Transition from Elementary School Teaching to Freelance Performance

In 2012, I decided to make a big transition from teaching elementary school music to becoming a freelance performer and private music instructor.  Looking back, how would I advise others entering the world of performance and entrepreneurship?  First of all, I took every opportunity to gain performance experience.  Not every performance venue was a perfect fit, but I learned more about myself and what my strengths were as a performer.  Two excellent places to gain performance experience are at open mics and in churches.  Both settings are a great way to bring your music to a large cross-section of people.  Secondly, I participated in local networking business groups.  The transition to entrepreneurship can be a lonely one in comparison to a standard 40-hour week job.  Networking provides the opportunity to make connections and get to know your local community.  Thirdly, I familiarized myself with business basics by enrolling in a start-up class at a local Chamber of Commerce.  From this class, I learned the fundamentals of bookkeeping, paperwork to file, and tax basics that allowed me to set up a legitimate local business.  The world of entrepreneurship can initially be daunting, but reaps rewards if you put in time and effort during the beginning years.

Questions?  Come visit me at BartleGuitarStudio.com!





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