Makeup Lessons
Ask DrJ:
Dear Dr. J: Why are you such a jerk about makeup lessons- I think it’s only fair that you reschedule our session this week, since Jimmy has a ballet recital.
DrJ:
Great Question! It’s quite hard making a career in music- I LOVE music, and I LOVE teaching.
My students are literally family to me, and as such, it is very hard to maintain boundaries and remember that while they are my family–I love them, would walk through fire to help them, but I also have to make sure that I take care of MY real family.
- If I don’t be a good businessman my kid doesn’t get new shoes.
- If I am not a good businessman my dog doesn’t eat.
- If I am not a good businessman my family doesn’t have a place to live.
I found this article quite striking — it very clearly summarizes why makeup lessons are impractical from both an economic standpoint, and from a scheduling standpoint.
I’ve struggled with how to say this elegantly, and respectfully, for years– I think that Ms. Barnham has hit the nail on the head with the following:
Speaking now as an economist, I would claim that the reason is that items like clothing are “durable goods’ – meaning, they can be returned and then resold at the original price – whereas music lessons are non-durable goods – meaning, once my Monday slot at 3:30 is gone, my son’s teacher can’t turn around and sell it again. The only way she would be able to give him a lesson later in the week would be if she were to give up time that she had scheduled for her own private life; and that seems pretty unreasonable – I can’t think of many employees who would be thrilled if their bosses were to announce that they couldn’t work from 3:30 to 4:30 this afternoon, but would they please stay until 6:30 on Thursday, because there will be work for them then!
Interesting food for thought. Please take a moment and read the original article -
