Teaching Music to Adult Students

I have a confession. I really love teaching adult students! I love all adult learners, but this post is specifically addressing beginning and intermediate adult students. It’s refreshing and motivating and exciting to me to see them grow and learn. Adult students are truly motivated to learn in a way different from kids. They have the advantage of maturity and perspective that come from having more years on this planet. I’ve found, though, that adult learners also encounter unique challenges, which kids do not. I’d like to take a minute (just sit right there), I'll tell you how we as teachers can help.

• Lack of time. Adults can be very busy. Most of those whom I’ve taught are working full time, or are college students, or both. Many have families of their own to take care of. 

Set realistic practice goals. Because I know it’s challenging to even get started at something that is either completely brand new, or has been neglected for a long time, my first thought when an adult approaches me asking for lessons is, “Yaaay!! Good for you!!!!!!” I automatically have so, so much respect for these people. So, I really want to help them be successful and to love it.

With each student’s unique situation and schedule, I try to find a balance between high standards and attainable, realistic goals. I have to recognize that an adult student’s reachable, attainable goal for practice frequency may not be the same as a child student. And that’s okay. We take it week by week and adjust according to their needs and demands that week, and set a realistic goal for how many days they will practice that particular week. This may be different this week than it was last week, but it’s important for them to gain encouragement from seeing themselves reaching their goals. It is important to also try to set goals to make them stretch, of course, but just keep in mind that if it stretches them too far, they may get frustrated or stressed. So try to find that balance for each individual student, because the last thing we adults need is more stress.

Be flexible with lesson frequency. I work with each student’s needs and goals individually to determine how frequently we meet. I’ve had adult students come weekly, biweekly, or monthly. In the case of less frequent lessons, make a plan to follow up with the student between lessons, such as writing an email or text, or making a quick phone call to make sure they are doing okay and see what questions they have. It’s essential for the student to still feel supported by you between lessons. I find the student is more likely to practice consistently all month long (and not just the days right before the lesson), if they know they will be held accountable more often and have me following up with them.

Another option, which may suit some situations, would be to offer a lesson online in between the in-person lessons. There are many available video conferencing options, such as Skype or Google Hangout. I’ve recently learned of JamKazam, which is intended for groups of musicians to be able to rehearse remotely as if in the same room. I have yet to try it out, but if it solves the issues of sound delay and allows for the teacher and student to play together simultaneously, then this may be something of value for teaching as well. If any of you have already tried it out for teaching, please let me know of your experiences.

• Student gets frustrated, impatient, or is too hard on themselves. This often is a result of the student’s musical ear being developed beyond their actual technical playing ability. This can lead to the student having feelings of frustration, or even embarrassment about their sound (I’ll get to that second one later).

Help them see/feel their own success. One of my main goals with adult students is to keep that spark for learning alive. Something motivated them and pushed them to change up their routine and budget and comfortable life and start violin lessons. I don’t want them to ever lose site of that. I really, really want to keep them motivated, and keep them excited, which comes from helping them see and feel their own success.

When I was twenty-one, I started learning German. I had learned French and American Sign Language before, but this time was different. This time, I was going to do service abroad as a missionary for my church. I had 9 weeks to learn German. All of it. The entire language. One time, when I was feeling especially frustrated that I would never, ever learn German, my wise teacher explained to me the importance of taking a moment to not focus on what I hadn’t learned yet, but to see how far I had already come. In doing so, I realized that, yes, I had actually made tremendous progress. I had begun knowing absolutely no German, and after just a few short weeks (and a lot of hard work), I could carry on conversations and even understand native speakers.

My point in relaying that story is that we need to help all our students to see how far they’ve already come, which can give encouragement in place of frustration. [“Hey, six months ago you weren’t even taking lessons, and now you’ve learned this many pieces!! And you’ve improved this and that (be specific).”] Help them to set small goals and help them recognize when they have met them. And celebrate the small victories with them!!

Offer Rewards and Incentives. Rewards and incentives will definitely come in a different form than with young students. Why not encourage the adult student to set a goal that will make them stretch, and once they’ve reached it, they get to treat themselves to something special, whatever that may be. This can help keep them motivated and encouraged to see their progress.

• The student is embarrassed or self-conscious of playing in front of others.

Give lots of opportunities to perform. A student can gain confidence by performing over and over in low-stress situations, such as a group performance class, at recitals, in rest homes or assisted living centers. The more they do it, the more comfortable and confident they will become, as long as you keep it positive and low-stress.

Play duets with the teacher (or other advanced player). I always feel more confident when playing with someone else, which may be why I love chamber music so much. Playing with someone who is more advanced can build confidence, as the overall tone will be better, and the confidence of the teacher may rub off on the student.

Perform for kids. This one may sound strange, but it stems from my experience learning foreign languages. I found that the most patient and nonjudgmental teachers were, in fact, children. They would tell me straight up that I was saying something wrong and had no problem correcting me, but they did so with complete sincerity and caring. Although they were blunt, it was never in a way that made me feel self-conscious. Anyway, I think performing for children can be a great chance to learn and improve confidence in a friendly environment where it’s safe to make mistakes.

So, these are just a few ideas to help adult students be successful. What other challenges have you seen adult students face? And what have you been able to do to help them?

Number Finger Puppets - Free Printable to Teach Finger Numbers to Music Students!

I'm so excited for this post! I have a new printable that is so stinkin' cute, I just can't handle it!

These finger puppets are so cute and just perfect for teaching young students the finger numbers for their instrument. They could be used for any instrument, really. I included numbers 1-5 so they can be used for piano or other instruments that use five fingers, but instruments that use fewer finger numbers, such as strings, can simply use the ones they need.

I have two sizes of these finger puppets - small for the student and large for the teacher/parent - and there are both color as well as black and white options for each size.

Click below to download:

Small Black and White

Small Color

Large Black and White

Large Color

I recommend printing your own set on cardstock, cutting them out, and then laminating them for durability. You can then fasten them with a staple, or perhaps there's a glue out there that will stick together laminated surfaces. If you choose not to laminate, of course glue or tape would hold the back together.

I had in mind that the student could perhaps use the black and white version to color and make their own.

So how exactly could these be used?

Finger Taps. I like to do a game called Finger Taps. For violin, since we use 4 fingers, I have the student tap the appropriate finger against their thumb as I call out a number. For piano or other five-finger instruments, you can have the student tap the piano, a chair, or tabletop. I mix it up and get faster as we go. Sometimes, I give the student a chance to call out the numbers and we both tap together. You could slowly remove one finger puppet at a time until they don't have the extra help.

Copy Cat. This is actually the same as Finger Taps, but a little more advanced.

Basically, you will do a series of finger taps while saying the finger numbers out loud. For example, "Four-one-three", tapping each finger as you say its number. The student will then have a turn to copy what you do. Then you can make it more difficult as the student progresses by increasing the speed and/or the number of fingers you do in each sequence.

These are only a couple ideas for how to use these finger puppets to teach finger numbers to your music students. How would you use these? What other games could you play with these to reinforce finger numbers? What other uses can you find for them? Please leave a comment below!

DIY Nonslip Violin Foot Chart for Beginners

Hi, everyone! I'm excited to share this tutorial with you.

When I was four years old and just starting out on violin, I remember my mom cutting up a cardboard box and tracing my feet in rest and play position so I could know just where to put them.

A nice thing about using a foot chart for young beginners, besides teaching the placement of the feet, is that it also helps creates a visible and tangible "boundary" for them. It's easy for kids to understand this is their violin mat, and that's where the students sits or stands during lessons and practice time. I think it helps with staying focused on the task at hand by not allowing them to get distracted and wander (especially with short attention spans of youngsters).

A disadvantage I saw first hand with the cardboard box route was that it was slippery. Whether on carpet or another surface, it can slip and slide, which is very dangerous.

As I thought about what would be a good solution, I decided to use a yoga mat! These are made for the very purpose of not allowing slippage!!

I went to my local Ross store and got a cute orange yoga mat on clearance for $8.50. It has zebra stripes on one side, but is plain orange on the reverse.

I figured out it was long enough to cut into three equal "almost" squares. They're about 24"x22.66".

Then I needed a model, so I found the closest, wiggliest three-year-old I could and traced her cute little feet with a permanent marker.

And that's it!

I love how it turned out. It's easy to roll up and transport to lessons, if needed, although I have one here in my studio to use. But I find some students are just so excited about their mat and their feet traced on it, that they like to bring their own to lessons.

And it's not slippery!

And it's cute and orange, not sad cardboard brown!

So I got three mats out of this one yoga mat, which means each mat only cost me under $3!

A note about positioning feet: Some teachers like rest position to be parallel feet, then the student has to "unzip" the fit to make the toes point outward, then move the left foot forward to play position. I learned as a young student to have my rest position feet not be parallel, but to already have the toes point outward and the heels touching. I've decided to continue teaching it this way because it makes sense to me to eliminate the extra "unzipping" step. I just wanted to put this note in here as an explanation, in case it differs from what you've used. Either way works great and it's up to you as the teacher to decide.

Go make your own and post pictures so I can see their cuteness. If I were feeling very adventurous, I might even let the student have at it with markers and decorate it themselves. Maybe on another day when fewer wiggles are involved.

Music Composition with Found Objects, Part 2 - Group Music Lesson Plan Idea

The blog post to date with by far the most views is my post on Music Composition with Found Objects - Group Music Lesson Plan Idea.  Check it out!  It's a very fun way to help your students find music all
around them.

I want to add an update now.  In the original post, I linked to some youtube videos of John Cage's "Water Walk".  I've since been exposed to some awesome, fun, upbeat videos of my husband's friend making music with found objects in various locations, which he calls a "Beat Scout".  These videos are very easily accessible for a young audience and will help your students get really excited about making music with found objects and searching for music all around.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Fun!  I love these so much.  Even my three-year-old kid asks all the time to listen to Beat Scouts! :) If you are interested in checking out the rest of his videos, click here for his channel.

So, I just wanted to add this to the original lesson plan and I hope you and your students can have some fun with them!

DVD Case Wipe-off Boards for Music Group Lesson Activities

I really enjoy teaching group lessons.  It's really fun for kids to learn about music theory and composers and other topics in a group setting.

I just finished making these awesome Wipe-off Boards out of old DVD cases.  These "boards" have so many possibilities for the classroom or group lessons.  I think they are super rad!

There are so many ways to use these!  Just swap out the liner inside to fit your needs.  I printed the insert double sided, so its easily interchangeable.

So to make one yourself, just print out the sheets below, cut them to size, and insert in an empty DVD case.  Then give yourself a high five because you're done!  Best teacher award goes to you.

DVD Case Wipe-off Board Printable Insert 1
DVD Case Wipe-off Board Printable Insert 2

Then you can use the inside of the case to store the markers and eraser.  Love it!

I hope you have fun with these!  Feel free to share any ideas you have for learning activities and games to do with these.  Leave a comment below!

The Importance of Having a Good Online Presence for Private Music Teachers

I was recently interviewed by firstsiteguide.com on the importance of having a strong online presence for music teachers.  This is a topic I've thought a lot about, and it's part of the reason I decided to start a professional website and a music teaching blog.  It's a great way to boost your professional image while expanding your teaching pool.  The majority of my students now have come from google searches that led to my website.

Check out the full interview here.

So, if you are on the fence about whether you need to start a professional website for your teaching studio, I would highly recommend doing it!  First Site Guide has some great resources and steps to help you easily get online:

I am often asked how I made my studio website, so I'd like to share how easily I did it.  I used Music Teachers Helper, an online resource for music teachers.  They have free templates that you can use to get your website up, and you can link it to your own domain name.  It's super easy!

Beyond the studio website, Music Teachers Helper offers great resources such as lesson scheduling and invoicing for your students.  It makes organizing things and keeping track of things so easy!!  I've been using it for about a year and a half and I've noticed it saves me time when it comes to tracking payments, my lending library, and calendaring.  My students also have a log in so they can see their account and schedule.

Music Teachers Helper is now offering a FREE month trial so you can check it out and see how much it rocks.  There is no obligation to continue after that.  But I'm sure you'll like it. :)  They offer different tiers of usage based on your studio size, so 5 or fewer students is completely free!  And from there you only pay for what you need, and you can downgrade or discontinue at any time if you have fewer students over the summer, for example.

I am planning to write up more of a review on Music Teachers Helper soon, but for now, I wanted to let you know that I have coordinated with them to offer you a discount off of your first paid month (so sign up for the free trial, then the first paid month after that you can get a 20% discount!).  Use the promo code 32678E when you sign up for your free month trial so you can get your discount.

Again, if you are wondering if you should get a studio website, I say go for it!  If you're wondering where to start, check out firstsiteguide.com and their helpful resources, and look into musicteachershelper.com for free templates and further studio administrative help/services.

For those of you who have a website already, what benefits have you noticed?  How has it helped your studio?

Practice Incentives - Motivate & Reward Students with Printable Music Bucks

Let's face it: not all music students are self-motivated when it comes to practicing.  Sometimes it takes motivation, coercion, incentives, encouragement...  I've used something that seems to work well with students, and so I'd like to share it with you today.  I've also seen it commonly used in other studios, which makes me believe it works for others as well (or they wouldn't be doing it, right?).  So what is this magical practicing motivator?  I'll tell you: Music Bucks!

Here's how it works.  The students record their practice time, and you "pay" them with fake money for it based on the system you set up in your studio, for example, one buck per day practiced.  Students may also earn one for passing off a polished piece, or for performing in group class, etc.  I find it's a direct, visible, tangible, and immediate way of rewarding the students for their efforts, which sometimes translates better than telling them, "If you practice lots and lots, then you'll get really good...someday...eventually."

So what do they do with the "money"?  Every so often, like once a month or every couple of months, you can hold a "store".  The kids get super excited because they know it's store week at their lesson, and they count up their bucks and bring them along.  Then they can "buy" whatever they want from the store.  They love it!

Ideas of things to have in the store: candy (duh!), small toys, stickers, coloring books/art supplies, music paraphernalia (like little notebooks with treble clefs on the cover, a name tag for their instrument case, etc.).  The sky's the limit.  Think: arcade ticket redemption counter, or anything you can find at the dollar store or Oriental Trading Company.  Try to make it fun and have a variety appropriate for the ages you teach.  You set the prices for the items in the store.  If you're needing guidance the first time, take into consideration the average amount of bucks you think your students have earned since you began, and then decide what's reasonable so they can have sufficient rewards, but so one student alone doesn't wipe out your whole store.  Maybe a candy bar is $20, and bigger toys are $50 or $100.  Sometimes kids get LOTS of music bucks, so keep that in mind.

That's it!  It's super fun, and if you change up what you have in the store, it keeps them super interested and motivated.  Sure, it will cost you a little bit to stock your store, but keep in mind that you don't have to do anything elaborate or expensive.  Keep it simple.  Think of it as an investment in your studio, because when students practice, they progress, and when they progress, they enjoy it, and when they enjoy it, they keep coming back, and when they keep coming back, you still have a job. :)

I've created some downloadable Music Bucks Practice Incentives that you are free to use in your own studio.  I'd love to hear how this motivates your students, as well as any other ideas you have to help motivate students to practice.

Making Listening Tasks More Beneficial for Music Students

There are many benefits for music students who listen to recordings often.  To name a just a few: Listening to music is essential for developing a keen ear.  Listening to a recording can help a student understand the piece differently, helping with interpretation and style.  The recording can also model good tone and expression.

When done with purpose and direction, listening can offer these and many other benefits to students.  But, if students are not given direction and focus in their listening tasks, they may be missing out, and worse, it may become uninteresting and daunting to them.

How can we as teachers make listening more fun and interesting for our students?  How can we make it have more purpose and direction?  How do we help our students reap all the rewards of purposeful listening?  Below are a few ideas that can help.

1.  Ask yourself first what the purpose of the listening task is.  If you don't know it yourself, don't expect your students to figure it out.  Why would you like this particular student to listen to this particular piece?  What do you want them to gain?  The answer to this will guide a lot of your choices for how to direct the attention of the student.

2.  For young students, and especially in group settings, limit listening excerpts to no longer than three minutes.  If you'd like them to hear a longer excerpt, ask yourself what the value is of the longer excerpt, which couldn't be gained in a shorter one.  Consider maybe breaking it up into smaller segments, with discussion and questions in between to help with wandering attention spans and to keep the focus on what you'd like them to learn.

3.  Based on your answer to number one above, give the student something specific to listen for before you begin.  Any discussion and questions afterward will be based on this.

4.  Discuss what the student is hearing (giving prompts before listening can help them focus in on what you'd like them to hear).  Ask specific questions based on what you asked them to listen to, and allow the student to discuss and ask questions as well.

5.  Have the student draw while listening.  They can draw their own interpretation of what they hear.  This especially works well with young students, but can be used for all ages.

6.  Move to the music.  This eliminates boredom, and allows creative freedom to interpret the music in a new way.  It can be as simple as marching around the room to the beat, or moving close to the ground when it is soft and standing tall when the music is loud.  Allowing the student to interpret the music freely through impromptu body movements can be a lot of fun.  The type of movement you choose will depend on your purpose for the listening task.

7.  Give the student a specific task while listening, such as holding the instrument in perfect playing posture for the duration of the excerpt.  Give them something specific to focus on, again based on what you want them to gain from the experience.

8.  Follow along with the music, especially the full score.  Ask the student to look for something specific, such as when the voices play similar parts simultaneously, or to find which voice has the melody at any given time.

These are some ideas that have worked well for me and my students.  What other ideas have worked for you?  Feel free to share in the comments below so everyone can benefit.

Teaching Private Lessons When You've Got Kiddos

I believe it's one of the ultimate juggling acts that most people ever struggle with: how to balance work and family.  The answer, of course, varies greatly from person to person.  I am not going to attempt to delve into this deeply complicated topic.  BUT, I will attempt to talk about something related that is a concern for myself and many of my friends/colleagues who are moms/dads and private teachers.  What do you do with the baby while you're teaching??  I realize this post may not apply to everyone (or maybe these ideas are super obvious), but because it is such an important question for those to whom it does apply, I've decided to take the time to see if we can find some solutions.

A few things to consider:

• It may take some trial and error to find what works for you, and maybe a combination of different things might be best. 
• The baby's needs will change as he/she grows, and you may need to readjust as you go. 
• Your needs may differ based on where you teach (in your home, your students' homes, an outside studio, a school...) 
• Also, your needs may differ based on how many children you have/their ages, and how many students you have.

I've talked with fellow teachers and considered my own experience, and it has all seemed to boil down to the following basic starting points:

1. Have the other parent watch the baby.  This worked for me with my first baby because my husband and I were both students, so his schedule allowed him to be home in the afternoons.  If the other parent works during prime teaching time, you can try teaching evenings or weekends.  This option may not always be possible with busy schedules, or if the other parent is otherwise unavailable.
2. Keep the baby with you while teaching.  This worked well for my mom.  When the baby is young, he can be in a sling or a baby seat, or lying on a blanket nearby with toys.  This may not work with a high maintenance baby or older children.
3. Hire a babysitter.  My private teacher growing up did an exchange with me.  I received discounted lessons in exchange for watching her kids a few times a week.
4. Nap time teaching.  I know another teacher who worked her teaching schedule around her baby's afternoon naps.  This may not work if your baby's nap time is unpredictable.

Again, I don't think there's one option that's right for everyone, and you may need to try and combine different things to find the best route for you.

There may be other options that I haven't encountered as I've asked around.  What things have worked for you or people you know?

Guide to Teaching Music Lessons in Students' Homes

Have you considered teaching private music lessons in your student's home?  Maybe you already offer this option to your students.  There can be many pros to teaching in students' homes, but there are also some things to be aware of before diving into it.  Below, I've outlined a few pros and cons to teaching in a student's home, as opposed to in your studio.  Also, some things to keep in mind to make things go smoothly.

Pro:

Catering to students' needs by teaching them in their home can successfully open your teaching pool, allowing you to teach students who otherwise would not be able to study with you.

Con:
Be aware that this can sometimes (though not always) give seed to an attitude of complacence, on the part of the parent, the student, or both, since they don't have to put in any effort to go to lessons.  It can become less of a responsibility or priority, since the teacher just magically shows up at the door, even if they've forgotten it was lesson day.  It's one thing to cater to a student whose parents are both working and are unable to take the student to a lesson at the only lesson slot you have available.  But catering to someone who just would rather not drive their kids to lessons is another thing.  Beware of the words, "I'd rather not...", or "It'd be so much easier..."

Pro:
Students are comfortable in their home environments, and they often open up to you more easily and more quickly.

Con:
Sometimes, it can be a problem when students feel too comfortable.  Trying to establish boundaries can be difficult when they are on their own turf.  (Think: students wanting to lounge on the couch, wanting to wander into other rooms, or the parent having difficulties pulling the kids from the TV to go have their lesson.)  If the students come to you, this battle may have already taken place at home (or hopefully not at all) and is over before they get to your studio.  As the teacher, you are more removed from any conflict, and have more freedom to make the lesson fun and enjoyable.

Pro:
Younger siblings, who may have an interest in studying an instrument, are able to freely observe lessons.  It's rewarding to help someone's musical interests bloom, and that sibling could be a potential future student of yours.  (Although, the younger sibling can also attend lessons in your studio just as easily.)

Con:
You have no (or very limited) control over the environment.  You could be competing for attention with siblings, friends, neighbors, pets, dinner, homework, family disputes, television....  You get the idea.

Con:
You may find that driving to the student's home is not cost-effective for you.  I'm not only talking about the cost of gas and mileage added to your car, but also time.  Travel takes time, and this is not only time when you could be doing something (anything) else, but time when you could be teaching another student.  Having students come to you in your studio allows you to teach more students, which means you can make more money.

Now, by outlining the cons, I don't mean to make anyone feel that teaching in a student's home is a terrible idea, and I certainly don't want to turn anyone off from it.  It's just good to have an idea of what you may be dealing with.  Every student and home will be different.

• So, when is teaching in a student's home a good idea?

If you teach a large instrument, such as harp, it may be more commonly practiced to travel to a student's home in order to avoid the cumbersome task of transporting the instrument.

Maybe you are truly in need of more students, and so you are willing to do what it takes to accommodate them.  It's better to have a few students that you have to work harder for, than no students at all.

Perhaps you, as a teacher, just prefer it.  Maybe you've found a way to make it work for you, and your students like it, so you offer this option.

Maybe you do not have access to a studio space.

Perhaps you want to expand your geographical teaching area, so you wish to offer lessons in an area far enough away from your studio that students cannot travel to you.  (You may also wish to consider teaching lessons online.  I'll be writing a post on this soon.)

There could be other reasons as well.  These are just for starters.

• What things should I keep in mind when deciding if teaching in a student's home is right for me?

Why do you want to offer this option to your students?  Is this reason good enough to you, personally, to merit the added expense and time?  Is there any reason these students couldn't feasibly come to your studio?

Do you like driving?  Personally, I hate it.  Some people don't mind it.  If it is going to be super stressful for you to spend so much time behind the wheel, then you may wish to consider other options.  Think especially about the long term.  It may become tiresome to you after a while, but maybe not.
 

• What things should I keep in mind when teaching in a student's home? 

Avoid distractions at all costs.  Ask to teach in a room that is semi-private, so that people knocking on the front door, television, etc. can be avoided.  Avoid being behind a closed door, however, and never teach in a bedroom, unless a parent is also present at all times.  This is for your safety as much as that of the student.

Set up boundaries from day one.  This is so important!!  Because the student feels more comfortable in their own home, they will want to do all sorts of things they wouldn't dare do in your studio.  Even after you've told them the rules, they'll want to bring snacks or drinks, lie on the ground, wander over to the piano and tinker while you're talking, sit down at every opportunity, answer the door or the phone, bargain with you to let them have a short lesson so they can get back to the TV, etc., etc.  Setting up the expectations from the beginning is much easier than trying to redefine them later on, after a culture is already established.  Your best option is to get the cooperation of the parent, since it is their home.  Make sure they know what is acceptable in lessons, and address any issues with the parent as they arise.  Ask them to help you establish a good learning environment, by turning off the television, not allowing the child to bring things like toys or food to lessons, etc.  Once the environment is established, other behavioral issues can be addressed with the student (no lying down during lessons, stay in the room for the entire lesson - don't leave to answer the door, let someone else get it, etc.).  Constant reinforcement of the rules is the only way.  Never let inappropriate behavior slide, or they may try to test where the boundaries truly lie.

Charge more.  What?  Really?  Yes, charge more.  If you are going to the student's home, you definitely need to be reimbursed for gas, at the very least, if not more.  (Remember the time spent driving, which is time you could be teaching another student.  How much do you charge for a lesson?  That's how much you are losing while driving...  Plus, you're putting mileage on your car, which depreciates its value.)

Keep track of your mileage and deduct it from your taxes.  Yup.  Easy peasy.  Programs such as Music Teachers Helper can help you track your mileage easily.  Having your mileage tracked also gives you an easy way to assess how much you are driving in a year, and you can determine if it is worth it to you to continue teaching in students' homes.

So, these are meant to be just a few ideas to help you know where to start and what things to consider when teaching in a student's home.  Hopefully you find it helpful.

What other things are important to keep in mind when teaching in a student's home?  Feel free to comment below with ideas/suggestions.