 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Clarino20
Date: 2003-11-22 21:48
Does anybody have an easy way of finding students in the Chicago area. I have just begun to think about giving private lessons as a way to raise money for college. I dropped my application off at UpBeat Music at which there are no clarinet students at this time. I am a freshmen at VanderCook College of Music preparing to become a music teacher. If anyone has any information they could give me about finding students please let me know.
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Author: Jerry
Date: 2003-11-23 00:29
Make up a flyer and drop a few off as part of your personal visit to every middle and high school band room/director within a 15 mile radius of where you live/go to school.
Jerry
The Villages, FL
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Author: Bradley
Date: 2003-11-23 02:00
Go to all the youth symphonies, community bands and regional bands and conferences and drop off flyers and try to personally talk to some of the players. Word- of- mouth is also a very good way to get business.
Bradley
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Author: msloss
Date: 2003-11-24 14:45
First, kill all the clarinet players... oh wait, that's lawyers...
Chicago is tough -- there are a lot of very talented and underemployed clarinetists competing for gigs and students. My suggestion would be to get out of the Loop to find students. If you are doing it for the teaching experience, call the school districts on the South Side since they are always looking for volunteer help (a little riskier because of how tough some of the neighborhoods are). Or, if you want to play with the rich kids, get on the El and go to the North Shore and see if you can hook up with a community music program up there. If you are enterprising enough, you might be able to parlay some volunteer work into paying students.
Happy hunting.
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Author: ken
Date: 2003-11-24 17:40
For more options, here's a listing from the Cook County School Board Website of all public schools in the greater metropolitan Chicago area (Ions ago I grew up/went to school in Palatine, NIU and Northwestern and taught privately from Des Plaines to Elgin). Unless the bottom's dropped out most all these districts still have schools with viable music programs and continual stream of K1-12 clarinet players ... so, put on your best sales pitch and begin dialing. I would recommend first calling the band director(s), and if they're interested (and have the budget) attempt to coral ALL the clarinet players in the band at once by negotiating a blanket contract and/or group price. One of the biggest advantages to this arrangement is you can often dictate the day and block of time you teach ... do a "one-stop" and knock them all out in one afternoon. In this way, as business expands you can spread yourself thinner, take on more schools-districts and better name your days of availability. Obviously, be prepared and willing to work cheap in order to get your foot in the door and build a local reputation, and YES that means $10.00 an hour or less if necessary. Maybe even offer to perform a FREE solo with either the concert/jazz band and/or sit in the section for concert or (2) two. Best! Ken
http://www.cook.k12.il.us/Onlindir.htm
Post Edited (2003-11-24 17:41)
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Author: Meri
Date: 2003-12-03 17:36
I'm not from the Chicago area, but I know of a few good ways that are working for me to attract students.
1) Post chit ads at music stores.Make sure your chits include what you are advertising and your name.
2) Attend school band concerts, and try to talk to the band teacher. This one is especially useful at schools that you already have students.
3) Find local weekly/twice monthly/ monthly papers that have a low cost of classified advertising with a high distribution.Some of the classical magazines are good for this.
4) Find out which teachers are full or have a waiting list.See if they are willing to refer them to you.
5) Work with teachers of other instruments.Piano teachers are likely to have students who play clarinet in school, or their student's sibling do.
6) Work with teachers of the same instrument that live well outside your target market. (Remember, proximity is a factor for many potential students, especially younger ones)
7) Talk about your business, and carry distinctive business cards. You never know when you will meet a potential client. I once got one on my way home from teaching a lesson, and another on the way home after picking up some equipment for my students.
8) Ask your current students and their parents every so often.
9) Have brochures, that may include testimonials (from students, parents, adjudicators, auditioners...) or recent student achievements.
Hope this provides some ideas,
Mer
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2003-12-03 19:29
Smartass answer from a person who has no clue (you wouldn't expect anything less from me, right?) ---- become a member of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra clarinet section, and........the students will find you!
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Author: LeOpus1190s
Date: 2003-12-04 01:08
Living in chicago and playing in many youth orchestras, chicago youth, and all-state stuff i can easily say that it isn't easy to causually become a private teacher unless you have some reallly good connections.
The further south and west you get away from chicago the better your opportunities are. A lot of the CYSO, MYA, Dupage people already take from some pretty big name teachers in the area and usually won't switch, atleast I wouldn't have.
Even like the suburban regular high schools have extrodinary talent teaching there. The clarinet teacher for the waubonsie schools just won the richmond audition (he was also a grad student at northwestern).
Head out to Kane, dekalb, Lasalle, and any where else no one would be wiling to drive.
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