BECOME A LITTLE FOLKIES TEACHER

Spread the Joy of Folk Music

Bring music, joy, and connection to children and families in your community.

Little Folkies partners with musicians and educators to lead warm, all-acoustic family music classes for children ages 0–5 and their grown-ups.

Whether you want to teach a few weekly classes or eventually build your own Little Folkies program, every teaching path begins with Little Folkies Teacher Certification.

LITTLE FOLKIES TEACHER CERTIFICATION

Learn to Lead Warm, Musical, Engaging Classes

The Little Folkies Teacher Certification Program prepares you to lead Little Folkies classes with confidence, musicality, warmth, and connection.

You’ll learn the Little Folkies teaching philosophy, curriculum, class structure, repertoire, and the practical skills needed to lead babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and their grown-ups through a joyful shared music experience.

Training includes:

  • Teaching babies, toddlers, and preschoolers

  • Caregiver participation and engagement

  • Singing and healthy vocal technique

  • Guitar or ukulele while teaching

  • Rhythm, movement, and instrument play

  • Class flow and musical transitions

  • Lesson planning

  • Group leadership and classroom presence

  • Little Folkies teaching standards and philosophy

Certification is not automatic. Teachers must complete the course, required assignments, lesson plan, and teaching demonstrations before moving forward.


.

YOUR CERTIFICATION PATH

1. Complete the Teacher Certification Course
Online video lessons, assignments, practice, and teaching demonstrations.

2. Complete the Little Folkies Song Workshop
Learn and demonstrate the seasonal Little Folkies repertoire.

3. Receive Your Certification

4. Complete Teacher Onboarding
Then move into teaching opportunities or the Teacher Partnership Program, depending on your path.

Every path starts with certification

All Little Folkies teachers complete certification before teaching. This keeps the class experience warm, musical, consistent, and high-quality across every location.

ONLINE TRAINING

Complete the Little Folkies Certification Course with video lessons, quizzes, and assignments.

Ongoing TRAINING & SUPPORT

Receive ongoing training, teaching resources, and support as part of the Little Folkies teacher community.

SEASONAL SONG WORKSHOPS

Learn each Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter song collection with seasonal instruction and teaching preparation.

TWO WAYS TO TEACH LITTLE FOLKIES

Choose a path that fits you best: Get paid hourly to teach, or run your own little folkies program as a partner.

HOURLY LITTLE FOLKIES TEACHER

Teach the classes. We handle the business side.

Focus on teaching while Little Folkies manages registration, scheduling, venues, administration, and primary marketing.

Earn $80–$140 per weekly class + 30% of private bookings and events.

LITTLE FOLKIES TEACHER PARTNER

Build and run your own Little Folkies program.

Take responsibility for your local classes, venues, registration, administration, and marketing while using the Little Folkies curriculum, brand, systems, and support.

Keep 70% of class revenue.

HOURLY LITTLE FOLKIES TEACHER

Focus on Teaching — We Handle the Business Side

Hourly Little Folkies teachers focus on teaching and leading great classes while Little Folkies manages the behind-the-scenes work.

Little Folkies Handles

  • Registration and payments

  • Scheduling

  • Venue coordination

  • Customer communication

  • Program administration

  • Marketing and promotional materials

  • Teacher support

You Focus On

  • Teaching engaging Little Folkies classes

  • Preparing weekly lesson plans

  • Learning the seasonal repertoire

  • Arriving prepared and on time

  • Creating a warm, welcoming class environment

  • Following Little Folkies curriculum and teaching standards

  • Helping spread the word about your classes locally

PRIVATE BOOKINGS + EVENTS

Teachers may also have opportunities to teach birthday parties, private classes, Pop-Up Music Circles, and other special events.

Teachers earn 30% of booking income for private bookings they teach.

WEEKLY CLASS PAY

Hourly Teacher pay is based on paid full-series enrollment:

8–10 students — $80/class
11–13 students — $100/class
14–16 students — $120/class
17+ students — $140/class

Classes require a minimum of 8 paid full-series students to run.

Pay is based on full-series enrollment rather than weekly attendance. Drop-ins, trials, makeups, and complimentary registrations do not count toward the teacher pay tier.

LITTLE FOLKIES TEACHER PARTNER

Build Your Own Little Folkies Program

Want more independence, responsibility, and earning potential?Teacher Partners build and manage their own local Little Folkies program using the Little Folkies curriculum, brand, systems, and support.

TEACHER PARTNER

RECEIVE 70% OF Class income

Teacher Partners are responsible for the business side of their program, including:

  • Finding and securing venues

  • Creating schedules

  • Local marketing and promotion

  • Social media and newsletters

  • Registration and customer communication

  • Backend administration

  • Local contracts

  • Space rental and advertising expenses

  • Building enrollment

  • Business licensing and commercial liability insurance

LITTLE FOLKIES

RECEIVE 30% of class income

Little Folkies provides everything the teacher partner needs to run successful classes including:

  • Curriculum and music

  • Little Folkies brand

  • Registration and payment systems

  • Marketing templates and promotional resources

  • Business systems and tutorials

  • Ongoing training and support

  • Instrument kit

  • Little Folkies book + CD box sets

  • Step-by-step guidance for launching and growing your program


Partner TRAINING

Teacher Partners first complete the Little Folkies Teacher Certification Program, followed by additional Teacher Partnership training.

Teacher Partnership Program — $1,000

WHO’S A GOOD FIT?

Little Folkies teachers are musicians and educators who genuinely enjoy working with young children and families.

We’re looking for teachers who can:

  • Sing confidently and in tune

  • Play guitar or ukulele at an intermediate level

  • Maintain a steady rhythm

  • Sing, play, move, and lead at the same time

  • Memorize songs, movements, chords, and lesson plans

  • Connect naturally with babies, toddlers, preschoolers, and caregivers

  • Lead groups with warmth, confidence, and presence

  • Communicate reliably and professionally

Experience working with children and previous music experience are strongly preferred.

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Please keep in mind:

  • Background checks are required

  • Certification must be completed before teaching

  • Certification is not automatic

  • Teachers may be asked to resubmit assignments or teaching videos

  • Training fees are non-refundable

  • Teachers must follow Little Folkies curriculum and teaching standards

  • Reliability and communication are essential

The Certification Course is designed to prepare teachers not simply to perform for children, but to guide a shared musical experience for children and their grown-ups—with strong class flow, caregiver participation, musical confidence, and connection at the center.

Ready to get started?

Apply today for the role that fits you best!

TEACH LITTLE FOLKIES

Focus on teaching while Little Folkies handles scheduling, registration, administration, and program management.

BUILD YOUR OWN CLASS

Become a Teacher Partner and build Little Folkies in your community. We provide the structure and curriculum.