Tag: marketing

General

12 Podcasts for Piano Teachers to Follow in 2022

Joy Morin

Back in February 2021, I shared 12 podcasts for piano teachers to follow. There’s some really great podcasts in that list, so if you haven’t seen it I definitely recommend checking out that post before reading on below!

Since then, a number of new podcasts have launched — some of them very recently. In today’s blog post, I’d like to share with you another selection of 12 podcasts that are new or have come to my attention in recent months. I’ve included links to subscribe via Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts, but these podcasts are also available at Overcast, Spotify, or whatever your favorite podcast app. Just search them up by name.

I’ll begin with my must-listen recommendations, and then move into some podcasts I tend to follow only sporadically or am still checking out. I hope you find a few podcasts shows that might interest you!

1.

First of all, I’ll tell you about The Piano Pantry Podcast — a brand new podcast from my good friend, Amy Chaplin of PianoPantry.com. As on her blog, Amy plans to discuss a combination of topics: teaching, organization, cooking/baking, and more. She has released two episodes so far, and I can’t wait to hear more! Subscribe at Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.

Continue reading “12 Podcasts for Piano Teachers to Follow in 2022” →
Studio Business

Lessons Learned From Relocating & Rebuilding a Piano Studio Business

Joy Morin

Nearly a year ago, while attending the 2017 Indiana Music Teachers Association state conference I had the opportunity to chat with friend and fellow blogger Daniel Patterson (of GrowYourMusicStudio.com). We were talking about studio marketing, and I shared with him a story about what I had learned from rebuilding my studio from scratch after relocating to Ohio back in 2011. He was intrigued by my story, and invited me to participate in a recorded video conference sharing my experience.

Here is that video!

https://www.facebook.com/GrowYourMusicStudio/videos/1832193313568983/

Here’s a few points you’ll gain from the video:

  • 0:40 How I marketed my studio, because I couldn’t rely only on word-of-mouth being in an unfamiliar area. 
  • 2:30 Why I’m glad I trusted my instinct when it came to setting my tuition rates. The big lesson learned: It may not be wise to assume that having low tuition rates will result in gaining new students more quickly. 
  • 5:00 What it was like in those early months, waiting for my studio to grow. I did the marketing I could, but I needed to be patient until my studio grew to my benchmark goals. 

Your turn: What was helpful from Daniel’s and my conversation? What lessons have you recently learned from experience as a studio owner? 

Feel free to visit Daniel’s facebook page to watch more of his video conversations. 

Announcements, Studio Business

2016 Studio T-Shirt

Joy Morin

Look at what arrived in the mail recently! I love how our T-shirts turned out this year.

2016 T-shirt selfie w

Since 2012, I’ve ordered studio T-shirts each summer as a gift for my students. It’s a fun way to show appreciation for being a part of my studio and build camaraderie among my students. And it’s good marketing, too.

Just for fun, here’s a peek at the designs from past years.  Continue reading “2016 Studio T-Shirt” →

seasonal / holiday, Studio Business

Classical Music To Attract (or Scare) Your Trick-Or-Treaters

Joy Morin

This year for Halloween, I plan to pass out candy with my studio name on it again and wear my piano costume dress again.  I was thinking about having some scary classical music playing on my porch too, so I compiled a list of music!  Let me know if you have any suggestions to add to the list.  🙂

  • Alkan – Prelude Op. 31 No. 8 (a madwoman at the seashore)
  • Bach (previously attributed to Bach) – Toccata and Fugue in d minor, BWV 565
  • Bartok – 3rd movement of Suite Op. 14
    Bartok     – 1st, 4th and 5th movements of Out of Doors Suite
  • Bartok – Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta (mvmt. 3, adagio)
  • Berlioz – “Dream Of A Witches’ Sabbath.”
  • Berlioz – Symphony Fantastique
  • Wendy Carlos – Incantation from Beauty in the Beast
  • Chopin – Marche Funebre
  • Chopin – Prelude Op. 28 No. 14 in E-flat minor
  • Corigliano – 4th movement of Piano Concerto
  • Corigliano – 4th movement of Etude Fantasy (“Ornaments”)
  • Cowell – The Banshee
  • Daugherty – Viola Zombie
  • de Falla – Dance of Terror (check out the Bragiotti arrangement for 2 pianos, too)
  • Dukas – The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (also check out the 2-piano arrangement by Rabinovitch)
  • George Crumb – Vox balaenae Continue reading “Classical Music To Attract (or Scare) Your Trick-Or-Treaters” →
Studio Business

Freebie: Piano Lessons Flyer Template #2

Joy Morin

I’ve created a new flyer template for advertising piano lessons, and have just added it to the Printables > Studio Business page!  (Scroll down to the P’s for “Piano Lessons Flyer Template #2.)

This flyer template has the rip-off tabs just like the previous one, but this one is in color and includes a picture of the piano keys.  You can view the previous template here.

I hope you can make use of this flyer template!

  Piano Lessons Flyer Template #2 (714.0 KiB, 21,648 hits)

Studio Business

Reflections of a Relocated Piano Teacher

Joy Morin

It has been a little over a year since my husband and I moved to Ohio from Michigan.  I have been thinking a lot lately about what it was like to relocate and start a studio from scratch in an unfamiliar area.  I’m sure some of you have been through this too, or will be going through it soon — perhaps my reflections can be of encouragement to some of you!  Here is what I learned from the experience:

  • FACT: It may take more time than you would like to build a studio from scratch.  It helps to make small goals.  Calculate how many students you need in order to break even financially, and make that your goal first.  Then, you can raise your goal to your preferred amount of students.
  • FACT: The time it takes to build a piano studio REALLY depends upon the need for it in an area.  If you move somewhere where piano teachers are scarce, you could have a full studio in no time at all.  If you move somewhere where there seem to be enough or an over-saturated amounts of teachers, it can take more time.
  • FACT: It is easy to feel down about only having a few students, especially when you feel that you are doing everything right.  It is not easy to be patient.  Continue reading “Reflections of a Relocated Piano Teacher” →
Conferences, Professional Development, Studio Business

MTNA 2012 Conference | Getting Started With Online Marketing

Joy Morin

On Monday of the conference, I attended the Faber Exhibitor Showcase and the Keynote Address given by the wonderful Benjamin Zander!  Natalie has already posted notes on these sessions that are very similar to mine, so I’ll let you read her summaries here and here.

The next session I attended was given by the MTNA Collegiate Chapter at Butler University called:

Getting Started With Online Marketing

The presenters began by stating: “First impressions are everything!”  Nowadays, that first impression is often online.  We need a good first impression so that it will turn into a phone call.  Continue reading “MTNA 2012 Conference | Getting Started With Online Marketing” →

Studio Business

Sample Studio Newsletter

Joy Morin

A reader asked if I could share a sample of a studio newsletter, so here’s a few screenshots!  Click the thumbnails below to view each page larger:

 

For most newsletters, I also include a list of music events going on in the community.  I think it’s great for students and their families to hear and be inspired by good performances!  Here’s a post with other ideas for what to include in studio newsletters.

I created this newsletter using a template in Microsoft Word.

 

Announcements, Studio Business

Halloween Candy = Opportunity for Free Marketing

Joy Morin

Thanks to the wonderfully helpful ideas that YOU all submitted in reply to the Forum Q&A last month about advertising, this year for Halloween I am passing out candy that has a note with my studio name and information on it!

I created these tags in Microsoft Word and printed them onto cardstock paper.  I cut out each tag and used a circle of scotch tape to attach the candy to the backside of each tag.  The tags have my studio name, what I do, and my contact information.  Continue reading “Halloween Candy = Opportunity for Free Marketing” →

Studio Business, Technology

Studio Marketing: Social Networking & More

Joy Morin

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!  Continue reading “Studio Marketing: Social Networking & More” →

Studio Business

Forum Q&A | Advertising for Piano Lessons

Joy Morin

Last time, we shared our favorite pieces of technology!  It’s never too late to add your thoughts, so feel free to jump in the conversation if you haven’t already!

This time, let’s talk about advertising.  Yesterday, I mentioned that I will be giving a presentation about marketing & technology for piano teachers in March.  I would love to learn more about what techniques piano teachers are currently using to advertise!

What kinds of advertising have you tried in the past?  What works, and what doesn’t?  How often do you advertise?  What kind of budget do you give yourself each year for advertising?  

Leave your comments below!

Photo Credit: Dominique Godbout | CC 2.0

improving as a teacher, Professional Development

Studio Marketing: The Studio Newsletter

Joy Morin

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” →