The Joys of Piano Home Service
It’s been eleven years, and what eleven years!
Every graduate of Music Education-Piano dreams of having her own piano studio, teaching in a regular school, and lastly, doing home service. I am like any graduate who longs for a piano studio, in a well-appointed place, complete with a grand piano and upright models and perhaps a secretary who will keep track of my long list of piano students. Of course there will be recitals, appointments with well-known pianists and artists and time to tete-a-tete with friends personal or from the arts.
But that was just a dream! Eleven years and here I am doing home service! Do I sound like I have regrets?
The answer is a big NO.
The Challenge
The first time I did home service tutoring was with a young piano enthusiast who thought she could learn to play the piano in three days. She did of course, learn finger placement, and I’d say it kept her interested until the next rounds of lessons until her recital came up. And perform she did! To the delight of the audience, she played with gusto, her small fingers gliding and flying on the keyboard like a real pro. The happiness and pride I saw on her face as she took her bow amidst unceasing applause is one that has been etched in my memory.
But it isn’t always rosy. I had a chance to teach dyslexic brothers who competed for attention ever so often! This meant preparing extra set of visuals for them coupled with, you know what, patience! There will be days of crying, some bickering, but always ending up with them on the piano, trying to outdo each other. I was the proud teacher on the day of their recital!
With home service comes the hassle of having to commute from one end to the other. It isn’t always that you can have two or three tutees within the same block (I wish) but my home service experiences included catching the next commute, rain or shine, being late and suffering the awkward moments of having to explain that you will cancel due to inclement weather or simply difficulty in getting a taxi ride.
I have the good fortune of parents who were enthusiastic with their children’s progress. They asked questions, extended help when needed, and were very punctual with payments. And what’s more, they recommended my service to other parents, which is an acknowledgment of their satisfaction. I particularly remember a parent who went out of her way to help me find other tutees within her area after seeing how difficult it was for me to always be on time! Some of the parents, past and present, are friends of mine in social networks.
One advantage of doing home service is that it afforded me time to schedule my personal affairs without the hassle entailed in school teaching. I am currently graduating from a second degree, something I probably may not have been able to accomplish had I been in a regular school setup.
Another big factor is commanding your own fees. There are of course considerations to make, distance and travel time, available hours, mine and those of the tutees. Since I have students who are both free in the morning and in the afternoon, everything comes down to scheduling.
The thing is, what I thought to be the last I’d choose as a career, home service, that is, turned out to be a wonderful decision after all.
