music strategy by Raffi Leece

what do i want to do?

raffileece — 2022-01-26 10:29:21 UTC

i want to help and teach students with special needs

i started wanting to teach when my brother (age 9) was diagnosed with ADHD and autism and one of the only things that enjoyed doing and found interesting was playing music especially the trombone. there were not very many teachers who would take the time to get to know him and what he needed. i want to create a business that has music teachers that go into schools, do at home visits, and really spend the time getting to know their students and what they need. he also did music therapy which helped him considerably.

mission statement

raffileece — 2022-01-26 10:40:13 UTC

using my creative talents i want to help new and current musicians while developing my abilities as an educator.

swot analysis

raffileece — 2022-01-26 10:53:23 UTC

strengths- photography, willing to learn, like to teach, DBS

weaknesses- anxiety, reliant on other musicians

opportunities- WaterBear resources, lots of inspiration

threats- finance, high saturation of musicians in Brighton

raffileece — 2022-02-02 10:19:40 UTC

if i'm teaching students it will be useful to have the experience from performing to draw on. doing varied things in my life will give me more inspiration for song writing. teaching music will help me refresh my knowledge on music theory which will help in all aspects of my work.

definitions

raffileece — 2022-03-29 22:29:01 UTC

sole trader- a person who is the exclusive owner of a business, entitled to keep all profits after tax has been paid but liable for all losses.
employee- a person employed for wages or salary, especially at non-executive level
limited company- a private company whose owners are legally responsible for its debts only to the extent of the amount of capital they invested

Pros and Cons

being an employee means that you have less personal liability and of course you don't invest in the company as you are joining a pre-established business however this does mean that you have less freedom and you are on a set wage (usually). as a sole trader you are the exclusive owner of a business which is a bonus in terms of things like creative decisions and also keeping profits however you are liable for all losses. a limited company faces more rigid taxation rules and often has less privacy than a sole trader however there is much less liability as personal assets are protected and often you pay less tax.

employment model

raffileece — 2022-03-30 09:17:37 UTC

when i leave waterbear i want to work at a school that helps students with special needs (especially autism) like music of life. (Individual Lessons - Music of Life, 2022)
then after i've worked there a few years i eventually want to set up my own music school. i would set it up as a limited company and i am already DBS checked. as a business model it is very scalable as it could start just me teaching at students homes but eventually i would get premises and employees. the end goal would be to potentially open a boarding school.
(musiciantuts, 2022)

financial breakdown

raffileece — 2022-03-30 09:18:56 UTC

current financial breakdown-
student loan-£4422
(Student finance calculator, 2022)
work-£1400 (from september to april) so far i have been taxed 40% due to emergency tax.
(Tax codes, 2022)
rent-£600/month- i contribute £2211
travel-£15/month
food and miscellaneous- the rest

case study

raffileece — 2022-04-19 10:14:05 UTC

Ben Thomas-
he is a 'drummer for Rag‘N’Bone Man, session drummer, BIMM lecturer, private tutor & clinician'
'Ben has been a professional drum and music educator since 2008 teaching all ages and abilities including 7 years of experience working with people with special educational needs.'
(About - Ben Thomas Drums, 2022)

he has the type of portfolio career that i want, a large focus on teaching but still touring and performing which inevitably helps the other.

beginning of career

raffileece — 2022-04-19 10:26:27 UTC

at the beginning of my career i would just be teaching students at their homes or mine. i would need a DBS which i have and i would also need lesson layouts. i currently am already teaching so i am trying to figure out what works best for example things like how long to warm up for, whether to use backing tracks or not. i have a lot experience working with children in general but also children with special educational needs. my current job is working at a nursery, after school club and helping an 18 year old autistic boy in the evenings. i need to now develop my ability to teach a variety of ages and abilities.

this stage in my career would be very profitable as i would be the only employee and the only costs involved would be my DBS and travel to students houses. i think that being a sole trader would be best.
the problem is it would only be able to grow to a certain point as i could only take on a certain number of clients teaching hours would be limited due to school.

career

raffileece — 2022-04-19 10:26:47 UTC

as my career develops i hope to employ people to teach other instruments and open up a music school. we would run week long workshops, birthday parties and bring in other performing arts teachers for summer intensives. i went to rickys school of rock for many birthday parties and lots of my friends had lessons there. it would run similarly but i would also try and make it more inclusive to students with special educational needs. (Ricky's School of Rock - Music Lessons - Huddersfield, 2022)

this stage would mean a lot of growth and i would also create a limited company at this point as it creates less liability. i would try and find instrumental teachers who had experience teaching many different ages and abilities. i would also have to invest in advertisment.

budget

raffileece — 2022-04-19 11:36:14 UTC

£20/ half hour
5 clients per weekday evening
£100x5=£500
£500x52=£26000
(look above for take home after tax)
(Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances, 2022)

raffileece — 2022-04-19 11:36:37 UTC

(Repaying your student loan, 2022)
(How much is Council Tax?, 2022)

conclusion

raffileece — 2022-04-19 12:16:11 UTC

during this assignment i have developed and solidified my idea of what i want to do after finishing my degree at waterbear, whether that be to do a masters in teaching students with learning difficulties or music therapy and then start my career or go straight into self employment.
(Special and Inclusive Education MA, 2022)

i have found musicians who also have a similar career as the one that i aspire to have, performing alongside teaching. i have realised what skills and qualifications i currently have and which ones i'd need to develop in order to move forward.

i think that my career plan shows a lot of innovation as a music school designed for students with special needs is not commonly heard of and especially one that will include other performing arts.

references

raffileece — 2022-04-19 12:24:28 UTC

Music of Life. 2022. Individual Lessons - Music of Life. [online] Available at: [Accessed 11 April 2022].

musiciantuts. 2022. [online] Available at: [Accessed 18 April 2022].

Ben Thomas Drums. 2022. About - Ben Thomas Drums. [online] Available at: [Accessed 19 April 2022].

GOV.UK. 2022. Student finance calculator. [online] Available at: [Accessed 19 April 2022].

GOV.UK. 2022. Tax codes. [online] Available at: [Accessed 19 April 2022].

GOV.UK. 2022. Repaying your student loan. [online] Available at: [Accessed 19 April 2022].

Brighton & Hove City Council. 2022. How much is Council Tax?. [online] Available at: [Accessed 19 April 2022].

Prospective Students Graduate. 2022. Special and Inclusive Education MA. [online] Available at: [Accessed 19 April 2022].

Ricky's School of Rock | Music Lessons in Huddersfield & Online. 2022. Ricky's School of Rock - Music Lessons - Huddersfield. [online] Available at: [Accessed 19 April 2022].

GOV.UK. 2022. Income Tax rates and Personal Allowances. [online] Available at: [Accessed 19 April 2022].

timeline

raffileece — 2022-04-19 13:21:52 UTC

finish degree- finish 2024
masters degree- finish 2026
self employed-3-5 years
develop my business- 5+

music therapy

raffileece — 2022-04-19 13:28:28 UTC

if i were to do a masters in music therapy i would need to make sure i met all the entry requirements. i would hopefully have a music degree by then, i am grade 8 level at singing (although it help to finally do the exam now covid is easing)
i'd also need 'A sustained period (one year or equivalent) of relevant clinical experience with adults and children who have additional needs, preferably undertaken following completion of undergraduate studies.'