Teaching at teVelde Music

Do you want the ultimate job? Are you the best at what you do? Is part of your dream to change lives every day? Do you want to be a part of a dynamic, supportive team, that really works together? teVelde teachers do it every day!

I'm looking for teachers that love to play an instrument. I state it exactly that way, for a reason. I believe that there is a fundamental difference between a "teacher" and a "professional musician who teaches on the side". The very qualities that make a professional musician excellent at playing and performing, can be a huge liability in a teacher. Let me explain.

Some Qualities of a Professional Level Musician:

1. Very invested in being "the best"
2. Highly driven to push hard to succeed
3. Meticulous, detail oriented
4. Priority on self development
5. Highly trained to achieve their personal best
6. Personal performance requires confidence and a strong ego

In a professional, performing, "work" situation, these highly successful individuals need to push hard to succeed. In particular, music at the professional level requires a level of dedication and personal commitment to one-self that is rarely matched in any other profession. The professional musician must continually spend large amounts of time either practicing new material, performing, or promoting themselves.

Qualities of an Excellent Teacher:

1. Highly invested in the success and happiness of their student
2. Driven to find new ways to convey information to every type of student
3. Has the "big picture" welfare of their student in mind at all times
4. Highly trained to support the student's success
5. Student's welfare takes priority over personal ego

To be a successful teacher, one must study pedagogy including everything from early childhood to adolescent education. In addition, a good teacher has taken psychology and is a student of the human brain and how it learns. Every year, certified teachers are required to complete continuing education courses, designed to update them on all types of learners, and various topics related to teaching. Their whole lives are about communicating effectively to all types of students.

I am by no means saying that all professional musicians make terrible teachers, but when I say, "I hire teachers who are musicians", I mean that I look for the teacher piece first. I am always looking for excellent teachers who have a special "gift" for communicating knowledge in any form. When that type of quality individual is also a trained musician, I know that I have a very special teacher at hand. I am proud to say that I have physicists, therapists, early childhood development, and psychology majors as a part of my team of music teachers. Of course, we also have music majors, and performing musicians, but, most importantly, each one of my teachers is first, fundamentally, foremost, and irreplaceably an excellent teacher.

Are you one of those special people who has a gift for communicating and motivating others. Do you dream of a job that's so fun & rewarding, you can't believe you actually get paid to do it? There is a company that recognizes the gifts you have to share with the world, and treats it's teachers like the precious commodities that they are. When I hire a teacher, I want this to be the best job they will ever have. I hire with a long term, ten + year vision in mind, and reward my teachers with health insurance and a solid retirement plan.

Where we are located:

We are an existing music school with two existing locations that is going to be building another campus in San Luis Obispo. Our Grand Opening is scheduled for Mid-August, 2011. Training classes in our uniquely branded method will be held at our Arroyo Grande campus during June and July. We are planning on opening another school, in a Central Coast region, every six (6) months for the next three (3) years. New cities we will be opening in include: Atascadero, Paso Robles, Morro Bay, Nipomo, and Orcutt.

What we are not looking for:

We are not looking for average teachers. We are not looking for musicians who want to teach to make a little cash on the side.

Teachers we are looking for:

We want teachers with an "X-factor"... that special "something" that makes a teacher someone our students will think of and thank for the rest of their life. Think about that one teacher who changed the course of your life... the one whose name you write down when asked who your favorite teacher was. We only want the most dedicated, passionate, enthusiastic, motivated, skilled, creative, spontaneous, and fun teachers out there. If your dream is to be that one most memorable teacher, in every one of your student's lives, you may be exactly the teacher we are looking for.

Teaching Opportunities Available:

We need both trained music teachers, and student mentors for our new mentoring program, in the following areas:

Pre-school:

(Positions filled at this time. Candidates may submit resumes that we will keep on file in the event that our current teachers fill.)Must love to work with very young students (ages 2 1/2 to 6) as your primary favorite age group, and know you are good at it. Education and experience working with this age group is preferred. Must be willing to learn to teach a new method that teaches Perfect Absolute Pitch (AP). Experience and education relevant to working with children, ages 2-6 would be preferred. Early childhood education classes, as well as child psychology and special needs coursework a bonus.

Therapist, Special Needs:

(Positions filled at this time. Candidates may submit resumes that we will keep on file in the event that our current teachers fill.)Training in Music Therapy, pedagogy, working with special needs and/or learning disabilities (ADD, ADHD, Autism including Aspbergers, TBI, and Birth Defects). Must have education and experience working with these students, and thoroughly enjoy making a real difference in the life of a very special student. Must have a sunny, positive, gentle personality. This teacher will work with us to design a teaching room that is set up for an optimal environment for therapeutic lessons.

Piano/Voice/Guitar:

(Position filled at this time. Candidates may submit resumes that we will keep on file in the event that our current teachers fill.)Teachers whose ideal student is ages 6-18, along with some adult students. Must be flexible and willing to learn new teaching styles and methods. Must be willing to teach each student differently, based on each student's individual learning style. Training will be provided, and coursework in education and psychology a bonus. Teachers who can teach multiple instruments and/or voice preferred.

Strings: (Position filled at this time. Candidates may submit resumes that we will keep on file in the event that our current teachers fill.) Must love working with beginning students, as young as 2 1/2. We utilize the Suzuki method for our very young students, graduating into the Essential Elements 2000 series at age 6. Must be willing to learn our absolute pitch method (TAP), and be willing to be trained in recognizing and teaching all personalities and learning styles. Violin and cello are the instruments that have the most demand at this time, so a teacher that could teach both would be preferred. Must have some clear ideas on how to motivate students when they don't have the support of being in an orchestra program. Open to idea of a weekly group string class to support string students.

Instrumental (Band Instruments: Woodwinds, Brass, Horns) Teachers/Mentors. Must be excited about working with students, ages 7-up, and have some clear ideas on how to motivate students when they don't have the support of being in a band program. We are open to idea of creating a weekly group band or sectional group to support instrumental students. Willing to train the right candidate. Must be happy, upbeat, and a positive role model.

Piano Teacher Specializing in Adult and Senior Learning:

(Position filled at this time. Candidates may submit resumes that we will keep on file in the event that our current teachers fill.)Must love working with adults and senior citizens. Teaching adults music is an entirely different process than teaching children. We will train the right teacher to work specifically with adults and seniors. Experience and training related to teaching music to adults would be preferred, but we will train the right candidate. Knowledge of right/left brain function would be particularly helpful.

General Qualifications:

All applicants must have a track record of responsible employment. Must be truly motivated to make a difference in the lives of children. Coursework in: early childhood education, psychology, communications, special needs, as well as private or collegiate courses/degrees in music a plus. Undergraduate students in the fields of instrumental or vocal music and education would be considered, as well. Would consider setting up a co-op opportunity for a music or education students through Cal poly, Cuesta or Hancock. Knowledge of multiple instruments a plus. Knowledge of computer systems, sibeleus or other music notation software also will be valued.

Must be year round residents of slo county, and available to work weekday afternoons or Saturdays as needed. Looking for teachers who are willing to make a serious, two-year or longer, commitment to the school and their students. Student load will develop to maximum of 20-30 hours a week over the period of a year, depending on the instrument(s) and local demand. We need both experienced teachers, teaching trainees/mentors who are interested in learning to teach.

The bottom line: We want teachers that are motivated to make a real difference in the lives of every single student that comes through our doors. We keep over 50% of our students at least 5 years or longer, preferably with the same teacher on the same day and time, year round. All new students are tested for learning style and personality type before they start, and the student is matched to the teacher that most closely fits their individual needs. Most of our new business is from referrals due to 15 years of excellent customer service, and teaching every student according to how they learn. We require that you utilize a published method for the instrument you are teaching, including theory, instrumental technique and artistry, sight reading, ear training, and rhythm. All instrumental students are taught rhythm on the drums for at least 15% of their total lesson times. All students under the age of 18 are taught our TAP absolute pitch method. Ongoing training for teachers will be provided as part of our continuing education programs.

All teachers are required to take extensive theory, sight reading, and ear training tests both in general music knowledge, and in skills that are instrument specific. Applicants are required to prepare a short musical work, or a portion of a musical work, that demonstrates their proficiency on the instrument(s) they wish to teach.

All teachers who are in the process of being considered for hire must pass a thorough background check, and must have a clean record.

Franchising Opportunities:

teVelde Music has grown 300% per year, for the last three years. Every day I go to work, I still can't believe I get paid to do what I do. Even more moving for me is when I hear teachers that I have hired, in a school that I started, saying the same thing. I can't even describe the feeling I get when we have a concert, and I realize that 200 parents and students are experiencing the love of creating music because of my "idea" to start a school of music, just 15 years ago.

It wasn't always this way. Starting a business is hard, and I believe starting a music school is even harder. 98% of new businesses go out of business in the first year, and 50% of the 2% that remain, go out of business the second year. That means only 1% of new businesses make it past year 2! The numbers for musicians starting a music school are much worse. The vision and dream, that made the musician want to learn music in the first place, just isn't enough to sustain a business through the real challenges of advertising, money problems, client conflicts, and just plain tedium of the management side of things.

I spent the first 12 years of teVelde Music learning what works, and, just as importantly, what doesn't work. Thousands of dollars and countless hours were spent learning the lessons that has made this business venture into the hugely successful company we are today. In the last three years, in the worst economy we've seen in our lifetimes, we are growing at 300% per year! Even more importantly, I know why and how we're doing it. At the same time, I don't have the desire or the energy to own more than a few schools myself. That's where the energy of another dynamic, passionate, and smart business person comes in. There is absolutely no reason why I should be the only one that has the opportunity to be hugely successful owning a music school! I believe the teVelde business formula for success can be used in any demographic, and any geographic area. The fundamental business principles are the same. I have documented all of my processes and procedures, and what I offer to a potential franchisee is all of this knowledge, plus the human support to implement it to create what I believe will be other, hugely successful, music schools.

Every week, I get e-mail from across the country asking if I know of any school that teaches our Absolute Pitch (TAP) method. Parents are devastated when I tell them that, at this time, there is just not a teacher in their area. Not only is there a huge demand for the TAP training, but for amazing music schools in general. It is very difficult for people to find a really good music teacher, that has the support from a school that makes sure they have the very best chances for success with their students. It is almost impossible to find a music school that has teachers trained to work with children under the ages of 6, which are the optimal ages for starting a musical education! These schools are desperately needed, and students out there need more people who are willing to stand up and create them!

If you have a vision of yourself owning your own successful school, but you don't want to go through the enormous pain and effort it takes to start from the ground level, (or under the ground, which is what it felt like for me for many years!), there is a way to minimize the risk, and maximize the enormous benefits of owning your own business. This is exactly why franchising was created.

But instead of buying a franchise in McDonald's, which takes very little talent, and doesn't have a positive effect on very many lives, (and isn't very much fun either!), YOU could own a business that changes lives every day. You could help re-educate the world in how much of a difference music can make for them on a daily basis. You can educate parents on the importance of starting a musical education early in a child's life, and you can send a musician out to a convalescent home to entertain the elderly. You can hire a teacher to start a children's choir, or create a band program for your community. In short, you could make a real living while doing a job that never feels like work.

You could be a candidate for a teVelde franchise if:

1. You have a passion to make a difference at an even higher level than just one-on-one teaching.
2. You are the type of person that loves the idea of owning your own business
3. You want to be in total control of your own career and destiny
4. You know that you are excellent at motivating people
5. You think you would have a knack for putting the right people in the right jobs
6. You think you would have a knack for matching the right students with the right teachers
7. You have had education, training, or experience running or managing a business
8. You would like to own your own music school, but you don't have the time or the resources to make costly and common "start-up" business mistakes
9. You want to own a part of a company who's goal is to make a real difference for every individual that comes in contact with it

What we provide to our new business owner:

10. Teaching methods that have been proven to work for every learning style
11. A copyrighted method for determining the musical learning style of every new student
12. A copyrighted process for placing every student with exactly the right teacher
13. Business support, including:
1. Advertising programs that have been proven to work, utilizing:
2. Utilization of social media
3. website optimization
4. hundreds of free sources for business listings on the web
5. Help with building targeted, hugely successful advertising campaigns
• Legal contracts for:
  • Independent Contractors
  • Employee
  • Teachers and other key support staff
  • Students
  • Media development
• Insurance:
  • Help with acquiring professional liability insurance
  • Property, insuring pianos and other large instruments and assets against loss from fire, theft, or other damage
  • Business liability insurance for coverage against accidents in the workplace
  • Employer insurance to cover employee situations that might arise
• Financial:
  • Help with hiring a CFO and other accounting staff
  • Pre-formatted, custom chart of accounts for a music school in Quickbooks
  • Pre-formatted time tracking for teacher/student lessons, to insure accurate billing, and payroll
  • Help with setting up customer auto payment, and other customer agreements and policies, assuring fast and adequate payment for your services.
  • Help with putting together a budget and a long term financial plan for success for each new location.
  Each location will be a guaranteed exclusive territory with a 30 mile radius.