Why So Many Music Teachers Feel Fed Up and How to Change It
Have you recently been feeling just…fed up?
If you’ve spent any time online lately, especially on Reddit or in music teacher Facebook groups, you’ve probably noticed the same story over and over again…
…people in their 30s or 40s, with families, long working hours, very little savings, constant anxiety… one broken car or unexpected bill away from a crisis.
The worst thing I noticed is that music teachers are showing up in these conversations more than ever.
As a musician myself, even though many of us are technically “self-employed,” the emotional reality often looks no different from a regular 9 to 5 job we can’t escape…
Long teaching days, difficult students, low leverage, and the low-level persistent anxiety in the background asking: “Is this really it?”
So let’s unravel and get closer to understanding why this feeling shows up, and what can actually change it.
Why So Many People Feel Fed Up With Work and Life Right Now
There’s been a noticeable shift in people’s minds since COVID.
Entire communities online (e.g. subreddits like r/antiwork or r/careeradvice), have become digital confession booths where people admit they’re exhausted, underpaid, and stuck. The traditional deal of “work hard and you’ll be fine” no longer feels true for many of us.
I notice a few common patterns:
Long hours with no real upside
No meaningful savings
Limited control over time or income
A sense that life is just… trudging forward
According to the American Psychological Association, work-related stress has been steadily increasing, with burnout now recognised as a serious issue affecting productivity and wellbeing.
But being fed up is not weakness. It’s feedback.
Music Teachers Aren’t Immune to Burnout
One of the biggest myths in music education is that self-employment automatically equals freedom.
But in reality, many music teachers recreate the same constraints as employment, just without the safety net.
I talk to lots of them, and I constantly hear these thoughts:
“I’m tired of teaching back-to-back lessons”
“How do you deal with students who waste your time?”
“Is it even possible to earn £100k a year teaching music?”
If that sounds familiar to you too, you’re not broken. You’re just operating inside a model with very little leverage.
The Hidden Trap of Working Hard Without Leverage
Most music teachers I speak to care deeply about their students and say yes too often. They trade time for money and then wonder why they’re exhausted.
The problem definitely isn’t motivation, but leverage.
Leverage comes from:
Systems
Strategy
Skills beyond teaching
Understanding how to scale without working more hours
Without those, unfortunately, effort just leads to fatigue.
Let’s take me, for example. I wasn’t always on this side of the conversation.
Before Music Teacher Pros, I was teaching music in a school, commuting up to three hours a day, earning roughly $2,500–$3,000 a month, barely seeing my wife, and slowly burning out.
The real breaking point came after I was passed over for promotion three years in a row (!), despite extra training, new projects, and personal development.
So that’s when I noticed a dangerous thought:
“If I keep doing this… nothing changes.”
The Moment Everything Changed: Choosing the Unknown
Around that time, I saw an advert for an online training programme for teaching business and marketing skills.
My first reaction was: “This is a scam”
And honestly, that reaction made sense, I think. Most people don’t grow up learning how businesses actually work, and the unknown feels risky.
But then came the question that changed everything: “If I say no, what happens?”
Nothing changes.
So I took a calculated risk. Paid £3,000 with no guarantees, no certainty, just the possibility of something different.
That decision didn’t magically fix everything for me, but it created leverage and new opportunities for me.
I didn’t know my decision would work out.
I just knew that doing nothing guaranteed more of the same.
That single shift of choosing possibility over certainty is what eventually led to Music Teacher Pros and helping thousands of educators rethink their businesses.
Why Saying “No” Feels Safe, But Changes Nothing
This is a pattern I see often with music teachers.
“I can’t afford coaching”
“I’ll wait until things calm down”
“I’ll figure it out myself”
All of these thoughts are understandable, and all of them are safe.
But safety has a cost: the permanent status quo.
Interestingly, research shows that often people overestimate the risk of change and underestimate the long-term cost of staying the same.
Every meaningful change involves discomfort. But staying stuck has a cost too:
Chronic stress
Limited options
Years slipping by
The real question is not “What if this fails?”, it’s “What if nothing changes?”.
The Role of Mentorship and External Knowledge
One of the biggest mindset shifts is realising that you can’t see new futures with old information.
So I didn’t suddenly become smarter, I just got access to:
New skills
Proven systems
People who had already solved the problems I was facing
That’s why mentorship matters. Not because you’re incapable, but because you don’t know what you don’t know.
Why Traditional Education Often Doesn’t Fix the Real Problem
Many music teachers, and not only them actually, respond to frustration by going back to university.
Another degree, another qualification, another £15k–£30k investment, often with no clear return.
The important and uncomfortable question is:
“Will this actually increase my income, reduce my hours, or give me more control?”
For most, the honest answer is no. And this isn’t anti-education. It’s about outcomes.
What Leverage Actually Looks Like for Music Teachers
So what does leverage look like in music education?
It often starts with learning how to scale a music teaching business without burning out:
Structuring premium offers
Improving student retention
Learning how marketing actually works
Hiring or collaborating instead of doing everything alone
This is where real freedom comes from, not from teaching more hours.
No one expects life to be easy. But feeling permanently exhausted, anxious, and trapped isn’t a badge of honour, but a sign that something needs to change.
If you’re fed up, that doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re ready for leverage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it normal to feel burnt out as a music teacher?
Yes. Burnout is extremely common, especially when income is tied directly to hours worked.
Can music teaching really be scaled?
Absolutely, but not by teaching more hours. Scaling comes from structure, pricing, systems, and support.
Do I need to quit teaching to improve my situation?
No. In most cases, teaching is the foundation, not the problem.
What’s the first step to changing things?
Learning how successful music teachers structure and grow their businesses instead of guessing alone.
