Setting up a first lesson
Have a plan in mind when you talk to a prospective student. This plan should include the days and times you are available to teach, and the length and frequency of your private lessons and how much you charge.
Whoever contacts you, parent or student, will be excited about telling you how they play, how long they have played and much more. A phone conversation and/or face-to-face meeting will help you decide if this student will fit into your studio mix or benefit from your teaching style.
Be sure to confirm the date, time and location of this first lesson and if it is some distance in the future, it is considerate to call them back or send an e-mail or text to re-confirm this information. Everyone’s calendar is full.
Schedule extra time for this first lesson. You will need to gather personal information and talk through studio expectations and billing.
Already a player…
When a new student is coming for their first lesson and if they already play the flute, have them bring a piece of music they can play for you. In addition, have level appropriate music there for them to look at and try to play. Some sight reading is a great way to find out where they are in their learning and any playing allows you to check things like hand position and embouchure. Remember you will need to send them home with an assignment moving them forward in some way with their learning. Keep thinking about what this while they are playing.
Or a real Beginner, a student who cannot make a sound…
If the student cannot make a sound yet, then hopefully accomplishing that will send them away with a huge feeling of success. If at the end of the first lesson they can still not make a sound, then assign them tasks to practice to help get a sound and something they can do without blowing. Fingerings to memorize, clapping and counting exercises, memorizing note values visually are all good first steps. Learning terms like staff, treble clef, and bar line would also be a great assignment for a non-player.
Personal Information you will need to collect:
- Make a personal information sheet for your studio – paper or electronic
- Student’s name, parents’ names, address, phone, cell phone, e-mail
- School name, their current grade in school and their age
- School music program involvement and names of other music teachers or directors
- Their current music program expectations, requirements and assignments. You will eventually want their concert and contest dates over the school year so that you can help them prepare their music for these events. If there is Pep Band or Marching Band participation there will be additional music and dates that will be important. The student’s success at school will really add to their progress and mindset about learning to play the flute.
Studio Rules and Expectations to review
It is good to have the following as a printed handout. Some teachers require the parent or student to sign this studio policies sheet to acknowledge receipt of this information.
- Discuss billing – How much and how often. Are there any studio fees other than just for their lesson i.e. copying, music paper or anything else supplied to the student? If you are part of some sort of music school collaborative, there may be registration fees annually and/or monthly. Will you be doing your own billing or can they expect the bill from someone else? Will they be billed electronically or by mail or do they get to set that preference? Can they pay by cash, check, debit or credit card or PayPal?
- Absence expectations – How far ahead do you need to cancel a lesson? Will they be charged for a no show?
- When does your schedule allow for Makeup lessons? A good question is whether you will allow a Makeup lesson for a no notification, no show.
- Practice expectations = Minutes per day or Hours per week. Do you supply a practice time sheet? Do you expect the student to bring this to their lesson? Does it need to be signed by their parent? Does their school music director require a practice time sheet?
- Music purchase expectations – Will you purchase music and bill them or will you ask the parent to order/purchase the music themselves?
- Recitals/ Community performance expectations – Does your studio do recitals or perform in the community and what are the expectations for a student’s participation?
- Are Ensemble performance opportunities inside and outside your studio available for your students?
- How are the costs for an accompanist for contests or recitals handled?
- Have a photo permission slip to be signed by the student, parent or guardian. This allows use of any recital pictures including their student’s picture in brochures or on-line music school or studio web site or social media.
Handouts to consider:
- Studio business card
- Fingering Chart – Make sure they can read the chart
- Lesson Assignment book
- Practice Time Sheet
- Copy of your Studio Policies
- Music worksheets etc. are very handy either in a workbook or downloaded and printed for free. Music game sheets and Music Sudoku can be printed and sent home for some learning fun. There are many, many styles and levels, free and printable available on-line. You will be able to choose what is just right for your studio or any particular learning situation.
Student’s flute:
- Check out their flute to determine if any repairs are needed
- Be sure to include space on their information sheet to record the make, model, serial number and specifications including key set-up and material specifications of the student’s flute
- Have name and contact info for your preferred repair shop available to give out as needed
- Remind parents to add this instrument to their homeowner’s insurance
First lesson content
- Flute case right side up – SO IMPORTANT!
- Flute assembly
- Do not set your flute on the music stand – it might fall off
- Do not let a non-flutist – friend, sibling or fellow band member – play or play with your flute. It is not a toy.
- Cleaning – What kind of cleaning rod and cloth do they have or need to acquire? Show how to clean a flute.
- Go over how to read their fingering chart. Have them show you they can figure out a new fingering themselves.
- Hand position – Be sure to demonstrate. Do you have a picture you like to show?
- Making a sound – On the headjoint first, then on the whole flute
- Identify and comment on where they are currently in their progress i.e. you have a great hand position or a good beginning on your tone
- Pick the music and exercises for their next lesson
- Go over techniques on which they should focus for their week’s practice
- Finally, be sure to determine the date and time and assignments for the next lesson
Some Private Lesson Considerations
- It is totally up to you whether the parent attends lessons.
- Be sure that you receive payment each month. If collections are allowed to go for 2 to 3 months out of kindness or life circumstance, you may or may not be able to collect.
- It is up to you to determine whether you are having success teaching and interacting with a student or their parents. You may move a student on to another teacher if need be.
- Allow a student to freely move to another teacher if they or their parents feel it would be a better fit.
- Think about any extra lessons you might want to give ahead of contests or recitals. You should determine their timing, length and whether that is an additional coast to the student.
- Remember to keep a calendar or time sheet showing the date and length or cancellation of each and every lesson. Do not forget to do this. You and anyone else involved with billing will want to have this back up. At the end of a month it is hard to remember who came when, who was sick or traveling or who did not show up.