
teacher so you can get some referrals.
There is profound fiscal potential in acts of volunteerism. People get to know and trust
you and then hire you for events in the future.
Become a substitute teacher.
Ask for a formal internship. Dont jump at an unpaid internship where a paid
assistantship is a possibility.