Simplify Your Business: How to Maximize Your Teaching and Business Schedule

Running a private music studio and teaching lessons can be a fulfilling and rewarding experience, but it can also be overwhelming. Between managing your schedule and keeping track of your students' progress, it can feel like there's never enough time in the day. However, simplifying your business and maximizing your schedule with just a few days a week can help you achieve a better work-life balance while still providing quality education to your students.

One way to simplify your business is to streamline your scheduling process. Rather than offering lessons every day of the week, consider limiting your availability to just a few days and always back to back. This not only makes it easier for you to manage your time, it gives you a block of working hours that are easy to tell prospective parents about and you always know what slot is open. Plus, your students come to expect that their lesson day remains the same. Giving the students a sense of structure and consistency. You can offer multiple lesson times on those designated days to accommodate different schedules.

Another way to maximize your schedule is to prioritize your teaching methods and focus on what works best for you and your students. Instead of trying to teach every genre or style, hone in on your areas of expertise and offer those lessons exclusively. Or create a lesson plan for specific grades associated with a level. My advanced students all follow the same path. Freshmans, is fugue year. Sophomores, is mini Sonatina year. Junior is accompanist year (they will actually learn to accompany me while I play a horn solo) and Senior year, is Senior recital year ranging from a Mozart concerto to a big Solo piece. This not only makes it easier for you to prepare for each lesson, but provides a structure to your teaching.

In addition, for the back end of the teaching. You can simplify your bookkeeping and send emails only one day a month. For me, every 23rd of the month is the day I have scheduled on my calendar to send out lesson summaries, (tuition dues) And I wait until the 1st to do my banking from depositing checks or transferring the income received in my Paypal to my bank.

Ultimately, simplifying your business and maximizing your schedule with just a few days a week can help you achieve a healthier work-life balance while still providing quality education to your students. By streamlining your scheduling process, prioritizing your teaching methods, and incorporating technology, you can become more efficient and effective in your role as a private music instructor.

Happy Teaching!

The Ultimate Guide to Overcoming Challenges in Your Music Teaching Business

As a music teacher, running a successful business can be challenging. From attracting new students to managing finances, there are many obstacles that can make it difficult to thrive in this industry. However, with the right strategies and mindset, it is possible to overcome these challenges and build a thriving music teaching business. In this ultimate guide, we will explore some of the most common obstacles faced by music teachers and provide practical tips and advice for overcoming them. Whether you're just starting out or looking to take your business to the next level, this guide will provide valuable insights and actionable steps that you can take to achieve success in your music teaching business. So, let's dive in and discover how you can overcome the challenges and build a successful and fulfilling career in music teaching.

1) Lack of practicing by the students. This is number one and can be frustrating for not only you, whose goal is to keep the learning happening week by week but also the parents at home. If they have to keep reminding their child to practice or nag them to get it done, it isn’t fun for anyone.

• Tip 1: LET THEM PICK A SONG TO LEARN at their level. Use a Popular music book that has some of your favorite current songs in it. When a student enjoys what they are doing, they will practice.

• Tip 2: Incentivize your student to practice. Through a challenge or even just having a simple candy bowl for them to pick a candy at the end of the lesson.

2) Late tuition payments. Because this is a business you are reliant on receiving payment. For me and my family, this is what helps pay the bills. So for us, receiving timely tuition payments is a must.

• Tip 1: In your studio policy clearly state when the due date is for payments and if payments aren’t received within a week of the due date, a late fee will be added. This is a business. A service-related business and most services expect payment.

• Tip 2: one thing that has truly helped my business is to transition on receive online payments. You can set up a “due date” and a reminder is sent out if they haven’t paid by the due date.

3) Incompatible personalities. Whether it’s with the student or the family. It happens. Even when I was taking lessons, I didn’t mesh well with one of my teachers and it was horrible.

• Tip 1: Address it. Talk to the family, and be open. Don’t just try to “get through it” If you’re feeling the strain from it, they are too, which will impact the lack of practice and a willingness to participate fully.

4) Tardiness. Being late to lessons happens, occasionally but if a student is habitually late or misses lessons that is a cause for a discussion with the parents and even to the point of removal from the studio. Remind them that you don’t want to waste their time or money and your time as well. You are here to help them, but can only do so if the student is there to receive the help.

• Tip 1: Clearly state in the studio policy that lessons will not be extended if a student is late. Their lesson time is the lesson time and If there is excessive tardiness or missed lessons, may cause removal from the studio. If a new lesson time is required, please notify me as soon as possible to help remedy the situation.

5) Filling your music studio. If you struggle with filling your studio, this can be from a number of factors from, specialized instrument —not enough people playing to fill a studio, location, tuition dues too high or even just more advertising.

• Tip 1: If you teach a specialized instrument, can you teach a secondary instrument? I play french horn, and there aren’t a lot of students in the area that play horn, or don’t already have another horn teacher. But I also play piano. So most of my student is actually filled with piano students and 1/3 is horn. I’m personally so close to closing the gap but, piano is technically my fall back, studio filler.

• Tip 2: Are you away from the city center, or out in a more rural area? A solution could be to open a studio closer to town. While it won’t be run in your home you might have to rent a space to teach lessons. Places to look into renting: churches, music stores, ask the schools if you can use a practice room for after school lessons, or even open up your own storefront.

• Tip 3: If you are getting a lot of interest in lessons but not converting to students in your studio, reevaluate your tuition. Maybe you’re priced a little high in your area. You can always start tuition lower, and over time increase it. But don’t undersell yourself either just to get students in the door. Be reasonable. Check pricing of local teachers in the area and be in the median point of that.

• Tip 4: Advertise anywhere and everywhere you can. Call subdivisions and ask if they have a monthly newsletter or Facebook group you can advertise on. Make an ad in there. Leave your card or flyer on community boards at the gym, coffee shops, or other local eateries that often have a advertisement / posting board up. Create an incentive in your studio for referrals. Contact churches and see if they can pass the word on. Post on Instagram or Facebook that you are have opening in your music studio. Talk about it often, with anyone and everyone.

At one point or another you will have at least 1 of these challenges in your studio. And It’s never fun to have a difficult conversation with any parent regarding their child, but it must be done if you are going to overcome any of these challenges. Just remember, this is your business. You are here to serve but, there hast to be a willingness on both sides for you to effectively do so.

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!

Making The Jump To Accepting Online Tuition Payments | Setting up your Business Invoices on PayPal

Have you been thinking about moving moving to more online practices? From sending out Welcome Packet emails instead of through snail mail, or monthly tuition emails, or even start accepting online payments for tuition online.

I recently l made the switch to accept payments via PayPal and let me tell you, IT HAS BEEN AMAZING! No more awkward face to face “I haven’t received tuition for the month” conversations because you can just send a “REMINDER” through PayPal. Plus you can create a template for invoices and all you do is plug in the address of who it’s to, amount, and I include a copy of the lesson summary I make as well, set a due by date and off it goes! And I’m getting all my student’s tuitions paid on time, easily!

Plus with the REPORTS it made our taxes so easy because it separated out income, outcome and even our fees, yes fees, a portion of your income will be used to pay PayPal, but you can take that information to your tax expert to have them enter it into your taxes and deductions.

Let me walk you through.

First you must set it up as a business account, because you are running a business.

Once it’s set up as a business you can set up your invoices. Click CREATE INVOICE in the left sidebar or under the drop down list of TOOLS—> Invoices—>Create Invoice.

Add your logo and business information. And save as template. I personally use the Amount only template.

Add reference information (i.e. May Tuition)

Add due date

TYPE: Services

BILL TO: Add your students information, and once you enter it once you just have to pull their info from the address book and you are good to go!

For the description portion I only use Description and Amount. That’s it look at my example below:

Then ATTACH FILE: This is where I attach my official lesson summary PDF for the individual student.

Preview, and if everything looks okay, SEND!

Also with the new Paypal.me option for those parents that still prefer to pay by check and I’m sending their monthly lesson summary via email, I have been including a link option to my paypal.me page as an option for them to just click the link and pay or still pay by check. But they have an easy option to pay online without having an invoice pre made for them.

I’ve been loving the simplicity of receiving the tuition online, and the whole process is documented easily and done!

Happy Teaching!

xo, Becky

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

Holiday Recitals And How To Squeeze Them In During The Busiest Time of The Year

The holidays are quickly approaching, and you want to showcase your student’s hard work! GREAT! But, how do you make time in your and all your student’s families for a recital?

1. GET A LOCATION NOW! Start calling around at churches , or facilities asking what is available before you set a date. Or if you already know a date ask specifically for that date.

2. Be flexible on TIME OF DAY. Sometimes most families have an easier time with midday recitals when they have other activities during the evening.

3. Use the opportunity to do community service. With Covid, this might not be possible, but for the future, other locations that you can perform are: Retirement or Senior Centers, Malls, Even at the Hospital. You have to get prior permission and there might be other rules attached, but I consider this a Community Service project as a way to give back to the community.

4. Pick an odd day. Wednesdays and Thursdays seem to be an odd day for many activities and often don’t have a conflict. So try these days instead of a typical Friday or Saturday.

5. Try to notify your parents AS SOON AS YOU HAVE YOUR RECITAL DATE. And know, that someone might not be able to participate, and that’s okay, it happens. Life is busy at the holidays. goal is to be as early as possible with notifying so they have enough time to put you on their calendar before it fills up over the next month.

6. Last tip: AIM TO KEEP YOUR RECITAL SHORT! 1-2 songs most, and let the parent’s know you would like to keep it short. Don’t go overboard with the recital. Just some holiday favorites, to show off the progress of your students.

Happy Teaching!

Becky

Private Music Lessons Practicing Incentives

Do you struggle getting your students to practice? The best way to help your students want to practice is through incentivizing. Give them a challenge and see what they do with it. Kids love to be challenged and when you make the reward SWEET they are more than likely going to do whatever they can to practice.

In my studio we have the 75 Days of Practicing Challenge in the spring. It really is a way ensure that they practice their recital songs. But really, everyone should reach the 75 days of practicing. The challenge is when they practice for more that 75 days.

75 Days Of Practicing Rules:

• 15 week challenge (kids are already required to practice 5 days a week anyways)

• At least 10 min practicing a day for it to count for a sticker

• Reward for practicing 75 days (5 days a week for 15 weeks): Studio T-shirt (your student becomes a walking advertiser for your studio!)

• Reward for practicing 90 days (6 days a week for 15 weeks): Studio T-shirt, candy bar of choice

• Reward for practicing 103 days ( 7 days a week for 15 weeks): Studio T-shirt, candy bar of choice, bag of candy

• Entire studio reaches 100 Days of practicing: Pizza party at Spring Recital

• Entire Studio reaches 103 Days of Practicing: Pizza party and Ice Cream Party at Spring Recital!

There are plenty of other challenges or practicing programs you can do for your students but for us this has been the way to go! Comment below what practicing challenges that you have thought about or done in your studio!

Happy Teaching!

xo, Becky