So often, when talking to my music teacher colleagues, we lament how difficult it is to make a living as a music teacher. Teaching during after school hours each week day limits our working hours, and you can’t raise your rates every single year without driving yourself out of business! So how do we as… Read more »
Every March, I attend the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA) Conference to refuel, recharge and reinvigorate my studio and my teaching. After a particularly brutal winter, I found myself frazzled, stressed and on the brink of Teacher Burnout!! Thankfully, I had scheduled time off to attend this year’s conference in the “windy city” of Chicago…. Read more »
Spring is here and the phone is ringing! As I respond to the many phone calls I have received about studying piano, I was inspired to do a little research on how to best handle the phone interview. Even though many of my first contacts come through email, I always make a phone call before… Read more »
Problem This year I am celebrating 10 years of being a music studio business owner. In 2002, I opened my studio and had 17 students within the first year. I now carry a load of about 40 private students. My dilemma is that I am completely full, teaching six days per week, but just a… Read more »
One of the challenges in scheduling piano lessons is that most of my clients are school aged children. This means that by the time a student gets out of school and over to my home studio it is typically 4:00. Most school aged children–especially the younger ones I tend to work with–are at their best… Read more »
Last week I took an online training course to become a certified teacher of a new music program at my studio. A great deal of time was spent on marketing, and teachers from all over weighed in and gave fantastic, orginal ideas that have helped them grow their studio effectively. Here’s a few ideas I… Read more »
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… Read more »
Summer can be a wonderful, creative time in our careers. We have more flexibility and time. The downside is that we often have no income. Zero. Zilch. So how do we survive on 9 months of income but 12 months of expenses?
As music teachers we face a constant challenge. How do we live for 12 months when our regular, guaranteed income is only 9 or 10 months? Unlike school teachers, we are usually independent studio teachers or work for a music school that is unlikely to spread out our income over 12 months. Summer is wonderful,… Read more »
As a teaching artist and studio owner striving to learn the ropes of running a small business, I find it particularly challenging when faced with financial obligations such as creating a budget. But it is a task that must be done and the simpler I can keep it, the better!
