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31 Jul

Marketing Your Studio Online – Cheaply and Effectively!

by admin
in Marketing
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Due to moving around a couple of times through the years, I have had to build my studio from the ground up three times. Each time it has been quicker and easier to do so, due to the trial and error of my previous times, and also through a bit of business savvy that has been passed to me through mentors and friends. As teachers or musicians, we know how to do what we are good at – teaching and creating music – but what about the exposure we need to share our passions? You can be the best teacher out there, but if no one knows you exist, you’re still going to be lacking students.

There are a few gems in the online world that have not only taken me from zero to 32 hours of teaching within six months, but have ensured an ongoing online presence and waiting list. I know that a lot of people think that word of mouth is the best form of advertising, and of course, I agree that it is extremely effective. However, in this day and age, everyone uses the internet to search for anything they need, whether it be information, services, or shopping. Why not capitalize on it with the following online marketing tips and watch your studio grow?

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24 Jul

The Next Big Thing

by admin
in Facilities, Program Development
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The Next Big ThingFrom the moment I opened my studio, I’ve always had the same question in the back of my mind: what is the “next big thing” and how am I going to make it a reality?

Since that day over five years ago, I’ve had some pretty amazing “next big things” happen. I made the transition from traveling music therapist/teacher to opening a studio where my students come to me. I gained enough students to quit my day job and become a full-time studio owner. I completely remodeled my studio space. And then earlier this summer, I hired my first contractor.

But despite those exciting developments, I’m still in hot pursuit of — you guessed it — “the next big thing”. So what might that be?

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20 Jul

Self-help Pedagogy: Part 2

by admin
in Performance, Policies and Procedures, Program Development
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Time management is an essential component of managing a studio. In addition to managing and planning the details on the business end, many studio owners take an active role in the lesson and class planning. In this month’s blog, I will summarize points from Marienne Uszler’s book, Time Flies…How to Make the Best Use of Teaching Time.

Like last month’s blog on the use of repetition in practice (Self-help Pedagogy: Part 1), the first step is to determine how you use lesson time by video or audio recording yourself teaching a variety of different lessons. Then, review the recordings and make a timeline noting how much time was spent on each activity.

In order to plan an effective music lesson for the Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced leves, Uszler suggests that the following six elements must be present:

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09 Jul

Marketing Your Studio in a Bad Economy

by cconrad
in Finances, Marketing, Program Development
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At one of my recent teaching association meetings, we discussed how even studio owners and music teachers are feeling the affects of the bad economy.  As families tighten their belts a bit more and look for ways to lower their budget, some of their children’s extra curricular activities are seen as unnecessary luxuries.  Use some of the tips below to prevent your studio growth from becoming stagnant during lean times:

Educate your clients

Make sure your client base understands the importance of the service that you offer, and why it isn’t expendable.  I use quarterly newsletters to reiterate the importance of music lessons by linking studies and data that show the benefits of learning piano.  I also write occasional articles for our local parenting magazine about the benefits of music education.  Doing so helps my students and their families prioritize music lessons and hopefully look to cut other things out of their budget if they are faced with making difficult choices during financial hardships.

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