5 Marketing Strategies to Help Your Music Teaching Business Stand Out

Are you struggling to attract new students to your music teaching business? Don't worry, there are plenty of marketing strategies you can use to make your business more visible and appealing to potential students. In this article, we'll be discussing 5 effective marketing strategies that can help your music teaching business shine. From creating a strong online presence to offering unique incentives, we'll cover everything you need to know to make your business stand out from the competition. So, whether you're just starting out or looking to revamp your marketing efforts, read on to discover the top strategies for attracting new students and boosting your music teaching business.

1) Utilize Social Media (Instagram or Facebook)

This is the number 1 place to post your business and that you have openings. Join a local community board on Facebook and see if you can post in there. Post on your feed. Share pictures of your studio space, pictures of you, your instruments. Set up a tripod and do a personal photoshoot of you playing your instrument. Sounds silly, but in the end, the students are investing in you. You are the product of the service. So you have to show yourself.'

2) Neighborhood Newsletter or Group Feed

Call a nearby neighborhood’s HOA and ask if they have a newsletter that is sent out monthly or if they have a facebook group or communication center you can advertise on. Create a little business card size ad (that way your advertising fee is less with the HOA as you will more than likely have to pay to advertise if you are outside the neighborhood) with your contact information on it to post and that’s it. I look for the super large neighborhoods. That way my info gets in front of a ton of new people. Same with an online group feed. Ask before you post.

3) Use BUZZ Words In Your Advertising or Flyers

Utilizing community posting boards at a coffee shop or local gym, use a buzz word to get people to stop in their tracks to consider you as a teacher! Do you offer online lessons? SAY THAT! “Online Private Music lessons”. Do you offer a FREE trial lesson, say that! “FREE Trial Lesson”. “Jazz piano lessons”, “Classical Specialty”, “Music Audition Specialist”. Say something that makes someone take a second look and think about it. “ONLINE or IN PERSON Private Piano Lessons. Contact by 6/1 for a FREE Trial Lesson!”. That would make someone stop and think about it.

4) Offer a Discount for Military or Emergency Responder Families

This is a big one for me in my area as we have a lot of military personnel in our town. I have a special flyer that I post at the army base and education school specifically for military families. The only thing is, some of these families are not long term, but only for as long as they are in the area. So you can expand it to Emergency Responders, to help out the ones that help you when you need them.

5) Offer Lessons or Variety To Your Studio

Don’t be a one-hit wonder, have more offerings up if you are able to. Most any musician can learn to teach beginning piano. You don’t have to be an advanced pianist to teach piano especially if you only ever plan to only teach beginning piano. Here’s a good rule of thumb, you just have to get really good at teaching through Level 2B of a method books. (I personally love the Faber & Faber Piano Adventures.) It’s okay to only teach through beginning and elementary piano. Most students only go beyond this level. If a student progresses, refer them to a more advanced teacher. That’s what happened to me when I was a kid. I outplayed my teacher and moved up. Nothing wrong with that. Also, if you are already mildly proficient at a second instrument expand your capabilities. Get better at it and continue to work on it. My main instrument is the horn, but it’s a specialty instrument so I also teach piano which I was classically trained on all the way to college. When I first started teaching, I didn’t think I would feel comfortable teaching advanced-level lessons. But they are some of my favorites because it’s real music! And to expand further, I’m developing accompaniment skills and accompanying my horn students with their solos. All the main solos I worked on through college, I’m learning the accompanist parts. So now I can use ACCOMPANIST as part of my BUZZ word with advertising if I need to ever advertise.

What are other ways you found worked for you with advertising?

Happy Teaching!

Key Essentials: Everything You Need to Launch Your Own Private Music Studio

Ready to start your own music studio? First, you have to have a couple of things to be able to teach music lessons. (This post contains affiliate links)

1) Choose a method series that you will follow. for private piano lessons, I love the Faber & Faber Piano adventures and have been using the series for the past 15 years. It’s a little slower-paced than other series’ out there, but it develops a strong foundation in rhythm, and note names from the beginning BEFORE introducing more complex note values.

2) Invest in a piano. You don’t have to have a huge grand piano to start or an acoustic piano. You can start your studio with just an electric or digital piano. Here are 2 options that work well. A Full size 88-key weighted piano or here’s an option that you can take with you for easy portability as a traveling music teacher! Both are Yamaha which are considered the gold standard in electric pianos.

3. Students! For that I suggest you start here: STARTING YOUR STUDIO STRATEGIES to learn the secrets to geting your stuio started. And don’t forget, 12 Week Online Course Successful Private Music Studio Strategies to help you get started, build and create a successful and THRIVING private music studio! You can check that out here.

4. Studio Policy to set the boundaries and expectations with your new students. I’m a huge advocate for having an ironclad music studio because I’ve been there, where I didn’t have one and was taken advantage of by not getting paid, taken seriously, or families wasting my time by not showing up for lessons. Set yourself up TODAY with a strong ironclad studio policy to avoid any problems down the line. Check out my Successful Private Music Studio Policy Templates here! You can get a done for you studio policy, that is ironclad and stands the test of time. It took me years, to create this studio policy making sure I covered ALL THE BASES of expectations, to help new teachers just like you.

5. Bookkeeping. For business purposes, you need to be tracking income. This is how you can track your growth and continue to grow. Again, I’ve taken all the steps to help get you started, but providing ALL the templates I use for bookkeeping purposes with step by step videos to walk you through how to customize it for you and your business, from invoices (Lesson Summary) Receipts, student organizing, total money earned plus more! Check out my Successful Private Music Studios Bookkeeping Online Mini Course!

Happy Teaching!

10 Proven Tips for Launching a Successful New Music Teaching Business

Are you passionate about music and eager to share your knowledge with others? Becoming a private music teacher can be a fulfilling and lucrative career path. However, it's not just about having musical skills; communication and recruitment are also crucial aspects of the job.

1. Get your name out there. Set up a free website to have a landing page for people interested able to start somewhere, because most searches start online. Start hanging flyers up, and advertise at local coffee shops, neighborhood newsletters, and community boards online. Become the name people know and recognize.

2. Start thinking about how you can effectively communicate with parents. Start practicing answering common questions that are asked. You can see some of the top ones I’ve encountered here. The goal is to get them on the phone and chat with them, or in your door for a trial lesson to make sure things click between you and the family. 🎶 The trial lesson does not have to be free. That’s your choice, but remember, your time is worth something. You can always start offering free trial lessons, and change at a later time too.

3. Select the method books you are going to be teaching from. There are a lot of choices out there and take the time to sit down with the different method books and decide what you feel most comfortable with. For private piano lessons, I use the Faber & Faber Piano Adventures.

4. Create your business model and scheduling. To maximize your time spent teaching block off time in your week and schedule all lessons back to back. Have the students come to you if you can and just keep them rolling in one after another. You can teach a lot of students in very little time.

5. Bookkeeping is essential to track your business. From income tracking, to tuition statements, you will want to have some form of Bookkeeping. I created a mini course with all the Bookkeeping tools I use so you can become a powerhouse too, plus accompanying videos on how to customize all documents on your computer for your studio! Check it out here! Successful Private Music Studios Bookkeeping Powerhouse Mini Course.

6. Start working on your musicianship skills. You’re going to be teaching others, but still take the time to keep developing yours. From working on a new piece of music to joining a local community ensemble to perform with. 🎶 This creates Credentials that you are actively performing still is a great talking point for why learning music can benefit not just as a child but later in life too. Even if you are just back into picking music back up.

7. Create a studio policy so that all the questions regarding your music studio is answered before the student comes to the first lesson. That way you establish the rules, sets you up as someone who’s taking this seriously and leaves out any questions for what to do when. You can get my IRONCLAD ready made studio policy template that you can customize to fit your studio. I walk you through exactly how to customize it to truly make it your own. You can get it here: Successful Music Studio Policy Templates Mini Course.

8. Set a goal for how many students you want to have by a specific date. Then work to start a wait list so that you will always have students in demand ready to walk through your doors.

9. Think outside of the box when it comes to what you can offer as a teacher. Can you teach more than one instrument, a primary and a secondary? Are you an accompanist? Can you sing? List what you can offer on your website.

10. Create a fun atmosphere for your students from the moment they walk in the door. Believe it or not, even just having a simple candy bowl from them to take a piece of candy from at the end of lessons, will make them want to come back week after week, year after year. You can also create sticker charts, or challenges for them to work for prizes from a “treasure box”. Practice x amount of days and they get to take a prize from the box. Keeps them engaged and excited.

Becoming a private music teacher can be an exciting and rewarding career path for those who have a passion for music and teaching. Remember that communication, recruitment, forming bonds with your students, and organization are all crucial aspects of the job. With dedication and hard work, you can help aspiring musicians appreciate their artistry and create beautiful sounds through music lessons.

Happy Teaching!

Private Piano Lessons Method Books

I’ve been using this Faber & Faber Piano Adventures 4 book series set since I started teaching in my home based studio back in 2007. I literally sat down in the music store and went through all the different method books and choose this series because it was slower paced, not introducing too many concepts at once or super early on giving a very strong foundation in the basics of note reading and counting. The 8th note learning doesn’t even happen until level 2A. And the book series has worked well for me!

When you decide on the method books you choose to use, I suggest you get a full set of every level to have on hand that way you have a set of books if your student forgets their books for lessons or if you are doing online lessons so you are following along in your set of books with the student during their lesson.

Happy Teaching!

How To Easily Transition To Teaching Online Music Lessons | TOP 5 TIPS

Non-essential business have been shut down in our state for at least a month at this point and I had to make the quick decision on transitioning to online lessons. It’s actually an easy transition, technology wise! Follow these steps to continue your teaching online during this time, or open up your teaching to online lessons to be able to teach more students in general!

ZOOM is an amazing teaching site that allows you to have multiple people and devices at once and it’s FREE! Set up an account and select MEETINGS —> Schedule Meeting. Assign each student a RECURRING meeting time so that it uses a custom code for every student. Be sure to scroll down to ADVANCED, and select waiting room, so that they have a place to wait while you end one student and then start theirs. Password is optional. Then just Send them their customized link. Each week you sign into your zoom and open the meetings as they happen.

Be sure to send out a notice to all parents about what you expect during this time from being in the waiting room for lessons 5 minutes early and even advise them on no shows/late and that lessons will only be for the time allotted. If the student is late, you will not be making up the time at the end or at a later date. You, as the teacher, should not be expected to send out a text message to the parents each time they don’t show up for lessons. It’s the parent’s responsibility to remember to have their child in lesson on time.

SAMPLE LETTER:

For you as the teacher, know that teaching online is a much SLOWER process. You can not go at the speed you did when teaching face to face. It takes more listening than talking at times too.

1) You must have a copy of every book the students are using. Forego doing theory if you have to, but you will need a copy of their books plus a notebook and keep record of what you assigned them.

2) Allow the student to complete their playing then give them notes on what and where to correct then go back over. Often there is a lag and if you correct while they are playing by the time they hear your comment they could already be half a measure ahead and get confused. So listen then correct.

3) Be clear with where you are talking about, measure numbers. Older kids need to write in every measure number to make it easier. For younger students go back over how to count their measures. Be prepared to hold your music up and show them exactly.

4) If you tell them to mark something in their music, mark yours too so you know exactly what you are telling them to help them next time.

5) if you are feeling frustrated or the student is feeling frustrated, move on to the next thing, and let them know we’ll work on it again next week. This is new for you and them, and it’s a big change. Don’t let your frustration show. Often they just need a break, or will be able to pick up the concept during their practicing that week after they sit down with it.

In the end, lessons online are completely doable. Be open and honest with the parents. Check in with them each month to see how it’s working for them. Honestly having our 75 Days of practicing challenge already going has helped us stay committed to practicing during this time because they know that they will still get their prizes even with being quarantined!

Happy teaching!

The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Successful Music Studio Business: Top Tips and Tricks for Aspiring Entrepreneurs

Are you an aspiring entrepreneur looking to start a successful music studio business? Look no further, because I have compiled the ultimate guide for you!

One of the first things you'll need is a well-designed website, but don't worry if you're not tech-savvy. You can find easy to follow websites like webs.com to help you get started quickly and easy. This is the easiest way to get word of mouth out there via Facebook or Instagram to be able to link back to your site for the potential student family to learn more about you. You can view my website www.beckysmusicstudio.com to get an idea of how you can set up your site.

Next, consider what services you'll offer. Private music lessons are always in demand, but how do you stand out from the competition? (you can check out this post here for some times I share on standing out from the competition) One way is to create a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere in your music studio.

Additionally, you can offer unique services, like songwriting workshops, music theory workshops or recording sessions, to attract more customers.

Marketing your business is also crucial for success. Social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook are great for promoting your music studio and engaging with potential customers. You can also offer promotions, like free trial lessons or referral discounts, to entice new clients. But the key is to TALK ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS!

Starting a music studio business can be challenging, but by following these top tips and tricks, you can increase your chances of success. With hard work and dedication, your music studio can become the go-to place for aspiring musicians in your community! If you want more help in getting your studio started, don’t forget to check out our mini courses, build your own ironclad policy with our customizable and DONE FOR YOUR Studio Policy Template or our Bookkeeping Powerhouse course to help you keep track of the backend of your business!

Happy Teaching!

Turn Your Fun Habit Into A Side Hustle or Business

I perform on the French Horn with our local symphonic band in our town. It’s a great way for me to continue my education in band music but also develop my talents and perform regularly. It’s an 80 piece ensemble filled with so many talented musicians. We are all adults and have other things we do during the week. But, a majority of the people in the band, don’t teach lessons, or have never taught lessons. I get it. Not every one wants to be a teacher, but when I talk to some of the musicians and they are either retired, in between jobs, or struggling to like their current job, or just looking for something more to do with their life (hello stay at home moms!), the first t thing I asked them was, “have you thought about teaching?” Most of them think I’m crazy, but honestly, we need more teachers out there.

Have you ever thought about teaching? It’s a great way to add a little supplemental income or if you are wanting to go in full time, you can make it work. The key though…START! Here’s some secrets to get you started!

1) Decide what levels you feel comfortable teaching through. Most anyone with an intermediate based or higher piano skill can teach beginning piano.

2) Decide what books you plan to use. I personally have been using the Faber & Faber Piano Adventures. But my son, who is with another piano teacher uses the Piano Town books.

3) Decide how many days you want to teach and the time available that you can and that will determine how many students you can teach. If you can teach 2 days a week for 2 hours each day, that’s 4 students with 30 minute lessons! (If your lessons are between $80-$100 / month then that’s an extra $320-$400, teaching just 4 hours a week.)

4) You don’t have to teach from your house, you can be a traveling teacher (plan time between lessons to drive to the next location.) Or rent a space at a local music store or check with other venues that might be available like in a church or other spaces.

5) Place up some advertisement at local stores or talk to friends to spread the word. Then get teaching.

🌟 Create a professional atmosphere from the start with one of our ironclad Music Studio Policies where we go over tuition costs, and how to answer all the questions a parent will have before they start working with you and make sure you have all the backend bookkeeping tools and templates to help you stay organized in your new business with our Bookkeeping Powerhouse Kit.

In the end, you won’t know unless you try! And if you feel like, “man, I just need more help getting this started”…my Successful Private Music Studios Strategies 12 Week Online Course is going to be your answer! Coming soon!! So make sure you get on our mailing list because everything you need to build, grow, run, and create a successful and THRIVING private music studio is INCLUDED in the course!

Happy Teaching,

xo Becky

New School Year Means New Students Ready To Start Private Lessons | BEST Tips For Budget Friendly Advertising

I LOVE the new school year! It’s that time of year where parents want the best, and enroll their kids in ALL the after school activities. Especially music lessons!

If you are thinking about starting your own studio RIGHT NOW IS THE TIME TO ADVERTISE that you are open / will be open for business this school year.

Then get to the presses and start making posters you can display or hand out to interested potential families.

BEST TIPS FOR BUDGET FRIENDLY ADVERTISING:

UTILIZE FREE ADVERTISING BULLETIN BOARDS! There are lots of places you can find a bulletin board. Make sure though that it’s open to anyone to post on first because some bulletins only allow non profit or have requirements to be able to post. Speak with the store manager first. Panera Bread has a bulletin board along with many grocery stores!

UTILIZE LOCAL BUSINESSES! You can also ask local shops or stores if you can display business cards or a poster in their shop. This becomes All FREE to advertise!

FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM ARE YOUR PERSONAL STORE FRONTS! You can make a post on your personal feed or business page and ask your local friends to share your post. And to make sure you stand out in local searches make sure to tag your city so that will show up on the search bar and in local friends posts.

BE THE ONE ALL THE MOMS WANT! Have you joined the local Facebook mom group? MOPS or often times there is just a local mommy group. Moms are ALWAYS asking for recommendations for a music teachers. Be the one that posts and also if you post in there enough, they will start to tag you as, “so and so is a teacher!'' My babysitter is super active on those pages and whenever she sees someone asking she always recommends me so that’s super helpful too! WORD OF MOUTH!

NEIGHBORHOOD ADVERTISING! Gone are the days of putting advertisements in the mailbox, you can still do that but another great idea to advertise, subdivision newsletters or the Facebook Neighborhood Page. Scope out your area and nearby neighborhoods and contact the HOA to see if you can be included in the next neighborhood newsletter or on their group page. There might be a fee, but with a newsletter that has 600 residences or more it might be a worthy investment. Most HOA’s newsletters, are reasonable.

WHAT TO USE FOR ADVERTISING POSTERS: You don’t have to spend major bucks to get your name out there, you just have to be consistent with posting flyers, telling people that you teach lessons while you are at church, or with the groups you are part of or even when you are out and about at the grocery store. Flyers that you post don’t have to be fancy either about your advertisement. Don’t go spend money on a thick poster board or pamphlet at Staples. While they look nice, they cost a pretty penny to make, it’s not really that necessary. Check out my typical poster I’ve used and had great success with when I have to advertise. I love using the little tear away strips, that you pre cut, because you get more use out of your flyer and you can continue to check in on it and see how much interest there is. Check back in a week and if only 1 tab is missing might be time to relocate it. If all the tabs are missing, PUT UP A NEW FLYER!

The best advice is to make your advertising, keeping it simple for you to make over and over again, efficient and to the point and easy for your prospect families to use so that you get your email box filled with prospect students wanting more info and the phones ringing!

Next step is to be prepared for what they are going to be asking you when they call to check your availability.

STARTING YOUR STUDIO SOON? You need to have a studio policy! Once a parent says, “YES! We’d love to start with you!” You need to have a policy in place as a way to protect you and your business and help answer all the questions before they happen. GET YOUR CUSTOMIZABLE PRE-MADE TEMPLATE HERE that covers Tuition Fees, What happens during snow days, Termination Policy, Studio schedule and more!

Be on the lookout! Get more in depth info and strategies like these in my upcoming COMPLETE 12 week course releasing this fall to help you START your studio, BUILD your students, RUN all the internal stuff easily, and MAINTAIN a THRIVING and SUCCESSFUL Private music studio! Be the first to know more by SUBSCRIBING TO OUR LAUNCH EMAIL LIST! Hours and hours have been put into the course and I know it will help make your life easier in setting up your studio and helping it run more efficiently!

Happy Teaching,

xo Becky