How To Network With Music Teachers and Music Professionals
Published July 19, 2010 | 
One wonderful way to get the word out about your music lessons is to network. Networking with everyone you meet is probably a good idea, but it makes even more sense to network with other music teachers and music professionals. The good news is that networking has never been easier.
There are a few ways you can handle networking with music teachers and music professionals. Social networking has made some forms of meeting other professionals pretty easy, especially when contrasted against just twenty years ago. Finding other music teachers around the world is easy. For example, you can find a Facebook group dedicated to music teachers. Or maybe you can even start a group of your own and actively seek out other music teachers. Before long, you could easily have a virtual network around the world of music teachers and music professionals who are interacting with one another, trading tips and maybe even trading referrals. In a sense, this is part of the new business landscape.
Yet as great as virtual networking is, there are other options, such as meeting with people in person. However, this is where your virtual network can come in handy as well. Why not meet with other music teachers and music professionals in person? This can work extremely well if you live in a densely populated area such as New York or Los Angeles, for example. Forming an organization or group with for the purpose of music teacher and music professional interacting and networking with one another will probably be a big hit. A couple of decades ago forming such a group would have meant lots of posting flyers and handing out business cards. While these are still viable ways to attract group members, now there is the added advantage of recruiting your group members online as well.
Don’t forget to recruit specifically at schools, high schools, community colleges and colleges. Posting on bulletin boards in educational facilities is a great way to get more members for your group. Due to the fact that you are not trying to sell anyone anything, most educational institutions will likely allow you to post as professional courtesy. Your group has an educational theme, after all.
If you are having trouble getting your group off the ground and you have some extra funds, there is always the party. Throw a party at a festive location and start inviting music teachers and music professionals you have met virtually. People will often show up for free drinks and free food. Moreover, as the group organizer, you will score extra points for initiating it. Happy networking.
When you network, online or off, a good preparation is to have your unique way of teaching or playing summed up in one line. Or one concept. That’s been easy for me, since most musicians, even violinists, I meet do not play the fiddle. They immediately can see me as the violinist who plays and teaches the fiddle.