No Longer Teaching from Home! When Is It Time to Move Out of Your Home Studio? – Part 6

Click here if you want to start by reading from Part 1 of this blog on Teaching From Home.

TEACHING FROM HOME
A VERY CANDID ACCOUNT OF THE PROS AND CONS

PART 6: No Longer Teaching from Home - When is it Time to Move Out of Your Home Studio?

Through the last five parts of this blog series, you have followed my journey as I experienced teaching in many different settings: from academies, to large churches, to a cozy home studio. There I was happy and settled, ready to stay forever. Yet, two incredibly unexpected things happened: my studio grew too large, and I found myself welcomed by a small church that was in need of a pianist as much as I was in need of a supportive community. This church was willing to let me lease two unused studio spaces from their adjoining property. This has created a mutually beneficial relationship that I hope will benefit both parties for the very long term.

As I settle into this new chapter, I want to update this post and share with you a few pivotal lessons regarding the commonly googled question:

"When is it time to move out of your home studio?" (At least I know I googled it a hundred times!):

• In many posts I have read that the ideal time is when your studio has grown so much that you just can't possibly continue teaching from home. Moving becomes a necessity and the related expenses are easily covered by the students that you already have. This has totally been my experience and I am thankful that I listened to this advise. After reaching over forty students, staying at home became increasingly stressful. Once I hit fifty, I was desperately looking for a solution. I just finished moving and paying my first month of rent and the expenses were easily covered by savings from my previous year of teaching.

• Consider a Collaboration
  I would have never been able to afford a similar space in a commercial location, at least not in my zipcode! The lower fees charged by the church, in consideration for me being their pianist, is the only thing allowing me to justify the rent from a financial standpoint. Though you might be ready to move out, maybe you can consider a hybrid situation like mine, a collaboration with another teacher, partner, a church, a non profit, etc. Can you think outside the box? Could you partner with a dance school? a tutoring service? an art teacher? a private school in need of an after-school program?

• Time to Teach vs Hours Needed for Running a Business
  Carefully consider the unexpected cost from utilities, outdoor and indoor maintenance, repairs, etc. Also consider the additional time that it will take for you to take care of cleaning the facilities and maintaining things in proper order. Think about the weekly toll of these hours. Will they keep you from teaching? Can you recover this cost with your teaching income? I mentioned this in an earlier post, but in one of the academies that I taught, the owner used to complain that she didn't have time to teach as she was overwhelmed with the business side of her operation. For me, this is still not worth it. In my case, renting only two rooms works perfectly, because the upkeep and maintenance expenses will be minimal, which means I can keep my focus on my true mission: teaching.

• Consider your Parking Needs
  Parking had become difficult and in itself grew to be a larger issue than what my house could accommodate. Though my neighbors were fantastic and never complained (in fact I teach a few of them!), I know many stories of neighborhoods with strict guidelines. My rented studio comes with plenty of parking. Maybe the amount of congestion in your driveway can be a solid sign of when you need to look for space. For example: when one of your student’s cars falls into the ditch because there were already three cars in the driveway! (her and her car were OK, but it was certainly stressful!)

• Consider the Age and Stage of Your Family
  The needs of my family changed. One thing that I absolutely love about the piano teaching profession, is that it can be a flexible career for a stay-at-home working parent. When my kids were little, I didn't teach or taught just a few students. As they grew older, I was able to also grow to more afternoon teaching hours. As teens, I could let my studio grow to a five day small business. Now that they are even older, being outside of the house is not an issue. My family can come by the studio and see me anytime! Being outside of the house actually makes the home more comfortable for them. I am ready to separate work from life and so is my family!

• Balancing Teaching with Pets
  With my family’s age also grew our number of pets! Now we have two dogs and two cats, which can make for unwanted teaching interruptions. Despite the fact that the pets are loved by the students, it sometimes became a distraction and a source of concern for me, no matter how hard I tried to not let it be so. I will be relieved to not worry about barking and dog naps in the middle of teaching.

• Your House is Stretched to its Max!
  May I be honest and say that having to keep your house perfectly clean and wash dishes in a hurry right before teaching is gotten a bit too exhausting. It will be wonderful to only focus on teaching once 2pm is getting close! Maybe the house won't stay as tidy as before, but hey, we can be relaxed during our holidays and not worry that a confused student will ring the doorbell! (this is the stuff of my nightmares!)

  My house was simply shrinking before my eyes! At a certain point, unless you can move to a larger house, the expense of leasing might be worth it just to reclaim some of your needed home space.
  

Final thought: be patient. Things have a time and a natural progression. On many, many occasions my husband and I disagreed because I was ready to jump into a commercial lease. I was ready to make the move and felt frustrated that I couldn’t make it happen. However, waiting paid off and don’t tell him, but he was right. Work on preparing your studio’s growth so that the next step is a gentle, natural result of your success.

My sincere thanks to St. George Episcopal Church in Anderson, SC for making this opportunity possible!

Click here if you want to read a different segment of this blog post on Teaching From Home:
Part 1: Teaching at an Academy
Part 2: The Particularities of Teaching for a Nonprofit
Part 3: Establishing Your Studio Within a Church
Part 4: Renting Your Own Space to Teach
Part 5: Teaching From a Home Studio

Teaching From a Home Studio, Part 5

Click here if you want to start by reading from Part 1 of this blog on Teaching From Home.

Teaching From Home
A Very Candid Account of the PROS and CONS

PART 5: Teaching from a Home Studio
OK, I admit that this is my chosen location and the one I really wanted to write about since the beginning of this 5-part blog series! If you are just now joining us, I encourage you to start reading from Part 1: Teaching in an Academy. Knowing the pros and cons of teaching in the other possible locations can make a significant difference when choosing where to establish your ideal studio. It will strengthen your decision making and add perspective to many of the aspects discussed in this article.

As I mentioned in Part 1, I have been teaching in my current house since 2005. After debating renting a space and then settling into my home studio, I felt for the longest time that I was compromising on my desire to have the studio that I always wanted. I felt that perhaps I had given up the possibility to have all that extra space for events and to possibly work with a colleague. Yet, over the years, I have grown more and more satisfied with my situation and have learned, after many multiple surveys, that my students’ parents seem to feel very comfortable and cozy at my studio. Like my dear friend Sophie once told me, "Come on, what do you mean?! They don't care where you teach, they just want you!"

PROS

• You are all on your own! For better and for worse, you are the master of your domain! You can structure your policies, choose your curriculum, decorate your space, and control your schedule without anyone pushing you to do anything that is not ideal for you. You can interview and accept only your desired type of student. But remember, you ARE all on your own, which can sometimes lead to feelings of isolation.

• You have all your books and materials right there! As much as you can prepare your studio at an academy or church, there is nothing like having all of your scores, supplementary materials, teaching aids, and other tools of the job at your fingertips. Playing with the studio organization can be a challenge if the space is small, but it's totally satisfying once you are able to figure out the arrangement that works best for your space.

• When a student doesn't show up, for whatever reason, the time is yours to practice, relax, spend a few extra minutes with your family, or catch a well-deserved break on your comfortable couch. In an academy or church, missed lessons often become wasted waiting, as it can be difficult to utilize the extra time. When you teach a full schedule, these minutes add up, and being at home really allows you to utilize that time efficiently. It is also easier to schedule makeups, arrange for duet playing, have students wait to play with each other, etc. Time between lessons can often be used more efficiently as well.

• You have a private, comfortable bathroom and waiting room, and you have full control over the cleanliness and decor of the space.

• It is easy, convenient, and enjoyable to interact with parents and to be able to communicate directly with them without having to go through a business office.

• You are in full control of the calendar of events, recitals, master classes, etc. How much you want to do, and when, is totally under your control.

• I like to think that the house offers a comfortable place for the parents who choose to wait. Oftentimes, I see them walking around my neighborhood while I teach or playing outside with their other kids while they wait. It has happened more than once that a parent falls asleep reading a book in my living room while waiting for the lesson to end, and there is always someone doing homework in my dining room or playing with the countless toys my son still has. It makes for a very, very, happy environment for all involved.

CONS

• Did I mention that teaching in a home studio can be a little lonely? I often crave working with other musicians. I have been wanting to develop a chamber music group for years, but always being at home makes that difficult. If you have a question or a problem, it is harder to find counseling, and organizing events by yourself can be quite exhausting. Though belonging to a Federation Club or MTNA chapter can help, it is still not as easy to collaborate as when you work together under the same roof.

• I am fortunate to live in a kind and laid-back neighborhood. There are other locations, however, that have strict rules and restrictions regarding a home business. This can cause problems, particularly when cars are constantly parked in front of your house or when events hosted at your home cause traffic congestion.

• On that note, parking can sometimes be an issue.

• It takes a little while for the family to get used to sharing the house every afternoon. My kids have all sorts of stories and funny experiences. Yet, and this is actually a HUGE pro, having kids and families constantly in our living room has led to some of the most special and caring friendships that my son Nico has ever had. I am so grateful for this unforeseen consequence. In fact, looking back, this alone would have tilted my decision towards teaching from home.
  
  I also think that teaching at the house has made a huge difference in my ability to balance my career with my children's needs. Though I focus and fully dedicate myself to teaching when the students are present, my kids still know that I am home and that they can knock on my door if something important is happening. Now, it did take years to train them to respect my studio space. For quite a while, I had to keep a small number of students because the children were too young to allow me the concentration and space that I needed. Over the years, though, they have become so accustomed to it and it is such a part of our home that it has created quite a special dynamic between my students and parents and my family. As my daughter Juliana told me one day, "Mom, you don't just have a studio, you have an extended family!"

• My husband jokes that if a robber came to our house, he would greet him thinking he is just another parent waiting for a lesson. Constantly having people in your home takes a little getting used to. Sometimes the lines between private space and life blur, and it can be more difficult to be as professional and serious as you might like to be. The environment forces you to be more candid. Yet, as I said, my students seem to be drawn to this "coziness," and I find it easier to be a happy, relaxed, and upbeat teacher every afternoon. I felt much more tired when I was teaching at the academy. I have the most fantastic group of students and parents I could ever wish for, so I believe it is working for us!

• You have to depend on leasing a place for events, which can be problematic and expensive. I wish that I had a giant living room capable of seating 100 parents, but one can only dream!

• Family pets can be a plus, but they can also be a logistical problem. I have two cats and a dog, and though most students love to see them, some others are scared of them or do not appreciate having them around. I have to be careful and sensitive about this, and I also must make sure that the pets do not disturb the lessons. Believe it or not, our dog has learned to nap in my bedroom from 3 pm to 6 pm every day! He is so quiet when I teach that a student recently asked me if I had given Bruno away because he hadn't heard from him in a long time! That took some training. Other students love nothing more than to have our sweet cat Taxi sitting in the chair next to them while they play. So pets can be a pro or a con. It totally depends on the students. You have to adjust constantly so that your students are comfortable. It can sometimes feel like a juggling act!
  
  
  

• It is harder to find new students at the beginning, but good word of mouth eventually helps. It took almost ten years for my studio to grow to its full size, but I was new to the city and Facebook wasn’t yet the kind of marketing tool that it has become today! 

• You need to act very professional so that students and parents know to take you seriously, even though you teach from home. It is within your control, however, to establish a dedicated reputation and a completely professional environment.

• I believe it is hugely important for the house to be clean, odorless, and organized every afternoon. Sometimes I wish I didn't have to clean the house every day before teaching; however, on the other hand, I have the perfect motivation to keep a neat home! Now it is such a habit that I can't let it go during breaks and weekends. (Maybe this should actually be a pro as well?!)

Let me close with this conclusion: Teaching from home is a blessing and a privilege, and I no longer regret having made the decision to pass on those rental agreements years ago. Whether this choice is also for you depends largely on your current situation and whether you have a space that can offer you the privacy and focused space that you need to teach. It is also important to have the support of your family and to consider whether or not you would thrive from being on your own or working with a team. If you are a mom, like me, teaching from home can be very challenging at the beginning, a balancing act not for the faint of heart. Teaching is in highest demand during the hours that your children are home from school, and teenage students often require evening sessions. Yet, over the years, your children will get used to it, and the home space might offer you the perfect working situation while fulfilling your teaching vocation. It is hard to imagine a better career choice for someone who still wants to be somewhat of a stay-at-home parent. It is also difficult to imagine my students playing this happily, interacting with each other so naturally, or being so eager to take their shoes off during practice if they were not feeling at home. A rented space does not always offer this feeling of ease and serenity.

I would like to offer one final suggestion. If you are still early in your journey of planning your ideal studio, try to find a house that offers a separate entry, if possible, with space for its own waiting area and bathroom. Though not a necessity, this would make everything easier from the beginning and solve many of the disadvantages. Try to have the studio in a room that allows for a more focused environment, rather than teaching from a living area or dining room. In the best possible scenario, you would allocate a room that has enough space for some floor activities, a table for theory and rhythm games, and enough room for two pianos for duet and ensemble playing. If this is not possible, find solace in the fact that I know some extraordinary teachers who work from their living areas with a fairly small space serving as their studio. Ultimately, you are the one who can transform any space into an ideal and magical learning environment! Students come for you and that unique relationship that you have established with them. So where can you be the very best possible teacher? That should always be your primary driving factor.

Click here if you want to read a different segment of this blog post on Teaching From Home:
Part 1: Teaching at an Academy
Part 2: The Particularities of Teaching for a Nonprofit
Part 3: Establishing Your Studio Within a Church
Part 4: Renting Your Own Space to Teach

Our beloved family pets.
The photos here and throughout the site are taken by my husband Ward, a composer and passionate photographer.

Teaching From Home, Part 4: Renting Your Own Space to Teach

Click here if you want to start by reading from Part 1 of this blog on Teaching From Home.

Teaching From Home
A Very Candid Account of the PROS and CONS

PART 4: Renting Your Own Space to Teach
As part of this blog series, we have already discussed the advantages and disadvantages of teaching for a private academy, for a nonprofit, and within a church community. I invite you to read the first three parts of the blog first. They may give you ideas to consider while deciding if renting is the right move for your studio or if there is another teaching format that would work best in your situation. The list below reviews the specific aspects of going into business for yourself.

PROS

• You can find spaces that have built-in areas for small events (e.g., master classes), ample waiting rooms, and multiple small studios, making it easy to collaborate with other teachers and musicians, host events and popular group classes, and expand as your business grows.

• You can have fun choosing and customizing your ideal location and space. If you have a teacher who can partner with you, you can enjoy the freedom of designing your ideal studio while sharing responsibilities.

• There is a lot of opportunity for creativity— from designing your logos, to deciding how to decorate your place, to developing your own studio materials and marketing tools. Inventing your space can be extraordinarily fulfilling. Moreover, you can fully develop your unique teaching style and establish a school that truly represents your core values as a teacher, possibly making a much larger imprint in your community than when you are teaching for someone else.

CONS

• Have you seen the costs? Oh my! Though I haven't rented a space all on my own, I was privy to the monthly expenses of the nonprofit academy I taught at for many years. Even taking into consideration that the owner of the space was providing a beneficial lease to support the arts and that Anderson has a fairly low cost of living, the academy needed well over 50 students just to stay afloat. Because the board needed to keep costs low, the academy was not in the best location. It was difficult to afford a nicer space in a prime location that would attract more students. Consequently, our enrollment stayed low because of lack of visibility, the "worn" look of the older building, and the safety issues related to the area. These never-ending financial "dire straits" eventually led to the academy having to close because it couldn't attract enough students to stay afloat.

• Any teacher knows that the number of students taking lessons can vary from one semester to the next, sometimes due to circumstances out of our control, such as a pandemic. Can you afford the expense if your studio is not able to operate at its full or ideal capacity? Can you take the loss of the summer months? Even with creative summer camps and lessons, it can be difficult to keep up your numbers from June to August.

• Certain leases will make you liable for expensive repairs and maintenance expenses to the building.

• Depending on the location, you may have to worry about safety if you are teaching alone into the later hours of the evening.

• In order to share expenses or to carry a broader vision, you may need to hire other teachers to work with you. Depending on your location, this can be quite challenging. Some small towns have only a handful of highly trained teachers, and they are often already booked. 

• The owner of an academy in Florida, herself a Juilliard graduate, told me that she was so overburdened by all the administrative work, phone calls, and interactions with clients that she never had time to practice or personally teach the students. Her academy was incredibly successful, but she truly missed being able to actually teach. You have to evaluate where your true priorities are and what your own vision of balance and success is. It is not always maintaining 100 students and having to teach 6 times a week.

Conclusion: At the 2019 MTNA National Convention, I observed an excellent presentation on this topic by Angela Marshall & Davis Dorrough of CreativePianoTeacher.com. (You can click this link to see their notes as well as peruse their excellent blog.) The two presenters showed videos of their incredibly successful academy. They were friends and like-minded colleagues with complementary abilities who had partnered together to rent the venue and share expenses and responsibilities. They attributed their success largely to their teamwork. They strongly recommended moving from a house studio to a rented space only when you have a partner with whom to share the journey, and only once your clientele has fully outgrown your current home studio and schedule — basically, if you literally have more demand that you can accommodate. I believe that this holds true. Unless you have a full teaching schedule already, solvent resources to take a possible loss, people in mind to help you and work with you, and a fair amount of  marketing and business acumen, I would be cautious. Study your business plan and all possible expenses carefully before proceeding, and scout the area for current demand and teacher supply. Do not underestimate the value of an excellent location. Then, consider if it would be better to take the leap with a knowledgeable and like-minded partner who can take on the roles at which you are less experienced.

Click here if you want to read a different segment of this blog post on Teaching From Home:
Part 1: Teaching at an Academy
Part 2: The Particularities of Teaching for a Nonprofit
Part 3: Establishing Your Studio Within a Church
Part 5: Teaching From a Home Studio

Teaching from Home, Part 3: Establishing your Studio Within a Church

Click here if you want to start by reading from Part 1 of this blog on Teaching From Home.

Teaching From Home
A Very Candid Account of the PROS and CONS

PART 3: Establishing your Studio Within a Church

Some churches are often willing to provide you with a free space to teach or perform. Other churches, much like academies, will allow you to use their space for lessons in exchange for a percentage of your hourly income. As with a nonprofit, the pros and cons are often similar to working for an academy, with a few additional peculiarities:

PROS

My student Zoe reading the NFMC announcements at a Festival performance within a church.

• Generally, the instruments are fantastic. You can benefit from the care and maintenance that many churches give to their pianos and organs. The space and acoustics are unmatched, and you have a built-in place for recitals and events.

• You will also benefit from being part of a caring community with its own advertising and built-in clientele.

• It will not be difficult to benefit from many performance opportunities for you and your students, even including speaking parts. This can be an ideal situation if you are working to establish your reputation.

CONS

• Often, the church may consider your students as "belonging" to it [or its studio], not to you. Your students may feel the same way. As with an academy, you are developing a studio that you would have to abandon if you decided to become independent or to move locations later. Unfortunately, even students that you recruited and have taught for years may end up remaining at the church under the instruction of a new teacher rather than following you to a different location.

• The fees can be high, though generally not as much as a private academy would charge.

• As with an academy, your work as a teacher is typically not the priority of the church. They are doing you a favor to support your community. In return, you might feel obligated to return the favor by accepting requests to sub or to give performances that might not be convenient for you.

• As with academy settings, it can be difficult to have privacy and to concentrate. People walk the halls, participate in choir rehearsals or service preparations, talk in the sanctuary, have loud meetings in adjacent areas, etc. You never know who is listening to all your wrong notes! That can make it difficult to truly enjoy your practice time or to keep your students focused. OK, I have to tell you a true story. For a while, I was taking organ lessons, trying to fulfill my old dream of becoming like the Count character on Sesame Street. I was finally playing a really, really awesome Bach cantata arrangement and thinking I was doing great, when all of a sudden, in the middle of it, I started hearing giggles. I got scared and I looked back. To my surprise, I had a whole kindergarten class – at least 20 children – looking at me with total fascination. It ended up being an adorable moment, and very educational for the children. However, after that, the day was shot. I could not concentrate again to save my life. I kept looking back, waiting for another group of kindergarteners, almost disappointed that they were not there for my morning “concert.”

• You typically don't have much control over the room decor or organization. It can be difficult to have everything you need handy or to keep other teachers from “borrowing” your materials without permission. 

• Not all parents in your studio belong to that faith or are religious at all. Some people prefer a teaching space that is equally comfortable to people of all different denominations and beliefs.

Conclusion: I know some young teachers who have fantastic situations working within a church community or religious school. Yet, they often complain of having to take on multiple other tasks within the church, sometimes completely unrelated to piano teaching. These teachers do stay busy and do not need to advertise or worry about having enough students. In some situations, they can even receive a full-time salary for offering after-school teaching or teaching a few morning classes, placing themselves in the enviable situation of not having to worry about student enrollment. In addition, they know they are teaching in a safe place, often surrounded by a deeply caring community that values education and the arts.

As with academies, I believe that churches can offer a welcome opportunity for new teachers who do not yet want to be on their own, but who are willing and eager to participate in the community and to be involved with their church. I think this is a match for someone who is extroverted and enjoys being connected, participating, and performing. The setup is also ideal for someone who might enjoy teaching group classes or choir in addition to one-on-one piano lessons. It is important that you share in most of the core the beliefs of that church so that you can feel at ease. It is difficult to work for a church that feels too foreign to your own values, as this can make your studio situation uncomfortable.

Click here if you want to read a different segment of this blog post on Teaching From Home:

Part 1: Teaching at an Academy
Part 2: The Particularities of Teaching for a Nonprofit
Part 4: Renting Your Own Space to Teach
Part 5: Teaching From a Home Studio

Teaching from Home, Part 2: The Particularities of Teaching for a Nonprofit

Click here if you want to start by reading from Part 1 of this blog on Teaching From Home.

Teaching From Home
A Very Candid Account of the PROS and CONS

PART 2: The Particularities of Teaching for a Nonprofit
It was surprisingly interesting to both teach at and serve on the board of a nonprofit academy. I learned that board members tend to be caring and passionate members of the community, willing to go well beyond the extra mile for the benefit of the students. It was an inspiring experience. Yet, I learned that the pros and cons are much the same as working for a for-profit academy, with a few additional peculiarities:

PROS

• At nonprofit academies, there is often a built-in support system and a fantastic group of caring individuals to help establish scholarship funds for needy students and to help raise funds from the community.

• The board can be a powerhouse when it comes to all administration and management issues, from finding a cleaning crew to keeping a savings fund and maintaining the accounting. It’s like having a team of professionals willing to freely help you manage your teaching studio.

CONS

• Often, the members of the board are not musicians themselves and may not have any background in teaching. Yet, they are responsible for hiring faculty, preparing recitals, marketing, and making administrative decisions. Not all faculty members have a vote on the board.

• A nonprofit academy belongs to all, and also to no one. Therefore, it is likely that only a few of the teachers will assume administrative and cleaning responsibilities, while the other ones simply show up to teach their lessons. Since the assets don’t belong to any one in particular, it is hard to find someone concerned enough to take care of them. After experiencing this situation for a while, I couldn’t help but question why I was not just teaching in my own studio.

• The paperwork can be much, much more complicated than anticipated! When I taught at a nonprofit, it took an accountant and consultations with a lawyer to get us through many of the forms and needed procedures. This can be quite an intimidating undertaking if the topic of managing a nonprofit is new to you.

• Simple decisions often have to be approved by the board. Proceeding through daily routine tasks or making big changes can feel cumbersome or impossible. You have no control over the location and the possibility of sharing studio space. Conclusion: This is an option for a more experienced teacher, and it can be a good one if you have a group of colleagues with a similar vision, willing to invest themselves in the project with you and share equal responsibilities. You would have to educate yourself regarding all the regulations for a nonprofit and make sure that you have a reliable group of people you can consult or hire for different tasks. It is also a great format if one of your core aspirations as a teacher is to be able to offer scholarships and programs for children and communities in need of assistance and you feel a deep calling to benefit your town through involvement in the arts.
  

  Click here if you want to read a different segment of this blog post on Teaching From Home:
  Part 1: Teaching at an Academy
  Part 3: Establishing Your Studio Within a Church
  Part 4: Renting Your Own Space to Teach
  Part 5: Teaching From a Home Studio