5 Secrets to Skyrocket Student Retention in Your Music Lessons

Keeping students engaged and excited about lessons and practicing is one of the challenges teachers face in retention for lessons. If the student isn’t having fun, they won’t want to practice; lessons become challenging because you, the teacher, have to reteach the previous lesson, and you can’t accomplish what needs to be done in the lesson and the student doesn’t make the progress they are hoping for. To help combat this cycle, here are 5 secrets to Skyrocket your Student Retention.

1) Give A Little:

Have a fun studio atmosphere. Be a little less formal than the teachers were a couple of decades ago. Play music online for them. Have them bring in the music they want to do. Talk about their favorite music and see if you can find sheet music just for that as a “fun song”.

2) I Am Not Above Bribery.

Candy is sometimes the best incentivizer. I like to have a bowl of candy in eyeshot of the students during their lesson and allow them to pick from AFTER their lesson. They only get the candy at the end. And you better believe they are thinking about what candy they want to pick from the bowl for most of the lesson.

3) Make Practicing and Assignments Fun.

Have fun activities for them to work towards. Create a sticker chart where students can earn prizes for practicing or completing assignments in their theory workbook or other outside assignments.

4) Embrace Holidays.

Use holidays to decorate your studio space, and special candy or themed activities year after year so students know what to expect and look forward to each year.

5) Get The Whole Studio Together!

Offer group classes, or performance classes where students can practice performing for other’s in a safe space, but also allows them to meet other students in the studio. Never hurts to have a short pizza or ice cream party afterward too!

Happy Teaching!

Becky

Unleash Your Inner Musician: How Teaching Private Music Lessons Can Take Your Musicianship to the Next Level

There’s one thing to be able to do something, but teaching others, that’s a whole new ball game. I remember when I decided to start teaching, I literally sat down at my piano and thought, “how the heck did I learn how to do this?” Because, I don’t really remember the first few years of learning. It was just something I went to and didn’t become an enjoyable passion until I was in 7/8th grade. By being a teacher you have to internally reflect and always learn changing ways to help students excel.

• You have to learn how to explain musical concepts and techniques clearly to your students. And as it’s an ever growing and learning experience you will develop new techniques over time as you evolve as a teacher. Don’t feel boxed in that you have to teach a specific way. Create what works for you that conveys the proper information.

• Sit at your instrument and work through it. How did I learn to play this? How do I do this? When did I learn scales or other techniques? How do I show someone how to…The list goes on.

• Plus don’t just sit with your instrument thinking, you have to lead by example. Rework your own technique. Sit down and drill out those scales. Revisit some old songs you learned back in the day. How can you improve them now. Or learn a new song or 2. Just start back into your own playing.

• Is there an organization you can participate with? A music club, community ensemble, band, choir, orchestra. Join those groups for the experience of rehearsing and performing on a regular basis.

🎶 Each teacher will have their own style in how they present ideas. Some people refer to “ C” as home note, or the C scale. For my younger kids I teach positions before I teach pentascales or full scales. We call it C Position, “CPOS” or Middle C Position “MCP” (when the thumbs are sharing middle C) and as the student progresses I teach the full meanings terminology. Your goal is to create terms that work best for your students.

Remember, your goal as the teacher is to teach as much as you can in the time you have available. Each student is going to learn differently and you have to lean into that as a teacher. Just keep trying new ways that work for you and your students.

Happy Teaching!

Unlock the Musician Within: How to Incentivize Music Practicing and Boost Your Student's Skills

Practicing. Most people don't love it — and honestly, I didn't love it all that much growing up either.

I compare practicing to working out. We know we need to do it. We know it's the only thing that actually makes us better. But knowing something and actually doing it consistently are two very different things — and that gap is where most students get stuck.

For adults, the challenge is time and motivation. For kids, it's a little more straightforward: they need structure, accountability, and a reason to care. Here are the strategies I use in my own studio — and with my own child — to make consistent practicing happen.

1. Personal Incentives — Let the Student Find Their "Why"

The most powerful practice motivator isn't a reward you create as the teacher. It's the one the student finds on their own.

In my house, my own child knows he can't go out to play with friends until he's done practicing. That external rule eventually turned into an internal habit — he started practicing before his daily reminder even went off because he wanted to get outside faster. He essentially created his own incentive system.

The key is working with parents to figure out what their child genuinely cares about. Is it screen time? Playing with friends? A specific activity after school? Once you know what motivates a student, help the family build a simple "practice first, then reward" structure around it.

Talk to parents at enrollment and again any time practice consistency starts slipping. Ask: what does your child really look forward to each day? That's where the leverage is.

2. Sticker Charts — Simple, Visual, and It Works

Don't underestimate the power of a sticker chart, especially for younger students. There's something about seeing tangible evidence of progress that keeps kids coming back.

Sticker charts work on a simple principle: results-based reward. "If I do this, I earn that." Over time students start to connect consistent practicing with forward progress — and that connection is one of the most valuable things a young musician can internalize.

Keep it simple. A weekly chart with their pieces listed and a sticker for each day they practiced is enough. The stickers themselves don't need to be fancy — the act of marking the chart is the reward.

In my studio I run a Practice to Performance Challenge every spring — a structured, studio-wide practicing incentive that builds consistency and momentum leading up to the spring recital. Students love having a shared goal to work toward together.

Done-for-You Student Resource

Spring Practice Challenge Kit — Set 1

Run a structured, motivating practice challenge in your studio without building it from scratch. This done-for-you kit has everything you need — just print, hand out, and watch your students show up more prepared every single week.

$37.50 · instant download

Get the Spring Kit →

3. The Candy Bowl — Old School, Still Works

Sometimes the simplest systems are the most effective. A bowl of candy in your studio for students to take at the end of each lesson is a small but surprisingly powerful motivator — especially for younger students.

The key is to attach rules to it so it ties directly to practice behavior. A student who had a great lesson and practiced consistently the week before gets to take an extra piece before they leave. A student who didn't practice gets the standard one — no shame, no lecture, just a clear and consistent difference in reward.

Over time students notice. And more importantly, they start to connect effort with outcome in a very direct, tangible way.

You can adapt this to whatever fits your studio culture — a treasure box, a points system, a punch card for small prizes. The medium matters less than the consistency of the connection between practicing and reward.

4. Give Students Something to Perform Toward

One of the most effective long-term practice motivators is a performance date on the calendar.

When students know they'll be performing — whether at a full recital, a small studio class, or even just for each other — they practice differently. The piece stops being an assignment and becomes something they want to be proud of.

Consider running monthly or bi-monthly performance classes where students play for each other in a low-stakes setting. These don't need to be formal recitals — just a chance to perform and hear their peers. The rule: if a piece isn't ready to perform, the student doesn't perform it. That's not a punishment. It's a standard — and students rise to meet it.

In my studio, our spring recital anchors the whole year. Everything builds toward it. The Practice to Performance Challenge runs in the lead-up and creates a studio-wide culture of consistency and accountability that carries students all the way to performance day.

Holiday Practice Made Easy

Holiday Practice Challenge Kit — Set 1

Keep your students practicing through the holiday season when consistency is hardest to maintain. This done-for-you challenge kit gives your studio a structured, fun way to stay on track — completely ready to hand out.

Get the Holiday Kit →

5. Keep the Conversation Going With Parents

Practice consistency isn't just a student issue — it's a family issue. The students who practice most reliably almost always have a parent who is engaged, informed, and bought in.

Make parent communication about practicing a regular part of how you run your studio. At enrollment, talk through practice expectations and how parents can support their child at home. In monthly check-ins or lesson notes, let parents know what their student is working on and what good practice looks like for that specific piece.

When parents feel like partners in the process instead of bystanders, everything changes. Students practice more. Progress accelerates. Families stay enrolled longer because they can see the results.

That's not just good teaching. That's good studio management.

Ready to Build a Studio That Runs Like a Business?

Successful Music Studio Strategies — Signature Course

Student retention, practice systems, parent communication, recitals, pricing, and income growth — the Signature Course covers all of it across 59 lessons. The complete roadmap for building a thriving private music studio, built specifically for teachers like you.

$1,250 · or 3 payments of $500

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Which of these strategies resonates most with you? The best incentive system is the one that fits your studio culture and your students' personalities — so start with one, run it consistently, and see what happens.

Happy Teaching!

Becky

Keep the momentum going

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Successful Music Studio Bookkeeping -- NOW AVAILABLE!

Ready to get your books in order, literally? I’m an organizing guru with my books for my studio and I’m sharing all my secrets and in this mini course. Get access to the same templates I’ve been using for years that are easily customizable and duplicatable, year after year and student after student.

What you get:

I walk you through how to organize your studio folder right from the get go!

Lesson Summary (What I call invoices) for single and multiple students, and how to print and send it to your students (Set for every month of the year)

Payment Receipt (with attendance log) (for every month of the year and a yearly summary)

Total Money Earned sheet so you can see in one place, how much you’re earning, gross and net each month and for the whole year across your entire studio (Along with a year by year summary to watch your business grow!)

Tax Expense report

Inventory Acquisition, Lending library, Sale log

Plus 2 bonus!

Each sheet is designed to look simple yet professional, good enough to send to any student, and to be used as official documents come tax season. All formulas included, so all you have to do is just enter in the appropriate information and it’s done.

Tutorial videos included for every sheet on how to customize, use, save and print.

Templates for both Apple iOS Numbers and Windows EXCEL.

Happy Teaching!

Successful Music Studio Bookkeeping Mini Course

It's time to get excited! With covid, and 3 kids at home (feels like forever), development, of this course has been delayed...But no more! Kids are finally back in school and I'm hard at work again! 

Because it's been so long, I've decided to drop a new mini course soon. The one I've been asked for the most...

Successful Music Studio BOOKKEEPING! It’s my next mini course with access to the bookkeeping templates I've been using for since I started teaching (improved along the way!). 
 

In this mini course you’ll get access to the templates I created to help make my bookkeeping simple and duplicatable year after year and student after student.

Templates Included in both iOS and Windows compatible:

• Monthly Lesson Summary, for single and multi-student families (including completed formulas)

• Payment Receipts used for each student with Attendance tracking log (including formulas)

• Tax Expense Report

• Gross and Net Yearly Income Tracking Sheet

• Studio Inventory Tracking Sheet

BONUS:

• Gig Earnings Log (to track additional income)

• Business Childcare Log (because being a mom with 3 kids, my own business, sometimes we need to have help!)

Each template includes a tutorial video to walk you through how to customize the template to fit your studio and needs.

Are you excited for this? Is this something you need? Drop a comment and let me know! Also be sure to get on the mailing list so you’re in the know when this course launches HERE!

For now, you can continue to browse the site! You can get your studio started on the right foot with our Customizable Private Music Studio Policies. Check out more blog posts Successful Private Music Studio Secrets Blog, or head back to HOME.

Happy Teaching!