What do you do when parents request lessons for a month to see if their child likes it before they make a commitment? Do you tell them it's better to make a one-year commitment, as progress can be fairly slow at the beginning? Is there anything music teachers can do to get parents to change their minds?
This question is compelling because it speaks to two fundamental aspects of teaching and learning: mutual trust among teachers, students, and parents, and parents concern over their child's engagement. It reminds me of a colleague who put mutual trust and student engagement at the forefront by teaching the student's first lesson at no cost.
My colleague teaches the first lesson for free, knowing he can make it so interesting, engaging, fun, rewarding, personal, and successful that of course students would want to come back for more. His message is clear: that he appreciates students' willingness to explore with him, that he knows how to engage them, and that he's got the tools to make things work. As demonstration of trustworthy and engaging music lessons, it's a brilliant strategy!
While I don’t teach the very first lesson at no cost, my strategy for starting new students does take into consideration mutual trust and parents’ concern over their child’s reaction. My solution is to start with a six-week lesson period during which I give my best efforts to making lessons so engaging and successful that students eagerly continue their lessons. I make a special point of frequently highlighting evidence of progress that might go unnoticed by students and parents given their inexperience with music lessons. Most notably, I have students give a concert during their first lesson and encourage them to do the same when they get home. When possible, I make connections for parents with other parents and students with other students.
I trust that students and parents also give their best efforts to six weeks of lessons. This time period is generally enough time for teacher, student, and parents to get an idea of how things will proceed. As teacher, I can see what kind of progress the student has made and get a sense of how I’ll help make it work for students given the obstacles they may face at home. Students and parents get an idea of what’s involved in taking music lessons and how it fits in with their family’s home life. Most often at the end of six weeks, students and parents choose to continue with lessons, so this strategy is useful in establishing a trustworthy and engaging instructional process. It’s also practical when insurmountable obstacles make it difficult for successful continuation as students and parents can opt out after six weeks.
What strategies do you use for starting new students?
