Free template · 2026

Price increase letter to music lesson students

Copy it, replace the bracketed bits, send it. Below the letter: the text-message version, how much notice to give, and what to say when they push back.

Subject: Lessons for [TERM]

Hi [NAME],

[STUDENT NAME]'s [INSTRUMENT] lessons for [TERM] will be [NEW PRICE] per [30 / 45 / 60]-minute lesson — [TERM TOTAL] for the [N] weeks of term, invoiced by [DATE]. Last term, it was [OLD PRICE] a lesson.

It is my first change in [N] years. Studio rent and the upkeep of the [PIANO / INSTRUMENTS] have gone up, as have exam and accompanist fees.

Looking ahead: [STUDENT NAME] is on track for [GRADE / PIECE / PERFORMANCE] in [TERM]. If you would like me to enter them, the exam fee is separate and I will let you know in advance.

The [DAY, TIME] slot is theirs for next term unless you tell me otherwise.

[YOUR NAME]
[BUSINESS NAME]

Before you pick a number

How many customers can this price rise lose?

Gross margin%Price rise%

20%You can lose up to 20% of customers and still make the same profit.

10% ÷ (40% + 10%) = 20%

Open the full calculator, with your prices and customer count →

How much notice

one term ahead, with the term's invoice

Typical increase

5–10% per lesson, from the start of a term

The text-message version

For the customers whose entire relationship with you lives in a phone. Send it before the visit, never on the invoice.

Text message

Hi [NAME], [YOUR NAME] here (music lessons). [TERM] invoice is on its way — lessons are [NEW PRICE] from next term, first change in [N] years. [STUDENT NAME]'s [DAY] slot is kept for them.

Why it is going up, in words you can use

“Rising costs” persuades nobody because everyone says it. Name the actual driver in music teaching instead:

studio or room rent, and keeping a teaching instrument tuned and serviced
exam board fees and accompanist costs, which rise every year
the unpaid admin: scheduling, rescheduled lessons and practice notes
teaching rates that were set when the teacher was building a student list

When they push back

You will hear these within a week. Having the answer ready is the difference between holding the price and folding on the phone.

"Could we drop to 30-minute lessons?": Say yes, and be honest about what it means: "That works well for [BEGINNERS / YOUNGER STUDENTS]. Past [GRADE], 30 minutes gets tight to cover scales, pieces and sight-reading." Let them choose. Many move back up when exams approach.
"There are free apps for this now.": "They are good for practice between lessons, and I am happy for them to use one." Do not compete with the app — include it. Apps do not catch a collapsing wrist or a rushed bar, and parents who have seen a student progress know it.
"Can we pay per lesson instead of per term?": Hold the termly model — it is what protects you from last-minute cancellations. Offer instalments if cost is the real issue: "I can split the term into two payments." That solves the cash flow without making lessons optional.

Before you send it

Is a price rise even the right move for you?

Sometimes it is not. Sometimes the money is in a service plan for customers you already have, or in the job you are quoting below cost without realising. Describe your business in one sentence and you will get three specific moves back — priced per month, with the arithmetic written out so you can put your own numbers in.

Free, no signup, about thirty seconds. If one of them is a price rise, you will get the number to put in the brackets above.

Give me three moves

More letters: lessons and childcare

tutoring families childcare and nursery parents

A template, not legal advice. If you have a written contract with these students and parents, check what it says about notice periods and price changes before you send anything — the contract wins over any template, including this one.