Why Active Performing Musicians Make Better Teachers
Here is a question worth asking before you invest your time and money in music lessons: does your teacher still play?
Not “did they study music in college.” Not “can they demonstrate techniques.” Does your teacher actively perform? Do they have gigs on their calendar? Are they writing, recording, or collaborating with other musicians right now?
This might seem like a minor detail. It is not. The difference between a teacher who actively performs and one who stopped playing years ago is the difference between learning to cook from a working chef and learning from someone who read the cookbook once in 2009.
At Kalman Music Lessons, every instructor is an active performing musician. This is not an accident or a marketing line. It is the foundation of everything we do, and it is the single biggest reason our students progress faster and enjoy their lessons more.
Let us break down exactly why this matters.
The Career Teacher vs. The Performing Teacher
There is a well-worn path in music education that goes something like this: a musician graduates from a conservatory or music program, struggles with the financial realities of performing, gradually takes on more and more students to pay the bills, and eventually stops performing altogether. Teaching becomes their full-time job. Their instrument becomes something they demonstrate on rather than something they play.
These are often knowledgeable, well-intentioned people. They understand music theory. They can explain technique clearly. They follow a curriculum. But something essential has been lost.
A teacher who no longer performs is teaching from memory. Their understanding of the instrument is static. Their repertoire is frozen in time. Their relationship with music has shifted from active creation to passive instruction.
A teacher who actively performs is teaching from lived experience. Their technique is current because they use it on stage every week. Their repertoire evolves because they are constantly learning new material for gigs, sessions, and collaborations. Their passion is palpable because they are still in love with the act of making music.
This difference shows up in lessons in ways that are immediately felt, even if they are hard to articulate.
What Performing Musicians Bring to Your Lessons
Current, Battle-Tested Technique
Technique is not a fixed body of knowledge. It evolves through use. A piano teacher who performs jazz every weekend has a different understanding of voicings, comping, and improvisation than one who last played a gig in 2015. A guitar teacher who plays in a working band understands tone, dynamics, and stage volume in ways that cannot be learned from a textbook.
When your teacher is actively using the same skills they are teaching you, their instruction has a specificity and relevance that purely academic teaching lacks. They can tell you not just what to do but why it matters, because they experienced that “why” last Saturday night at a venue in Brooklyn.
Real-World Repertoire
One of the most common frustrations adult students have with traditional music instruction is the repertoire gap. They want to learn songs they actually listen to. They want to play music that excites them. But many teachers default to method book standards that feel disconnected from the music their students love.
Active performers naturally bridge this gap. They are immersed in current music. They know what audiences respond to. They have personal arrangements and interpretations that bring songs to life in ways that sheet music alone never could.
At Kalman, when a student says they want to learn a song they heard at a show last weekend, our teachers do not blink. They often already know it. They might have played it themselves. And they can create a lesson path around it that teaches genuine musical skills through material the student is genuinely excited about.
Stage Presence and Performance Coaching
There is an entire dimension of musicianship that non-performing teachers simply cannot teach: what it feels like to play for other people. How to manage nerves. How to recover gracefully from a mistake mid-song. How to connect with an audience. How to project confidence even when you are unsure.
These skills matter even if you never plan to perform on a stage. They translate to playing for friends at a dinner party, sitting in at a jam session, or simply feeling comfortable enough to play with the windows open. A teacher who regularly navigates the vulnerability of live performance can guide you through these moments with genuine empathy and practical advice.
Infectious Energy and Inspiration
This one is harder to quantify but impossible to ignore. A musician who is actively creating, performing, and collaborating brings an energy to the teaching room that is fundamentally different from someone going through the motions of a job. Their enthusiasm is not performed; it is genuine. They light up when they hear you nail a passage because they know exactly what that breakthrough feels like. They bring stories from last night’s gig, a new technique they discovered in rehearsal, or a recording they are excited about.
This energy is contagious. It transforms lessons from transactions into experiences. And for adult students who are fitting lessons into already-packed schedules, that energy is often the difference between looking forward to your lesson and treating it as another obligation.
The Compensation Question: Why Most Schools Cannot Attract Top Performers
Here is an uncomfortable truth about the music education industry: most music schools pay their teachers poorly. The standard model takes a substantial cut of lesson fees, leaving instructors with 50 to 65 percent of what students pay. For talented performers with active careers, this math does not work. They can earn more playing gigs, doing session work, or teaching independently. So they do.
The result is a talent drain. The most skilled, most passionate, most in-demand musicians opt out of school-based teaching entirely. The schools are left with teachers who need the stability of a salaried position more than they need creative fulfillment. These teachers may be competent, but they are rarely the best musicians in the city.
Kalman Music Lessons takes a fundamentally different approach. Our instructors receive 87 percent of lesson revenue. Read that number again: 87 percent. This is not a typo. It is a deliberate structural decision that changes everything about who teaches at Kalman.
When you pay your teachers at the top of the market, something remarkable happens. You get to choose from the best musicians in New York City. Active performers, recording artists, touring musicians, and session players who would never consider teaching at a conventional school are eager to teach at Kalman because the compensation respects their artistry and their time.
This is not just good for teachers. It is transformative for students. It means your drum instructor played a sold-out show last month. Your saxophone teacher just finished recording an album. Your vocal coach is preparing for a residency at a Manhattan jazz club. These are not abstract credentials. They are living, breathing proof that your teacher walks the walk.
How to Evaluate a Music Teacher
Whether you end up at Kalman or elsewhere, here are the questions worth asking when choosing a music teacher.
Are They Currently Performing?
Ask directly. Where do they play? How often? What kind of music? A teacher who hesitates or gives vague answers is telling you something. A teacher who lights up and starts listing venues, projects, and upcoming shows is telling you something very different.
Can They Teach What You Want to Learn?
Versatility matters, but specificity matters more. If you want to learn jazz piano, you want a teacher who plays jazz piano, not a classical pianist who “can also do jazz.” Active performers have clearly defined musical identities. Make sure theirs aligns with your goals.
Do They Teach Adults?
Teaching adults is a distinct skill. The patience required is different. The communication style is different. The motivational approach is different. Many excellent teachers primarily work with children and have not adapted their methods for adult learners. Ask about their experience with adult beginners specifically.
What Is Their Teaching Philosophy?
Listen for flexibility. A teacher who says “I follow the Royal Conservatory syllabus” might be great for a child preparing for graded exams. But an adult professional who wants to learn songs they love needs a teacher who can adapt their approach on the fly. Active performers tend to be inherently flexible because their own musicianship demands constant adaptation.
How Are They Compensated?
This might feel awkward to ask, but it matters. If a school is charging you $80 per lesson and paying the teacher $40, you are effectively subsidizing administrative overhead at the expense of teacher quality. Schools that compensate teachers well attract better teachers. It is that simple.
The Kalman Model: Built Around Great Teachers
At Kalman Music Lessons, the instructor relationship is the center of everything. Our membership model is designed to foster long-term, meaningful connections between students and teachers. Rather than a transactional, per-lesson structure, members have consistent access to their instructor with the flexibility to adjust as life demands. You can see the details on our pricing page.
We believe that the quality of your teacher determines the quality of your experience. Everything else, scheduling, curriculum, pricing, is infrastructure. The teacher is the product. And by paying our teachers what they deserve, we ensure that Kalman students learn from the most talented, most passionate, most active musicians in New York City.
Experience the Difference Yourself
You can read about the benefits of learning from active performers, or you can experience it firsthand. The difference is apparent from the first lesson: the energy, the relevance, the sense that your teacher is not just instructing you but sharing something they genuinely love.
Book a trial lesson at Kalman Music Lessons and see what it feels like to learn from someone who played a show last night and cannot wait to teach you what they know. No experience required. Just bring your curiosity.