Dear friend,

You probably don’t know me, but just a few years ago I was in the same shoes as you. Excited to be a Suzuki violin teacher, inspired by the many amazing veteran teachers, but low on experience and high on uncertainty. I didn’t know how the Suzuki Method would look for me, a 20 year old in the 2020’s.

I’ve learned many hard lessons in the last 3 years as our studio has grown from 0 to 35 students. I’d like to share a few with you to save you some time and heartbreak. Of course your journey will be unique, but know that you aren’t alone.

1. 99% Kindness

Yes, the craft of teaching is really important. Yes, your playing is really important. Yes, your admin systems are really important.

But at the end of the day what people need the most is a teacher who is kind.

99% of what makes a teacher an excellent teacher is that your students want to spend time with you. They want to work with you. They want to build a relationship with you.

It takes a lot of effort and intentionality to make sure you are a magnetizing, inspiring, healthful, sane, and positive resource in your students’ lives.

We can get so caught up in training, in making ends meet, in adding another student to the studio that we lose sight of the resource that matters most: our character.

Don’t trade short term payoffs for that long term investment of health and compassion because you truly do need to show up kind in every lesson.

2. Charge What You Are Worth

You aren’t serving anyone by undercharging for your services. There is no advantage to being the second cheapest violin teacher in town. You must charge what you are worth.

If you undervalue yourself, your students will undervalue the experience, you will develop resentment, and you will have no incentive or resources to continue your education.

On the flip side, if you charge a premium price your students and parents will value your time, you will be grateful for their enrollment, and you will have the incentive to make sure that every lesson is worth every dollar. You will also have the resources to reinvest into the studio and into your education.

You don’t need to wait to be good. Hold yourself to the highest standard from the beginning.

If you have a bachelor’s degree in music then $60/hour is the minimum I’ll let you ask for. Trust me.

3. Comparison is the Thief of Joy

Don’t, for a second, let yourself think you are a better or worse teacher than someone else. You have something to learn from everyone. You also have something to teach everyone.

I like to measure my teaching worth by my ability to serve the 35 students in my studio. No other teacher has these 35 students. No other teacher has the context of Ithaca, and this school, and these families, and this culture.

I’m going to measure my ability by asking, “How much value did I deliver to these specific students this week? What do they need from me? What more can I give?” And I know, because I know the students in my studio, that I have a lot to learn in order to serve them better. And I seek out the experts who can help me learn those skills.

But if you compare yourself to other teachers you are going to drive yourself crazy. Please refrain.

4. Teaching is Practice, Not Performance

On that note… make sure you are practicing your teaching and not performing it.

It’s easy to think that when you are sitting in your teaching chair in front of your student and their parent that you are on a stage. This is not true.

Your studio is a practice room. Your studio is a laboratory. You need to collect data.

Mistakes are part of learning. Experimentation is essential to finding your voice. You simply need reps. But unlike on your primary instrument, repetitions don’t happen when you want them to happen. Repetitions come to you based on what your student presents– it’s a lot more like surfing than it is like driving. You have to respond to the wave.

That means time in water, time in the teaching chair, time open to whatever arises is what will develop you the most.

That also means you are luckiest when disaster strikes. When a parent doesn’t listen, when things feel impossible, when your student breaks down, when you take the transfer student who is completely upside down. These are the opportunities for incredible amounts of practice!

5. Invest in Training

I know it feels expensive, but you have to invest in training.

We literally get to buy the skills, character traits, and beliefs that will develop our teaching. And now, because of Zoom training, we can essentially do this on our own schedule and at very little relative cost.

The moment you think Suzuki Teacher Training is expensive, compare it to the cost of a four year degree or further education and certification training in another field. Suzuki training is a steal!

In addition, training also has three other indirect benefits.

• DEDICATED TIME TO YOUR DEVELOPMENT. When you work for yourself it can be difficult to set aside time to study the craft and improve your teaching. Signing up for training builds that development right into your schedule.
• NETWORKING WITH OTHER TEACHERS. Private studio teaching can be lonely. In training you get to work with a master teacher trainer but also all of the other trainees in your class. Reach out to them, ask questions, visit each other, study each others teaching. You don’t have to do this by yourself!
• LESSON OBSERVATION. Lesson observations are the reference recordings for teacher training. The more you see, the more it will become automatic and subconscious. Now that much of our training is online, teachers have fantastic banks of recordings with their own students. They only require 8-15 hours of observations, but if you put in the time and effort you can watch dozens of hours of incredible teaching on your own time at no additional cost.

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At the end of the day, this work is work, but it is also salvation. I love being a Suzuki teacher because I know my own self development is not just encouraged, but required.

Essentially stay sane, stay secure, and stay on the growth edge. If you stay kind, charge enough, resist comparison, practice your craft, and invest in your skills it is unreasonable that this path won’t bring you the treasures and joy of being a masterful teacher.

It is a blessing to be on the path with you.

Sincerely, drake