Color In My Piano » technology

Music Fonts: The Ultimate Guide

joy (admin) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 11:35:14 +0000

I’ve been wanting to write a post about using music fonts for a long time. Finally, here it is! If you have been wondering how you can create your own music worksheets/resources, this guide will help you get started.

For my worksheets/materials, I use graphics exported from Finale about 30% of the time, and music fonts the other 70% of the time. The great thing about using music fonts is that anyone can use them, without having to buy an expensive program like Finale. However, using music fonts is a little more complicated than you might think. This post will attempt to demystify the process and point you to some links and resources.

Using Music Fonts

If you own a music engraving software like Finale or Sibelius, then guess what: You already have music fonts on your computer! Using Fontbook (on Mac computers) or “Fonts” in the Control Panel (PCs), you can view all the fonts installed on your computer.

If you don’t have any music fonts on your computer, you can find them online. Then you must download and install them onto your computer. It’s pretty easy to install fonts, but you can find tutorials online that can lead you through the process if you need some help (just Google it).

That is the easy part. Once the music font is installed on your computer, it’s a little bit tricky to figure out where the various notes/symbols are located within the font. If you open a new document in Microsoft Word (or whatever word processing software you use), select a music font, and press some random letters of the alphabet, you will see some of the symbols contained in the font. You can guess and begin to memorize where the various notes/symbols are, but that is time-consuming and somewhat impractical. Besides, many of the characters you might need are not represented by the buttons on your keyboard. For example, the currency symbol for Yen could be the barline. To insert the Yen symbol, normally you have to go to “Insert A Symbol” in Microsoft Word because it’s deep in the font somewhere. So, how do you know where the characters you need are? This is where character maps come in.

Character Maps

For some of the fonts listed below, you will find character maps available to view on the website or as a pdf download. A character map is a chart that shows all the characters of a font, and if you are lucky, where they are all located!

Some computers have built-it character map utilities. Macs have something called the “Character Viewer,” but it is only mildly helpful because it shows font characters by category across all fonts, rather than allowing you to choose one font to view at a time. PC’s have some kind of character map utility built-in too.

You can also buy separate character map utility software. One such example is PopChar (for Mac; pictured at right). Even the free trial version is helpful in getting an idea of what symbols are included in a font. Some character map utilities come with the ability to insert the symbol you click in directly into the document you are working on. This is the most ideal and convenient way to use music fonts.

Music Fonts

Here’s a complete list of available music fonts that I’m aware of. You may be able to find these fonts and their character maps by googling them. Just be sure to follow the copyrights for the fonts you download. For example, if you plan to sell the worksheets/materials you create using any of these music fonts, you first must check that the music font has a commercial-use license. Some of these fonts are free only for personal/educational use.

The fonts in this list with asterisks are the ones I highly recommend. If you know of other music fonts to add to this list, please leave a comment on this post.

Maestro | Maestro is one of the fonts that comes with Finale. It contains a complete set of music symbols. If you download the free Finale Notepad software from their website (yes, in 2012 they decided to make Finale Notepad available again! This is great if you have student interested in composition), you can get a selection of music fonts that way. Here is a guide from the Finale user manual that shows the keystrokes needed for inserting each symbol.
Petrucci | comes with Finale. It’s similar to Maestro, but just has a slightly different look. Also available here.
Engraver | comes with Finale. It’s similar to Maestro and Petrucci. Here is the guide from the Finale user manual that shows the keystrokes needed for inserting each symbol.
Finale Alphanotes | Finale comes with a variety of other special fonts. One of them is Finale Alphanotes, which provides noteheads with letters inside.
Opus | Comes with Sibelius software. This font is similar to the ones above. View the character map here.
Helsinki | Comes with Sibelius software. It’s similar to Opus.
Marl | Another font of music symbols, similar to Maestro. Available here.
Sonata | A font created by Adobe with a large variety of symbols. To use for commercial use, it costs about $29. There’s also Sonata Thin.
Sonora | A font of musc characters by Christian Texier. It’s similar to Maestro. Scroll up on Texier’s website page to see the variety of other advanced fonts he has created for electronic music, quarter-tone music, complex percussion music, etc..
Musical Symbols | Another musical symbols font similar to Maestro.
ShpFltNat Medium | Another musical symbols font. It includes a few symbols that other fonts are missing, like time signatures (nice looking too), crescendo, decrescendo, and scale degrees.
StaffClefPitchesEasy | Matthew Hindson has kindly made his fonts available for free! This font is different from the ones above because it is designed to show notes on the staff. You can’t make chords but you can make short examples of single-note melodies. The noteheads are all filled in with no stems.
*Rhythms | Rhythms is another font by Matthew Hindson. The notes all appear on a straight line, which is perfect for creating rhythms. Time signatures are included too. I highly recommend this font.
*MusiSync | This font is by Robert Allgeyer and is similar to Hindson’s “Rhythms” above, but it contains more symbols. It’s great for creating strings of rhythms. My only regret is that the time signature numbers were nicer-looking. View a semi-complete character map here. This font is commercial-use friendly. I highly recommend this font.
*MusiQwik and MusiQwikB | This pair of fonts is also by Robert Allgeyer. It is great for great simple melodies (no chords) on the staff. It also contains clefs, time signatures, key signatures, and a variety of other staff symbols. According to Robert, “You may use the hyphen (-) key to insert a tiny segment of staff, if alignment of the notes is important. Regular sections of staff are inserted using the equal (=) key. Be sure that word wrapping is turned off, or your staff will break in unexpected locations. This font looks best at 24 point size or larger.” MusiQwikB contains sixteenth notes. I highly recommend this font.
NoteHedz | Another font by Robert Allgeyer. It’s a simple font with the letter names A-G in the noteheads. There are quarters, eighths, and whole notes, but no way to get half notes (as far as I can tell).
Lassus | Like MusiQwik, the notes in this font appear on the staff. There are no time signatures. A partial character map can be viewed here.
Bach and Kodaly | Bach is a very advanced and powerful font, but not so easy to use. Kodaly is a simpler version of Bach, but without noteheads. I haven’t figured out how to use these fonts, but you can check out their website to learn more.
Kodaly (different from the Kodaly font above) | This is a simple font showing the notes on the staff with dotted lines underneath for naming the notes. Also includes traceable notes on the staff, and solfegietto under the staff. It is pictured on the right. There are no time signatures available.

More Resources:

StaffWriter and SingASong | These fonts are available to purchase on a CD from macmusicfonts.com. I haven’t tried them myself, but the fonts look pretty comprehensive and I’ve seen other teachers recommend it.
Here’s a huge list of paid music fonts that can be used in word processing software and are compatible for use with Finale.
A font for notating djembe music!
Paid fonts of the piano keys, for showing fingering, showing chords, or showing names of keys.
A paid font of the neumes used for notation during the 15th – 17th centuries. Very cool!

Good luck with your music font creations, and let me know what you create!

Google+ Update

joy (admin) — Fri, 11 Nov 2011 15:53:58 +0000

Have any of you been hanging out on Google+ (pronounced “Google plus”) much lately? (If you aren’t familiar with what Google+ is, check out this post on social networking.) Google+ hasn’t risen in popularity as quickly as I had hoped. The features, layout, and user-friendliness of Google+ is so much better than Facebook (IMO). And yet, everyone seems to still be hanging out on Facebook.

Fortunately, Google+ just announced this week that anyone can create a Google+ page for their business/organization. Maybe this will help make Google+ a thriving place to be! I’ve created a page for Color In My Piano which I’d love to have you all join (click here). Wendy Stevens has also created a page for her ComposeCreate blog, which you can view by clicking here. If you haven’t added me to your circles yet, I’d love to connect with you. My profile page is here.

Google+ pages offer a variety of features, including “Hangouts” that allow individuals to group chat (like Skype). Someday, I’d love to organize LIVE round-table discussions about various piano teaching topics! Wouldn’t that be fun?!

So, head on over to Google+. We need more action over there!

[Visit Google+ Update to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Studio Marketing: Social Networking & More

joy (admin) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:59:05 +0000

I’ve been intending to write this post in the “Studio Marketing” series (perhaps the last one) for awhile now, but I was stalling in hopes of being able to include more information about the new Google+ social networking site……I’ll get to that in a moment. Read on. :)

What can Social Networking do for YOU?

I’ve discussed before about how important it is today to have a website for your business. It’s important to have an online presence, period. Utilizing social networking helps built rapport between you and your current & potential customers. Marketing is promoting your business. It’s about reaching people where they are. And it’s about creating an image for your business that people want to identify themselves with.

The good news is that social networking is free. Yes, you will have to invest a little time to set things up and update things now and then, but I think you will find it a very rewarding activity if you aren’t doing it already!

Facebook

Millions of people are on Facebook. Creating a Facebook “page” for your studio is a great way to reach them. Rather than using your normal Facebook profile to reach your students and their parents, I recommend creating a separate business Facebook page for your studio. Why? Because they can subscribe to your updates by “liking” your page, but everyone’s privacy is maintained. They won’t be able to see your personal profile (depending on your privacy settings), and you won’t be able to see theirs. After all, they might not necessarily want their piano teacher to see all their updates. Do you really want to see all their updates, anyway? Probably not. :) Having this separate page allows your students to interact with each other, too, without becoming official Facebook friends with each other either. And meanwhile, you can showcase student achievements, post photos of new studio games/materials, post videos of student performances, share inspirational quotes, post news/reminders, and whatever else you can come up with!

Here’s a quick guide for creating an effective graphic for the profile picture of your Facebook Page. You can also put a badge on your website that links to your Facebook page.

Here’s a link to my Facebook pages for Color In My Piano, and for my piano studio.

Twitter

I’ll admit, I don’t know a ton about Twitter. I don’t use it as much as other social networking options. But I do have my blog set up to automatically post a tweet whenever I publish a new blog post. I’m amazed at how often people “follow” my twitter page, even though all my updates are automated. I should probably learn how to better use this resource. :)

Here’s a link to my Twitter page, if you are interested.

YouTube Channel

Uploading videos on a YouTube Channel will allow you to easily share videos on your website, Facebook page, and more. Posting student performances can also allow students and their families to share their playing with family and friends, whether they be near or on the other side of the world. Posting video from portions of actual piano lessons with your students can allow prospective students can see what your teaching style is like. Be sure to follow copyright laws regarding publishing performances of compositions online — check out this post by Wendy Chan to learn more about what pieces can be posted on YouTube and what cannot.

Here’s a link to my YouTube channel, if you are interested. Another YouTube channel I strongly recommend visiting is Irina Gorin’s channel (see her Teacher Feature here), where she posts performances of her students (all excellent!) and even excerpts from piano lessons (I’ve gotten a lot of great ideas from her teaching).

Google Plus (or Google+)

Google+ is the new kid on the block when it comes to social networking! Some people are predicting that Google+ will eventually make Facebook obsolete, just like Facebook made MySpace and Zynga obsolete. In comparison to Facebook, Google+’s interface is sleek and beautiful. It’s a pleasure to browse on Google+.

I think of Google+ as a mix between Facebook and Twitter, taking the best from both worlds. Instead of “friending” people to establish a two-way connection, you subscribe (a one-way connection) to people’s updates by adding them to your “circles.” The other person can choose whether to follow you in return or not, depending on whether or not they are interested in your output. This allows you to follow people you know personally (friends, family, neighbors, colleagues, etc.) as well as people you don’t know personally (celebrities, random people, etc.). I’m not going to go into much more detail about how Google+ actually works, because there is plenty of info about this online already.

Google+ is attracting many people involved the arts (photographers, artists, etc.), since it seems to be a more conductive interface for viewing photos and videos. Artists are suddenly finding they can establish a following of people interested in their work just by posting updates on Google+. I find it so fascinating that the internet can do to provide these kinds of connections that would not have otherwise been possible! Another cool feature? You can group video chat with people. In general, the people who are active on Google+ are generally people who are interested in longer, deeper, and more thought-provoking conversation. I don’t see as many trivial updates that are full of typos on Google+. It’s a cool place to be. I think Google+ is going to be utterly awesome, especially once more people get on it.

Google+ is open for people to create accounts so long as they are personal accounts (i.e., with your real name). In the upcoming months, Google+ will be launching “business entities,” which are the equivalent of Facebook’s “Pages.” I can’t wait until this is launched, so I can create a Google+ presence for both Color In My Piano and my teaching studio!

If you aren’t currently on Google+, I’d be happy to send you an invite — just send me an email message that includes your email address. Once you on Google+, there are a few interesting people I’d recommend “putting in your circles”:

Trey Radcliff, a travel photographer.
Elena Kalis, an creative underwater photographer.
Me! haha. I’d be happy to connect with you.

Ending Thoughts

So, what are you waiting for? Jump on the bandwagon! If you have more questions about using social networking to help market your studio, Google is your friend. Chances are, if you have a question about something, somebody else has already asked the same question before. I’m always happy to answer questions too, so feel free to contact me.

How can the internet and social networking helped/affected YOUR studio?

Photo Credit: marcopako | CC 2.0

[Visit Studio Marketing: Social Networking & More to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Forum Q&A | Favorite Piece of Technology

joy (admin) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 13:42:09 +0000

It’s time for a new Forum Q&A! We haven’t had one for awhile, due to the overtake of the conference posts. :)

Last time, we discussed the possibility of offering lessons online via a service such as Skype! A number of you weighed in your thoughts and opinions — click here to view the comments. I’m more intrigued than ever with the idea, and am currently experimenting with it with a few individuals.

Today, though, I have a new question!

What is your #1 favorite piece of technology you use in your studio? It can be anything from a video camera, iPad, computer, digital piano, audio recorder, etc., etc., etc.

I’ve put mine in the comments already. I think it will be fun to hear everybody weigh in their thoughts!

Photo Credit: DigaoSPBR | CC 2.0

[Visit Forum Q&A | Favorite Piece of Technology to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Hear my New Piano!

joy (admin) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 17:30:46 +0000

I promised over a month ago that I would post a video so you could hear my new piano! I wanted to wait until after I got it tuned, of course, and recently I finally got around to recording something.

In this YouTube video, I’m playing a short piece I composed during undergrad called “Contemplation.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R_Ee8OuC_A

This is a piece I composed in 2007 during my senior year at Hope College. It was written for an assignment for a Form & Analysis theory course for which we were supposed to compose a piece using the Schenkarian techniques we were studying in class. The structure of this piece is based on a descending line using scale degrees 3-2-1. This descending line is also used on a more micro level as a motive throughout the piece.

In the next video, I am playing a piece that my six-year-old student back in Central Michigan composed before I moved away. He composed a melody called “Goodbye,” and wanted me to compose the left hand part for it. I was so touched by his request!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXcr2VnlZSk

View the rest of my YouTube channel here.

In the first video, I used my Zoom H2 recorder. In the second video, I used the built-in microphone of my MacBook Pro. It’s amazing to hear the difference that better recording equipment makes! I’m still experimenting with finding the best placement of the microphone in order to achieve the best results.

I also wish I had a video camera to improve the video quality. Both videos were recorded using the built-in iSight camera of my MacBook. I think I know what I’m going to ask for on my Christmas list this year!

Wendy Chan recently posted a pair of fabulous posts on her Piano Escapades blog about having a YouTube channel for your piano studio — be sure to check them out!

YouTube Channel for the Studio – some thoughts on using YouTube in the teaching studio.
Things to Know About YouTube Videos – covers important copyright information that every piano teacher should know!

[Visit Hear my New Piano! to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

NCKP 2011 | (12) PEDxi sessions

joy (admin) — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:44:16 +0000

If you’ve never heard of the TED talks, please take a moment to check out this link! According to the “About” page on their website…

“TED is a non-profit devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading.” It started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from three worlds: Technology, Entertainment, Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. The annual TED conferences, in Long Beach/Palm Springs and Edinburgh, bring together the world’s most fascinating thinkers and doers, who are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes or less).”

Many of the TED talks are available for free viewing on their website and on YouTube. The one I linked to above was sent to me by one of my adult students — and it is quite an interesting one that talks about the value of classical music.

The NCKP’s “PEDxi” sessions are inspired by the TED talks. They are short 25-minute talks that are focused on keyboard pedagogy and technology.

Who Would’ve Thought It Was Possible? | Lori Frazer gave an inspiring session on how technology has allowed her to bring music and music making to serve the medical and wellness community, including seniors and individuals with special needs.
Mud Huts, MIDI, and Light Bulb Moments | Kristin Shoemaker shared her story about how the Internet has allowed her to erase the boundaries of her Minnesota-based piano studio. Not only has she been give lessons to individuals in Africa, but she’s also been able to have her Minnesota students and her African students perform for each other on over the web!
An International Piano Competition Is Now in Your Living Room | Alexander Braginsky is the Founding President and the Artistic Director of the Minnesota International Piano e-Competition. He shared with us how the competition began and has evolved. This competition utilizes technology to allow individuals to give their auditions at various centers around the world, and judges to hear their performances — acoustically — on a piano in another location! They use Yamaha Disklaviers to record the performance information and sync it with a video so it can be watched too.
And They Still Play Today! | Pianist and software engineer and co-founder of Zenph Technologies, John Q. Walker talked about the process of converting old recordings and turning them into a data file that allows for real-time playback on a player piano. What amazing technology! We were fortunate to hear Glenn Gould play the first two movements of the Goldberg Variations — LIVE — on a Yamaha Disklavier! It was incredible.
The Pianist of the Net Generation | Pianist Mei-Ting Sun was the performer for Friday’s lunchtime recital, and also spoke to us beforehand about the challenges of being a pianist in the age of the Internet, Facebook, and Twitter. It was fascinating to hear him speak of his travels to the hometowns of composers in Europe in search of a better understanding of their music. These are all things you cannot learn in school! It is all because of the advance of technology that we are able to easily so access information that would have been nearly impossible to find 20 years ago.

My notes above are brief, because — luckily for you — the NCKP recorded and streamed the PEDxi sessions live on the web, and they are still there for your viewing! Click here to find their video on ustream.tv.

[Visit NCKP 2011 | (12) PEDxi sessions to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

NCKP 2011 | (9) Your Student Recitals, Live on the Internet!

joy (admin) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:21:22 +0000

Your Student Recitals, Live on the Internet! by Mario Ajero, Shana Kirk, George Litterst, and Stella Sick. Th @ 2:15pm.

During this session, the presenters told us all about the benefits, feasibility, and equipment needed to broadcast your student recitals live on the internet.

Streaming your student recitals online can allow you to reach distant friends and relatives, publicize your studio, and help find an audience for your niche.

Streaming means you are broadcasting a live video feed online for people to view. Streaming = one way (but you can reach unlimited amounts of people), while video conferencing = two way conversation (can reach a limited amount of people).

There are a few services to choose from if you decide to set up your own “TV channel” of sorts using a video streaming service. They allow you to broadcast one “show” or a “series.” And they allow you to archive your “shows” for “reruns” later on. Most of these services allow you to choose from a free or an upgraded paid service option.

justin.tv | You can view Mario Ajero’s page at justin.tv/pianopodcast.
livestream.com | includes a chat feature and an embed feature so you can show the video stream on your own website.
ustream.tv | another option.

While you can set up a video stream with no less than your laptop’s internal camera and microphone, you may wish to upgrade some of your equipment in order to achieve better sound/audio quality.

External Microphone | can be connected to your computer using a USB cable. (Example: the Shure PG 27 or PG 42.)
HD Webcam | anything higher than 720p is considered high definition (HD). (Example: Logitech HD Pro Webcam 910.)
Camcorder | costs more than a webcam, but has good quality and can be used to record video on its own for other purposes.

[Visit NCKP 2011 | (9) Your Student Recitals, Live on the Internet! to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

NCKP 2011 | (3) Viable Video, by Pete Jutras

joy (admin) — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 01:52:59 +0000

Here’s some notes from another session during the pre-conference seminar track “Student & Young Professionals:”

Viable Video: Basic Principles of an Effective Portfolio, by Pete Jutras. W @ 4:00pm

Dr. Jutras divided his session into two sections: Content & Technique.

1. CONTENT

Some tips:

The quality of the teaching shown in the video trumps all. Video editing does NOT mask: a lack of planning, poor communication, failure to diagnose problems, or poor sequencing of pieces.
When applying for a job, the kind of teaching videos taken for college pedagogy classes are generally not sufficient. Those are equivalent to a “rough draft” or a “practice session,” while the video submitted to a job should be a well-polished video — the equivalent to a “recital performance.” Practice teaching in front of the camera for many weeks before you start collecting for the real thing. Then showcase your best moments.
When possible, tailor your video portfolio specifically to the job description and to your personal strengths as a teacher.

Your video should include:

Evidence of planning — a goal to the activity, a clear understanding of the student’s issues/needs, well-sequenced steps, and clear student assessment.
Show your mastery of material — through effective modeling, multiple modes of explanation, and relating new things to previous knowledge.
Good communication — make eye contact with the student rather than talking to the piano, and be sure to allow the student to communicate during the lesson too.
Student success — we need to see it on the video!

2. TECHNIQUE

Basic equipment:

Camera — look for HD quality (720p), which will cost between $100-200. A few models: Flip cameras, Kodak Play Sport, and the Sony Bloggie.
External microphone — one possibility is the Azden SMX-10 which costs around $65.
Tripod.
Editing platform — basic software comes included on most computers (Macs have iMove, and PCs come with Windows Movie Maker). Use this to add slides with text to introduce the student.
Place to share — CD or YouTube (be sure to get permission to post videos online).
Cameraman (optional).

When setting up the camera, there are some views to avoid. Dr. Jutras showed us some short clips demonstrating these less-than-ideal video angles. :)

“The Hidden Student” angle.
“The Hidden Teacher” angle.
“The Backside” angle.
“The Class Piano Problem: case of the missing teacher.”

Ideally, the camera frame should show the student’s posture, hand position, face, and the teacher’s face.

* * * * *

Much of this practical advice corresponds to the advice that Dr. Scott Donald offered in his earlier session on Teaching Videos, which you can read here.

[Visit NCKP 2011 | (3) Viable Video, by Pete Jutras to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Forum Q&A | Piano Lessons via Skype

joy (admin) — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 12:48:43 +0000

Last week’s Forum Q&A post was about saying “no” to potential students, and we received some great responses! Click here to check them out. Here’s today’s discussion topic:

Advances in technology over the past few years have changed the way we live in many ways. Online video conferencing services, for example, allow us to chat face-to-face with friends and family across the globe….and conduct piano lessons?! With internet services becoming faster and audio compression quality also improving, offering lessons via video conferencing services such as Skype is becoming a more and more viable option. It certainly is something for piano teachers to consider.

So, I’ve been doing some research to see what I could unearth about the set-up, feasibility, and success of Skype lessons. Here’s what I found:

Sfrack’s thoughts on Skype lessons on her blog.
This article is somewhat outdated already (2008) in its mentions of technology, but contains some interesting thoughts about the future of Skype lessons.
This YouTube video is an interview with Kristin Shoemaker, a piano teacher who Skypes with students in Africa!
Here’s another YouTube video which shows further possibilities for Skype lessons using Music Reader software.
Valerie Kampmeier from the Music Teachers Helper blog recently wrote an article about how Skype lessons are going so far with a student. She is thorough in pointing out some pros and cons.
Natalie at the Music Matters Blog is currently teaching a student in Germany via Skype! Check out this article to read more about it.
Here’s an introductory YouTube video created by a music teacher who gives Skype lessons.
Here’s a string player who offers violin/viola lessons via Skype. Her website has a very nice page about Skype lessons.
Shirley Kirsten has posted quite a few blog posts recently with video samples showing how she conducts Skype lessons. Here is one example.

So, what are your thoughts?

Do you think Skype is a viable option as a way for independent music teachers to offer lessons? What are the biggest adjustments or changes that the teacher and student would have to make in order for Skype lessons to be successful? What pros and cons can you identify? Would you ever offer lessons via Skype?

Leave your comments below.

Update from Joy: I’ve decided to take the plunge and start offering live online piano lessons! Check out the link to read more about me as a teacher and about how online piano lessons work.

[Visit Forum Q&A | Piano Lessons via Skype to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

Studio Marketing: Communicating Value Through Your Website

joy (admin) — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 10:49:24 +0000

Have you ever visited a website and been completely overwhelmed with the amount of information, ads, links, and CLUTTER? Have also you ever visited a website and been impressed by the graphics and the ease with which you could find information? This post is going to offer some tips for organizing and effectively communicating value through your studio website.

Studio Websites: A Necessity

Having a website is an important part of studio marketing. In a world where the internet is now the first place parents turn for business information rather than the phonebook, teachers need to maintain an online presence. The good news is, it’s a pretty affordable and easy way to market yourself as a piano teacher (see the resources section below) — definitely more affordable than an ad in the Yellow Pages!

Effective Website Communication

We’ve already discussed the importance of creating value for your studio — now it’s time to discuss communicating that value through your website. Studio websites should be easy to navigate, organized, pleasing to the eyes, and most importantly — they should communicate a clear message. You must go out of your way to be relavent to your viewers, show the value of your piano teaching services, and the benefits of your services.

Make sure your website communicates your value in multiple places. Even the first page should contain something brief about your value. Then on your Studio Information page, you can find the room to go into detail. If you have a FAQ page, add a question that asks “What is unique about [your studio name]?” or “Why should I study piano at [your studio name]?” These are questions that your viewers would be most definitely interested in. Make it foolproof that anyone who visits your site receives a clear message about how your studio is amazing.

Appearances Are Everything

I don’t know about you, but when I come across a really confusing website, I run. :) I go back to google and find a cleaner website that will give me the information I am looking for! A website’s visual appearance speaks volumes about you and your business.

Here are three things I like to see:

Simplicity. Avoid long sections of text. If you do have a lot to say, break things up with headers and bullet points to help organize information and make it easier to scan.
Elegance. Be tasteful. Choose a few colors and fonts and use them consistently across your website. Be sure to include some photos — after all, “a picture speaks a thousand words.”
Organization. People should be able to easily navigate and find the information they are looking for.

Sample Websites

Here are some examples of business websites that I find to be cluttered, confusing, and difficult to navigate. Hopefully this will give you some laughs. :)

This one is simply outdated (on purpose) not to mention it makes many other mistakes.
Here’s another fake business website that looks like it’s from the 90′s.
This site about sport fishing is real.
This restaurant site definitely needs a do-over.
Godaddy’s site might be on the borderline okay, but it’s too cluttered for my taste.
I think this bank’s site could go for more simplicity.

And now here are a few examples of websites that are a pleasure to visit. Within just a few seconds on the site, you can easily tell the company is and what the service is.

The Kaleidoscope app website.
An online marketing service (how ironic).
GE’s website.

Now go to your studio website and evaluate yourself: how do you rate in the three areas of simplicity, elegance, and organization? Does it communicate a clear message about the value of your studio?

Want to share your studio website with the rest of us? Leave your link in the comments! I’m sure we’d all be willing to offer friendly advice to anyone who asks for it. :)

Resources:

David Cutler’s advice regarding studio websites.
Weebly.com is an easy way to create your own website. This is what I’m currently using for my studio website.
I haven’t tried it myself, but I hear that yola.com is another great site for creating your own a website.

[Visit Studio Marketing: Communicating Value Through Your Website to view the original blog post at Color In My Piano.]

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