Here we go; I'm going to attempt to start my career!

LukeSnyder

Gold Member
I haven't been around here for awhile, and there have been a few changes in my life. As of yesterday, I've decided that I'm moving out and going to start teaching drumming for a living. I'm going to a new area, and essentially starting from square one. I plan on living very frugally, for less than $800 a month with everything considered. I will not have a car, as I'll be in a city and walk, bike, or ride buses wherever I need to go. I'm curious to see if I'll be able to pull this off, and I don't think it'll be easy, but I'm sure as heck going to try!

Any general words of advice from you veterans would be much appreciated. I have a feeling I'll be on this forum a lot more these days; I've missed you all!
 
Good luck out there! I do hope your teaching takes off even more without having to consider a second job. I have no other words of advice except to jump in with both feet and see what you can make fly - the needs and requirements are always so different from person-to-person.
 
Have+fun+storming+the+castle.jpg
 
Good luck out there! I do hope your teaching takes off even more without having to consider a second job. I have no other words of advice except to jump in with both feet and see what you can make fly - the needs and requirements are always so different from person-to-person.

The two-foot jump is precisely what I'm attempting; I'll either find out that I'm painfully naive, or it'll work! Either way, I'll have learned something.


Haha, this image made me irrationally happy. Thank you :)
 
you have an electric personality Luke.....use it to your advantage

try to get out and gig playing all styles of music in your new city ..... gigs have brought me more students than I can handle

I have recently pulled my student roster back to just under 50 because I needed more time to get back out and do these gigs that are being offered and do what I truly love....make music.....but every single gig I get multiple people coming up after a set saying ....do you teach?.....do you have a card?.....and of course I hand out cards .....and there goes the roster piling up again .......
good problem to have ...I know....and I am thankful every day of my life for how busy I am

if you don't already have business cards.....have some made up

honesty is the best policy .....live by that and a cat like you will do very well
 
you have an electric personality Luke.....use it to your advantage

try to get out and gig playing all styles of music in your new city ..... gigs have brought me more students than I can handle

I have recently pulled my student roster back to just under 50 because I needed more time to get back out and do these gigs that are being offered and do what I truly love....make music.....but every single gig I get multiple people coming up after a set saying ....do you teach?.....do you have a card?.....and of course I hand out cards .....and there goes the roster piling up again .......
good problem to have ...I know....and I am thankful every day of my life for how busy I am

if you don't already have business cards.....have some made up

honesty is the best policy .....live by that and a cat like you will do very well

oh-stop-it-you-meme.jpg


Seriously though, you have just been a huge encouragement to me; I have my healthy share of doubts. There are a few people who question my ability to succeed in this, so it's reassuring to hear such certainty on your part. I definitely plan on trying to get out and gig and do session work as much as I can. And I certainly have cards! I actually just got a brand new batch of 500, and I hope to go through them quickly.
 
Seriously though, you have just been a huge encouragement to me; I have my healthy share of doubts. There are a few people who question my ability to succeed in this, so it's reassuring to hear such certainty on your part. I definitely plan on trying to get out and gig and do session work as much as I can. And I certainly have cards! I actually just got a brand new batch of 500, and I hope to go through them quickly.

right on

hit up al the music stores as well and leave a stack of cards with them

parents buying gear for their kids.....and other people just shopping there always ask the cats at the drum department if they know any good teachers.

I got a lot of students this way when I was starting out on my own .

your outgoing personality along with your awesome playing is a recipe for success in my opinion

as for those who questioned my ability to succeed when I embarked on my journey.....I was told to use it as fuel....nah....I didn't need any fuel....my tank was full.....I simply left them behind

I recommend you do the same
 
right on

hit up al the music stores as well and leave a stack of cards with them

parents buying gear for their kids.....and other people just shopping there always ask the cats at the drum department if they know any good teachers.

I got a lot of students this way when I was starting out on my own .

your outgoing personality along with your awesome playing is a recipe for success in my opinion

as for those who questioned my ability to succeed when I embarked on my journey.....I was told to use it as fuel....nah....I didn't need any fuel....my tank was full.....I simply left them behind

I recommend you do the same

Music stores is a great one! I'll do that for sure. I also enjoy buying, selling, and repairing drum stuff on craigslist, and I've found that that can be an effective way to meet new people, and get business cards out there. Making contacts, that's what it's all about!

I like that twist on the whole "feeding off negativity" thing, I'll remember that. Thanks ;)
 
A good way to find tons of students is to phone school music departments.
The vast majority of my teaching is in schools, and it's nice to get the regular paycheque every month to supplement what I get from private lessons and gigs.
Good luck spreading your drumming knowledge to others
 
Luke, I got your PM, & I'll reply shortly, but I just wanted to add to Anthony's observation here. Your character really comes across in the way you communicate. Not just the written word, but especially on your video presentations. You've got a presentation talent. I'd advise using that to build content on a dedicated website. Do you have a website currently? I know you have your youtube channel, & that's good, but a website is the way to go.

Sure, it's going to be tough, but I know you have the personality to pull this off. best of all = your attitude. You have a superb outlook in general, & come across as being both sincere & accommodating. All in all, you absolutely have the foundation to make this work. A bit of self belief, some challenges along the way, & you'll get there - I have no doubts. If you were a little nearer, I'd get some lessons from you myself!
 
Just checked out your blog and of your youtube stuff.............some great playing.

Good luck out there................there will always be naysayers.............prove them wrong brother.
 
Luke, let us know where's you're moving to so we can suggest to friends looking for a teacher.Good luck. I admire your guts :) Love York, PA though. And the Strand Theater. Have seen some great shows there.
 
Luke,

From what I've seen of your work, I think you're the kind of person who can succeed at this. As others have pointed out, you really present yourself well and your enthusiasm is obvious. You have charisma that will pull people in right away, IMO.

Having a sincere passion for it is a huge, huge part. You've got that covered. It's the unexpected curveballs you'll be thrown along the way that will prove most challenging, but you're getting encouragement here from some top pros like Anthony and you should feel really good about that.

Just don't show people that picture of your collarbone sticking out of your neck. That could be a deal-breaker. :)
 
A good way to find tons of students is to phone school music departments.
The vast majority of my teaching is in schools, and it's nice to get the regular paycheque every month to supplement what I get from private lessons and gigs.
Good luck spreading your drumming knowledge to others

That's something I plan on looking into. I know I saw a video from Mike Johnston a while back where he suggested that as a great way to find new students.

Luke, I got your PM, & I'll reply shortly, but I just wanted to add to Anthony's observation here. Your character really comes across in the way you communicate. Not just the written word, but especially on your video presentations. You've got a presentation talent. I'd advise using that to build content on a dedicated website. Do you have a website currently? I know you have your youtube channel, & that's good, but a website is the way to go.

Sure, it's going to be tough, but I know you have the personality to pull this off. best of all = your attitude. You have a superb outlook in general, & come across as being both sincere & accommodating. All in all, you absolutely have the foundation to make this work. A bit of self belief, some challenges along the way, & you'll get there - I have no doubts. If you were a little nearer, I'd get some lessons from you myself!

I actually do have a website, although it's been AGES since I've done any work on it. That's something that I am going to crack down on! Thank you so much for your kindness and encouragement Andy, it's always meant a lot to me. Also, I plan to get set up teaching via Skype, so perhaps we can still sit down and chat drums sometime ;)

Where ya goin? Might help to put it up here if you are comfortable.

Luke, let us know where's you're moving to so we can suggest to friends looking for a teacher.Good luck. I admire your guts :) Love York, PA though. And the Strand Theater. Have seen some great shows there.

Toolate and larryz, I'm going to be in the Bethlehem, PA area, near Lehigh university! It looks to be a really nice area, I'm pretty excited to be there.

Luke,

From what I've seen of your work, I think you're the kind of person who can succeed at this. As others have pointed out, you really present yourself well and your enthusiasm is obvious. You have charisma that will pull people in right away, IMO.

Having a sincere passion for it is a huge, huge part. You've got that covered. It's the unexpected curveballs you'll be thrown along the way that will prove most challenging, but you're getting encouragement here from some top pros like Anthony and you should feel really good about that.

Just don't show people that picture of your collarbone sticking out of your neck. That could be a deal-breaker. :)

I agree that passion and enthusiasm is key, and I certainly love drumming and teaching passionately! I really believe that if I'm obsessed enough, I can make it work :D That's what I'm hoping, at least! It's always been my dream to do it for a living, and I'm extremely excited to finally be giving it a shot. I do feel really good about all of the encouragement and kind words that everyone has posted here. Now, my biggest problem is going to be keeping my ego in check, haha!

And yeah, I think I'll keep those collarbone pictures to myself, haha. My ugly mug is already a big enough drawback as it is ;)
 
Go for it, man. Just don't neglect the performance end. And don't give up-- it can take a lot of years of struggle-- to some extent it's always a struggle. Good luck!

Very true! I actually think that my new focus and resolve will enable me to devote more time to performance and personal practice/improvement. I find that the more I teach, the more I practice, haha. And yes, I expect it to be hard. But right now, I feel like attacking it. I WANT to have to struggle, that's how I'll know I'm making progress! Thanks for the kind words, Todd!
 
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