This was in my opinion, honestly a strange post. Of course things in good quality are expensive. Or, .. you could hire a dedicated student for much cheaper .. and see if your child has a knack at music or not before you go for the big investment. You named your own solution, but made this huge complaint about paying someone what they're worth.
I agree that this post shows a gross misunderstanding for music teachers, but I think the point the author was trying to make is a good one: is it worth spending the money for a child to try a hobby they may or may not stick with?
I think there are many ways to children to try music -- churches, lower cost lessons, group lessons, etc. But just because they don't get it when they are young doesn't they won't love music later on. My mother learned piano as an adult, and went on to be involved with music at her church. My brother learned music through classes in high school, and developed an appreciation for it that's always stayed with him. Both entered lessons at an age where they could weigh the costs and benefits themselves, and I think they had a different kind of appreciation for it as a result :)
Extended warranties are primarily a gamble of perceived convenience. Warranty providers must turn a profit, in addition to the profit margin the dealers make, meaning that they're betting that a product will not break in a way they will need to cover often enough for them to lose money. And you're betting that they're wrong. And if they're consistently wrong their business isn't apt to last for long (ditto with your coverage).
Now the Warranty company bases their bets a strong study of statistical failures and costs, and they limit warranties in ways that limit their liability (to pay out). And we make our bets based mostly on perception, often in the emotional moments of purchase. "Oh, what the heck! I'll get the extra protection. I'm worth it!" Hardly a statistical measure. And anecdotally we can prove our case, as we know someone needed (or have ourselves) the extended coverage. Of course anecdote is a small statistical measure, so we're really hoping that it pays off.
Not that it isn't possible to luck out and have something fail (and be covered), but this is hardly a win. When a product fails we lose, and when you buy the warranty we lose if it doesn't fail. Statistically speaking, we would be better off to bank the money we would spend on warranties, drawing from it when something really fails. You would want to combine that with good product research (avoid cruddy products), keeping an eye out for warranties that actually provide value (where they may be offered at a loss to gain customer appreciation).
FWIW, I think Apple's warranty program must be partly run as a way to build a loyal customer base, as they allow customers to buy it anytime in the first year (often when hardware fails). For laptops, I know dozens of users who have used their Apple Care to their benefit. Anecdotal, but interesting nonetheless.
Now car warranties may sometimes provide a separate value (separate to repair or accident coverage): selling a car with a warrantee may increase the car's value. Do the math, and if you come out ahead consider it as a dual-purpose purchase.
But with warranties, BUYER BEWARE! Most of the time the house will win, and we'll be stuck using our emotions to make a gamble against the house's larger body of fact, putting us at a clear disadvantage.
For any of you who plan to use a gun on an intruder, keep this in mind: Use a shotgun, not a handgun.
Assuming that you are woken up by someone in your house, you will have adrenaline pumping through your body as it prepares its flight or fight response. This is going to cause you to be a little bit shaky and nervous as you are approaching whoever it is that caused the noise. Your aim is not going to be very good at all, you just woke up. For this reason, you should depend on a shotgun of some sort, not a handgun. Think about the size of the average handgun bullet. Unless you are a crack shot in the dark, with adrenaline pumping through your veins, you will have a high chance of missing your target completely or just wounding them in the arm or leg. Also, unless you have a .40 or a .45 caliber gun, your bullet doesn't have much stopping power. This is why many police departments are switching from 9mm to .40 cal handguns.
A shotgun however has a much larger spread and is much more likely to do more serious damage to whoever is in your house (just make sure they aren't related to you). Also as mentioned before, get a pump shotgun, for the sound effect.
Wowwwwwww is all I have to say to this. You really have not got the first friggin' clue what you're talking about, do you? Of course, it's your prerogative to choose your haircut over your child's education, or simply to think that $60/week is too much to pay for an extracurricular activity. Fair enough. But you seriously have no understanding about what these realities are like. For many years, I was a figure skating coach, a service for which I also charged $60/hour. I can't think of a single week in my years of coaching that I worked anything even approaching 40 hours a week. Besides which, I had to buy my own insurance, pay commission to the rink, put up with parents not paying on time, deal with multiple changes in my schedule on the whims of others, take the time and pay for the gas to drive between rinks, work at 6 am... yeah, real cushy existence! I was only part-time, because I was also in college, but if I broke $10k/year, it was a great year. Six figures... yarite.
I also took piano lessons for most of my childhood, and I believe the rate was about $60 (keep in mind that this was almost 25 years ago). Granted, I went to a music school that was by audition only and had the clout to charge more, but it was undoubtedly an enormous investment by my parents. And my piano teacher, as many others have posted in here, was so much more to me than a piano teacher. She was, simply put, the adult in my life who was closest to me outside of my parents, one of the people who understood me best in the world, and a true mother-figure, confidant and advice giver. My life would be very, very different had she never been in it, and I am eternally thankful that my parents chose to sacrifice what they needed to and give me that opportunity. Your understanding of the situation is so completely flawed that I pity you. Like at least one other poster, I'll be unsubscribing from this feed solely because of this post (unless, of course, there's some sort of recant or apology).
At the university I attended there are plenty of music ed majors who would love to teach for 20 dollars an hour. There are group lessons where kids pay 30 dollars for a semester to attend a lesson twice a week. Summer camps are avalible for 300 dollars including room and board. You'll also find that out that alot if not most musicans want to pass along the gift of learning an instrument so much that they will work with you. I mowed my teacher's lawn for 3 years until he moved for half off my lessons. You also don't have to buy a new insturment, alot of place rent and even rent to own intruments. 60 dollars may be steep for you, but like anything else you buy, a little research will save you money.
I was surprised by a couple of things: that a 9-yr-old beginner would be taking an hour-long class (30 minutes a week would be more appropriate) and that you think $1/minute is outrageous. I won't reiterate what other posters have already said about the business costs of the professional teaching your child, but I will touch on one item that no one has mentioned so far. That is that a professional music teacher will teach your child proper technique in playing an instrument. Technique is important in order to avoid repetitive motion injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. Technique also important in producing the quality and musicality of tone in an instrument.
I agree with the suggestion (stated above by several posters) that you actually do some research by interviewing professional music instructors.
What needs to be said has pretty much been said already, but let me add this: if you yourself are a writer, then surely--surely!--you must understand that anyone providing freelance services is not actually earning hourly x 40 x 50.
It's probably true that "any old sidewalk musician" could teach your kid to bang out a few notes on the ole pie-anney for the 6 or so months that you think you can keep her interested, and if that's all you're interested in, then I bet you can actually find someone willing to do so for less than $60/hr.
I took piano lessons for 2 years, at $90/hour, once a week. My parents also bought me a brand new piano. Sure I can read some notes and have some knowledge of music theory, but I had no appreciation for the art, nor the talent, and I don't think I'm a better person for having that limited music knowledge. And I can see now how difficult it was for my parents to pay that money. It was a sacrifice on their part, and not one I believe paid off.
I also begged my parents to take violin lessons. It was actually a program at school, so the lessons were very cheap, but I had to bring my own violin, which they bought for me, brand new. I went to two classes.
I don't think that people who never took music lessons are worse off or lesser people because they weren't fortunate enough to have parents who were able to pay hundreds of dollars a month for them to "try out" music. I think parents who know their kids well enough can make a good value statement of whether it'll be actually worth the money. Learning a musical instrument might seem an "invaluable" lesson, but so is seeing parents make wise decisions about money.
to Jim re: The Fall of America
Hi Jim,
I trace my ancestors in this country (nearly all in the 8 lines of my grandparents) back to the 1600's. I am a direct descendent of John Robinson, Pastor of the Pilgrims. I could, therefore, hardly be said to qualify as an immigrant, but I confess to be growing really tired of all the American bashing going on these days, your comments included. My father and mother were as hard working and instilled as may of these lessons in their children as any you've ever met. My father's favorite line was "all work is honorable when done for your family's benefit. " Trust me, some of the jobs he took to keep food on the table proved those words beyond any doubt. Maybe you don't hear about us too much, Jim, but there are a whole bunch us out here who have not had benefit of any inheritance save our family relationships but have managed to educate ourselves, get good jobs, raise good families and stuff cash away..Its not just an immigrant thing. I don't pretend to know your circumstances in life , but your attitude could use some adjustment. Like, yesterday. Sorry you're so disappointed with the attitudes of those around you... maybe you could try another country!
At the clinics near me, the wait times can be long (especially on weekends) and the fees steep. My insurance company charges the emergency room visit copay ($100) rather than the doctor visit copay ($20). But my primary care doctor is not open on the weekends. So, for something like strep throat when I don't want to wait until Monday morning, they do work.
I think that $60 is a fairly reasonable rate, given that most teachers do not work 40 hours a week, but I agree that it can be a bit much to swing. If you think about it, that's about $3,000 a year if lessons are taken once a week. I'm not saying it's not worth the investment, but I can see where a parent would balk at paying that much money.
Some of the comments about taking group lessons are a really good idea! That's the way it was done when I was growing up.
The good news is that people are almost always giving away pianos on Craigslist, so you can probably find a used piano fairly cheap if your children become proficient enough to warrant their own instrument. Sure, you'll have to have it tuned, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of a new instrument. Also, there are so many keyboards out there now that are good for practice.
If you think about it, most peoeple have some kind of tool to succed, either physically, mentaly, emotionaly... But it does not matter, if you do not have the DRIVE to do it.
First of all, what a great topic. I've been wondering why it's so expensive myself? I've resorted to teaching myself guitar via YOUTUBE and online guitar tablature.
The reason teachers can command so much is that people have dreams of music, but so few become good at it. Second, ever try and teach the wife or husband how to drive? Fights and divorces happen!
It takes a lot to be a good teacher, and people are willing to pay for it, otherwise, they wouldn't make so much!
Keigu,
Financial Samurai
"Slicing Through Money's Mysteries"
I'm glad you've had so many well-thought out responses to this ridiculous post. As a private tutor who has chosen to make this my career (I do not consider myself to be out of work, and I doubt your piano teacher does either), I found your post to be ignorant and offensive. It probably would have been more helpful before your rant to speak to some music teachers and ask what costs are involved in running their businesses.
In my business, self-employment tax (on top of normal income tax) and health insurance are two biggies. My rates are also about $60 per hour, and I'm in the LOW end of the range that tutors in my area charge, $50-120 per hour for regular tutoring, more for SAT/AP/ACT test prep. My husband has worked extensively with professional musicians, and 10 years ago, when he was running a recording studio, professional musicians would charge anywhere from $150-250 per song that they record. It would take an average of an hour to set up, and then after that they could do about a song per hour. My husband and many of his friends work as musicians and, on average, charge about $400 per night for gigs like weddings, playing at clubs, etc. This is PER MUSICIAN. Most of these gigs run about 3-4 hrs. So, a "working musician" often makes about $100 or more per hour. Incidentally, many of his acquaintances also play at churches. Churches get the bargain rate of $40 per hour. Now, as has been stated many times, that's not take-home pay. There are still taxes, insurance, and commute costs to figure in.
Even at the peak of my business when I was working long hours and had a waiting list for new students, I was at most billing about 30-33 hrs. per week, 36 weeks a year...in my profession, this is considered extremely successful. I could not have squeezed in more hours unless I could stumble upon a colony of home-educated children who were available for tutoring from 7am to 3pm. At that pace, I was far too busy; once I figured in commute time, admin-work (billing, scheduling, lesson prep, etc), I was putting about 50-60 hrs. per week into my job. Now, my schedule is more "normal" (its unusual to have enough students to fill 30 billable hours per week), and I'm tutoring about 20 hrs and putting in closer to 40, 33-36 weeks per year. Let's see, that's about $39,600-43,200 BEFORE taxes, health insurance etc. I still have to pay my house payment, maintain my car, and eat with what's left.
I encounter your sort of attitude a lot in my work, and would advise you to either START to see the value of what your providing for your kids (you obviously value your hair-cuts, so you're capable of this), go find someone cheaper (a high school or college-aged music student maybe), or skip music lessons all together. Your piano teacher doesn't need the headache that comes with clients who don't value his/her work.
Having spent a majority of my youth taking music lessons for piano, french horn and guitar, I can say that it was definitely well worth the money that my parents spent on it.
Arts & music help give kids a sense of accomplishment and boosts self-esteem. It also, from my observation, gives them something to do and keeps them out of trouble.
My daughter looks forward to her piano lessons each week. I can assure you that I pay nowhere near $60 a lesson. In fact, that's only a little less than what I pay per month for lessons from a highly praised and well-known music teacher.
In these economic times, we have had to cut back on certain things in order for her to take these lessons, but it's well worth every dime... the smile on her face would make me happily give up a "high rent bi-monthly hair-cut"... but maybe I'm just selfish...
This post is pretty epic. I've seen a number of these signs and I'm prepared to BE fired. The most obvious sign I saw was the "Paper Trail" and other obnoxious CYAs. It's a shame though, I've been here less than a year. It's corporate bliss compared to where I worked before.
*Notes to managers: If your employees think you're going to crucify them when they come to you with issues, they WILL give up and they WILL fail.*
As a note, not only do glass baking or cooking pans hold heat better (by virtue of their thickness), but clear glass pans cook by radiant heat as well as the heat absorbed by the pan, i.e. the infrared is transmitted through the glass and directly into the food as opposed to metal or opaque pans that reflect or bar the passage of the infrared.
I am a piano teacher with a full studio. I've trained for over 20 years to become an expert in my field, including countless thousands of hours in solitary practice, a ton of performances, student loans, traveling around the country--indeed rearranging my entire life--to study with the best teachers, etc. I average a little bit over $60 an hour, and my students keep coming back. I'm proud of every penny. If someone doesn't understand why tutoring from someone at my level is worth the money then I'm sure they will get what they pay for!
I own a music store and give private lessons. On average I will see anywhere from 30 to 65 students a week. My expenses well exceed over $40,000.00 a year. Rent, utilities, advertising etc. not including other expenses listed by other posters. I charge $30.00 an hour in a large city in Ohio. Several of my clients have been telling me that I should RAISE my rates because they find me to be worth more than what I currently charge.
There are less expensive ways to learn music, but $60.00 is not unreasonable, considering a friend of mine charges $125.00 per hour.
Do more research and you will find something that best suits you.
The credit doesn't always convince people to borrow more than they would anyway. In my case I was waiting for the right time to buy, had enough for a down payment, and was considering various neighborhoods. In February I was offered a mortgage for the cost of the house I eventually chose but not money for the new furnace it needed to make it livable (there is a rental unit that was unoccupied, so that possible ncome wasn't taken into account--which did keep me from borrowing more money to fix up the place). The rest of the remodelling I've paid for as I've had the money, but I really needed the stimulus money to buy that one big-ticket item that was critically needed right after I got the property. So that $8000 went to a very nice local family business, my house is warm, and I have less debt than I would have had otherwise.
The national debt isn't going to be paid off in my lifetime, and I like the services I get from the government, so I don't mind the extra cost. My kids will like those services, too, so I think it's fair that they pay for them when their time comes.
I agree with the majority of the comments prior to mine.. This post was very sad and ignorant.
This was in my opinion, honestly a strange post. Of course things in good quality are expensive. Or, .. you could hire a dedicated student for much cheaper .. and see if your child has a knack at music or not before you go for the big investment. You named your own solution, but made this huge complaint about paying someone what they're worth.
I agree that this post shows a gross misunderstanding for music teachers, but I think the point the author was trying to make is a good one: is it worth spending the money for a child to try a hobby they may or may not stick with?
I think there are many ways to children to try music -- churches, lower cost lessons, group lessons, etc. But just because they don't get it when they are young doesn't they won't love music later on. My mother learned piano as an adult, and went on to be involved with music at her church. My brother learned music through classes in high school, and developed an appreciation for it that's always stayed with him. Both entered lessons at an age where they could weigh the costs and benefits themselves, and I think they had a different kind of appreciation for it as a result :)
Extended warranties are primarily a gamble of perceived convenience. Warranty providers must turn a profit, in addition to the profit margin the dealers make, meaning that they're betting that a product will not break in a way they will need to cover often enough for them to lose money. And you're betting that they're wrong. And if they're consistently wrong their business isn't apt to last for long (ditto with your coverage).
Now the Warranty company bases their bets a strong study of statistical failures and costs, and they limit warranties in ways that limit their liability (to pay out). And we make our bets based mostly on perception, often in the emotional moments of purchase. "Oh, what the heck! I'll get the extra protection. I'm worth it!" Hardly a statistical measure. And anecdotally we can prove our case, as we know someone needed (or have ourselves) the extended coverage. Of course anecdote is a small statistical measure, so we're really hoping that it pays off.
Not that it isn't possible to luck out and have something fail (and be covered), but this is hardly a win. When a product fails we lose, and when you buy the warranty we lose if it doesn't fail. Statistically speaking, we would be better off to bank the money we would spend on warranties, drawing from it when something really fails. You would want to combine that with good product research (avoid cruddy products), keeping an eye out for warranties that actually provide value (where they may be offered at a loss to gain customer appreciation).
FWIW, I think Apple's warranty program must be partly run as a way to build a loyal customer base, as they allow customers to buy it anytime in the first year (often when hardware fails). For laptops, I know dozens of users who have used their Apple Care to their benefit. Anecdotal, but interesting nonetheless.
Now car warranties may sometimes provide a separate value (separate to repair or accident coverage): selling a car with a warrantee may increase the car's value. Do the math, and if you come out ahead consider it as a dual-purpose purchase.
But with warranties, BUYER BEWARE! Most of the time the house will win, and we'll be stuck using our emotions to make a gamble against the house's larger body of fact, putting us at a clear disadvantage.
For any of you who plan to use a gun on an intruder, keep this in mind: Use a shotgun, not a handgun.
Assuming that you are woken up by someone in your house, you will have adrenaline pumping through your body as it prepares its flight or fight response. This is going to cause you to be a little bit shaky and nervous as you are approaching whoever it is that caused the noise. Your aim is not going to be very good at all, you just woke up. For this reason, you should depend on a shotgun of some sort, not a handgun. Think about the size of the average handgun bullet. Unless you are a crack shot in the dark, with adrenaline pumping through your veins, you will have a high chance of missing your target completely or just wounding them in the arm or leg. Also, unless you have a .40 or a .45 caliber gun, your bullet doesn't have much stopping power. This is why many police departments are switching from 9mm to .40 cal handguns.
A shotgun however has a much larger spread and is much more likely to do more serious damage to whoever is in your house (just make sure they aren't related to you). Also as mentioned before, get a pump shotgun, for the sound effect.
Wowwwwwww is all I have to say to this. You really have not got the first friggin' clue what you're talking about, do you? Of course, it's your prerogative to choose your haircut over your child's education, or simply to think that $60/week is too much to pay for an extracurricular activity. Fair enough. But you seriously have no understanding about what these realities are like. For many years, I was a figure skating coach, a service for which I also charged $60/hour. I can't think of a single week in my years of coaching that I worked anything even approaching 40 hours a week. Besides which, I had to buy my own insurance, pay commission to the rink, put up with parents not paying on time, deal with multiple changes in my schedule on the whims of others, take the time and pay for the gas to drive between rinks, work at 6 am... yeah, real cushy existence! I was only part-time, because I was also in college, but if I broke $10k/year, it was a great year. Six figures... yarite.
I also took piano lessons for most of my childhood, and I believe the rate was about $60 (keep in mind that this was almost 25 years ago). Granted, I went to a music school that was by audition only and had the clout to charge more, but it was undoubtedly an enormous investment by my parents. And my piano teacher, as many others have posted in here, was so much more to me than a piano teacher. She was, simply put, the adult in my life who was closest to me outside of my parents, one of the people who understood me best in the world, and a true mother-figure, confidant and advice giver. My life would be very, very different had she never been in it, and I am eternally thankful that my parents chose to sacrifice what they needed to and give me that opportunity. Your understanding of the situation is so completely flawed that I pity you. Like at least one other poster, I'll be unsubscribing from this feed solely because of this post (unless, of course, there's some sort of recant or apology).
At the university I attended there are plenty of music ed majors who would love to teach for 20 dollars an hour. There are group lessons where kids pay 30 dollars for a semester to attend a lesson twice a week. Summer camps are avalible for 300 dollars including room and board. You'll also find that out that alot if not most musicans want to pass along the gift of learning an instrument so much that they will work with you. I mowed my teacher's lawn for 3 years until he moved for half off my lessons. You also don't have to buy a new insturment, alot of place rent and even rent to own intruments. 60 dollars may be steep for you, but like anything else you buy, a little research will save you money.
I was surprised by a couple of things: that a 9-yr-old beginner would be taking an hour-long class (30 minutes a week would be more appropriate) and that you think $1/minute is outrageous. I won't reiterate what other posters have already said about the business costs of the professional teaching your child, but I will touch on one item that no one has mentioned so far. That is that a professional music teacher will teach your child proper technique in playing an instrument. Technique is important in order to avoid repetitive motion injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome. Technique also important in producing the quality and musicality of tone in an instrument.
I agree with the suggestion (stated above by several posters) that you actually do some research by interviewing professional music instructors.
What needs to be said has pretty much been said already, but let me add this: if you yourself are a writer, then surely--surely!--you must understand that anyone providing freelance services is not actually earning hourly x 40 x 50.
It's probably true that "any old sidewalk musician" could teach your kid to bang out a few notes on the ole pie-anney for the 6 or so months that you think you can keep her interested, and if that's all you're interested in, then I bet you can actually find someone willing to do so for less than $60/hr.
I took piano lessons for 2 years, at $90/hour, once a week. My parents also bought me a brand new piano. Sure I can read some notes and have some knowledge of music theory, but I had no appreciation for the art, nor the talent, and I don't think I'm a better person for having that limited music knowledge. And I can see now how difficult it was for my parents to pay that money. It was a sacrifice on their part, and not one I believe paid off.
I also begged my parents to take violin lessons. It was actually a program at school, so the lessons were very cheap, but I had to bring my own violin, which they bought for me, brand new. I went to two classes.
I don't think that people who never took music lessons are worse off or lesser people because they weren't fortunate enough to have parents who were able to pay hundreds of dollars a month for them to "try out" music. I think parents who know their kids well enough can make a good value statement of whether it'll be actually worth the money. Learning a musical instrument might seem an "invaluable" lesson, but so is seeing parents make wise decisions about money.
I only use online banking. Can websites like Wise Bread be considered tools? I have learned so much from your emails.
Debra L
to Jim re: The Fall of America
Hi Jim,
I trace my ancestors in this country (nearly all in the 8 lines of my grandparents) back to the 1600's. I am a direct descendent of John Robinson, Pastor of the Pilgrims. I could, therefore, hardly be said to qualify as an immigrant, but I confess to be growing really tired of all the American bashing going on these days, your comments included. My father and mother were as hard working and instilled as may of these lessons in their children as any you've ever met. My father's favorite line was "all work is honorable when done for your family's benefit. " Trust me, some of the jobs he took to keep food on the table proved those words beyond any doubt. Maybe you don't hear about us too much, Jim, but there are a whole bunch us out here who have not had benefit of any inheritance save our family relationships but have managed to educate ourselves, get good jobs, raise good families and stuff cash away..Its not just an immigrant thing. I don't pretend to know your circumstances in life , but your attitude could use some adjustment. Like, yesterday. Sorry you're so disappointed with the attitudes of those around you... maybe you could try another country!
At the clinics near me, the wait times can be long (especially on weekends) and the fees steep. My insurance company charges the emergency room visit copay ($100) rather than the doctor visit copay ($20). But my primary care doctor is not open on the weekends. So, for something like strep throat when I don't want to wait until Monday morning, they do work.
I think that $60 is a fairly reasonable rate, given that most teachers do not work 40 hours a week, but I agree that it can be a bit much to swing. If you think about it, that's about $3,000 a year if lessons are taken once a week. I'm not saying it's not worth the investment, but I can see where a parent would balk at paying that much money.
Some of the comments about taking group lessons are a really good idea! That's the way it was done when I was growing up.
The good news is that people are almost always giving away pianos on Craigslist, so you can probably find a used piano fairly cheap if your children become proficient enough to warrant their own instrument. Sure, you'll have to have it tuned, but that's a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of a new instrument. Also, there are so many keyboards out there now that are good for practice.
If you think about it, most peoeple have some kind of tool to succed, either physically, mentaly, emotionaly... But it does not matter, if you do not have the DRIVE to do it.
HA! We use whiskey in our elixir, but it works pretty well.
First of all, what a great topic. I've been wondering why it's so expensive myself? I've resorted to teaching myself guitar via YOUTUBE and online guitar tablature.
The reason teachers can command so much is that people have dreams of music, but so few become good at it. Second, ever try and teach the wife or husband how to drive? Fights and divorces happen!
It takes a lot to be a good teacher, and people are willing to pay for it, otherwise, they wouldn't make so much!
Keigu,
Financial Samurai
"Slicing Through Money's Mysteries"
Albeit, an older version (2007, I think). Works well and the graphs are easy to create. Also good old pen and paper to keep track of daily expenses.
I'm glad you've had so many well-thought out responses to this ridiculous post. As a private tutor who has chosen to make this my career (I do not consider myself to be out of work, and I doubt your piano teacher does either), I found your post to be ignorant and offensive. It probably would have been more helpful before your rant to speak to some music teachers and ask what costs are involved in running their businesses.
In my business, self-employment tax (on top of normal income tax) and health insurance are two biggies. My rates are also about $60 per hour, and I'm in the LOW end of the range that tutors in my area charge, $50-120 per hour for regular tutoring, more for SAT/AP/ACT test prep. My husband has worked extensively with professional musicians, and 10 years ago, when he was running a recording studio, professional musicians would charge anywhere from $150-250 per song that they record. It would take an average of an hour to set up, and then after that they could do about a song per hour. My husband and many of his friends work as musicians and, on average, charge about $400 per night for gigs like weddings, playing at clubs, etc. This is PER MUSICIAN. Most of these gigs run about 3-4 hrs. So, a "working musician" often makes about $100 or more per hour. Incidentally, many of his acquaintances also play at churches. Churches get the bargain rate of $40 per hour. Now, as has been stated many times, that's not take-home pay. There are still taxes, insurance, and commute costs to figure in.
Even at the peak of my business when I was working long hours and had a waiting list for new students, I was at most billing about 30-33 hrs. per week, 36 weeks a year...in my profession, this is considered extremely successful. I could not have squeezed in more hours unless I could stumble upon a colony of home-educated children who were available for tutoring from 7am to 3pm. At that pace, I was far too busy; once I figured in commute time, admin-work (billing, scheduling, lesson prep, etc), I was putting about 50-60 hrs. per week into my job. Now, my schedule is more "normal" (its unusual to have enough students to fill 30 billable hours per week), and I'm tutoring about 20 hrs and putting in closer to 40, 33-36 weeks per year. Let's see, that's about $39,600-43,200 BEFORE taxes, health insurance etc. I still have to pay my house payment, maintain my car, and eat with what's left.
I encounter your sort of attitude a lot in my work, and would advise you to either START to see the value of what your providing for your kids (you obviously value your hair-cuts, so you're capable of this), go find someone cheaper (a high school or college-aged music student maybe), or skip music lessons all together. Your piano teacher doesn't need the headache that comes with clients who don't value his/her work.
Having spent a majority of my youth taking music lessons for piano, french horn and guitar, I can say that it was definitely well worth the money that my parents spent on it.
Arts & music help give kids a sense of accomplishment and boosts self-esteem. It also, from my observation, gives them something to do and keeps them out of trouble.
My daughter looks forward to her piano lessons each week. I can assure you that I pay nowhere near $60 a lesson. In fact, that's only a little less than what I pay per month for lessons from a highly praised and well-known music teacher.
In these economic times, we have had to cut back on certain things in order for her to take these lessons, but it's well worth every dime... the smile on her face would make me happily give up a "high rent bi-monthly hair-cut"... but maybe I'm just selfish...
This post is pretty epic. I've seen a number of these signs and I'm prepared to BE fired. The most obvious sign I saw was the "Paper Trail" and other obnoxious CYAs. It's a shame though, I've been here less than a year. It's corporate bliss compared to where I worked before.
*Notes to managers: If your employees think you're going to crucify them when they come to you with issues, they WILL give up and they WILL fail.*
As a note, not only do glass baking or cooking pans hold heat better (by virtue of their thickness), but clear glass pans cook by radiant heat as well as the heat absorbed by the pan, i.e. the infrared is transmitted through the glass and directly into the food as opposed to metal or opaque pans that reflect or bar the passage of the infrared.
I am a piano teacher with a full studio. I've trained for over 20 years to become an expert in my field, including countless thousands of hours in solitary practice, a ton of performances, student loans, traveling around the country--indeed rearranging my entire life--to study with the best teachers, etc. I average a little bit over $60 an hour, and my students keep coming back. I'm proud of every penny. If someone doesn't understand why tutoring from someone at my level is worth the money then I'm sure they will get what they pay for!
I own a music store and give private lessons. On average I will see anywhere from 30 to 65 students a week. My expenses well exceed over $40,000.00 a year. Rent, utilities, advertising etc. not including other expenses listed by other posters. I charge $30.00 an hour in a large city in Ohio. Several of my clients have been telling me that I should RAISE my rates because they find me to be worth more than what I currently charge.
There are less expensive ways to learn music, but $60.00 is not unreasonable, considering a friend of mine charges $125.00 per hour.
Do more research and you will find something that best suits you.
The credit doesn't always convince people to borrow more than they would anyway. In my case I was waiting for the right time to buy, had enough for a down payment, and was considering various neighborhoods. In February I was offered a mortgage for the cost of the house I eventually chose but not money for the new furnace it needed to make it livable (there is a rental unit that was unoccupied, so that possible ncome wasn't taken into account--which did keep me from borrowing more money to fix up the place). The rest of the remodelling I've paid for as I've had the money, but I really needed the stimulus money to buy that one big-ticket item that was critically needed right after I got the property. So that $8000 went to a very nice local family business, my house is warm, and I have less debt than I would have had otherwise.
The national debt isn't going to be paid off in my lifetime, and I like the services I get from the government, so I don't mind the extra cost. My kids will like those services, too, so I think it's fair that they pay for them when their time comes.