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Turn Your Fun Habit Into A Side Hustle or Business
I play French horn with The Charlottesville Band — an 80-piece ensemble filled with talented adult musicians who show up every week because they love music. Retired teachers, engineers, stay-at-home parents, people between jobs, people who love what they do but want something more on the side.
And almost none of them teach lessons.
When I talk to fellow musicians who are retired, looking for supplemental income, or just wondering what to do with the skill they've spent decades developing — the first thing I ask is: have you ever thought about teaching?
Most of them look at me like I suggested something outrageous. But here's the truth: if you play an instrument at an intermediate level or higher, you are already qualified to teach beginners. You don't need a music education degree. You don't need a studio space. You don't need a website or a business plan on day one.
You just need to start.
Why Teaching Makes Sense as a Side Hustle
The math alone is compelling. If you teach just 4 students at $80–$100 per month, that's $320–$400 in income from 4 hours of teaching per week. Scale that to 10 students and you're looking at $800–$1,000 a month from roughly 10 hours of work — doing something you already know how to do.
And unlike most side hustles, private music teaching compounds over time. Students who start as beginners stay for years. Families refer their friends. Your schedule fills through word of mouth before you ever spend a dollar on advertising.
It's one of the few side hustles where the better you get at it, the less you have to hustle.
5 Steps to Get Started Teaching Music Lessons
1. Decide what levels you're comfortable teaching.
You don't have to teach advanced students right away. Most musicians with intermediate skills or higher can confidently teach beginners — and beginners are always the largest portion of the market. Start there and build from experience.
2. Choose your method books.
Don't overthink this. Pick a reputable method book series and stick with it. For piano, Faber & Faber Piano Adventures and Alfred's Basic Piano Library are both widely used and well-structured. For other instruments, ask a local music teacher what they use and start there. Having a clear curriculum makes your first lessons feel organized and professional — for you and your students.
3. Decide your schedule and student capacity.
How many days a week do you want to teach? How many hours? If you teach two afternoons a week for two hours each, that's four 30-minute lessons per session — eight students total. That's a meaningful income from a very manageable time commitment.
Your schedule determines your capacity, so be intentional about it from the beginning. It's much easier to add students later than to scale back a schedule that's already overloaded.
4. Decide where you'll teach.
You have more options than you might think. Teaching from home is the most common choice, but you can also travel to students' homes, rent space at a local music store, or use a church, community center, or other venue. Each option has trade-offs in cost, convenience, and professionalism — choose the one that fits your current situation and adjust as your studio grows.
5. Spread the word and get your first student.
Post a flyer at your local music store, library, or community board. Tell friends and family you're taking students. Post in a neighborhood Facebook group or Nextdoor. Your first student almost always comes from someone you already know — and from there, word of mouth takes over.
Your Complete Starting Point
Music Studio Startup Toolkit
This 65-page toolkit walks you through every foundational decision — business plan, pricing, branding, studio policies, and a 30-day launch roadmap — so you walk into your first lesson with a real plan, not just a hope. If you're ready to turn your musical skill into a real studio business, start here.
$50 · one-time · instant download
Get the Toolkit →Before Your First Student Walks In the Door
Getting students is only half the equation. The other half is setting up your studio like a business from day one — because the habits you build at the start are the ones you'll carry forward.
Two things every new music teacher needs before that first lesson:
A studio policy. This is the document that sets expectations around tuition, cancellations, scheduling, communication, and what happens when things don't go as planned. Without it, you're running on assumptions — and assumptions are where income inconsistency and difficult conversations come from. Get it in writing before you need it.
A simple bookkeeping system. You are now a business owner. That means tracking income, keeping records for taxes, and knowing exactly what your studio earns each month. This doesn't have to be complicated — but it does have to be consistent from the beginning. Starting organized is infinitely easier than trying to untangle a year's worth of records in April.
Done-for-You Templates
Successful Music Studio Policy Templates
Don't write your policy from scratch. These fully customizable templates are already written — covering tuition, cancellations, scheduling, communication, and more. Includes a step-by-step tutorial video to help you customize everything to fit your studio. Two options depending on where you are in your journey.
Advanced adds income growth strategies, student retention, and referral incentive sections.
Ready to Go Beyond the Side Hustle?
Teaching a handful of students is a great start. But if you want to build a studio that's fully booked, consistently profitable, and runs like a real business — that takes a different level of intention.
I've been teaching since I was a junior in high school. I've built my studio twice from scratch after major relocations, reaching full capacity with a waitlist within three months each time. Everything I've learned in nearly three decades of teaching is inside the Signature Course — the complete roadmap for private music teachers who are ready to stop winging it and start building something that lasts.
The Complete Roadmap
Successful Music Studio Strategies — Signature Course
59 lessons covering everything from pricing and branding to student retention, bookkeeping, recitals, and income growth. Built for private music teachers who want a studio that's full, profitable, and sustainable — on their own terms.
$1,250 · or 3 payments of $500
Learn More →You won't know unless you try. And the best time to start is now — before your schedule fills up with everything else, before another year goes by, before another musician in your ensemble tells you they wished they'd started teaching sooner.
Your instrument is already in your hands. The students are out there waiting.
Happy Teaching,
Becky
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New School Year Means New Students Ready To Start Private Lessons | BEST Tips For Budget Friendly Advertising
I LOVE the new school year! It’s that time of year where parents want the best, and enroll their kids in ALL the after school activities. Especially music lessons!
If you are thinking about starting your own studio RIGHT NOW IS THE TIME TO ADVERTISE that you are open / will be open for business this school year.
Then get to the presses and start making posters you can display or hand out to interested potential families.
BEST TIPS FOR BUDGET FRIENDLY ADVERTISING:
UTILIZE FREE ADVERTISING BULLETIN BOARDS! There are lots of places you can find a bulletin board. Make sure though that it’s open to anyone to post on first because some bulletins only allow non profit or have requirements to be able to post. Speak with the store manager first. Panera Bread has a bulletin board along with many grocery stores!
UTILIZE LOCAL BUSINESSES! You can also ask local shops or stores if you can display business cards or a poster in their shop. This becomes All FREE to advertise!
FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM ARE YOUR PERSONAL STORE FRONTS! You can make a post on your personal feed or business page and ask your local friends to share your post. And to make sure you stand out in local searches make sure to tag your city so that will show up on the search bar and in local friends posts.
BE THE ONE ALL THE MOMS WANT! Have you joined the local Facebook mom group? MOPS or often times there is just a local mommy group. Moms are ALWAYS asking for recommendations for a music teachers. Be the one that posts and also if you post in there enough, they will start to tag you as, “so and so is a teacher!'' My babysitter is super active on those pages and whenever she sees someone asking she always recommends me so that’s super helpful too! WORD OF MOUTH!
NEIGHBORHOOD ADVERTISING! Gone are the days of putting advertisements in the mailbox, you can still do that but another great idea to advertise, subdivision newsletters or the Facebook Neighborhood Page. Scope out your area and nearby neighborhoods and contact the HOA to see if you can be included in the next neighborhood newsletter or on their group page. There might be a fee, but with a newsletter that has 600 residences or more it might be a worthy investment. Most HOA’s newsletters, are reasonable.
WHAT TO USE FOR ADVERTISING POSTERS: You don’t have to spend major bucks to get your name out there, you just have to be consistent with posting flyers, telling people that you teach lessons while you are at church, or with the groups you are part of or even when you are out and about at the grocery store. Flyers that you post don’t have to be fancy either about your advertisement. Don’t go spend money on a thick poster board or pamphlet at Staples. While they look nice, they cost a pretty penny to make, it’s not really that necessary. Check out my typical poster I’ve used and had great success with when I have to advertise. I love using the little tear away strips, that you pre cut, because you get more use out of your flyer and you can continue to check in on it and see how much interest there is. Check back in a week and if only 1 tab is missing might be time to relocate it. If all the tabs are missing, PUT UP A NEW FLYER!
The best advice is to make your advertising, keeping it simple for you to make over and over again, efficient and to the point and easy for your prospect families to use so that you get your email box filled with prospect students wanting more info and the phones ringing!
Next step is to be prepared for what they are going to be asking you when they call to check your availability.
STARTING YOUR STUDIO SOON? You need to have a studio policy! Once a parent says, “YES! We’d love to start with you!” You need to have a policy in place as a way to protect you and your business and help answer all the questions before they happen. GET YOUR CUSTOMIZABLE PRE-MADE TEMPLATE HERE that covers Tuition Fees, What happens during snow days, Termination Policy, Studio schedule and more!
Be on the lookout! Get more in depth info and strategies like these in my upcoming COMPLETE 12 week course releasing this fall to help you START your studio, BUILD your students, RUN all the internal stuff easily, and MAINTAIN a THRIVING and SUCCESSFUL Private music studio! Be the first to know more by SUBSCRIBING TO OUR LAUNCH EMAIL LIST! Hours and hours have been put into the course and I know it will help make your life easier in setting up your studio and helping it run more efficiently!
Happy Teaching,
xo Becky
How To Become A Private Music Teacher And Start Teaching Lessons At Home In Your Own Business
Whether you've been playing your instrument for years and people keep telling you "you should teach," or you're actively looking for a flexible way to earn income doing something you love — private music lessons might be exactly what you've been looking for.
Teaching privately is one of the few businesses where you are the product. You set the schedule. You choose your students. You decide what you charge. And with the right foundation in place, even a part-time studio of 15–20 students can generate a real, reliable income — on your terms.
But here's what nobody tells you upfront: the teaching part is actually the easy part. The part that trips most new teachers up is the business side — pricing, policies, communication, scheduling, and setting up systems that don't burn you out by month three.
This post walks you through both. By the end, you'll know exactly what it takes to become a private music teacher and how to set your studio up the right way from day one.
Do You Have What It Takes to Teach?
Let's start with the question most people are secretly asking: Am I qualified to do this?
You don't need a music degree. What you need is a competent, working knowledge of your instrument and the ability to communicate what you know clearly to someone else. Those are two different skills — and both matter.
Musically, you should be able to:
Read music fluently, including notes, rhythms, dynamics, and basic music theory
Demonstrate proper technique on your instrument
Identify what a student is doing wrong and explain how to fix it
Teach to your own level of playing — no further
That last point is important. If you studied through early-advanced repertoire, that's your current teaching ceiling. As your own playing develops, your teaching range expands with it. There's no shame in that — it's honest, and your students will be better served for it.
By instrument, you'll also need:
Piano: Hand independence, scales, chord structure, and repertoire appropriate to each level
Strings: Bow technique, left-hand position, posture, tuning, and instrument maintenance
Winds: Embouchure, breath support, tone production, fingerings, and instrument care
Voice: Breath support, vowel placement, healthy technique, and range development
Beyond the music, great teachers also bring:
Patience — real patience, not just the "I'll try to be patient" kind
Consistency and reliability — students and families need to be able to count on you
The ability to adapt — a 7-year-old beginner and a 45-year-old adult learner need completely different approaches
A genuine interest in each student's progress, not just the lesson itself
If you're reading this and nodding along — you can do this. Beginning students don't need a virtuoso. They need a prepared, professional, engaged teacher who shows up the same way every week.
How to Actually Get Started
Once you know you're ready to teach, the next step is building the structure around it. This is where most new teachers either set themselves up for long-term success — or create a mess they spend years trying to untangle.
Step 1: Decide how many students you can take.
Be realistic here. Map out your available teaching hours in a week, then work backward. Factor in prep time, lesson time, and buffer between students if you're teaching in your home. A typical breakdown looks like this:
Beginners: 30-minute lessons
Intermediate: 45–60 minutes
Advanced: 60 minutes or more
Most new teachers start with 8–12 students and build from there. That's a manageable load while you're finding your rhythm — and it still adds up to real income.
Step 2: Set your rates with confidence.
This is where new teachers consistently undercharge — and it's a mistake that's surprisingly hard to undo. Parents anchor to your original price. If you start too low and try to raise rates later, it creates friction and sometimes costs you students.
Do your research: find out what other private teachers in your area charge. Then price yourself at or near the market rate based on your experience and credentials. Don't price yourself at the bottom just to attract students. Undercharging attracts the wrong students and devalues your work from the start.
Step 3: Choose your teaching space.
You have more options than you might think:
Teaching from home: You'll need a clean, quiet, dedicated space with easy restroom access. This is the most common setup for independent teachers and the most flexible.
Music stores: Many rent space to independent teachers. They'll often ask for credentials, so be prepared to share your background.
Churches, community centers, or schools: Surprisingly accessible — many will let you use a room for a small fee or in exchange for some community involvement.
Online lessons: Zoom and FaceTime have made location irrelevant for many teachers. Online is a legitimate, professional option — especially if you're just starting out or want to expand beyond your local area.
Step 4: Get your business basics in order.
Even a small private studio is a business, and the IRS will treat it like one. From day one, you need to:
Track all income received — every payment, every student, every month
Decide how you'll collect tuition (Venmo, check, auto-pay, invoicing)
Open a separate bank account for studio income if you can
Keep receipts for any studio-related expenses — they're deductible
This doesn't have to be complicated. A simple spreadsheet works when you're starting out. What matters is that you build the habit of tracking from the beginning, not six months in when you're scrambling before tax season.
The One Thing Most New Teachers Skip — And Almost Always Regret
Studio policies.
Before you take your first student, you need a written studio policy. Not a casual verbal agreement. Not a "we'll figure it out as we go." A real, clear, written document that every family receives and acknowledges before lessons begin.
Your studio policy is the foundation of every professional relationship you'll have as a teacher. It sets expectations, prevents misunderstandings, and protects your time and income before problems even arise.
A complete studio policy covers:
Tuition: How much, when it's due, how it's paid, and what happens if it's late
Cancellations and makeups: Your rules, not theirs — and yes, you get to have rules
Scheduling: Your available hours, how changes are handled, and your commitment to consistency
Communication: How and when families should contact you, and your expected response time
Enrollment: How new students join, what a trial lesson looks like, and how either party ends the relationship
I can't tell you how many teachers have come to me after a year or two of teaching saying the same thing: "I wish I had done this from the start." A student who stops showing up without notice. A parent who expects free makeup lessons every time their kid has a baseball game. A family who ghosts you in December and then disputes a charge in January.
Policies don't prevent every problem — but they give you something to point to when problems come up. And they do come up.
What a Thriving Studio Actually Looks Like
Here's the truth: almost anyone with musical ability and good intentions can get their first handful of students. What separates teachers who burn out after two years from teachers who are still doing this happily a decade later comes down to systems.
Systems for how you enroll students. Systems for how you communicate with families. Systems for how you track your money, plan your recitals, handle difficult conversations, and grow your income beyond just adding more lesson hours.
Because here's what happens without systems: you hit a ceiling. You're fully booked at 20 students, you're exhausted, your rates haven't kept up with your experience, and you have no idea how to grow without working more hours you don't have.
The teachers who build truly sustainable studios — ones that give them real income, real flexibility, and real joy — are the ones who treat their studio like a business from the beginning. Not in a cold, corporate way. In a "I respect my own time and I've built something I'm proud of" way.
That's what I've spent nearly 30 years learning, and it's exactly what the Signature Course is built to teach.
You Don't Have to Figure This Out Alone
Starting a private music studio is one of the most rewarding things you can do as a musician. It's work — real work — but it's work that fits around your life, plays to your strengths, and can grow into something you're genuinely proud of.
The teachers who succeed aren't always the most talented musicians in the room. They're the ones who show up consistently, set clear expectations, and build real systems around the gift they already have.
You've got the musical ability. Now build the business around it.
Happy Teaching!
Becky
Music Studio Business Strategy: Maximizing Your Schedule
The great thing about having your own business, is that you get to pick your own schedule! You don’t have to work 9-5 if you don’t want to. Most of my teaching happens between 3:30-6:30pm. And it doesn’t have to be every single day either. Making it something super simple you can add into your life like a side hustle before you make the big jump to having private music teaching becoming your everyday, or every few days job.
Maximizing Your Schedule: If you are just starting and want to add in a few lessons in the week, take time to look at your calendar and see where you can teach. AIM for back to back lessons. You could fit 4 students in a 2 hour block teaching 30 minute lessons.
Make it a goal to have __ amount of students by __. And get your name out there. When potential students inquire, you already have your lesson times scheduled and then it’s a first come first serve. As you fill up you can apply the same strategy to fill up another day, then another day and so forth.
Now that you have students, The next step would be to start putting together your Music Studio Policy Contract! Not sure where to start? Check out our Private Music Lesson and Studio Policy Template with a step by step tutorial video on customizing it to fit your studio’s needs!
Happy Teaching!
xo, Becky
Start Your New Music Studio As A Beginning Level Music Teacher
Have you had dreams of working for yourself? Maybe from home? Did you play piano or violin, or any other instrument when you were younger? Have you thought about teaching beginning level private music lessons? I get it, the idea of teaching lessons when it’s been forever since you picked yours up seems a little intimidating but, why not? If you have a basic level of music, you can teach it. And it’s something that you can pick back up very quickly, especially when you turn it around and think about it in a teaching way.
A degree in music, (performance, education or therapy,) is not necessary when teaching private lessons. A good teacher who wants their students to be successful is. And while you are teaching others, you’re going to start practicing and developing your skills back up too.
My first piano teacher, was only and still is only a beginning level music teacher. She won’t teach beyond that point. And she doesn’t have to. There’s no rules out there that say you have to teach a student from Beginning level to Advanced collegiate entry level. You can teach any level you decide. Choose to teach beginning to early intermediate, or just advanced. It’s your business. You choose how you are going to run it. There will always be a need for beginning teachers who can teaching the fundamentals of music on any instrument!
If you are ready to start your own business and be your own boss with teaching private music lessons in your own studio but not sure how to get started? GET YOUR COPY of my Successful Private Music Studio Policy Templates. Let me make it easy for you! I am giving you the exact same template I use with my wording, and you can customize it to fit your needs! Easy to use with an included video tutorial to help you get it ready to go and get started sooner!
I’m Becky and Welcome To Successful Music Studio Strategies where I help you create your own Successful Private Music Studio business through simple strategies I’ve learned and used in my own successful private music studio! Want to learn more about my online courses to help you start, build and create a successful and THRIVING music studio? Click here!