Our interview with Motif Music Studios of USA SH: Tell us about your studio. Our music studio, Motif Music Studios, opened in 2010 when Jeff & Amie Webster decided to combine their respective skills in computer programming, design and business management and 13 years of teaching experience to create a music school that provided a positive, professional work place for teachers as well as an inspiring environment...
Read MoreBy Julia Kossuth Lately I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about why students should participate in private lessons. After all, they have so many activities pulling at them between school and other extracurricular activities, why should they set time out of their week for private music lessons? Besides the obvious reason of desiring to play the piano well and the natural passion for playing that some...
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The administrative aspect of owning a teaching studio can be tricky at times, especially when it comes to money. And though it wasn’t easy, this summer I made the decision to go forward with a payment policy change that I’ve been contemplating for a couple years now.
Up until now, I had been charging per lesson. If a family cancelled — regardless of the reason or amount of notice given — they didn’t pay. Now while most of my students attend regularly and give plenty of notice for absences, this lax “per lesson” payment policy was resulting in quite a bit of lost income for me. It took some brainstorming, but I came up with a solution that I think will benefit everyone.
It’s always nerve-racking to make a big change like this, so I spent quite a bit of time putting my new policy into writing. I wanted to be clear yet concise in my explanation, and judging from the positive feedback that I’ve received so far from my clients, it seems that I managed to do so.
I’d like to share the letter explaining my new payment policy for those of you who, like me, need to revamp your own policies. Perhaps I can save you a little bit of the time I took to write it!
When potential and curre
nt customers visit your studio website, they should be able to tell that you are an active studio with plenty of events designed to motivate and inspire.
When students are working towards events, they are motivated to practice, listen and focus, making for a group that progresses well and is easier to work with.
When potential clients see everything going on at your studio, they want to be a part of it!
“Give a person a fish, and he/she will eat for a day. Teach a person to fish and he/she will be satisfied for a lifetime.”
In my last blog, Igniting the Spark, I wrote about my goals for the year – empowering students to take responsibility for their own learning. Since then, I have experienced an amazing paradigm shift and as a result, am truly enjoying my teaching. I have always enjoyed teaching, but am easily frustrated when students arrive at lessons unprepared or “check out” in the lesson! The shift this year has been a conscious effort to give students the tools for independent learning, talking less and demonstrating more, and holding them accountable for each week’s assignments. I am feeling much more relaxed and students are working a lot harder, with less stress on my part. I have focused on three main areas: