Whetting your appetite - Forum focus: independent music teachers

American Music Teacher, Feb-March, 2004 by Scott McBride Smith

Kansas City is a city with an appetite for great food, great music and good times. Located near the geographical center of the United States, Kansas City mixes influences of East and West, North and South in a unique blend. The birthplace of KC Bar-B-Q and a blues-based swing style of jazz, Kansas City boasts museums covering everything from traditional and contemporary art to a famous outlaw (Jesse James) and an American president (Harry S. Truman).

Sounds like a great place for independent music teachers, doesn't it? Especially when you add to the list of attractions the lineup of IMTF programs at the 2004 MTNA National Conference. Here are some brief descriptions, to whet your appetite.

Professional Studio Saturday will kick off the conference on Saturday, March 27, from 8:15 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. This year's program focuses on music teachers as entrepreneurs. Running an independent studio is indeed a small business operation. Teachers need marketing, recruiting and scheduling skills. They should be up to date on the latest materials. They need a high degree of financial acumen, allowing them to make informed decisions about allocating money for taxes, insurance, vacation and retirement.

MTNA is partnering with the Small Business Association, the Service Corps of Retired Executives and the Internal Revenue Service to provide sessions that will arm teachers with the tools they need to run a successful business. Educational publications, CD-ROMs and websites will be introduced, as well as information about other available products and services.

Kelly Setler Scheer will offer a session called Are You "In the Zone? Real-life overviews of zoning problems for home-based teaching will be discussed. The session also will include information about how home properties are zoned and how to apply for permits and licenses. John Kuzmich will give teachers the tools to build their own websites--in less than an hour!--in a session entitled How to Promote Your Music Studio: Web Development Techniques Part I (Basic Fundamentals). Beth Gigante Klingenstein, NCTM, the respected AMT columnist and authority on independent music teaching, will present thought-provoking information on teacher wellness, among other ideas.

Is your studio tired, run down and listless? Is it stuck in the '80s? Maybe it needs a whole new look! You'll be sure to get some good ideas from the PSS closing session, Studio Makeover. One studio, viewed on videotape, will be analyzed by Klingenstein, Rachel Kramer and me, among others. We will discuss, evaluate and make recommendations to transform the studio into a business extraordinaire!

In addition to the exciting sessions of Professional Studio Saturday, there are two IMTF sessions on the main conference program. God, Emperor, Parent, Teacher takes its name from an old Chinese saying, expressing the respect teachers receive in that society. Panelists Ena Bronstein Barton, Leonard Richter, Paul Sheftel and Claire Wachter will discuss the enormous musical and personal impact of teachers in their own lives.

The Independent Studio, from Private to Corporate is a gathering designed to explore the wide range of studio settings available to today's independent teacher. Entities considered will include sole proprietorships, LLCs and corporations, as well as single- and multi-teacher settings. Established administrators Rebecca Corley, Helen Smith Tarchalski and I will share strategies, led by chairperson Roma Eicher.

The Independent Music Teachers Forum will meet Tuesday, March 20, 11:45 A.M.-12:45 P.M. As forum chair, I will lead the meeting. Plan on attending to share ideas, successes and your vision.

Swinging jazz, fantastic food, attractive museums, fascinating Americana and inspirational sessions for independent music teachers--all are a part of Kansas City's charm. Plan now to enjoy all that KC has to offer, and to take part in the Independent Music Teacher programs at the 2004 MTNA Conference. I promise you--you'll go home relaxed, invigorated and full of great ideas!

Scott McBride Smith is an independent teacher in Irvine, California. He is president of the International Institute for Young Musicians, coauthor of the piano pedagogy text The Well-Tempered Keyboard Teacher and president of Royal American Conservatory Examinations. He is a member of the MTNA Board of Directors.