4 Ways Music Teachers Can Make More Money

Are you getting the most out of your students and studio, or just doing what is comfortable?

I think all of us have done private lessons before, and you may even prefer to teach private lessons? 

But...

Private lessons are the LEAST PROFITABLE way music teachers can make money. 

- you can only teach so many hours in a day

- you need to make the most of your studio

- less time, more money.


You've probably heard of some of the other lesson options you could offer. 

Actually most music teacher blogs explain HOW you should teach group music lessons or labs!


But we're going to tell you WHY you should...not how.

And don't worry, it's not going to tell you how it's better for performance and team building.

Nope. It's all about the money!

There are 4 lesson options you can offer besides private: 

1. Buddy Lessons
2. 20/20/20 Lessons
3. Labs
4. Group Lessons

Group lessons are by far the MOST profitable option. 

But I hear you...

What if you are a music teacher who KNOWS they just love to teach students one-one-one? 

Stay tuned my friends. You'll love options #2 and #3.
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Buddy Lessons

Buddy lessons are simply when 2 students share a private lesson. 

They work best when both students are around the same skill level. We offered buddy lessons to mostly husbands and wives, or parents and kids that wanted to take together. 


Group Lessons

You can organize group lessons in a few different ways. 30 minute or 60 minute slots.
3 people or 20 people...

For us, we found they worked best when we did 4 - 6 students during a 30 minute time slot. 

Students also ideally need to be around the same level on their instrument. 

We actually took our instrument curriculums and divided them into 4 levels. Beginners started in a group class on level 1, and we'd work with the class together to get everyone to graduate into the next levels together. 


20/20/20 Lessons

In a nutshell, the 20/20/20 method is when you take 3 students during a 60 minute time slot and divide them into a 20 minute rotation. They can spend 20 minutes practicing at a keyboard, 20 minutes working on music theory or playing games that reinforce what they are learning, and 20 minutes in a private, one-on-one lesson with you! 

Think about it... you can not only ensure your students are practicing, but you can also GET PAID for them to practice! 


Labs

Labs are similar to 20/20/20 but you can decide on the time frame and fit 1 or 2 more students in. 

We did labs for our piano students. During a 30 minute time slot, we'd have 4 students come into a lesson room that had 4 keyboards and headphones. Each student would go to their assigned keyboard and open their books to wherever they last left off and start practicing. Our piano teacher would then rotate around the room teaching each student and answering any questions. 

Labs were not only extremely profitable, but we noticed when we shifted our students to taking lessons in this format, they were progressing through the material FAST. 


So... How do you charge for Groups, 20/20/20 Lessons, Labs, or Buddy Lessons?


For simplicity's sake, let's say you charged $100 for 30 minute private lessons.
Hopefully you're charging more than that. 

30 minute private lesson - $100/month per student (1 student)
30 minute buddy lesson - $75/month per student (2 students)
30 minute group lesson - $65/month per student (3+ students)
20/20/20 lesson (60 minutes) - $100/month per student (3 students)
60 minute group lesson - $130/month per students (3+ students)
Premium Option - $150 to $250+ per month

Math gets a little tricky for some, but here would be your breakdown PER HOUR using the above numbers. 

Private Lessons - $200/month
Buddy Lessons - $300/month
Group Lessons - $390/month for 3 students, $780/month for 6 students                                                               
20/20/20 Lessons - $300/month
Premium Option - $300-$500+/month

What I want you to see is that, from a strictly business standpoint, the worst thing that you could offer would be a full schedule of private lessons. 

Group Lessons will offer the highest profit margin which is why I recommend teachers strongly consider group lessons. 

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