Guitar Teachers - Network for New Students

Freelance professionals and small entrepreneurs usually swear by the power of networking in gaining new clients. Music instructors, such as guitar teachers, for instance, also benefit from networking in reaching out to more people, and finding prospective clients. It’s all about connecting, and establishing yourself as an authority figure in your chosen field or career.

There are many ways to network with other people to find prospective clients. The main thing to remember here is that you should not focus on networking to gain clients or students, but rather, focus on connecting with the people and building meaningful professional and personal relationships. Here are a few ways you can get connected.

Join a Teachers’ Network

Some specific guitar teaching methods have established networks of their own. For instance, a Sydney-based school that teaches using the “G4Guitar” teaching method has a network of teachers around the country, with each having an online profile. This makes it easier for each of the guitar teachers to be contacted by potential students from any location. A teachers’ network can be a great way of getting referrals from fellow teachers, especially if location is a factor.

Join a Social Network

Social networks give people an opportunity to connect with existing friends online. And social networks are also a great way to meet new people, whether as personal or professional contacts. Most social networks, like Facebook and LinkedIn, allow users to form groups based on interest. For a guitar teacher, it would be good to join groups formed by users with a common interest in music. Participating in these groups can help establish your profile as an experienced musician.

Join Online Forums

Like social networks, an online forum can also help establish your profile as a guitar teacher in the online community. Sites like GuitarPlayer.com feature a forum where guitar players from all over the world discuss various topics. With online forums, one must take care not to be too pushy or spammy in advertising one’s services. It’s best to be truly engaged in the discussions, so that people will trust you as a real person and as a reliable source of advice and tips in playing guitar.

Join Parents’ Networks

If you have a school-aged child, it might also be a good idea to be active with your children’s PTC or other school-based activities. There are probably a few of your kids’ classmates or schoolmates who are interested in learning guitar, and what’s better than having fellow parents help spread the word about your being a guitar instructor. Remember to bring calling cards when you attend parent-teacher meetings, so people know where to contact you.

Just a tip when networking—again, we stress the importance of not doing in-your-face advertising. When you network, the important thing is to expand your contact list, and to get better-known in your community as an authority figure in the field or industry you represent. So if people know you to be a good guitarist and a good teacher at the same time, then they will remember your name when they think of wanting to learn guitar.