Music Lesson Rate Calculator
Plug in your income target and teaching capacity. The calculator runs the platform-fee math and shows you what to charge per 30 / 45 / 60-min lesson — plus where that lands against the regional median.
| Lesson length | Rate |
|---|---|
| 30 min | $37 |
| 45 min | $55 |
| 60 min | $74 |
Regional median for piano in US-mid: $50–$90 (median $65).
Why most rate calculators give you the wrong number
Every teacher I talk to has done some version of this math on the back of an envelope. They divide the income they want by the hours they can teach and call it done. The answer is wrong, because it ignores the two things that actually move the per-lesson rate by the most: your business expenses (room rent, sheet music, insurance, software, keeping a piano tuned) and the cost of accepting payment.
On the Segnoly waitlist I see this pattern weekly. A teacher writes in: “I want to make $60k. I teach twenty hours a week. I should charge $58 an hour, right?” Not really — at 44 weeks a year, twenty hours a week, the simple division comes out at ~$68/hour. Subtract $200/mo of expenses and add the 2% platform fee on cards (with 70% of payments running through cards) and the real number is closer to $75–80 a lesson.
Where the regional band comes from
The comparison band uses public data — the MTNA 2023 US rate survey, the Musicians’ Union 2024 UK rate card, and several public-marketplace samples (Lessonface, TakeLessons) for other regions. It’s a useful gut-check, not a target. The band tells you whether your number is inside the normal range; it doesn’t tell you whether your specific studio should charge that. Your reputation, niche, and waitlist size matter more.
Why the plan toggle exists
Segnoly’s pricing is structured so that the platform fee disappears the moment you pay a flat subscription. The toggle lets you compare what a $79/month Studio plan does to your required rate, versus the free Pay-as-you-earn plan with its 2% fee.