HHTV 3: Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

Maslow You Say?

This week I had to decide my rules and policies for giving discounted lessons. What a tough decision to make. How much volunteer work for how much fee reduction. I'm starting to make this volunteer work sound like a job I'm paying students to do. Isn't that the entire point of volunteering? Doing it for free, because you're a good person and want to help someone? Well according to Maslow's Hierarchy of needs there are 7 human needs in order from basic and most time-consuming to elevated:

(Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs)

I would like to say that as a musician I spend a lot of time worrying about aesthetic needs and self-actualization. In reality, I'm a college student in debt who is in her final semester of scholarship. So basically what I'm saying is that although I'd like to help people to help people, I still need to make money to survive.

Freeloaders! Just Kidding.

So what am I worried about? I guess it's that I'm worried anyone who already volunteers is going to be getting free lessons and I'm not actually inspiring people to start or continue volunteering. I'm worried that the incentive isn't high enough and volunteering for money by anyone in financial need will just become the student getting a job. I'm starting to see why this isn't a thing. Maybe I should make non-monetary incentives but I'm not sure what else I have to offer for only students who volunteer and not for students who don't. What I'd like to happen ideally is 2 situations:

1. A student can't afford lessons and wants them so they start doing volunteer work

OR

2. A student is already taking lessons and their parents (maybe the student themselves) will see the policy and think "gee, what a great idea, on top of having something to put on their resume, my kid will grow as a person, and hey look I get rewarded with cheaper violin lessons!"

Other Incentives and Options

Perhaps I can come up with other incentives or other activities other than volunteer work that a student can do. Maybe I can turn it into a point system such as

1 hour of volunteering = 100 points

1 attended symphony concert = 50 points

1 hour tutoring another musician = 50 points

and etcetera. And maybe a certain number of points guarantees a free lesson. Hey writing this blog reflection is actually giving me way more ideas than when I was trying to write the policies.

After This Blog I'm Changing Everything I Just Made

Well, so far this week I created a Volunteer and Reduced-Fee Policy form as well as added it to my website. I also made the Volunteer Form which provides information of where they went, what they did, and includes contact information for adult supervision. That's to prevent anyone from fudging the form, this way I'll just call them up and make sure it really happened. I also made the Volunteer Reflection sheet which makes it a more educational, metacognitive experience. The standard "what did you learn, what are your thoughts, what did you do, who did you help?" sort of deal.

My To Do List - Me Oh My!

1. Continue responding to emails I've been receiving (my marketing strategy has been successful!)

2. Change my policies into a point system,

3. Create a bunch of new forms and such

4. Continue looking for a location for my group lessons

5. Create and post: detailed procedures for team teaching lessons on how to teach violin

6. Email and send flyers to 10 more contacts

Next update on March 25th!

COMING SOON: Teaching Tucson High School Jazz Improvisation.

"Every man [and woman] must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or the darkness of destructive selfishness. This is the judgment. Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, What are you doing for others?"

-Martin Luther King Jr.