Writing Your Piano Studio Policy: The 5 Sections You NEED To Include

Are you looking to write your New Private Music Studio Policy? Check out the Top 5 things you NEED to have in your studio policy! Remember, your studio policy is your Terms and Agreement between you and your new student.

1) Number of lessons per month and year

Take your lessons from inconsistent to regular with this 1 step! Your students need to know what they are paying for and when they know exactly how many lessons they get each month and how many it equates to a year, then it becomes a commitment for them. It’s the First paragraph in my studio policy.

2) Pricing

Goes right along with how many lessons your students get, now they need to know how much it’s going to cost them. And remember, you are the expert in your field by offering to teach others. That means you should price yourself at a rate that you are comfortable with and that’s also reasonable in your area. The last thing you want to do (speaking from experience here) is undercut yourself and then increase your rates every year to get back up to what you deserve. It doesn’t feel good getting underpaid for what you deserve and it’s a hard thing to increase rates, every year.

3) Missed lessons policy

Missed lessons happen. But they should not be happening all the time. “Missed lessons are not the responsibility of the teacher. Lessons should be a priority for the parent and student.” Excerpt Successful Private Music Lesson Studio Policy Template. Making up lessons not only cuts into your time but also can be difficult especially if you have a family other other obligations. Create a rule on how many missed lessons can happen in the span of 4 months.

4) Terminating lessons

You are running a business, and it’s a business that can be reliably consistent. But, what changes that is when a student quits unexpectedly. You need to create a termination policy that allows enough time for you to fill the slot before that student leaves. Your goal is to decide what your max studio limit is, build your studio to where you have a waiting list, so that when you need to fill a spot, you call your waiting list and offer the new spot starting immediately after the final lesson for the previous student. When you get this timed just right it’s not going to cut into your monthly income.

5) Sign and Date From The Student

And at the end of every policy, have the student and parent sign and date the policy. This way you have a signed copy (contract) with that student and parent that they understand everything before you ever teach the first lesson to the student.

In the end, your studio studio policy should be direct and to the point, so that it leaves nothing to question.

Ready to start building your studio policy? Let me help make it easier for you! Use my Successful Private Music Studio Policy Templates that is already formatted with all 5 of these sections plus more to make sure all your bases are covered! Use the given texts or customize it to fit your needs! Your policy template includes a tutorial video to help you get it filled quickly and ready to hand out!

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Why You Need A Music Studio Policy

Are you ready to take your teaching to the next level and get the respect you deserve? I’ve seen it time and time again, private music teachers with a handful of students but not making a consistent income month to month and the stress of not being respected as a teacher with students canceling lessons last minute, and not valuing their time.

If you are teaching private lessons. YOU HAVE A BUSINESS. You are being requested to do something that you specialize in, and are getting paid for it, but why aren’t you getting the respect of anyone else doing a trade job.

You have to set yourself up as a professional and serious business owner from the start and that comes from having a Private Music Lesson and Studio Policy. It sets the expectations. It sets the tone. It sets the rules that you take your business seriously and that the student should too.

The studio policy is the first item in every “welcome packet” email I send out. Plus I have them print off 2 copies and bring it with them to their very first lesson where I collect a signed copy and file it away in my records and they keep the other.

“But I’ve been teaching lessons already, how do I give a new studio policy to my current students?” Even if you have been teaching for awhile you can still hand out a new studio policy. Let your student know that you have updated the policy and wanted them to go through it. And just like any contract, they need to sign it and you keep one signed copy and they keep the other. You just upped your professionalism.

Lessons should be a priority to you and the students. You are worth it to have the respect you deserve and to be taking seriously and not advantage of. Ready to get your BRAND NEW and Customizable Studio Policy? CLICK HERE to get your copy. I go step by step through your policy in my tutorial video to help you customize it to fit your needs and get it out to your students!

How Successful Music Studio Strategies Online Courses Was Created

Successful Music Studio Strategies was created to help you create a Successful Private Music Studio. To help more people take that step in using their talents they worked so hard at to build their own business they are proud of!

I’m Becky Allen, private piano and french horn teacher and fitness enthusiasts. A couple years ago I joined our local Municipal Band as another opportunity to build on my own talents and keep me performing. While in the band I had talked to a few people who mentioned that they were struggling with loving their job but were doing it because it paid the bills. My first question, “Have you thought about teaching private music lessons?” They always looked at me like I was crazy because in their mind, teaching lessons wasn’t a viable income producer. But you guys, IT IS! You can make a complete business out of teaching private music lessons. It doesn’t and shouldn’t be this side hustle of teaching a couple students, making a couple extra bucks, but it really can be something that brings in a regular, steady and expected income. It became my mission to help educate and encourage more people that this is truly possible.

But, what I have found is that most people including myself don’t know how to get started with building a successful and thriving studio. I started teaching private lessons when I was 16 years old. Thanks to my Band Teacher who asked me to teach the new classmates assigned to horn, because we ALWAYS need more horns! I loved it! I loved it so much I went to college for a Music Education degree, but teaching at schools wasn’t the right fit for me. I knew that the private sector was where I wanted to be. Teaching at the student’s pace and really diving deep with the fundamentals and theory of music.

It wasn’t until we moved cross country and dreaded the fact of “finding” a job I decided I was ready to make a full studio with back to back lessons with a goal to create so much demand I would have a waiting list! When I decided I was ready to start teaching in my own home based private music studio I had no idea how to do the business end of things. I knew I needed a policy because that’s what “the professionals” had. 

I searched everywhere online and pieced together a policy based on suggestions. But it took me weeks to develop and would have been so much easier to have it done for me or at least had guidance on what I really needed! Once I did that I set my goal to have 10 students by the end of the year (in 3 months at this point) and I ended up having 13 students within my very first month, and 20 by the end of the year. Within a year of starting my studio I had a full studio and had already taught over 30 students with back to back lessons in my own home and bringing in a legitimate income.

12 years later I’m ready to share my strategies on what’s worked for me to have a thriving studio in multiple cities and to help make GETTING YOUR STUDIO STARTED EASIER! And it all started with a studio policy! 

GET YOUR SUCCESSFUL STUDIO POLICY Copy NOW HERE! What you get: Example texts that make it easy to use and customizable for your needs! Plus tutorial video with my top tips and private group to ask me questions directly! See you in the course!

Starting Your Studio Strategies

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Keeping Your Studio Running Strategies

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