The shortcomings of our virtues. (Independent Music Teachers Forum).

Thorstein Veblen, the brilliant economist and social critic, began many of his analyses with the observation that economic systems had the shortcomings of their virtues--and the virtues of their shortcomings. As independent music teachers (IMTs) we are abundantly aware of the incredible advantages our independence provides. But it is precisely this independence that can make us the most vulnerable, the most isolated and the most likely to set out to re-invent the wheel.

When a fellow IMT is the target of a vendetta by an irate neighbor or neighborhood association, the first sensation the attacked feels is vulnerability. As MTNA continues to develop, we are attempting to make strides to lessen the feeling of isolation. Nancy Stokes received some very important support from her fellow Georgia Music Teachers Association members and from IMTs across the country who had dealt with--and survived--the experience. Jerome and Betty Kowalsky Stasson from a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, were able to share a great number of suggestions with Nancy and her husband, Lane Stokes, from their arduous, but victorious, battle in Michigan.

These frightening zoning struggles will persist as IMTs continue developing more professional studios in our homes. The growing recognition of the value of group interaction in music teaching and several technology-related developments will certainly increase the likelihood of student traffic issues. The number of IMTs entering the profession seeking to provide a primary, or at least significant, income will increase the visibility of our home-based studios. We will have to become familiar and compliant with our local zoning ordinances. Stokes related her disappointment at the number of IMTs who were afraid to publicly support her because of fear of attracting attention to themselves. Though we may be able to understand this reluctance, we certainly can't be satisfied with the perception that if people found out what we were doing, we would be "shut down."

In the final analysis, we will have to follow the battle cry of Betty Stasson and declare, "We will not hide; we are an asset and a service to our community."

What Really Matters

Every day we have the opportunity to talk with our fellow IMTs about a vexing teaching issue or studio problem. How many of us have heard what happens in a room of IMTs when a person says something like, "I have a problem getting my tuition in on time;" or "I can't believe the number of make-up lessons I taught this week." We are more than ready to offer our own hard-won solutions to each other's problems. Yet, there is an incredible lack of communication and general sharing of solutions to common studio concerns within our organization. We need to have serious conversations about the things that make our independent studios challenging for us.

For the past several years, I have been speaking to groups of IMTs about developing the independent music studio. I get the warmest response to a section of remarks called "Exhaustion, Frustration and Hostility." Many, if not most, of us are working very hard and very long with a heterogeneous bag of students, a few who seem designed to drive us over the edge. We occasionally encounter a truly bizarre and hostile alien who has slipped into the body of one of our student's parents and caught us unawares. We need to charge tuition rates that make career survival possible without collapsing beneath the metronome after a twelve-hour day to wrap up a seven-day week. We need to design studio policies so all will go smoothly.

Don't worry--some student's mother is out there about to experience spontaneous combustion. You'll still have a fire or two to put out. And when the neighbor with garish lawn decorations decides you're ruining the residential character of the neighborhood, we all need to stand together and assert our rights to teach music. It's what really matters to us.

--Kenneth Lee
National IMTF Chair
Vienna, Virginia

He is an independent music teacher who instructs clarinet.