This previously was posted as "Piano Teachers Only". This is a restart of the same but separate topic with an invitation for anyone interested to post here. I received a pm from someone who was not a teacher but wanted to post so I removed the PTO and started this open topic. I hope we hear from that member and others.

Are piano teachers clear on who we are and what we represent as piano teachers? If we are not clear on this for ourselves, it's my opinion that we are not going to be able to be clear about it to anyone else. There are certain things we must be decisive about.

Part of what I am trying to convey is that we either allow "any goes" or we have "structure" to our enterprise that we are willing to impose in our attempt to get the kinds of conditions and cooperation that help us attend to the real responsibilities and purpose which we are expected to deliver to our clients. Keeping obstacles and problems to the minimum is to our advantage. For me, my policy fulfills the purpose it was designed to fill.

Here are some "__ yes or __ no" questions:

A) Are our studio policies meant to stand on record to represent us in: 1)our piano teaching programs? and 2)in the way we operate our business? __ Yes __ No

B) Do we see ourselves as being professionals providing services in music education for paying clients? __ Yes __ No

C) Are a lot of the obstacles we complain about as piano teachers really preventable? __ Yes __ No

D) Is preventing difficulties better than solving problems? __ Yes __ No

If you care to please make a comment using the letter you are responding to: A, B, C, D

I hope that these questions help someone to manage the things that concern them in their teaching and in their business.

We can choose to set policy and stand behind it, or we can choose to be reactive to whatever gets dished out to us, over and over and over again.

Betty Patnude
_________________________
Piano Teacher - Member MTNA/WSMTA

A) Are our studio policies meant to stand on record to represent us in: 1)our piano teaching programs? and 2)in the way we operate our business? _X Yes __ No

B) Do we see ourselves as being professionals providing services in music education for paying clients? X Yes __ No

C) Are a lot of the obstacles we complain about as piano teachers really preventable? __ Yes X No: I can only speak for myself, of course, but whenever I have posted here it was to seek help to a problem. Efforts were being made to find a solution for a particular issue, or to help another teacher who was looking for such help. As for my own efforts in finding help here, I suppose some may have been preventable, but one cannot live in fear of making a mistake either. Sometimes we learn best by doing. Sometimes we must change our old ways in order to accommodate changes in economy, the market, our lifestyles, and personal goals.

D) Is preventing difficulties better than solving problems? __ Yes X No: I do not think one can prevent all problems. There are just too many variables. A good business owner will be able to problem solve as well as anticipate any possible issues. But it is not possible to eliminate all variables. We're dealing with humans beings after all.

I am constantly changing and adapting what I do. Sometimes I find a new idea that I think will be great and I want to give it a try. Sometimes they are a complete success, sometimes they are a failure, and sometimes they are a great idea, but certainly not sustainable beyond doing it once.

Sometimes we creates our own problems, for sure. Having a written policy and really making sure that #1: we are comfortable enough with it to stick by it. Our word is on the line; and #2: being flexible enough to work with a student and family should the unexpected arise. I think being too rigid can really cause issues as a business owner.

Betty,

Sure, I suppose you could say that most mistakes we make in life are preventable. Many problems COULD be avoided. Our whole life is a process of learning from mistakes, and of improving on how we do things. Teaching is no different. Problems with students - including ones that we complain about on this forum, aren't always fatal. Sometimes they are just a chance to step back, regroup, and try something else. We are all learning from our students and many other sources, and this is part of the process. Thank goodness we have this forum so that we can feel comfortable venting every now and then and getting other teachers' support and ideas. I'll bet that every single teacher on this forum has bad days mixed with good, unmotivated students mixed with high achieving ones.

My general feeling is that you believe that venting on this forum is a sign of a deficient teacher, that if you did things right, you would never have a student who didn't practice, or who was unprepared for a recital. I disagree!

I believe in some words of wisdom given to me by a former professor. She said:

"A teacher will always have a student or two who do horribly despite his best efforts.

A teacher will always have a student or two who do well in spite of his failings.

The true measure of a teacher is how well the middle students do. Look at the 'average' student in your studio, and you'll know how good you are."

I think the same is true of policy statements and business practices. If you have a lot of problems with most of your clients, then there's a problem with the way you're doing business. If you have a lot of problems with one or two of your clients, then it's them, not you, and there's probably nothing you could've done to prevent it.

You're probably going to think I'm strange, but I'll add my thoughts to the mix:

I don't have a written policy for my teaching practice of 25 students. Although I see how such a document could be useful, I am philosophically disinclined to implement such policy. "Policy" is the language of institution, of public school, of banks, of phone companies. It feels dehumanizing when someone says to me "sorry that's our policy". I work for myself so that I can set my own terms, and I prefer reasonable, personal interactions to policy.

I do make it clear that I need advance notice for cancellations. Sometimes this needs to be reinforced a few times before the parents/students settle into it. But I don't have ongoing problems with attendance or unacceptable behavior. What problems do arise are minor, and I don't mind addressing them. I don't mind telling people what I need.

If (for example) a parent drops a kid off early and the kid is disruptive while waiting, I don't need to write a policy document to address the problem. I just need to talk to the mom and the kid. No more problem.

I wouldn't suggest to anyone here that this is a better approach than having a written policy. But it suits my personality, and I believe my life is richer because of it.

So to answer by letter:

A. My policy (more precisely the lack therof) is not meant to represent anything. It is meant to improve the quality of my work and my life.

B. Yes. But I imagine that my definition of "professional" might be different from yours.

C. This is a leading question. Yes, many difficulties are preventable, but...

D. No, it is not always better to prevent the problem than to solve it-- the "prevention" can be more oppresive than the "problem".

A. I don't have a written 'policy'.
I have personal agreements with each of my clients/students.
Individual circumstances can vary greatly, and I take this into consideration on a case by case basis.
It works for me.

B. Goes without saying.

C. I have never, and will never, complain in a public forum, (or anywhere else for that matter) of any 'obstacles'.
If I can't overcome them, I have failed both myself, and the student.

D. I solve problems, as and when they arise. To do otherwise would be presumptuous and unproductive on my part.

Wavelength -
I love this post. It is a good reminder that we are all human, and in most cases, people are reasonable and can work together. I think you have a very good point, that in the effort to control all aspects of our studios, we can go overboard and end up sounding anal and rigid. I have written in a few things in my studio policy like "No gum chewing in lessons". Because I don't want to have to tell kids to spit out their gum. But first of all, it sounds stupid and second of all, kids forget and chew gum anyway. So in the end, I ask them nicely to spit out their gum, and it's just no big deal. (Once, I even gave a student gum to relax her while we were making a recording.)
There are some things I think are worth putting in there - like, payment and make up policies, remembering to bring all current books to every lesson, expectations for preparedness, etc... just so there is double, triple, and quadruple reinforcement of these things.
But we can't possibly cover everything. And there is no substitute for conversations about issues that come up.

I can imagine a parody of a policy statement that said things like
Say hello upon entering
pet dog, but don't let dog jump on you
put shoes together on mud mat, toes facing wall
sit on chair while waiting, do not rattle papers.
Etc....... you get the idea.

This thread seems to be addressed to non-(piano) teachers as well, distinct from the parallel thread with the same wording which was exclusively for teachers - understandably so. Since at some distant future I might teach a few students, I'm interested in these questions.

I had the impression that it was aimed especially at novice teachers. For C & D "preventable" perhaps something was being alluded to that is obvious to a seasoned teacher, so nobody mentioned it. That is, that what you teach now also has an eye to the future, and what you teach now will have an effect in the future. One example I've seen on PW involves methods that stay in 5 finger C position for a long time with all the finger numbers written in. It creates momentary "instant success" in easily being able to play a piece, but the student ends up reading numbers which he identifies with C position. A problem is created (q. D) which could have been prevented (q. C) by planning for literacy and keyboard orientation, then deciding on things to do to bring this about. I have a feeling that this is the kind of thing the questionnaire was alluding to. Problems will still arise, but maybe not that kind. Most PW teachers being experienced, nobody would think or mentioning it, because who would do this?

As a former teacher who still tutors occasionally, the students I get tend to be at the gr. 7/8 level. Their problems in advanced material usually have their roots at the primary stage. If the teacher is simply teaching toward getting correct homework, then it's like wanting to get a certain piece played. There has to be real comprehension, because gr. 2's sharing 12 marbles among 3 friends as "12 divided by 3" becomes gr. 7's "m/3 + 2 = f". If the grade 2 teacher knows that she is teaching the concept of division, and not just getting right answers, then the kids are set up for the future. But for q. D, some will fall through the cracks despite careful teaching.

The question concerns me as a student. I would hope that a teacher does not feel pressured to give quick results, because I also know that some of the "eye to the future" teaching can be more tedious or boring, and that the shortcut teacher next door might be more popular.

I don't have any thoughts about questions A & B except perhaps to be saddened that professionals anywhere even need to put such things in place. As a freelancer I need to do the same thing, and some people's behaviour truly seems out of place.

Here's my view of this from the perspective of a student. I have been studying piano for almost 10 years, most of the time with the same teacher, who I really like, but before that I tried a couple of other teachers.

One of the most important things in a teacher student relationship is trust. If the first thing a teacher wants to do is have the student sign a contract that to me indicates a lack of trust and is a red flag from the students perspective. Similarly if the teacher has an obsession with the students practice schedule that would also display lack of trust.

For me the ideal teacher will work with the student on getting to where they (the student) want to go. After getting past the essentials which everyone needs to learn to progress beyond the beginner stage I think the choice of what music to play should be a dialog between teacher and student. I'm sure there is a difference between adult students and children in this respect but I feel that if I am hiring someone to perform a service, whether it be a hairstylist, a contractor or a piano teacher, I should have a lot of say in what I want the final result to be.

I agree - and if we did try to cover everything we could well end up with a policy as silly as your example.
(As I said in the other thread, I have an information sheet, rather than a policy document with signature required.)

http://www.toddfamily.com/policies/

Check out policy B2 - I think it's the longest.

This could be the case, keystring, but I got the distinct impression that the question was referring to things such as payment, missing lessons, make-ups etc. (just because she was talking about policy statements).
But I certainly agree with your points on planning for specific learning.

Whew!

For what it's worth, here are all of my "policies." At the beginning of the year, parents get this and a short letter detailing my basic teaching philosophy. I send out about 3-4 emails a year for announcements and reminders, and I typically schedule lessons 10-15 minutes apart so I have time between lessons to chat with parents and prepare for the next student.

Since having this policy in place three years ago, I have had only one small problem, and that was because an email I thought I'd sent didn't go through. A short phone call cleared up the misunderstanding. (I apologized, offered a solution, and everybody was happy within 10 minutes.)

Tuition and Fees

Tuition is based on the length of the lesson and covers the cost of 34 lessons, studio performances, and any materials that I produce. Parents and students are required to purchase commercially available materials, but this will not exceed $35 in any given
semester. Any additional materials deemed necessary will be provided by the instructor.

Tuition for the 2009-2010 school year is:
30-minute Lessons: $x/month (September-May)
45-minute Lessons: $y/month (September-May)
60-minute Lessons: $z/month (September-May)

Payments can be made up front for the semester or on the first lesson of each month from September through May.

Scheduling

Lessons can be scheduled Tuesday-Friday between 2pm and 7pm and Saturdays between 9am and 2pm. Students are expected to attend lessons regularly and on time. I am happy to reschedule missed lessons during the regular semester whenever possible, and three extra weeks are built into the schedule to make up for any lessons missed. However, no refunds are given for missed lessons that cannot be made up.

Important Dates for 2009-2010

[calendar goes here]

A) Are our studio policies meant to stand on record to represent us in: 1)our piano teaching programs? and 2)in the way we operate our business? Yes

B) Do we see ourselves as being professionals providing services in music education for paying clients? Yes

C) Are a lot of the obstacles we complain about as piano teachers really preventable? Yes

D) Is preventing difficulties better than solving problems? Yes

My mantra is, "We teach people how to treat us".

I can't imagine not having a studio policy. While it doesn't cover every issue, it saves numerous questions in regard to auditions, festivals, recitals, holidays, etc. The families I teach expect a level of professionalism and are appreciative of my efforts in this regard. This doesn't mean I won't vent if I feel the need, but I won't have a problem I can't actually solve independently.

Why would anyone want to answer the same questions over and over for 35 families when a studio policy would explain all policies and procedures?

I think it's important for teachers to know what their own policies are.

It's easy to try to accommodate each and every inconvenient idiosyncrasy in our students to the point where we are creating a much more difficult life for ourselves than if we knew what conditions we required in our quest for a positive learning environment.

Some years ago a parent approached me suggesting a 'loyalty discount', and this was easily dealt with because I knew that my policy was not to discount lessons.

Students know that lessons begin and end on time, and that's because I know that that's my policy is, and I follow it.

I have another policy that I won't enter a student for an exam if I have not received the entry fee from the parent. And I have another that I won't enter a student for an exam unless they have already learned ten pieces at that standard prior to beginning work on the exam. Policies like this make my life easier and the experience of the student more positive. Whenever I made an exception I regretted it, so I started really taking my own policies seriously and everyone's happiness quotient was up.

I too have firm policies like this (especially about entering for exams!). But do you actually spell out these things in writing for the students/parents? Just wondering, because the term "policy" seems in this thread to be meaning either: [1]a written document which the parent (sometimes) has to sign to indicate agreement
or: [2]A practice that the teacher has decided on and adheres to, but with no need to obtain a written agreement from the parent.

I don't spell it out in writing, but maybe that's because it seems like extra work at the start of the year when I'm frantic anyway? Or maybe I'm disorganised? No, I do explain my 'policies' as it becomes appropriate - I don't think people are too good at reading fine print anyway - live conversation seems to me the most effective way of making sure everyone knows what is going on and what to expect.

I thought that teachers enter students in an exam at a time when they project the student will be ready. At earlier levels, I've been entered for exams before I even began any work on that level. Does your policy apply for advanced students as well? Preparing 10 non-exam pieces of the same level, and then learning the exam pieces would take ages.

Yes I think most teachers do tend to enter their students for what they hope they might maybe manage. I am very much not the norm in this regard. But my students spend 10 weeks preparing for their exams (sometimes 12) and there's no stress and they get sensational marks, happiness all round. No one gets bored with their pieces... everyone gets to learn loads of other music besides the exam stuff... win/win/win/win/win.

But no, I would not expect a Grade 7 or 8 student to have already learned 10 pieces at this level first - maybe 4 or 5? In any case, the exam pieces would not be the hardest things they'd ever done up to this point...... and at Grade 7/8 I would expect we would spend more like 5 months preparing for the exam. Diplomas are a different story again, and here the emphasis is not on breadth so much - it's about having a deep relationship with the music you will be performing, so at this stage it's about having performed the program many times, not about having many experiences of the style at this standard.

Sorry about the somewhat OT and lengthy answer....

A) Are our studio policies meant to stand on record to represent us in: 1)our piano teaching programs? and 2)in the way we operate our business? _X_ Yes __ No

B) Do we see ourselves as being professionals providing services in music education for paying clients? _X_ Yes __ No

C) Are a lot of the obstacles we complain about as piano teachers really preventable? __ Yes __ No DEPENDS

D) Is preventing difficulties better than solving problems? _X_ Yes __ No

First, I am not a piano teacher; however, I have taught specialized material (computer networking) professionally, and have operated a business for over 35 years.

A - Policies - should not be encyclopedic in length nor complexity. SHOULD be a basic setting of the "ground rules." There are some real necessities for ANY business to survive. If there is disagreement between the business operators and a large percentage of the clients in these essential areas, survival of the business is unlikely. Among these things would be fees charged, times available, responsibility for payment, what happens in event of missed scheduling.

B - Part of being a professional is making sure that the issues in A are known to both parties. Attitude and ability are other parts.

C - Depends largely on the teacher's personality. Some people complain about Everything. Others complain about nothing - most are in between. Not all obstacles are preventable, but many can be prevented with forethought (or at least the recurrence can be prevented with previous experience applied). I believe that most would agree that the teacher with less complaining would be perceived more positively by their clients - even if the complaining is not done in front of them, the general attitude will be tainted.

D - This is also not a universal axiom - sometimes one learns more from a failure than they ever would from the difficult situation being prevented. However, most of the time, prevention of a problem is cheaper (may be in financial, time, or personal worries) than fixing after the fact.

Just about all of the four questions posited can be applied to almost any business that is providing any form of personal service. Last general item that applies: Any person who becomes an entrepreneur should enjoy what they do, at least most of the time. If that is not possible, they are either in the wrong field or would perhaps be better as employees of others.

changed my mind