Strike the Chords of Your Success: A Comprehensive Guide to Hosting a Flawless Online Music Studio Recital

The world is in a different place right now, but the show must still go on. Whether you had to move your private music lesson business online or you’ve decided to stay or choose to teach online, we still want to showcase our students the best way possible and that happens with a RECITAL!

1) Use the same platform you teach lessons on for your recital. I personally use Zoom. It’s easy to use and currently, there is no max time limit on how long you can host a group event. (I suspect things will change in the future) But be mindful of the max time limit for online group events.

2) Send out specific and detailed instructions to the families 2 weeks prior to the recital about how and where to set up the camera — for my piano students, I request a profile view so we can see the student’s hands and some of their faces. —so that the student can be seen and heard. Also, advise them about extra lighting. Set up a lamp next to them (in front of them) or a ring light so that their child is well-lit and everyone can see them easily.

3) Send an email to all families with the link and a special password to access the online event 2 weeks before the recital so they can send it to their family members who want to attend.

4) Set up the link that people can’t just automatically enter, that they will be entered when the host allows, so you can get the exact time you need for the recital. Also, so they are automatically muted when they enter so you don’t have to go through and mute everyone or when new people join halfway through the recital because they missed the initial time, they will be automatically muted.

5) The morning of the recital email the recital program to all the families and ask them to email it to those that are joining in so that they have a program to follow. This works as a great reminder the day of the recital to ensure everyone remembers!

6) Be short and quick. Most people are taking time out of their day to attend to listen to the performances but keep your remarks and intros for the students short. You don’t have to give details about every student before they perform or at the end of the performance. The families are there to listen to the student perform. Plus if there is a time limit you want to make sure everyone has access to listen to all the performances.

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!

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!