guitar lessons -how much should I charge?

[longhouse]

Having taken a whale of a beating this year as far as finances are concerned, I've begun offering my services as a guitar teacher again.

My question for my fellow forumite is as follows: how much should I charge?

When I gave lessons two years ago I charged $35/hour for students who drove to my house. Today I heard from a man who wants a private instructor for his 15 year-old son, three days a week for two months (an hour each lesson).

Rates in Boston, NYC, and San Francisco seem to vary between $50 and $75 per hour. Of course, my environs are bit more, er, provencial... so I should charge a bit less probably. I phoned the nearest Willis Music to learn their rates are $25 for registration and $20/half hour.

Thanks,

Noel

[winston]

Noel at least stay abreast of your competition.............if your are too much lower in price then you could create the perception that you are not as good as they are and other complications may set in to numerous to mention. Price point is not everything in the service industry. It's usually about how you are perceived and the quality of the service that you deliver. But you of course need to be given a chance to deliver your quality service.

Case in point: most people will avoid an empty or dingy restaurant. The food may be great but those that choose to walk away because of their quality perception will never experience the food if the place always looks deserted or drab. Perception is 9/10ths of the law.

[longhouse]

Thanks Brian. Great points.

[beatlefreak]

Find ads for a couple of guitar teachers in your area, call them and ask how much they charge.

[longhouse]

Not many instructors advertising here in this rather provencial locale -but I did check the prices at the nearby music shops. I'm beating their prices by a bit.

[sloop_john_b]

I teach at a shop. They charge $25 per half hour (of which I get $11), and I believe are looking to raise rates soon. This is relatively cheap for NY!

[longhouse]

56% of the $ goes to the shop. You need to join a guitar instructor's union!

The average rate in my vicinity seems to be $20/half hour (sometimes with a registration fee of $25).

[harrek]

Not sure my info is worth much, but I pay $18 a 1/2 hour for bass lessons. And I'd consider the teacher quite good. At least I feel like I walk
away each lesson with more knowledge and direction.

Brian

[8mileshigher]

Another point to consider is location of the lessons .... delivering yourself to the student's location for the ease of the lesson at their house, might be worth a few bucks premium. Compared to being set up at a practice room at a local music store, and waiting for them. By you setting the time/calendar makes you efficient as oppossed to waiting for someone coming to an outside location (like a music store) who gets delayed.

[Bighouse]

I checked recently at two different shops around here in Northern California. Rates for private instruction were from between $25 to $35 per half hour...

[jimk]

The school where I teach, the Americana Music Academy charges $75.00 per month for private lessons which are ½ hr. long. That works out to $18.75 per lesson, assuming four lessons per month.
I did a little looking around, and that's about the going rate among other teachers here in Lawrence, KS.
JimK