No matter how successful, motivated, and passionate you are when it comes to your career as a studio owner, it’s inevitable: at some point, you’ll need to add some fuel to the fire that drives your work.
Maybe you’re undergoing a shift in your personal life, or feeling burnt out, or just fighting a case of the winter doldrums. In any case, here are some ideas for reigniting the spark that made you fall in love with teaching in the first place.
Well, I finally did something I have been wringing my hands over for a long time. I made a couple dramatic changes to my studio policies. For several months before making the decision, I kept finding myself frustrated and feeling like a push over. Why? Well, the main problem was my payment policy. I had a very forgiving one. Students pay at the beginning of the month, but if there is a cancelation within 24 hours notice, they get a refund next month. Do you know what that means? At the beginning of every month I would estimate my earnings according to the calendar, but would lose at least a quarter of income because of all the planned cancelations and excused absences.
Several years ago, the following article appeared in our local newspaper. My dad clipped the article and I recently came across it again. It is still timely and valuable advice written by Lloyd Shearer. Shearer was a celebrity columnist for Parade magazine (an insert in the Sunday paper) and wrote the popular column Personality Parade.
10 Ways to Achieve a Good Attitude
By Alyssa Cowell This is about the time of year that the local Middle and High schools hold auditions for the big spring musical. Every year, there are students who are nervously considering auditioning for the first time, and have no idea what to expect. While every director has their particular way of auditioning prospective students, there are definitely some audition practices that can ensure a...
Read More
Have you ever done a field trip with your studio? I’m attempting one — sort of.
Each year, our local symphony holds a children’s symphony — a free, interactive performance that plays lots of kid-friendly songs…and lasts under an hour.
While I’m not exactly organizing and transporting the 30 students in my studio to the event (I can barely keep track of my own two kids), I am encouraging everyone to attend and providing supplementary material at music classes and for parents. Here’s what I’m doing for students enrolled in piano lessons at my studio: