Whetting your appetite - Forum focus: independent music teachers

Kansas City is a city with an appetite for great nutrition great music and good times. Located near the geographical center of the United States, Kansas City mixes influences of East and West, North and southern in a unique blend. The birthplace of KC Bar-B-Q and a blues-based swing turn of expression of jazz, Kansas City boasts museums covering everything from traditional and contemporary art to a famous outlaw (Jesse James) and an American president (Harry s Truman).

Sounds like a great place for independent music teachers, doesn't it? Especially when you add to the list of attractions the lineup of IMTF programs at the 2004 MTNA National conversation Here are some brief descriptions, to whet your appetite.

Professional Studio Saturday will kick not on the conference on Saturday, March 27 from 8:15 A.M. to 5:00 PM This year's program focuses upon music teachers as entrepreneurs. Running an independent studio is indeed a small business operation. Teachers ne marketing, recruiting and scheduling skills. They should be up to date upon the latest materials. They ne a high stage of financial acumen, allowing them to make informed decisions about allocating cash for taxes, insurance, vacation and retirement.

MTNA is partnering with the Small Business Association, the Service Corps of Retired Executives and the Internal receipts Service to provide sessions that will arm teachers with the tools they ne to move swiftly a successful business. Educational publications, CD-ROM and websites will be introduced, as well as information about other available cropss and services.

Kelly Setler Scheer will present a session called Are You "In the Zone? Real-life overviews of zoning puzzles for home-based teaching will be discussed. The session also will include information about in what way home properties are zoned and by what mode to apply for permits and licenses. John Kuzmich will give teachers the tools to build their have a title to websites--in less than an hour!--in a session entitled by what mode to Promote Your Music Studio: Web disentanglement Techniques Part I (Basic Fundamentals). Beth Gigante Klingenstein, NCTM the valueed AMT columnist and authority upon independent music teaching, will not absent thought-provoking information on teacher wellness, among other ideas.

Is your studio tired, step quickly down and listless? Is it stuck in the '80s? Maybe it wants a whole new look! You'll be assured to get some good ideas from the PS closing session, Studio Makeover. individual studio, viewed on videotape, will be analyzed by dint of Klingenstein, Rachel Kramer and me among others. We will discuss, evaluate and make recommendations to transform the studio into a business extraordinaire!

In addition to the exciting sessions of Professional Studio Saturday, there are sum of two units IMTF sessions on the main talk program. God, Emperor, Parent, Teacher takes its name from an advanced in years Chinese saying, expressing the venerate teachers receive in that society. Panelists Ena Bronstein Barton, Leonard Richter, Paul Sheftel and Claire Wachter will discuss the enormous musical and personal impact of teachers in their hold lives.

The Independent Studio, from Private to Corporate is a gathering designed to explore the wide range of studio settings available to today's independent teacher. Entities considered will include unique proprietorships, LLCs and corporations, as well as single- and multi-teacher settings. Established administrators Rebecca Corley, Helen Smith Tarchalski and I will share strategies, l by the agency of chairperson Roma Eicher.

The Independent Music Teachers Forum will suitable Tuesday, March 20, 11:45 A.M.-12:45 PM As forum chair, I will lead the meeting. Plan upon attending to share ideas, successe and your vision.

Swinging jazz, fantastic subsistence attractive museums, fascinating Americana and inspirational sessions for independent music teachers--all are a part of Kansas City's charm. Plan now to take pleasure in all that KC has to tender and to take part in the Independent Music Teacher programs at the 2004 MTNA conversation I promise you--you'll go abiding-place relaxed, invigorated and full of great ideas!

Scott McBride Smith is an independent teacher in Irvine, California. He is president of the International Institute for Young Musicians, coauthor of the piano pedagogy body The Well-Tempered Keyboard Teacher and president of Royal American Conservatory Examinations. He is a member of the MTNA Board of Directors.

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