I’m not the most tech savvy individual, therefore I tend not to buy the most recent tech gadgets unless I have to. Recently I decided to make a large tech purchase for my job. Besides being a part time writer I work as a piano teacher and composer. My job as a music teacher requires up to date music notation software and a computer that can accommodate the software.
I concluded that it was time to update my piano studio technology when my students began to complained about my outdated equipment. The current computer that I use in my studio is fairly new but it doesn’t have much memory and takes a long time to load. I have my students do music exercises and a lot of time is wasted loading the music scores.
Admittedly I have not become a rich man teaching music for a living so my budget is limited. The music software I’ve chosen to purchase is Sibelius 7 which will set me back about 300 dollars. I’ve set my computer budget at 700$ making my total about 1000$.
I’ve decided that my technology budget must come out the money I make from my music lessons. Currently do not feel I have enough money saved to justify a large technology purchase. My options include raising my lesson fees or taking on more students.
Raising my lesson fees would be the simple option although I risk losing students if I do that. The other option is taking on more students. Taking on more students requires no monetary investment but I would have to invest a lot of time in advertising and networking.
I’ve decided to compromise between the two. I will raise my lesson fees slightly and take on a few new students. My new students won’t know of my fee increase and I can recoup my losses with the new students if I happen to lose any current students.