Should Private Music Teachers Compete or Cooperate

Like many people in America I used to believe that smack talking and back stabbing only happened in two professions. Yep, you guessed it, Beauty Pagents and Politics. But over the last couple of years I have started to notice it in an industry that is very important to me. It is also an industry that is crucial to continued cultural education for future generations. I am talking about the indeustry of private music lessons.

In the last couple of years I have heard all manor of horrific things about various music teachers in my area. These horrific things are not being said by parents or students. They aren't being said by public school music teachers. They aren't being said even by politicians. They are being said by other music teachers.

I have said in earlier articles that any private music teacher that isn't in business to make money is an idiot. I also believe that to a certain degree that competition forces private music teachers to hold themselves to a higher standard of quality. But at what point is competition doing damage to the industry of private music lessons?

I have personal experience teaching along side teachers that have nothing good to say about any other music teacher in town. A Flute teacher that I used to work with used to actually used foul language to describe the personalities and abilities of other teachers, even if they didn't teach the Flute. She wanted everybody to believe that she was the best teacher in the world, period. Her attitude toward other teachers became so horrible she now has found that to keep teaching she has to move to another state.

I don't play that game. Let me also say that I am one of the least tactful people on Earth. I don't every let myself fall into the trap of bad mouthing my competition. In fact, I don't compete. I have found that through cooperation and referrals I have made more money than I could have by aggressively competing. That's not to say I won't be honest about other teachers. When asked I will also talk about the positive and negative of other teachers. Of course, I don't have a problem talkig about my positive and negatives either, and if I discover that I might be a bad fit for a student I will gladly recommend someone that I think will be a better fit.

Considering all of the potential personalities of students in the world I will sometimes recommend teachers that I dislike. In one such case I found out that not only was this teacher the perfect fir for the student but the student is now a teacher too. I think that is pretty decent proof that not aggressively competing benefitted not only the teacher, but a student that might have given up had a not recommended another teacher even though I really dislike the guy.

As a community of teachers we are the key to the future of our art. As business people we have to compete to make a living. Handling the competition in a professional and mature maner will always make us more money than if we are cut throat business types. And the fact is, none of us would be music teachers if we were genuinely cut throat. I think its important to make sure I am always a teacher before I am a business person. I also make sure I am always part of a community.

I feel comfortable knowing that I can recommend other teachers in my area and because I want to be part of a community that they will in turn recommend me as well. I hope for any private music teacher that reads they will stop treating other music teachers as competition. I also hope that every music teacher on Earth builds a successful practice and makes lots of money doing it. I also hope that this article helps you start thinking about what you can do in your area to build a friendly community of music teachers and that you community in turn benefits all of your students.

Remember, compeition is good in the auto industry. Bad mouthing is bad in evey industry, even politics. So, bad mouth me if you want, I will still probably recommend you to a perspective student.