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Book Recommendations

How to continue 'leveling up' in your music teaching career

· Music Business

I'm an avid reader. I love fiction, non-fiction, business, and books about teaching. If it's something interesting, I'll read it from cover to cover (usually reading the last chapter first, just to make sure I want to invest time in the whole book.) Here's my list of 2 per category 'must-read' lists for IMT's, or as I like to identify as, Music Teaching Artists (thank you Eric Booth) who would like to take their home studio to the next level, or have aspirations of a school. A quick Amazon search will yield you the results you need to order the book, pick up on Audible, or from your local library.

Anyone looking to open their own studio in a saturated market, finds themselves in an increasingly competitive area, or has an interest in exploring a music school concept needs to read the two from the Business category, as well as Productivity selections. Once you have studied those four books, you will be ready to explore more options as an entrepreneur and business owner. You likely won't learn any of this in music school!

Here's my train of thought and WHY you need these books, of all the hundreds you could choose:

It's important you understand what going from IMT status is, to business owner, which is where The E-Myth comes in. And everything you will do going forward, will be about selling, which is why you need to read Marketing. From there, you'll need to be able to goal set and write a business plan with actual numbers, which is why I suggested The 12-Week Year, and because you are an artist, you'll need The 5-Second Rule because you'll have to do A LOT of things you don't want to do in the beginning.

From there, I have another 25 books to recommend...however, let's start with these.

Business

The E-Myth, Michael Gerber

Marketing, Brian Tracy

Productivity

The 12-Week Year, Moran/Lennington

The 5-Second Rule, Mel Robbins

Educational Psychology

Anything by Martin Seligman

Grit, The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth

Music Teaching

The Music Teaching Artists's Bible, Eric Booth

The Intelligent Music Teacher, Robert Duke