In a message dated 03/02/2002 7:42:35 PM Central Standard Time,
LeaAnn@k... writes:
<< Just out of curiosity how would you tell a student that you decided to
double the price of lessons...what would you base that on? I could see
raising the price a bit at a time...but doubling it? >>
I'm not sure where you got "doubling it" from Sharon's post. Perhaps I
missed that.
<< And believe it or not some students will have to quit because they simply
cannot afford to pay any more than they already do. Maybe I am just a
softy...but I would feel really bad about someone having to quit lessons with
me because they could no longer afford me.
>>
And if I felt they were truly committed, I would make arrangements, as I'm
sure Sharon would. Case in point ... I have a young man working with me
right now. Single mom, poorer neighborhood -- he pays what he can, when he
can. I believe in him and I will help him. He pays me something every week
and he shows up on time and ready to work.
I had a young girl as a student. Fabulous voice, great presence, single mom,
okay neighborhood. Always late with payments. Mom smoked enough cigarettes
per day that both she and the child stunk when she came in. Missed lessons
for stupid reasons, was late with payments without excuses. As talented as
the child was, the commitment - at least on the part of Mom - wasn't there.
If Mom smokes a carton of cigarettes a week, that would pay for one 45-minute
voice lesson per week (approximately). Not only was she unwilling to stop
exposing her child to second-hand smoke, she was unwilling to make that
sacrifice. Therefore, when I raised my rate $2/hour, she dropped. I made no
offers to make arrangements because the effort would have been only on my
part.
I've been poor, believe me. I'm far from elitist in my upbringing. You are
lucky you live where you live and have found a teacher for the price you're
paying. Much has to do with the cost of living in your area. In a larger
city, the cost of living is much higher and wages are higher all around.
Don't assume you wouldn't pay $50/hour unless you're living in a place where
that's the norm.
Christine Thomas
Wauwatosa, WI
<A HREF="http://hometown.aol.com/mezzoid/myhomepage/profile.html">
http://hometown.aol.com/mezzoid/myhomepage/profile.html</A>
"I love to sing-a, about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a"
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