Being a parent is hard sometimes. I’m not a parent, but I do have to talk to parents now and then because I teach their children music lessons.

In the past, I would teach piano, guitar and voice from my home. Happily, I state now that I teach individual music lessons in a music studio in an arts and cultural centre.

The one thing I like about having individual music students, is because students generally know what is expected of them.

When I used to teach at home I encountered situations where my music teaching studio was being turned into a babysitting service.

Perhaps it was not deliberate, but I recall times when mom or dad didn’t pick up their child for hours after their lessons were over.

The TV would be on in the other room and the student would just sit and watch and wait for their ride home.

After a few of these “extended music lessons,” I realized I was being taken advantage of. It drove me to stop teaching privately for awhile.

In the future, I believe teachers will find parents are a lot more appreciative of the one on one attention their kids receive when it is more costly, and more scarce.

When parents appreciate that a teacher’s time is valuable and respected, then teachers will be more willing to teach.

Musically yours, Amy Zents