Communicating Value
"What I have learned is that the best thing I can do as a teacher is ALWAYS value myself, my knowledge, my experience and invite students to find a way to share in that." That is a lovely statement and I'm really impressed that I wrote it in my blog post last year . In one sense, my career is more stable than ever before. In another sense, it seems to always be changing and progressing in new and exciting ways. One constant remains: assessing value . For myself and for others. The more demands are placed on my time by ensembles, students, and colleagues, the more essential it is for me to communicate the value of what I do and the time I have. I'm sure we have all seen this humorous pie chart on Facebook in recent months. Though exaggerated, there is an excellent point found here that illustrates the challenge many musicians face when it comes to communicating their value: crippling self-doubt! Do I deserve to ask $$$ for private lessons?