The Middleway Teacher Network

An Experiment Worth Duplicating

After a lengthy Washington Post magazine article, twelve great concerts, a steadily growing audience, and more demand than one teacher could possibly keep up with, we are more convinced than ever that Middleway Music is an experiment worth duplicating. We are now in phase one of our expansion effort, and as our second decade begins, we hope to inspire more and more teachers to join Middleway, embrace our business model, and gradually create their own thriving home studios—decentralized, community-based, inspired by popular styles, modern methods, and the belief that untapped musical talent is everywhere around us.

A Model that Builds Careers

So much of our success is based on our business model. It has enabled the incredible growth of our flagship Silver Spring studio, and generated enormous enthusiasm and support among students, friends & family, music professionals, concert venues, and the general public.  We believe that other teachers deserve to reap the benefits that our model makes possible, and we want help them build lasting, lucrative careers as full-time musicians and educators. The following are the ten main features of the Middleway Model, to be adhered to by all teachers in the network:

  1. Free first lesson
  2. No house calls (students come to us)
  3. 60 minutes lessons
  4. Primarily adult learners
  5. Primarily Popular styles
  6. Modern teaching methods
  7. Extremely competitive pricing
  8. Month to month student commitment
  9. Scheduling autonomy for teachers
  10. Established teachers (Tier 3 and above) to provide:
    • Authentic Middleway Studio Concert twice a year
    • Recording Studio sessions once a year
    • Regular jam sessions (every few months)

 

Climbing the Middleway Ladder

We sincerely want every one of our teachers to build successful, full-time careers in music education. In order to accomplish this, we have created the Tiered-Teacher System, in which your earnings and autonomy within the company gradually increase with experience level and student load. Once any teacher has reached and surpassed Level 5 (minimum 5 years work experience and 25 students or more) they are automatically eligible to become official Middleway branch owners.

Owning Your Own Branch

Our goal is not simply to profit from teachers, but to eventually turn as many of them as possible into branch owners. Any teacher who has ascended all 5 tiers successfully is automatically eligible. As a branch owner you will enjoy the following benefits:

1 -    0% lesson fee obligation to Middleway

2 -    Your own personalized Middleway Website

3 -    The legal right to expand the company, hiring new teachers to work under you

4 -    Complete autonomy to set your own lesson fees, teaching load etc.

A Company of Small Business Owners

For those who invest in this vision, and commit to advancing their careers by working through the Tiered-Teacher System, the possibilities are endless. You will no longer be just a teacher—you will be a small business owner. The teachers you hire will expand your business and grow your income, but just as importantly, it will start them on the path to their own successful teaching careers. It’s a virtuous cycle by design: musicians giving other musicians the opportunity to be successful at what they love. Not merely getting by from student to student, gig to gig, or session to session, but starting on a legitimate career path with steady pay raises, clear goals and rewards, and a long term potential for growth, profit, and ownership.

A Life in Music

It’s a truism that artists everywhere have a hard time making a living. The Middleway Model is only one of the many ways to build and run a private teaching studio, but it works. It proves that it’s possible to make a good, stable living doing what you love—teaching and performing music. We want to build a company that creates genuine career opportunities for musicians. That offers a dependable, fulfilling, and lucrative alternative to the endless hustle for low paying gigs, the disappointing rut of teaching in music stores, or the pressure to throw in the towel and get a day job. We believe that musicians have a lot more to offer society. That we can play an important role in building and strengthening our communities, promoting mental health and well-being, and encouraging artistic expression and self-discovery. It’s a proven path to a life in music, and we encourage you to walk it with us.

We believe that musicians have a lot more to offer society. That we can play an important role in building and strengthening our communities, promoting mental health and well-being, and encouraging artistic expression and self-discovery. It’s a proven path to a life in music, and we encourage you to walk it with us.

 
Career Margins Final

Careers Margin FINAL