Hi Lea Ann,
I’ve been reading all your posts regarding your recital and repertoire
dilemmas and I can’t help but connect those posts to your previous posts
responding to one I made a few weeks ago. This is Deanna here, the
teacher out in Washington who had left the post about whether or not I
should charge more than $25 an hour, but I only have a B.A. degree, not
much professional performing experience but 21 years of teaching
experience. You had posted that you would never pay much more than what
you’re paying now (or were, now that your teaching isn’t teaching).. was
that $15 for an hour? You would never pay more for someone without
graduate degrees and so on…
Anyway, the point I would like to make, and you probably have already
thought of this, is that someone like myself who has devoted most of my
professional career to teaching private lessons to the best of my
ability and providing supported opportunities for students to perform in
recitals twice a year (I’ve even directed small cast musicals with my
students)… is maybe worth paying more than $15 an hour, even without a
masters degree or a resume’ that lists symphony solo work or the Seattle
Opera.
Your posts give me the impression that you are serious about your vocal
studies, why not pay some serious $$ and study with someone with
experience and a track record in supporting students? You will be so
much happier if you can find a way to do this. I understand about being
in an area that doesn’t have many teacher choices. But, you do the best
you can. I lived in NorthCentral Washington for 2 years right after I
graduated from college and I had a 6 month old baby. I was desperate to
continue my vocal studies and we were in the middle of nowhere, just
apple orchards everywhere. (pop. 900!) I finally ended up driving 3
hours to Spokane twice a month to study with a NATS teacher for a while.
I took my toddler with me on the trip and found a daycare near the
teacher who would take my girl for the hour lesson, which cost me $25 or
$30 an hour… and that was way back in 1983.
I produced my own recital at a tiny little Methodist church in the town
we lived in, luckily there was an excellent pianist in town who worked
at the elementary school where my husband was the school counselor. You
do what you can and get the best help you can.
Fortunately we moved to the Seattle area after the 2 years!
Deanna
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