It's all your business: office skills for the independent music teacher

Going without e-mail in this day and age is somewhat like doing without a telephone. E-mail is a quick and inexpensive method of communicating with your whole studio, individual students and parents, and other music professionals.

If, for example, you have a job within your local or state music teachers association, or need to communicate with MTNA offices directly, e-mail is invaluable. At times, you will need to be reached or contact others quickly about job duties. Phone calls sometimes are problematic, as phone tag is not a fun game to play. Snail mail takes ton long, and group postal mailings are expensive. A group e-mail gives you immediate access to a whole board or committee.

For instance, when planning a state music event, group e-mails provide a quick and easy way to reach other planners. If a teacher does not have access to e-mail, he might be unable to take part in the quick, last-minute decision making that takes place by using group e-mails.

For the times when you do want to send letters through the postal service, group mailings are handled more easily and professionally with technology tools. Mail merges print a single letter to a number of addresses, envelopes are easily addressed or mailing labels are easily processed. Group mailings will take less time to prepare and look more professional than when hand written.

Research

For those who use the Internet with any regularity, you know what a valuable tool it can be. I constantly look up music books, publishers, music topics and so forth. I give my students research assignments on composers or periods of music history. A quick Google search provides me with information in an instance that would take hours or even weeks to track down in another venue.

The Internet is a mountain of information, both good and bad. If you use it wisely, the Internet brings a gazillion-story library, open twenty-four hours a day, right to your studio.

A New World

Many teachers already use technology in their studios for pedagogical and business purposes. Many others feel overwhelmed and unable to enter the world of technology. If you feel reluctant to use computers or anxious about improving your skills, I hope you will take a deep breath and jump right in. Plenty of people are willing to help-friends, family, community instructors and even your students.