music teacher – Color In My Piano

It’s here! I’ve been hinting about this on instagram all week. I’m so excited to today share with you a project I’ve been working for the past few months.

Inspired by a project I saw at my town’s local university campus, I decided to create something similar for my piano students. I call it the “Notes To Self” wall art.

Those who approach the “Notes To Self” wall art are encouraged by the sign to “Take one to-go, for you or somebody else!”

The quotes and sayings were chosen with positivity and encouragement in mind. They’re fun to admire, and it’s fun to pick out one to take with you. My students are enjoying this!

I drew all of the quotes and sayings myself by hand — but the designs have been digitized so they can be printed out directly onto the sticky notes using the template shown below. Easy! (Learn more about the template here.)

These “Notes To Self” sticky notes are a great way to promote positivity and camaraderie among your students. Continue reading “In The Shop: “Notes To Self” Wall Art” →

Questions, Studio Business

Forum Q&A: Health Insurance for Self-Employed Music Teachers

13 May 201322 December 2020 Joy Morin

Our last Forum Q&A post was sharing about the first piano you learned on as a child. It was fun hearing your piano stories!

It’s time for a new Forum Q&A topic. This one is an important topic for any self-employed music teacher to consider: Health insurance!

Do you pay for your own health insurance out-of-pocket, or does your spouse’s job provide insurance for you? If you are paying for health insurance out-of-pocket, did you find insurance through the services partnered with MTNA, or through another source? Does your insurance only cover major medical, or does it cover annual check-ups, etc.? Do you feel that your health insurance adequately covers what your needs? Is the premium reasonable, and is the co-pay/co-insurance reasonable?

I’ll admit that this topic is timely for me, because I am currently shopping for health insurance. As I’ve been researching health insurance, I found it very interesting to learn how difficult it can be for self-employed individuals in the United States to find both adequate and affordable coverage, especially for those who have “pre-existing conditions.”

This is a topic definitely worth discussing. I hope you’ll all take a moment to leave a comment below to share your experience!

improving as a teacher, Professional Development, Studio Business

Determining Tuition Rates for Piano Teaching

5 July 201114 January 2015 Joy Morin

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” →