Why I offer free trial lessons to prospective students and why you might want to, too.
Free trial lessons are a somewhat controversial topic in the music teaching world. Many teachers believe offering a free lesson devalues our work and encourages prospective students to exploit these offerings.
This may or may not be true.
But in my experience, most people aren’t hopping from one teacher’s free trial lesson to another in an attempt to learn an instrument without making any financial commitments. (As a music parent myself, I feel like this sounds like a lot of work for no return. I doubt you could make much, if any, progress this way.)
The idea that free trial lessons will devalue our teaching, or leads students to expect to be taught for free doesn’t really make sense to me either.
Many different businesses offer a free consultation or trial as part of their marketing strategy. It’s a good way to get potential customers in the door to hear their sales pitch, highlight their offerings and services, and provide proof of their effectiveness.
Just a few months ago, I had a free consultation at Mathnasium (a math tutoring franchise) with my son. It was easy to schedule, and they called me right away to learn about what we were looking for and let me know how they could help in our goals. Attending the free consult gave us a chance to see the environment, and observe other students learning and having a good time. I listened to the sales pitch, yes, but they also worked with my son on his math and showed us what it would be like for him to attend tutoring sessions if we signed up.
The whole experience was very positive and enticing, and I was impressed with the people working there, and the organization as a whole. This experience also made me start thinking about trial lessons in my Suzuki violin studio in a whole new way.
Offering a free trial lesson is a show of good faith. Music lessons are a big commitment, and finding the right teacher is crucial. I want the parents in my community to make an informed decision about whether my studio is a good fit for them. If I’m not the right teacher for a student, I would much prefer we figure that out quickly so no one’s time is wasted. A trial lesson works well for this purpose.
I’ve been teaching for a long time, and I know my teaching style, skills, and strengths well. I think of my free trial lessons as a show of confidence in myself. Once I can get a prospective student in the door, I’m confident I can have them smiling and learning musical skills in a matter of moments. Prospective students want our guidance, our confidence and expertise is what they’re looking for, after all!
Over the past few months, I’ve developed a template for trial lessons that I think allows me to showcase my best qualities as a violin teacher, and communicates the expectations and hopes I have for my students.
The free trial lesson gives us a chance to build a rapport with the student and parent, a face-to-face interaction where we can help them envision what the musical journey could be like as our students.
And even if that trial lesson doesn’t lead to a permanent teacher-student relationship, every positive interaction with music and a music teacher is crucial in the long-term success and continuation of classical music at all levels in our communities. Who knows? The people who don’t become our students are still vital members of our community, and a good music-learning experience, even in a free trial lesson, makes a difference in how people view and value music education.
I’ll discuss the ins and outs of offering free trial lessons, and my template and goals for these lessons in my next post, but for now…what about you? Do you offer free trial lessons? Why? Or why not? Let me know in the comments!