“Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!”
— J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week. Have suggestions? Send an email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.
You may not immediately see a connection between your studio’s monthly newsletter and marketing…but there is one, I assure you! Marketing means promoting your studio, which includes keeping current customers of your service satisfied. One of the keys to keeping customers satisfied is over-delivering: giving more than expected. Newsletters are one great way to over-deliver. And so, in continuation of our series on studio marketing, we are talking today about studio newsletters. 🙂 Continue reading “Studio Marketing: The Studio Newsletter”
In just a week and a half, I’ll be heading to Chicago for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy! After attending to the MTNA National Conference for the first time in March, I am SO looking forward to heading to another conference. Last time, I went solo — which wasn’t as bad as it sounds, because hey, when you’re at a conference full of people who love doing the same thing you do, you’re never alone! Besides, I ran into Natalie Wickham and other teachers I know from online. And I met many more teachers. It was such a neat experience and I learned so much. This time, however, I will be attending with my cousin and a good friend of mine. I’m very excited!
Is anyone else going? If so, please let me know! And consider meeting up — Wendy Stevens from the ComposeCreate blog is planning a meet-up at the Piano Teacher School booth on Thursday of the conference. Read more here.
Rest assured that I’ll be posting plenty about the conference once I get back! 🙂
For our previous Forum Q&A, I asked about the legal side of being a business – becoming a Sole Proprietorship or an LLC, dealing with taxes, etc. My previous private teaching has mostly been as an employee of the university’s Community Music School. I find all the legal stuff for getting set up on your own to be so complicated! I am thankful for all the infomation online, books in the library, and the advice I’ve been getting from other teachers.
I’m still sorting this all out, but I did decide to be a Sole Proprietor. Becoming an LLC does have the benefit of protecting your personal assets in the event that someone should sue the business for some reason (they can go after your business assets but not your personal assets). But setting up an LLC is more complicated and costly than a Sole Proprietorship. Of course, as a piano teacher, the chances of getting sued are relatively low. If you do want some protection, extra liability protection can often add something on to your current homeowner’s insurance policy for this purpose. Oh, and another thing I learned — be sure to check with your city to see if they require a zoning permit for running a home business and having a sign outside for your studio. Don’t I sound smart?! I’m learning so much these days! 😉
Regarding taxes — I decided to hire a CPA to handle my taxes for my first year or two, or until I can learn how to manage it all on my own. I feel good about my decision. Keeping track of my income and expenses shouldn’t be too complicated, but estimating quarterly taxes is complicated for me since I don’t really have anything to refer to from previous years. My CPA should be able to help me get up-and-running. 🙂
Anyway — I received a question yesterday from a reader that is perfect for this week’s Forum Q&A. Here goes:
How do you know when to say “no” to a potential student? What do you look for when you interview an interested student? What kinds of questions do you ask to sift out whether you are going to accept the student? And what do you do when you realize you’ve made a mistake with a student you said “yes” to?
In all honesty, I kind of wish I had this problem! Right now, I am saying “yes” to anybody who comes through my door. Such is the life of a recently-relocated piano teacher. 🙂
Advice, anyone, for this reader?
Photo Credit: Valerie Everett | CC 2.0
“Music must never offend the ear, but must please the listener, or, in other words, must never cease to be music.”
— Mozart
Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week. Have suggestions? Send an email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.
Today I have a fun new printable to share!
Continue reading “Flashcard Prompts for Improvisation & Composition”
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! Continue reading “Studio Marketing: Communicating Value Through Your Website”
“I think music in itself is healing. It’s an explosive expression of humanity. It’s something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we’re from, everyone loves music.”
— Billy Joel
Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week. Have suggestions? Send an email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.
Every once in a while, I receive emails from readers wondering if their tuition rates are appropriate. Setting rates is a difficult topic to talk about, because for one thing, rate depend largely on the area where you live. For that reason, I can’t advise exact numbers — but with this article I hope to offer some guidelines and suggestions regarding this topic nevertheless.
The Problem
I’m sure we’ve all experienced parents/students who are shopping for piano lessons by price. Let’s face it: many parents today (especially in America) shop for piano teachers based on price, even though they really should be “shopping” based on the teacher’s experience, education, professionalism, dedication, etc.. Parents shop by price because in their logic, little 6-year-old Suzie doesn’t need an expensive teacher unless they discover that she has a talent for piano and long-term interest. And they don’t know any better. Continue reading “Determining Tuition Rates for Piano Teaching”
Happy 4th of July! Today, America celebrates Independence Day. My parents have come over to visit us and see our new place, and we have a fun day of activities planned. 🙂
My husband and I are still exploring our new town and figuring out where things are. It’s kind of fun!! 🙂 Last week, I visited the local Goodwill store and found a bunch of Beanie Babies in really good condition for just 50 cents each. I’m such a sucker for thrift stores and consignment shops! I managed to find an animal for each letter of the musical alphabet except for “F”…I guess I need to find a frog, perhaps?! 🙂
You’ll notice I have more than one beanie animal for “C”. I simply couldn’t make up my mind.
Once I find that elusive frog for “F”, then I just need to get a floor staff! I have a few ideas for making a floor staff myself. We’ll see what happens during the upcoming weeks/months. I can’t wait to plan some games for my young beginner students using these furry friends. 🙂
Yikes, June is almost over already!! I’d better hurry up and post about these new (to me) links from around the blogosphere!
“One good thing about music – when it hits you, you feel no pain.”
— Bob Marley
Every Wednesday brings Words of Wisdom here at the Color in my Piano blog in the form of a musical quote or joke, intended to bring inspiration or humor to the middle of your week. Have suggestions? Send an email off to admin[at]colorinmypiano.com.
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