5 Ideas To Spark Your Motivation To Teach Music Online

 

Making a shift to teaching music online is one of the most exciting journeys you can take.

But, it comes with a set of challenges that you need to overcome.

I know a lot of music teachers who are just not in tune with the technology and everything involved in online teaching.

They kinda laugh it out and say things like: I’m a teacher (artist), I’m not a hacker.

I’ll say it right now: it’s okay to be a TECHNOFOBE.

There are ways you can move past that, and still enjoy all the benefits that come from teaching music online as opposed to just running a local studio.

If you were forced to try out some form of teaching music online in recent years and didn’t like it, here are some ideas you can implement to boost your motivation to get into teaching music online.

It’s a Routine Makeover

If you feel that teaching music lessons is no longer as fun for you as it used to be, you might be on a dangerous path toward music teaching starting to feel like a chore.

You might even say: I try to keep it fun for the students… but deep down you know it might be starting to show that you’re not that enthusiastic about it.

The obvious symptom that this is happening is: lessons are dragging out, even short ones.

If you don’t do anything to address this situation early on, you risk losing students over time and maybe even getting into burnout.

The good thing is that there are things you can try to make things feel positive and fun for you again.

Spark motivation to teach music with a Routine Makeover

What you need is a music teaching Routine Makeover.

If you’re teaching only in-person lessons at home or in a local studio, you could start offering online music lessons.

Teaching online could be the drastic change you seek.

One that is guaranteed to make you excited about teaching again.

Because, when starting to teach music online, you’ll be forced to step outside the stale routine.

You’ll need to look into new lesson formats, technology, and music gear to make it all happen.

It’s so much fun starting something new!

If you’re already teaching online, and feel like you’re on a hamster wheel, maybe look into adding another teaching model to your offering?

Start offering digital courses maybe or introduce a membership.

There are lots of options, many of which I cover in my free guide for music teachers on how to teach music online.

Keep in mind that you might be burned out because of all the travel and joint time blocks you need to arrange to fit students and their specific schedules and needs.

But if you move to teach music online, you get more freedom in scheduling lessons at times that are more convenient for you.

For example in the morning maybe, when students wouldn’t be able to make it early if they need to commute, now they can easily attend online.

I’m super excited about teaching music online because there are so many ways you can do it, so it never gets boring.

If it starts to feel boring, you do a routine makeover, and bam: you’re back to feeling excited about your next lesson.

Upgrade Your Gear For Teaching Music Online

I know that for me it’s so much fun to research new music gear and potential upgrades for my studio.

If you’re looking to start teaching music online or you’re already doing it (but not seriously), I’ve got good news for you: it’s time to look into new gear purchases and/or upgrades.

I try to be detailed with the research I do when purchasing music gear.

Actually, I have never regretted a music gear purchase.

When moving your teaching online, you’re in for a bit of shopping.

The good news is that all the gear you’ll get is going to pay for itself.

If you already teach online, look into possible upgrades to make the lessons better for the students (and more fun for you!).

New gear to help you spark motivation to teach music online

It’s a motivation boost for many to evolve and have the right tools. And with teaching music online, you have a solid reason to buy new gear without feeling like you’re splurging.

Just think of a multi-camera setup, that you can control with your iPad – for some, it might be intimidating but no denying it sounds fun to fiddle with technology!

When writing the list of gear you need for online music lessons, ask yourself these questions:

• What gear do I need to get in order to have great audio quality when teaching online music lessons?
• How can I improve the video quality in live sessions or in videos I send to my students?
• What gear and software do I need to make it easier for me to host the online music lessons?
• Are there any comfort items I can get to make it easier for me to teach music online? (like a comfortable chair, instrument and mic stands, faster computer, video lights…)

Your online music studio needs to serve a specific purpose, which is to make it easy for you to teach. Regardless of the teaching format you go for.

Your online music teaching studio needs to be optimized for your workflows as you’ll be spending a lot of time there.

So if you’re looking for a motivation boost to start teaching music online, just think about all the possibilities you’re going to unlock for yourself when you get the right music gear and tools for teaching, even if it’s just upgrading your background setup for online music lessons.

These opportunities go well beyond just doing Zoom lessons.

With the experience and gear, you’ll get for teaching music online, you’ll be on your way to moving from being a teacher to becoming a content creator (because now you can easily record audio/video content).

Free Up Your Schedule

Teaching online means you can schedule classes with students during the morning and at odd hours they usually wouldn’t be able to commute for a lesson.

Idea: block out lessons that way so you have at least 2 or 3 days a week completely free from the afternoon onward.

Use this time to recharge batteries, spend time with the family and do things that matter to you the most.

All of this is only possible if you go and start learning about online music education possibilities and how you can transform your career as a music teacher using the power of the internet.

The flexibility that comes with teaching online lessons, not only makes life easier for you but your students as well.

Some of your students will enjoy not having to commute for a lesson, which will contribute to them staying with you for longer… which in turn helps them achieve their music goals.

Create An Online Music Teaching Business

Teaching online private lessons means that over time you can level up to becoming an online content creator.

This will enable you to create digital courses, music memberships or even run a monetized YouTube channel as well as explore other models of online business.

This makes it possible to move from teaching private classes where you essentially end up selling your hours (which you have a limited number available), towards the one-to-many approach that is scalable way beyond.

In essence: running an online teaching business equals higher earning potential for you as a music teacher as opposed to just doing one-on-one lessons in the local area.

Creative Challenges Boost Motivation

Teaching lessons using the same books and resources over and over doesn’t feel like fun.

What if you are to create lessons of your own, compose music pieces, and exercises, and even create full course syllabuses?

And you get paid to do that every month.

That’s how it usually is for those music teachers who are running their own online music businesses.

More specifically: music lessons memberships.

They provide their members with monthly deliverables in form of lessons, music backing tracks, and other original resources students can study from.

This kind of job is satisfying as you get to be creative every month, and get paid for it.

The best feeling is seeing all your hard work come together as a finished product that students can learn from.

There is no better feeling than hitting that publish button to make the new lesson series available on your e-learning music website.

Actually, there is – when students go through the lesson, submit amazing feedback and upload their own performances.

Being an author as opposed to “just a teacher” is highly motivating for many.

Conclusion

Teaching music online is always evolving.

You’ll feel a push to regularly get out of your comfort zone.

Teaching music online will make you learn new things, get creative and expand your knowledge to other areas such as technology or even digital marketing.

It’s a sure way to keep feeling motivated and avoid getting into a rut with your teaching.

Because at the end of the day if you’re burned out, not motivated, and barely get through a half-hour lesson – students will feel it and over time you might start losing students instead of growing your business.

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 Hope these ideas will inspire you to give online teaching a go.

What are the things that excite you the most when it comes to teaching music online? Write in the comments below.