How Music Teachers Can Make Money Using YouTube with Lauren Bateman
Are you a music teacher looking for creative ways to make more money beyond your traditional lessons? You’re in the right place! This blog is based on an insightful conversation between Carly Walton, and Lauren Bateman, a successful music educator and YouTuber. Lauren shares her journey from being a scientist to becoming a full-time music teacher and YouTube creator, offering fantastic tips on how music teachers can make money by leveraging YouTube.
Whether you’re new to teaching or you’ve been in the business for a while, these tips will give you fresh ideas on how to make more money teaching music, all while giving you more flexibility and freedom.
Lauren’s Journey: From Scientist to Music Teacher and YouTube Success
Lauren Bateman’s path to becoming a music teacher is unique. She started her career as a scientist but soon realized her true passion was music. So, she left her job in the pharmaceutical industry to pursue music full-time. At first, she took on teaching guitar and voice lessons to help supplement her income while playing in bars and venues. What started as a side hustle grew into something much bigger, and Lauren eventually opened several music schools in the Boston area.
However, after some time, Lauren found herself craving more flexibility. She wanted to teach without being tied to a specific time or location. That’s when she turned to YouTube, creating instructional videos for guitar students. Her channel took off, and she recently celebrated reaching 100,000 subscribers—an incredible milestone!
YouTube gave Lauren the freedom to teach on her own terms while reaching a much broader audience. It also became a major funnel for her online guitar courses, providing her with a steady income stream without the constraints of one-on-one lessons.
YouTube as a Game-Changer for Music Teachers
YouTube is a powerful tool for music teachers, and Lauren uses it to attract students from all over the world. She explains that YouTube is essentially a search engine where people go to find answers to questions like "How do I play a C chord?" or "How do I improve my strumming?" By creating videos that answer these questions, you can attract an audience, build trust, and ultimately sell your courses or offer lessons.
Lauren promotes her online guitar courses directly through her videos. She’ll teach a lesson, and then include a quick mention like, “If you like this video and want to dive deeper, check out my full strumming course—there’s a link in the description!” This simple method works wonders, and Lauren often gets emails from viewers saying they’ve watched several of her videos and decided to purchase her course because they love her teaching style.
This approach is not just about selling courses—it also helps build a community. Viewers who love your teaching will keep coming back, and even if you’re not offering private lessons, they’ll still be eager to connect with you.
Getting Comfortable on Camera
For many teachers, the thought of being on camera is intimidating. Lauren admits that her first videos were far from perfect. She was just using her phone, didn’t have fancy lighting, and felt a bit awkward at first. But the more she recorded, the better she got.
Her advice? Don’t wait for the perfect setup. Just get started. Use your phone, hit record, and post the videos. People care more about the value of your content than whether you have professional equipment. Lauren shared that one of her earliest, low-quality videos ended up getting over 1.6 million views!
It’s all about practice. The more videos you create, the more comfortable you’ll feel in front of the camera. And remember, your audience is watching because they want to learn from you—not because they expect a perfectly produced video.
Standing Out in a Crowded Space: Find Your Niche
You might wonder how to stand out on YouTube when there are already so many music teachers. Lauren’s secret? Find your niche. Instead of trying to appeal to everyone, she focused on teaching guitar to older learners—especially those in their 50s and 60s who love classic rock. She knew her audience, and she catered her content directly to them.
Lauren teaches songs by artists like The Beatles, Eric Clapton, and Elvis Presley because that’s what her audience loves. She also pays close attention to what’s working. For example, if a video about a particular band or song gets a lot of views, she’ll make more content around that theme.
By zeroing in on your ideal student and focusing on what they want to learn, you can carve out a space for yourself, no matter how many other teachers are online.
Monetizing Your YouTube Channel as a Music Teacher
A common misconception is that you need a massive YouTube following to make money. But Lauren shared that she started earning a full-time income with around 25,000 subscribers. You don’t need millions of followers to be successful!
Lauren emphasizes that there are multiple ways to make money on YouTube. In addition to ad revenue (which kicks in once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours), you can also sell digital courses and resources, even if you have a small audience. For example, offering a beginner course for $47 can bring in income even if you’re just starting out. YouTube ads take time, but you can start selling products right away.
It’s all about thinking beyond just ad revenue—there’s so much potential with digital products, and you don’t have to wait until you hit a huge subscriber count to start earning.
YouTube’s Long-Term Benefits for Your Business
One of the best things about YouTube is its evergreen nature. When you post a video, it doesn’t just disappear like posts on Facebook or Instagram. A good YouTube video can keep getting views and making you money for years.
This makes YouTube an incredible platform for building passive income. Once you create your content, it can continue to work for you long after you’ve posted it, allowing you to focus on other aspects of your business or spend more time with your family.
If you’re looking to add flexibility to your teaching schedule, YouTube is a great way to create lasting, passive income through ads and course sales, while still reaching and teaching a global audience.
Connect With Lauren
Making money as a music teacher doesn’t have to be limited to just in-person lessons. With platforms like YouTube, you can reach students from all over the world, offer digital products, and build a more flexible and scalable business.
If you’re ready to take your online teaching to the next level or want to explore how to get started on YouTube, Lauren Bateman is a fantastic resource. Check out her website and YouTube channel for tons of inspiration and practical tips.
As Lauren says, the most important step is just getting started! Don’t wait for everything to be perfect—hit record, share your passion, and you’ll be amazed at the doors that open.
Ready to Take Your Teaching Business to the Next Level?
If you’ve been thinking about growing your teaching business or trying out new ways to make money, there’s no better time than now to start. Whether you’re launching a YouTube channel, creating your first online course, or just exploring ways to add more flexibility to your life, the possibilities are endless.
Want more guidance on how to build and scale your music teaching business online? Join the Teach Music Online Membership and get access to 60+ videos, certification, live group sessions, and an amazing community of like-minded music teachers. This membership is designed to help you create a thriving online business with the freedom and flexibility you’ve always wanted.
Sign up for the Teach Music Online Membership here and take your teaching business to the next level today!
Please leave a review on iTunes
Please don't forget to review this podcast on iTunes, your reviews mean so much to me! Your reviews also help other teachers find the podcast and know that it's one that can benefit their business as well. Click the link below to review the podcast:
Don't forget to get access to all of my free tools for growing your music studio!