Category: Studio Business

Studio Business

Building Your Studio: What to Say on the Phone

Joy Morin

When potential students’ parents call, do you struggle with figuring out what to say on the phone?  What information are they looking for, anyway?  This post offers some ideas and suggestions.

First, offer basic information about your studio.

The idea is to give them some details about how you run your studio, without overwhelming them.  Some ideas:

  • How often and how long are lessons.
  • About other studio events: i.e., group lessons, the Spring Recital, the Christmas Party, the Summer Music Camp, etc.
  • About other perks of your studio: i.e., lending library, SAT testing, lab time, incentive programs, etc.
  • A little about yourself: how much you enjoy teaching, how long you’ve been teaching, what your teaching philosophy is (in a nutshell), or what your goals for your students are.
  • Cost of tuition (save for last whenever possible), and what forms of payment are acceptable.  Specify whether or not the cost of books and materials is included.

Offer Sources for Further Information

Once you’ve given them general information about your studio, you can then:

  • Direct them to your studio website.  There, they can perhaps find more studio information, your bio, pictures, audio files or videos, and forms/handouts such as your Studio Policies.
  • Offer references.  Talking to happy parents of current students is a great way to learn more about the studio.
  • Offer a free trial lesson/interview with no obligation.  This not only allows the parents/student the chance to meet you personally before making an obligation, but also allows you the chance to meet the student before officially accepting them into your studio.

Before hanging up, be sure to ask if they have any other questions.  And always thank them for calling, whether or not they sound interested in taking lessons with you or not.

Tip: If you are like me and get a little shy/nervous on the phone, try making yourself a little list to keep by the phone. =)

What kinds of things do you make a note of telling potential students/parents?

Photo Credit: tylerdurden1 | CC 2.0

Printables, Studio Business

Just Added: Student Achievements Record Printable

Joy Morin

Just added to the Printables > Studio Business page:

Student Achievements Record

This printable is designed for the teacher to keep records of each students’ achievements, including the completion of music books, the completion of notable pieces of repertoire, the performance of a piece for an audience, and other achievements.  Keeping such a record is helpful for the teacher to track and evaluate student progress and participation from year to year.

Suggested use: print a page for each student and keep the pages in alphabetical order in a 3-ring binder.

Enjoy!

Printables, Studio Business

Just Added: Piano Lessons Flyer Template

Joy Morin

New printable just added:

Piano Lessons Flyer Template (.doc)

Advertise for new piano students by filling in this free Piano Lessons Flyer Template!  Just edit and print in Microsoft Word (.doc) and you’ll be ready to post your flyers all over town.

Directions

  1. Download the Piano Lessons Flyer Template from the Printables > Studio Business page.
  2. Open the file in Microsoft Word and edit the file so that your own information is entered.
  3. Print the file.  Using a pair of scissors, cut vertical lines from the bottom of the page (as marked) so that interested students/parents can rip off a tab with your name and contact information.
  4. You are ready to post your flyers all over town!

View the flyer template large below:

  Piano Lessons Flyer Template (32.5 KiB, 26,734 hits)

Resources, Studio Business

Piano as a way to build community

Joy Morin

Check out this fascinating news story:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6LeEKX1mLE

It’s great to see the great potential music (especially the piano) has to connect members of a community in a unique way!  This story really got me thinking: what are some ways we as teachers of music can use our skills to connect and benefit the community?  We tend to set our focus on just our studios, and admittedly we sometimes get overly competitive with other teachers in the area.  Wouldn’t it be great to join forces as teachers/musicians in a particular community and find ways serve the greater community?  (Ideas, anyone?)  =)

For more:

Visit artist Luke Jerram’s “Play Me, I’m Yours” website to view video uploads of various pianists playing on the pianos in cities all over the world.

improving as a teacher, Motivation, Questions, Studio Business

SUMMARY | The June Forum: Making Your Vocation A Vacation

Joy Morin

The Way to Paradise June is over (summer is going by so quickly!!), and so is the June Forum: Making Your Vocation A Vacation topic.  Thanks for all the thought-provoking comments, all!  Here’s a summary of your comments, along with some thoughts of my own mixed in:

  • Teach only when you want to. Don’t overdo it.  Only schedule yourself what you can easily handle each day/week.  If needed, schedule yourself an occasional 15-minute break so you can chill out for a bit and perhaps get a bite to eat.
  • Teach only who you want to. Whenever possible, accept only the students who are motivated and hardworking.  I’d like to also add: only teach the levels/ages you are comfortable with.  For example, if teaching adult students isn’t your forte, don’t feel as if you have to accept them into your studio.  Recognize the areas where you shine and make those your focus!  Same goes with styles of music: if you aren’t comfortable teaching jazz, recommend those students to another teacher who is comfortable doing so.
  • Be firm on your business procedures. As teachers and musicians, we often don’t like to think about the financial side of things.  We like to focus on passing our passion for music on to our students.  The reality is, there will always be parents/students who show up late, don’t show up at all, don’t pay on time, etc..  Everyone handles these situations differently, but I would recommend never allowing yourself to be stepped over.  It will stress you out.  (I know from experience!)  Write up some Studio Policies and stick to them.  (This is an area I personally need to work on — so I’ve been brainstorming some ways to make “the business end of things” run more smoothly and efficiently.)
  • Keep it fun and fresh by varying up each lesson, and tailoring lessons to each individual student.  Be on the lookout for new music books or games to try with students.  Try to discover each student’s interests, strengths, and weaknesses so you can personalize their lessons to their individual needs.  Attend local/state/national music teaching conferences so you can continue your own education as well as network and exchange ideas with other teachers.
  • Find ways to make sure your students are making progress. When students are making progress, students are having fun, and when students are having fun, the teacher is having fun!  Decorate your studio, create an incentive program, keep communication open with parents to keep them involved, have a practice requirement — in short, find ways to keep students engaged and motivated to develop their skills at the piano and excited about lessons!

All these ideas above are part of being an effective, successful teacher — and that’s when teaching becomes a vacation rather than a vocation.  Great thoughts, everyone!

Stay tuned for the introduction of the July Forum topic, coming later this week!

Photo credit: nattu | CC 2.0

Printables, Studio Business

Printables updated: Student Info form, and Student Interview forms

Joy Morin

As part of my preparation for the upcoming academic year of teaching piano, I working updating all of my studio business forms.  The following three forms have just completed renovation, and are available on the Printables page:

  • Student Information form (for all incoming students to fill out)
  • Beginner Student Interview form (to be used while interviewing beginner students)
  • Transfer Student Interview form (to be used while interviewing new non-beginner students)

Questions have been clarified, more space has been given between lines so that there is more room to write in the blanks, and the overall format has been given a makeover in order to get a cleaner look.  In addition, the wording of some questions on the forms (the Beginner Student Interview form and the Student Information form, especially) have been adjusted to better accommodate adult students who might be filling out the forms / being interviewed.

Side note: Don’t let the word “interview” scare you if you don’t already do something like this in your studio!  These forms are simply designed to help with evaluating the student’s playing level at the first lesson.  Personally, I’ve found that taking notes helps me immensely when I’m trying to decide what repertoire and method books to use with a new student, whether it’s a beginner student or not.  Give it a try!

Scroll down for a BIGGER look!

Continue reading “Printables updated: Student Info form, and Student Interview forms” →

Printables, Studio Business

Record of Lesson Attendance & Payment

Joy Morin

Just added to the page of free Printables > Studio Business:

> Lesson & Payment Record Chart 2010-2011 (3 page pdf)

Summertime is a great time to do some planning for the next academic year of teaching!  As you can see, I’ve been keeping busy…..  This chart is designed for the 2010-2011 year in mind, starting in September.

What this chart records:

This chart provides a simple way to track student attendance/absences for lessons and tuition payments.

How to use this chart:

In the first column, enter your students’ names.  At each lesson, enter the lesson date (e.g., 9/14) corresponding with that week of lessons.  If the student misses a lesson for some reason, that box may be marked with a slash, or left blank so that the make-up lesson date may be later written in.  Any lessons that are paid for should be marked with a checkmark in each little circle.  Please see the up-close picture below for an example.

The 3 pages of this chart can be easily 3-hole punched and placed in a 3 ring binder, for maximum convenience when teaching.

I hope some of you find my chart useful!

Resources, Studio Business, Technology

Free Studio Website Builder: Weebly.com

Joy Morin

Have you thought about starting a website for your studio, but felt that you didn’t have the resources or expertise to build one?  Check out Weebly.com — an attractive and easy-to-use online resource where you can create a website for free.

Personally, I currently use iWeb software (comes free on all Mac computers) to create and maintain my studio site.  However, Weebly sites are so attractive, I might make the switch someday!  I switched, and now I use Weebly for my studio website!

Some great features:

  • Extremely user-friendly. The drag-and-drop site builder is extremely easy to use, even for those who might not consider themselves to be very technologically savvy.
  • No software is needed. That means, no buying or installing software onto your computer.  Creating and maintaining your website is done completely online.
  • You can use a free ___.weebly.com domain name, or use your own domain name. Weebly is one of the few free website building sites that allow you use your own url (e.g., colorinmypiano.com) if you desire.  Just purchase one from a site such as Name.com (a year usually costs around $10).  If you don’t want to use your own domain name, for free you can just use yourname.weebly.com.
  • Attractive themes. Of all the free website building sites I’ve seen, Weebly by far creates the most attractive-looking sites.  They have tons of great customizable themes to choose from.

Here are some links to some studio websites that were created using Weebly, to get you inspired:

Good luck!  If you are successful in creating your own studio site using Weebly, be sure to share the link with us in the comments!

improving as a teacher, Studio Business

Building Your Studio: How to Inform Parents About Your Tuition Rates

Joy Morin

When you get a phone call from an parent of a potential student asking about studio information, should you inform potential students of your rates first, or should you tell them about your studio first?

I know a fellow teacher who does not answer the “rates question” – even when specially asked about it – until the end of the phone call, after she has told them about everything her studio offers.  She chooses to emphasize the quality of the music education she offers in her studio before informing the parent of the rates.   Not a bad idea!

Other teachers are very upfront and prefer to tell parents their rates first thing.  There is no harm in either method.  Personally, I am somewhere in the middle.  Unless specifically asked, I save the rates information until the end.  Regardless of where you stand, it’s a good idea to plan in advance how you are going to deal with the “rates question” when the potential student calls.

How do you like to handle the “rates question”?

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/publicdomainphotos/ / CC BY 2.0

improving as a teacher, Studio Business

Building Your Studio: Offer Free Trial Lesson, and Have References Ready!

Joy Morin

A few months ago, I received a call from a parent who was looking for lessons for her two daughters.  She was a little reluctant to commit to lessons because of a past experience with another teacher: the teacher was an excellent performer, but unfortunately not as great of a teacher.  I chatted with her for a few minutes and I told her about my studio and my teaching experience.  Then I offered to give her a trial lesson for free, so she could see for herself what my teaching style is like.  She agreed to this, and afterwards, was happy to commit to lessons.  We’ve been continuing ever since.

At her daughter’s lesson this week, the same parent kindly offered (with no request on my part) to be a reference or write a letter of recommendation should I ever need one.  When she said this, I realized that having a reference or two (from other happy parents) ready to give her would have been a another great way for her to learn about my teaching style and personality — and it would have been much more convincing than hearing it from me!

Lessons learned: DO offer a free interview/first lesson, and DO have references ready to give out!  =)

Click here to read ideas for activities to do with the student at the first free trial lesson and click here for some free printables for use during the first trial lesson.

Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenliveshere/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

Printables, Studio Business

Make Business Cards for Your Music Studio

Joy Morin

Having business cards on hand is a convenient and professional way to give your contact information to potential students and their parents.  Here’s a simple, clean template for making your own business cards for your music studio!

Printables > Studio Business > Business Cards Template for Music Teachers

This template is a Microsoft Word (.doc) file, containing a page of 10 business cards, which you can edit to fill in with your name and contact information.  Then all you have to do is print them onto card-stock or other professional-looking paper and cut them apart.  Have fun!

Studio Business

Studio Policies

Joy Morin

As a fellow piano teacher, I can’t stress enough how important it is to have written Studio Policies.  They’re great for letting new students know about how your studio is run!   It will help improve the level of communication between you and the parent/student, because it becomes more clear what you each expect of each other.

Things to include in your Studio Policies handout:
  1. Studio name.  This may seem insignificant, but it’s surprising how much more professional you will look just by naming your studio.  It doesn’t have to be fancy; just try something like Piano Studio of Joy Morin or The Morin Music Studio.
  2. Yearly Calendar.  It doesn’t have to be detailed by any means.  Just state when lessons will be beginning and ending (e.g., September 1 – June 1) and when the holiday breaks will be Continue reading “Studio Policies” →