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Teach for Us!

CVs always accepted – Please Read Below

Thank you for your interest in music teaching positions with our school. This page will give you an idea of our philosophy of teaching and our ideas on how our school can best meet the needs of our students and teachers. If you are interested in applying for a teaching position after reading this page and viewing our website please apply below.  No Phone Calls Please. Only suitable applicants will be contacted for an interview. If a position is not currently open, we will add your application. We are always accepting applications so don’t be shy!

SCHOOL BACKGROUND

ABC Academy is a privately owned school that was founded in 2003-2004. Centrally located in Toronto, we are one of Toronto’s most rapidly growing music schools. While we welcome adult students, our urban market area has resulted in a student base of mainly children. We realize that most of our students will not become professional musicians, but strive to provide a fun and educational environment with a well organized administration and first rate equipment and facilities.

WHY TEACH WITH US?

There are several places you can teach music around the Toronto area. Why should you consider teaching with us?

MUSIC TEACHING POSITIONS

As a music teacher you can teach privately in your house/your students’ homes, or you can teach in a music store/school – both have upsides and downsides. If you teach in your home or students’ homes, the upside is you can keep all of the revenue you charge to the student. Since you have no expenses like rent, a receptionist or advertising you do not have to pay out a percentage to overhead costs. There are also downsides of teaching in your home or your student’s homes. It can be hard to keep your schedule constantly full with new students. Getting a full schedule can be difficult and expensive if you have to run ads. Even if you are a good, well-liked teacher, it can take a long time for referrals and word of mouth to fill your schedule. If you are driving to student’s houses you also have to factor in the driving time between students which limits the amount of teaching you can actually do.

The other downside of teaching on your own can be the difficulty in enforcing your attendance and payment policies. No one likes being a collection agent. It can be difficult to concentrate on your teaching while trying to keep track of who owes money and ensuring you are paid.

If you are teaching on your own, it can also be difficult to enforce your teaching policies and have your time respected. For example, if a student tells you they are going to Disney World for the next two weeks, it can be difficult to still make them pay for their lesson time. Many students will refuse to pay for those missed lessons because they will think: “I’m not getting my lesson so why should pay?”

Chances are you can’t book another student in that lesson time for just 2 weeks, so if you don’t charge the student in Disney World, you have just lost 2 weeks of pay. If that scenario happens a couple of times per month it can greatly reduce your earnings.

Now let’s look at teaching at a music school. The downside is you don’t get paid as much per student. Teaching rates that in-home teachers and music schools charge are usually pretty similar. So the pay per student to the teacher is lower because of rent, ads, receptionists and other expenses. The upside can be having a consistently full schedule of students each day. Being paid a little less per student but having 10 or 11 students in a day will mean you earn more overall.

Another upside to teaching at our music school is that you do not have any collections hassles. You only have to focus on the teaching. Also our music school provides a professional educational environment that is stimulating to the students. It is also free from distractions found in a home such as ringing phones or doorbells, tvs and noisy family members. Those are the general differences between teaching on your own and teaching in a music school or store.

HERE ARE REASONS WHY MUSIC TEACHERS CHOOSE TO TEACH AT OUR SCHOOL OVER ALL OTHER CHOICES:

1. A constant flow of new students to keep schedules as full as possible Over the course of the year, students can move or quit. This can leave a teacher with gaps or holes in their schedule. Most students register and start lessons in September. Most music schools only advertise in late August and September for new students. At our school we spend a lot of money on advertising and marketing year round to keep our teachers’ schedules as full as possible. Each year we consistently spend on marketing and advertising to constantly attract new students. We are continually registering new students for our private music lessons even during typically slower registration months like May or June.

2. Extras are taken care of – your only responsibility is to focus on the educational experience At all of our locations we have full time front desk administrators to handle all of the “admin details” of teaching. From scheduling to collecting fees or arranging an accompanist for recitals, these details are handled by our administrators not the teacher. This means the teacher is free to focus on teaching, reporting, and not get bogged down by administration.

3. Your time is respected and you are paid whether or not students show up Teachers are paid for lessons whether students attend or not. If a student misses classes for school trips or holidays, the teacher is still paid. The only time a student is given an extra make up lesson is if the student is sick and they can only have 2 make-up lessons per year for sickness. If a student does not pay for their lessons or has an uncollectible debt, the teacher is still paid. Our priority for our teachers is to make sure that your time is not abused and your teaching day can be as productive as possible.

Ready to Apply?

Use this checklist to make sure you are ready.  You will not be able to submit your application without completing the necessary information.

  • Education: Up to 3 most recent places you studied.
  • Most recent Professional MUSIC experience: 3 required
  • Most Recent NON-MUSIC work experience: up to 3
  • 2 Musical work references required
  • 2 NON-MUSICAL work references required

Our Former Teachers Say…

ABC Academy of Music was a pleasure to work for. Besides always-upfront communication about scheduling and expectations, the Director was not only incredibly supportive and accommodating in any extenuating circumstance, but often reached out to check in and proactively make my life easier. The Music Together classes that I facilitated were always full and enthusiastic due to the established network of locations, timetable options, and happy returning parents. If life had not taken me out of the city, I would be gladly still teaching here !

Toronto Babies and Toddlers Music Together Teacher Emma Rowlandson-O'HaraEmma Rowlandson-O'Hara, Music Together Teacher, B.Mus (McGill)

For three years, I had the pleasure of being a piano instructor at ABC Academy of Music. The school is one which I recommend not only to students but also to prospective teachers, for ABC Academy of Music offers a friendly, welcoming environment that focuses on bringing out the best in everyone. Beyond that, the administrative personnel are very well-equipped at effectively communicating matters between the student and teacher. Initiatives to further develop student progress focuses the entire team on building the skills necessary for students to enjoy music-making for life. The ongoing commitment of the director to provide meaningful music education to a wide range of students has always left a very strong impression with me and I predict a very bright future for the school!

Dr. Penny Johnson, Piano & Theory Teacher, DMA (Manhattan) , M.M. (Eastman), B.Mus (Eastman), ARCT (RCM)

I taught at the ABC Academy of Music for two years, and had a thoroughly positive experience there. The director has done a great job of creating and running the academy. It is evident to me that he cares deeply about the well-being of the teachers and students, and seems to want more than anything for everyone to have a positive teaching and learning experience. He communicates well and shows strong, compassionate leadership. I predict a bright future for ABC, and am happy to recommend it to students and teachers alike.

Michael Capon, Piano & Music Theory, M.Mus (McGill), B.Mus (McGill), ARCT (RCM), Director of Music, St. George's Cathedral, Kingston

I had the pleasure of teaching oboe at ABC for one year, and during that time I really enjoyed working with an outstanding team of music educators.  Our director pours his heart and soul into making the Academy feel like a home away from home so that the teachers can concentrate on helping their students enjoy music, while the students feel comfortable and committed.  I am grateful to have been a part of such a warm, friendly and well-organized teaching environment:  it helped me gain confidence and experience as a musician, and allowed me to be creative in the way I taught.

Tamsin Johnston, B.Mus. (UofT), M.Mus. (Boston University), Perf.Dip. (Boston Conservatory), Principal Oboist, Regina Symphony

ABC Academy of Music has done an impressive job of cultivating a dedicated community of students. My experience was mostly with elementary and middle school aged kids, but there were a few teens peppered into my schedule as well. I always felt respected by my students and appreciated by their parents.

Inspiring students and encouraging regular practice is a never ending struggle for a music instructor, so I was prepared to deal with these issues. The director’s support made this daunting task much more manageable; he would often have a short conversation with my students to reinforce the message I was trying to communicate to them. It was so refreshing to have someone that the students admire voice their solidarity with me!

The personal approach of the administration made me feel secure. I could always expect to be paid on time and it was clear to me that the ABC team made a sincere effort to fill my schedule as best as they could.

Toronto Guitar Teacher Eric WagnerEric Wagner, Guitar/Electric Guitar, B.Mus (Humber), Your Content Goes Here