Hey all, just wondering if anyone had some advice on how to find some students to teach? I've been hanging flyers around residential areas and schools advertising drum lessons and also posting on Craigslist. I haven't had anyone get ahold of me yet but I've seen a lot of tabs ripped off my flyers so I know people are checking them out. One friend recommended trying to see if a school would let me hang them inside. Any advice on this would really help.
Maybe see if you can partner up with a music store. You may be able to work together or at least hang some flyers there. Or local pawn shops....."first lesson is free with purchase of this kit" (could work with the music store too). The problem with drum lessons is probably the same problem with drummers in general.....there aren't many of them around (at least in my state). That tells me that many parents aren't willing to shell out cash for a hobby they perceive to be expensive because of the upfront purchase....never mind that you can buy a crappy kit. They would rather spend a minimal amount on something else to see if the kid will stick it out. I actually just loaned a kids guitar to a friend for that very reason. If his daughter wanted to play drums....no way would he buy them just to see if she liked them. On the other hand....if a kid can get his hands on someone else's drums and say he/she loves them....chances are the person who owns them will be willing to show them a few things at least in the beginning. All of this means that drum teachers will probably miss out on all the easy, bread and butter business unless they can teach other instruments. It's shitty because the world needs drummers but for lessons....stringed instruments and orchestra instruments are probably where it's at. If a person can roll that into instrument rentals...it could be gold and you could find a few drum students along the way.
I work with the local high school. I teach guitar bass, synth, organ, piano mandolin and even drums of all sorts to some degree or another.(there is no shortage of volentiers to help out at times. The kids have never heard of them but many are people who's music I grew up with. We try to get the kids to form bands and when they get to that level we have festivals at the gym across the street. We are just now starting a post highchool class in recording. Everything from engineering to video to to production. It's just taking off but i.e. very exciting.---most cholls still teach brass and stringbow and just tossing that out--it did take me 3 years to get them to agree and I used to teach PC programing in 9th grade EP
I hear people say "I wish I could play guitar" I tell them In a week I can teach then enough simple chords to play over a 1000 songs. I even have dozen or so guitars sadly standing the corner of the antiqu music amps and teck--which have suddenly become worth 4x what I paid in the 70s. I think there are enough musicians. It's getting them together and on the same plan that's the trick-or-not
Here's a lesson........check out the new whammy bar he invented.......... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC3TkWQHpX8
If they don't pay smack them in the knee with a lead pipe. That will teach them a lesson. Just kidding. C/S, Rev J
