As the world becomes increasingly digital, online music lessons are becoming more popular. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits for music who online music lessons. We’ll share tips on how to teach remote music lessons and answer the question, “Can music teachers make money by teaching music online?” If teaching virtual music lessons is something you’ve considered doing, read on!
What are the benefits of teaching music online?
Teaching music online has a range of benefits for both music teachers and students. Online music lessons provide more flexibility and the ability to reach a wider audience than traditional in-person lessons. Many potential students cannot find a suitable music teacher locally and therefore turn to music teachers online. Music teachers can connect with students worldwide by offering web-based lessons, expanding their market significantly. Overall, teaching music online provides an excellent opportunity for both teachers and students to broaden their reach and achieve their goals. Below are just some of the benefits you’ll discover as you begin providing online music lessons.
Reach a Wider Audience
One of the biggest advantages of teaching music online is the ability to reach a wider audience. With online lessons, you’re not limited to students in your local area – you can teach students from all over the world. This means you can expand your student base and connect with people who may not have had access to music lessons otherwise.
Continue Teacher Students who Move
According to the U.S. Census, children between the ages of 6 and 17 have a 14.5% chance of moving. If you only teach in-person, you will likely lose those students when they move. However, if you teach music online, you can transition students who move from traditional face-to-face music lessons to online music lessons.
Enjoy More Flexibility
Another advantage of teaching music online is the flexibility that it offers. You can set your schedule and work from the comfort of your home. This means you can fit your teaching around other commitments, whether that’s another job or family responsibilities. You can teach while you travel. Even if you can’t bring an instrument with you on a trip, you can still conduct a music lesson remotely because you can teach theory or listen to the student play and offer suggestions. Additionally, online music lessons eliminate the need for a physical space to hold lessons, which can be costly and time-consuming.
Fill in Hard-to-Fill Time Slots
If you solely concentrate on finding local students, you may discover that most of them prefer lessons during the late afternoon and early evening, leaving you with unoccupied time slots before kids get out of school and during the later evening hours. However, teaching online allows you to fill those gaps by catering to students in different time zones. You can market your services to cities located two or three time zones away from your own, where students get out of school just before or after your local students finish their music lessons.
Lower Overhead Costs
Teaching music online can significantly lower overhead costs when compared to traditional in-person music lessons. Online music lessons eliminate the need for physical classroom or studio space, which can lead to significant expenses for music teachers. Rent, construction, utility bills, equipment, and permits can be expensive for music teachers who own music class studios. If you provide music lessons in a student’s home, you are likely spending a lot on gas and mileage. Teaching music lessons online eliminates those expenses.
Recorded Music Lessons
If you teach a music lesson using Zoom, you have the option to record it. Recording a music lesson enables the student to review the material covered later on. This is a useful way for students to recall what was taught during the lesson and to practice music more efficiently.
More Productive Music Lessons
Online music lessons can be more productive and efficient than in-person lessons because they eliminate the time spent setting up and cleaning up. You can quickly transition from one student to the next, especially as you become more proficient with using Zoom and MusicTeacherNotes to connect with your students. In less than a minute, you can complete a lesson and move on to another.
Weather is not a factor
If you have a bad snowstorm or another weather event that makes it unsafe to drive, holding lessons online is ideal. Neither you nor your students have to drive through treacherous weather conditions to get to a music lesson if the lesson is remote.
Reduce the chances of getting sick
If a student has a cold or flu, you don’t want them to risk infecting you or other students during a music lesson. Doing so is a health risk and is also likely to cause a domino effect of missed lessons as others get sick. Online music lessons are a great option for when you or your students are sick but still feel good enough to play music.
Diversified Income
When the COVID lockdowns happened, many music teachers were financially devastated because they relied on in-person lessons. Those who taught online tended to fare better during the pandemic. Whether something like that could happen again is debatable, but it’s always safer to diversify.
How do I teach music online?
Getting started with online music lessons can seem daunting. Below, we’ll cover some of the key steps you can take to get started with teaching music online.
Choose your platform
The first step in teaching music online is choosing the right platform. There are a range of options available, from video conferencing tools like Zoom and Skype to dedicated music teaching platforms like Lessonface and TakeLessons. When choosing a platform, consider the following factors:
- Audio and video quality: You’ll need online meeting software that can deliver high-quality audio and video for music lessons. Zoom is one of the most common online meeting applications that music teachers use for remote music lessons.
- Interactive features: Use MusicTeacherNotes or a similar type of music teacher management software solution to share music files, saved videos, notes, and other resources. MusicTeacherNotes has many features to help music teachers with online music lessons and in-person music lessons.
- Payment and scheduling options: Consider how students will pay you. Using PayPal, Stripe, or Venmo are just a few options that music teachers use to collect payments from online music lessons.
Plan your lessons
Once you’ve chosen a platform, it’s time to start planning your lessons. When teaching music online, it’s important to keep the following tips in mind:
- Be prepared: Make sure you have all the materials and resources you need for each lesson. MusicTeacherNotes lets you quickly see what you worked on during previous lessons so you always know what to focus on for the current lesson.
- Keep lessons engaging: Find ways to keep your lessons interactive and engaging, even in the absence of in-person interaction.
- Use multimedia: Incorporate video and audio recordings, as well as interactive online tools, to enhance your lessons. If you use MusicTeacherNotes, you can save all of your online music teacher resources in your library and share them with students during the lesson.
Adapt your teaching style
Teaching music online requires some adjustments to your teaching style. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Communicate clearly: Make sure you’re speaking clearly and at an appropriate volume, and encourage your students to do the same.
- Use visual aids: Use visual aids like music notation software and screen sharing to help your students follow along.
- Provide feedback: Offer constructive feedback to your students and encourage them to ask questions.
Market yourself
Finally, it’s important to market yourself effectively when teaching music online. In another article, we go deep into music teacher marketing tips, but here are some tips to get started:
- Build a professional website: Create a professional website that showcases your experience and expertise.
- Use social media: Use social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to connect with potential students and share your teaching philosophy.
- Offer a trial lesson: Offer a free trial lesson to new students to give them a taste of what you have to offer.
- Find markets in other timezones to consider targeting: You can market to neighborhoods in timezones other than where you live. Use Facebook, Google, EDDM (Every Door Direct Mail), or Groupon to target those neighborhoods.
Teaching music online can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience for both teachers and students. By following these steps, you can get started with online teaching and reach a wider audience than ever before.
Can you make a living teaching music online?
Music teachers who are considering teaching online may wonder if it is possible to make a living from this type of work. The answer is yes, but it will require some effort and strategic planning. In this article, we’ll explore some tips and strategies for making a living as an online music teacher.
Teach Locally and Online
One of the best ways to make a living as an online music teacher is to combine your online lessons with teaching locally. This approach can help you to maximize your earning potential and build a strong reputation in your local community. By teaching locally and online, you can ensure that you have a steady stream of students and a diverse range of income sources.
Schedule Your Lessons Strategically
When teaching music online, you can be more flexible with your schedule than you might be with traditional teaching. For example, you can use online lessons to fill in the gaps between your local students. Ideally, use the few hours after school ends for local students. If you want to provide online music lessons a couple of hours earlier than your local area, look one to two time zones to the East of your location. If you want to fill the time slots just after your local lessons, look one to two time zones to the West of your location. Perhaps consider networking with music teachers in those time zones.
Keep Your Expenses Relatively Low
When starting as an online music teacher, keeping your expenses relatively low is important. You’ll need to invest in equipment like a good-quality microphone, a webcam, and headphones, but beyond that, you can keep costs low. By minimizing your expenses, you can ensure that you are making a profit from your lessons.
Effective Ways to Market Your Online Music Lessons
Marketing is crucial to making a living as an online music teacher. Here are some effective ways to market your music lessons:
- Create a website: A professional website can help to establish your credibility and showcase your experience and expertise.
- Use social media: Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram are great for promoting your music lessons and connecting with potential students.
- Offer a free trial lesson: Offering a free trial lesson can help to attract new students and give them a taste of what you have to offer.
- Network with other teachers: Find teachers at music schools in the time zones you want to target and let them know you have availability when they are likely full, and vice versa.
- Consider using Groupon in areas you want to target: You could pick cities where you want to provide music lessons and create a Groupon deal to attract new students.
- Consider Google Ads: You can geotarget an area with Google ads. Google ads can be a great advertising method if you do it right, but it can waste a lot of money if you do it wrong. We wrote an article that thoroughly explains how to advertise with Google Ads for music teachers.
Do online music lessons work?
As we mentioned, there are many benefits to teaching online music lessons. There are negatives, too. Many music teachers dislike online music lessons for a variety of reasons.
The Cons of Online Music Lessons
- Technology issues: Technical issues such as poor internet connectivity or hardware problems can interfere with the quality of the lesson.
- Lack of personal interaction: Online music lessons can lack the personal interaction and feedback that comes with in-person lessons. This can make it difficult for the instructor to gauge the student’s progress and offer personalized feedback.
- Equipment limitations: Some instruments require specialized equipment or a certain skill level to play properly. Online music lessons may not provide access to this equipment or the necessary level of guidance to use it effectively.
- Distractions: Getting distracted during an online music lesson can be easy, especially if the student is not in a quiet environment.
The Verdict:
When considering whether online music lessons work, it’s important to recognize that the answer will vary depending on the individual student’s needs and circumstances. However, online lessons can be effective for students who are dedicated and have access to an organized and dedicated music teacher.
Whether lessons are conducted online or in person, what matters most is the teacher’s ability to motivate students and teach them new skills. MusicTeacherNotes can help with this through its built-in motivational tools.
For music teachers, online lessons offer benefits such as an increased student base, greater flexibility, and reduced costs, but it’s important for individuals to weigh the pros and cons and determine if it’s the best option for their specific needs.
Do you want to get more students and grow your music teaching business?