Monday 7 June 2010

Lots of brackets (parentheses, innit)

I am going to a conference on Friday and I'm dreading leaving G for an extra day, especially as it's 3 days in a row instead of 2. However I was looking up the details of the conference and it's on the place of music (yay) in the primary curriculum (yawn) from babies (yay) up to the end of Key Stage 1 (fair enough). I'm ridiculously pleased that it touches on my home life as well as my school life, and I got to thinking about that whole babies and music angle again.

I love (most) kids. I love music. At the moment my most favourite lesson I teach is at Reception class level (age 4-5 years). That's partly because the kids in question are very well trained by their class teacher, and I have them first thing in the morning, with another adult helping. It's also because they are so darn enthusiastic.

I would love to move into the field of music for really young children, but how the hell do I make any money from it? I could do the 'leading a group of mums and babies in songs' standing on my head but you can't make a living from that. There's stuff like Monkey Music franchises, but you need a car, (and a driving licence, ahem), and a few thousand of your English pounds, (or snoots as Adriano insists on calling them - have you ever heard the like?) up front. And you also have the problem of your clientele keeping on growing up and therefore away from your classes. You are reliant on them turning up and paying their bills. And as far as I can see you can't stop the pushy-pushy advertising even for a second or you're in trouble. I'd rather be paid by, say, the council, to do something like the Wider Opportunities project but for younger kids. Except that was paid hourly so therefore is no longer practical for me if I want any sort of income whatsoever after childcare expenses have been paid.

Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I really want to love my (paid) job.



Little G news: she now counts with you up to 3 if you start her off. "waah, tuh, ree!" I'm seriously impressed.

4 comments:

Emma said...

Ha, I know that feeling of wanting to love the paid job!

I've looked sideways at those Monkey Music things too. I think if you had an area where there wasn't too much competition you;d do OK. Still, it depends on the pushy pushy thing. I'm not good at that myself.

My reception class is more or less my hardest work! Yours are trained? How fantastic. Ours do free flow, which seems to translate as 'can't sit still'. Maddening.

Emma said...

PS perhaps we should set up a business together? (!) We could pool resources and experience but keep separate territories.....but what?

Lucia said...

Yes yes yes! Now we just have to decide on how exactly to get rich... I will think about it but I am definitely open to it for real!

Emma said...

That's always my sticking point...HOW to get rich..?

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