This week, we launched an exciting new feature on Studio Helper that’s been requested many times by our customers: the ability to automatically invoice lessons from the calendar.

The studios who will love this feature the most are those who charge on a “per lesson” basis, where students are invoiced a different amount each month depending on how many lessons were scheduled. Studios who charge a flat monthly fee or on a semester basis may not find as much use for this, but could still use it to charge for specific events.

To pull in lessons from the calendar onto an invoice, you first need to do the following:

1. Create a package that is set to “Per Lesson” (Settings -> Packages)
2. Register a student for that package within their profile. (People List -> Student profile -> Registration section)
3. On the calendar, in the “Participants” area, after selecting the student(s) who will attend the lesson, choose the appropriate package from the list.

Now you have everything in place to have calendar lessons pulled into an invoice. To create an invoice that does this, go to the regular invoice creation screen (Money -> Invoicing -> New Invoice). Select the client(s) you want to invoice, and then click the checkbox underneath the client list that says, “Enable Automatic Billing from Calendar”.

Once you do this, a yellow box will appear that lets you choose the start date and the period. For example, if you choose July 1st as the start date, and 1 month as the period, it will grab all the lessons from the calendar in the month of July. Click the “Update” button and it will show all of these lessons for you right there on the invoice! You can see the cost of each lesson (according to the package) and remove any lesson you don’t want to invoice for at this time. Studio Helper keeps track of which lessons have been invoiced so you don’t have to worry about double billing.

Note that if you are invoicing multiple clients at once, the actual lessons do not show up on the invoice until after you have created it.

Making it Recurring

If you want to automate this process further, you can click the checkbox that says “Make this a recurring invoice”, at the bottom of the invoice creation screen. If this is enabled, Studio Helper will automatically recreate this invoice according to the period you specify, and it will automatically pull in the lessons from the calendar for whatever period the invoice covers. It’s a great time-saving feature, and coupled with on-line payments via Paypal, gives you near “hands-off” invoicing.

We hope you enjoy this new addition to Studio Helper. We’d love to hear what you think. If you have any questions about how to use this near feature, don’t hesitate to contact our support team.

Now is the time to take active steps to add students for your teachers. Acting now gives you time to implement solutions based on what responses you get to ‘The Four Asks.‘

What are these mysterious questions?

1. Ask teachers if they want more students.

It’s possible your teachers would like to expand the number of students they teach. If so, adding time slots to their schedule in Studio Helper will remind you (and them) that expansion is part of their goal. These students could come from a variety of sources.

Perhaps you email the families of all existing students and ask them to refer people they know. Maybe you include an announcement in your newsletter: ‘The following teachers are accepting new students for fall registration…‘ Some of the responsibility could also fall on the teacher, networking with their personal contacts.

2. Ask teachers what other classes/subjects/instruments they are comfortable teaching.

If your studio flute teacher spent time playing piccolo, maybe there’s a specialty market to be explored. Perhaps an music instrumental teacher plays jazz in addition to classical. Is a karate instructor also certified in judo or another martial art? Does a dance or art teacher have other areas of expertise?

Crossing this sort of boundary takes advantage of existing resources, drawing on teachers you have a relationship with – those you already know and trust.

3. Ask your experienced teachers if they have former students who went on to advanced work and are now teaching.

This ‘ask’ could be a source of new teachers. As a benefit, their skills and approaches are likely to be compatible with what’s already going on in the studio. When it comes to suggesting a different teacher for a new student, it’s easy to say “Ms. Jones’ classes are full, but Ms. Anderson has spaces and she studied with Ms. Jones for 8 years before going on to get a degree in…”

4. Ask yourself which areas can be expanded most profitably.

Where is the ‘break point’ when adding students to class size diminishes quality of instruction? Do your teachers agree, and is it possible to increase class sizes by a few students?

What market niches are expanding in your area? Is there a specific subset or variation that could be added to meet a current need?

While it doesn’t make sense to ‘chase trends,’ are there untapped markets? Look around at your students, see what their other interests are. What music do they listen to? What dancers do they admire? Where do they gather? That may point you towards new areas. Perhaps a music studio could add electronic music production/recording; and art studio, digital photography and computer image editing; a dance studio, popular dance styles.

This sort of thinking will likely require an investment in time to find the right new instructor, perhaps even some outlay for equipment. Still, there are needs out there. I can’t help but remember the local camera store with over-filled classes on introductory digital photography, aimed at all those who just bought a camera and have no idea what all those settings and buttons mean.

In Summary

The key to business expansion is ‘Ask…’ Ask others, ask yourself.

As we know well, the transition to summer often interrupts the flow of our studio. There are issues around student/family vacation schedules, vacations for staff.

There’s even that ‘lack of dedication’ from students and others that’s common when warm whether and outdoor activities sing their siren song. After a year of hard work, it’s certainly understandable. Everybody needs a break.

Manage Summer To Your Benefit

Plan Something: Scheduling anything for summer is, of course, a key factor. Try to find times that don’t conflict with typical activities for your students. If soccer and baseball games are on Saturdays, then that’s not the time to do something involving your studio. Sunday nights? Tuesday evening?

Tip: Before your students “slip away,” try to get a sense of their availability and interest.

Idea #1:

Hold a studio “ice cream social” at a local park. Invite parents and students to bring along friends (can you say ‘marketing?’). That’s a relatively low budget activity compared to doing a cook-out, and it’s much easier to make a quick run for ice cream than to get “meat on the grill” to cook fast enough for serving.

Idea #2:

Plan a “community volunteer activity” for students and families. It needs to be something where everyone can be at a single location (to build a sense of the ’studio team’). Think of the place to do the event first.

How about a nursing home? Perhaps an art studio could do paintings on the spot to give to residents. A music or ballet studio could organize a weekend performance. Martial arts students could use their physical skills to help play ‘balloon volleyball.’

Idea #3:

Think in terms of where community needs exist, then match that to skills your students possess. Even a car wash to raise funds for a worthy cause could feature student skills out front. Imagine “karate kicks” going on to attract attention! So much more eye-catching than “kids waving signs at passing cars.”

Be Thoughtful

If your project is an outdoor activity, plan for:

• A rain option – rain date, alternate indoor location.
• Excessive heat – it is summer, after all. Providing sunscreen, water and shade are critical.
• Windy conditions – mostly that affects signs, tarps and such.
• Short schedule – summer time is busy time. Don’t tie up families for more than a couple of hours or they won’t attend.

• Make any activity appealing. There needs to be a reason for families to get involved!

Provide summer reminders that your studio exists with periodic emails.

Consider sending a marketing promotion to each family during the summer. Reminders are a good thing.

Bumper stickers that say “My child is a student at Wetbrush Art Studio” only need to make it onto a few cars in order to gain significant visibility. If public schools can do this, why not your studio, right?

Admittedly, summer is a slow time for receivables. That means these projects sometimes involve cash outlay with no immediate return. That said, seeds need to go in the ground and stay for a while before they sprout and become crops.

Summer is the perfect time to plant seeds for success and growth next Fall.

Plan, Plant, Harvest Rewards!

While you’re at it, take some time off for yourself. You deserve it.

Happy Summer To You.

As a studio owner, it pays to be “mindful of your business investment.”

As a teacher & business owner, I always knew when spring arrived; it seemed students, well, were a tiny bit less interested in practicing and more involved in finding things to do outdoors.

How can you help teachers manage this issue? Missed lessons and cancellations do, after all, come out of the bottom line. Even if your studio is built around quarterly or period building, maintaining a high level of student interest and excitement leads to more spirit (and referrals).

The key question for exciting students becomes:

How can something be different, providing “overt fun” in some way?

Here are a few ideas to springboard your thoughts. I’m sure there are others that fit your “studio flavor.” Feel free to post a comment and share your own thoughts.

Do discuss these ideas with your staff to get their “buy-in.” That’s important. Change can open up possibilities… What teacher wouldn’t enjoy students who are more excited? Which teachers would turn down more students and income? Doing this puts vitality into your studio!

outdoor activities

Have you ever considered lessons and weekend classes outdoors, weather permitting? For musical instruments, find (or create) sheltered spots against a wall. That allows sound to reflect. Wind instruments, in particular, benefit from outdoor playing. When the sound “disappears into the large space,” students will often use better breath support and relax to get a bigger sound. You may of course opt NOT to put the snare drum lesson in front of a hard surface for more volume.

Other subject areas may involve special requirements. How does one replicate a dance floor outdoors? Perhaps have students wear runners and use a very smooth lawn surface or tennis court. For an outdoor session the focus would be less on “watch yourself in the mirror”, more on “use the space around you.” That could lead to more free movement and expressive qualities.

An art class might draw or paint based on outdoor subjects. Martial arts lend themselves to outdoors too. Keeping uniforms free from grass stains might take some planning, though. Perhaps put down canvas or us a soft tennis court?

Not every activity can be adapted to an outdoor setting. Perhaps there’s another space available — community center, church hall, even a park shelter. The idea is to encourage variety. Fresh ideas on your part = revitalized interest.

“experience” events

Offer a chance for students to explore other studio classes. This may take investment on your part, it may also pay real benefits.

If you can turn existing “one class/instrument students” into multiple class enrollment, you’ve added revenue without increasing marketing costs. Schedule a special event on a Saturday morning where students can work with teachers for other areas. Does your dance studio encompass ballet, jazz, and tap? Interest those kids in multiple styles!

The same could apply for art. Turn painting students into sculpture and pottery enthusiasts. Music students could be “mined” for music theory classes, pianists might pick up a stringed instrument. That snare drummer could learn to read notes in addition to rhythms through piano lessons.

Organizing this sort of event means setting up a series of “stations” for each type/media, then having a schedule where students rotate every 20 minutes or so. You could even charge a modest amount and use funds to cover some or all of the teacher expense. Not all teachers need to be involved, just enough to cover each area.

This really follows the principle of “cross-marketing” studio offerings to existing clients. Depending on how creative you wish to be, maybe include beginner activities and encourage younger family members to attend.

faculty retreat

A retreat (even a pizza party or coffee & dessert meeting with some door prizes) can build faculty connections. Hold a cookout and provide the steaks! Guided small group activities may lead to exchange of ideas for effective teaching. It’s also possible that there are things the teachers observed that they will offer up as ideas for change. You may have to front some funding for this (perhaps even pay for attendance), but the value might outweigh the short term cost.

Tips:

• Plan carefully so there are times for general conversation, others with focus on positive discussion and exploration.
• Use small groups as well as full sessions. Perhaps assign each small group in a “subdivided activity” a separate topic and writes up their “best two thoughts,” then pull things together at the end (common in business meetings where creative thinking is encouraged).
• Try to avoid “problem declarations” and focus on “solutions.” Examples: What are the things I could change to make your teaching more successful? What can I do to give you what you need so the teaching experience is best for you?
• Break down any questions or discussion into areas (scheduling; environment; support; communication, etc.). This avoids the common challenge of an open ended questions… “What answer is he looking for?”
• Consider having people sit in a circle so nobody can “hide in the back row.” This can also lead to eye contact and a better sense of connection.
• Summarize at the end, then put out a thank you note including key points to all who attended.

Your teachers are a valuable asset. Giving them a chance to share their ideas helps everyone!

It’s true — a bit of creative thought and action on your part can help students and teachers stay engaged and involved when “the distractions of warm weather” call, as they do to us all.

Spring Means Performances

Giving your students the opportunity to perform is a great way to highlight progress, in addition to getting parents and others out to see what is happening at your studio. This article will touch on ways you might organize the recital as an opportunity to promote your studio, and to encourage and inspire your students. They are, after all, the reason your studio can exist and prosper.

Performance Thoughts

Feature individuals from a group environment

There is a lot of stress involved in standing up in front of others and having that “all alone” feeling. That said, every student wants a chance at the spotlight… every parent (and grandparent) wants to see how their child is growing in skills and confidence.

Explore ways to remove the pressure while providing the rewards. That might come from combining students into groups if your studio is built around private lessons (musical instruments). To feature individuals, trade off for a few measures or phrases if the students are comfortable with that. If your business involves something unique like an art studio, consider a “display” where materials are grouped by class. Co-mingle sets of beginning and advanced materials, it makes sure parents see a variety of materials. Use tags to make sure it’s easy to tell students “which one is mine so I can show it off.”

Class oriented studios may want to think in terms of rotating visibility (front row status) during the performance. Everyone should have a chance to shine. The last thing you’d want is for a student in the back row to feel they’re hidden.

At the same time, you can focus “polishing” on those individual highlights to make sure they’re the best they can be. The ensemble components may not be perfect, but students and parents will usually remember that special moment.

Consider starting and ending with what they’d call in the South a “y’all come” ensemble performance if your space permits. That gives students a chance to shake off nerves at the beginning and provides the opportunity to “end on a high.”

Keep it short

Nothing turns off an audience more than being in uncomfortable seating for a long time. Even when the seating is comfortable, a “long wait” to see a child’s performance can seem interminable for the audience.
Another impact we often don’t think of is how backstage nerves can build as time passes.


Plan for and measure time for getting on and off stage, practice (and time) any announcements.


Nobody complains about a reasonable performance time, anyone can be upset at events that drag on. That is, of course, a less than positive experience you’d rather avoid. As long as everyone gets featured, your mission is accomplished.


During the performance be sure to recognize teachers and other staff as well.

Promotion and Publicity

Make up one page fliers that you can photocopy and send home with students a couple of weeks before the event. Sure, some will never make it to the public… but parents are likely to see them and some will make it onto bulletin boards.


Don’t forget, list the location and time of the event clearly in large print. Adding “Free Performance” also removes any question of cost and may help boost attendance.


Find creative places to post the information. That might be at neighborhood grocery stores, coffee shops… anywhere there is a “general information bulletin board.” Note: Some places expect for you to ask and have the poster approved. When students are putting them up, please remind them to ask and be courteous. Also, taking thumbtacks, a stapler and/or a roll of tape is a big help.

Recognition

Certificates of progress or completion are wonderful motivators. Lengthy presentation ceremonies are not.



Figure out how to get the certificates to students in a way that [a] they don’t get lost and [b] parents see them and understand the positive way your studio feels about their student’s progress.


One way to handle this is to have certificates on a table outside the performance and ask parents to pick them up as they arrive. Sure, you’ll have some left to mail, but getting them directly to most parents presents another way to reinforce the personal value you place on their child.


If you have the recital before the last lesson or class, then the final session can be spent giving positive feedback (and perhaps distributing leftover certificates).


If you can do so without creating a lot of extra work, make CDs and/or DVDs of the performance available. This involves thinking, as you need to consider recording, cost, duplication and delivery. Still, it adds tremendous exposure. Perhaps consider contracting out duplication and providing “pre-order” with payment outside the performance hall.


These ideas may get you jump-started on ways to make your performance a positive experience for all.

We all know the feeling we get from being a part of something great. It can be as simple as participating in a club or working together with a group of people for a common cause. This leads me into the next marketing strategy that Curves Founder and CEO, Gary Heavin shared with me, Utilizing Community. Community is very important when it comes to marketing and although it is not seen as direct marketing, it will spread the word about the all the good things happening at your studio. The student will share his/her experience with others and from my experience word of mouth will cause a parent/student to sign up on the spot. By engaging your studio with your community you are going to open the door to a lot of referrals and as we all know referrals tend to be one of the best ways to gain new students.

In our studio we’ve decided to connect with our community through the use of social networking. We created an online community to keep the community connected with our studio. The general online community for anyone wishing to join who may or may not be a student at our studio, but we also created an online community specifically for the students and parents taking lessons at our studio. Not only did we want our students to feel connected to others within our studio, but we also want to give potential students in our community the opportunity to connect with our studio. In our online community we are able to list our events, engage the community in dialog about the arts, and direct them to great online resources and a whole lot more!

Another great way to connect with your community is for your studio to participate in local fundraisers and events. Not only are you participating in a worthwhile cause, but you are also raising awareness about your studio within your community. You may even gain publicity through your local media outlets. At all of our recitals and summer concerts we collect canned goods for a local family in need or our community Harvest Food Bank. This is a great learning experience for our students and a great way for us to connect with our community. It is always a plus when an article gets published in the newspaper highlighting our students efforts.

Community is an asset to service businesses such as ours and we make it our effort to make that connection! So instead of solely focusing on traditional marketing strategies, make that connection too!

Online Community Websites:

www.ning.com

www.socialgo.com

www.meetup.com

To do or not to do. Is that a question?

Advertising is critical for many businesses, but spending precious dollars on ads that don’t work is a waste. What are the best ways to target your audience? This post addresses common ideas, but your own experience may guide you in other directions. Consider this a starting point for your imagination.

First of all, find a way to track how new clients found you. That should be a question on any New Student Application Form. Unless you gather this information, there’s no way to tell where exposure ads value, and where “cutting losses” makes sense. There is considerable value in polling current students to find how they learned about your studio, too.

Options, options

Newspapers

Most have a section in the Want Ads for teaching, lessons, music, etc. Key Question: How likely are clients in search of a teacher to look there? Not very in my experience, and the question is always “what day do I run the ad?” In addition, many papers now bundle internet ads and secondary publications (Suburban News for West Smithville, for example), something they can use to raise billing rates.

Here’s the catch: Internet presence often ties to visiting the paper’s web site, it may hold less value since it’s not necessarily that visible. This is, of course, a personal opinion. Dropping circulation for your local paper might also play a role in your decision, as would geographic spread of the paper. In a large city, will people seeing the ad drive across town for over an hour so their children can study at your facility if there’s a studio closer to home? If not, part of your ad dollar is wasted.

One option you could consider could be a display ad targeted at specific times. Perhaps a “Welcome Back To School” ad on a page listing school sports schedules for the upcoming year? An ad before the holidays inviting January students and including a discount? It makes sense to research issues over the past year or two at the library and see which section and timing make sense before investing in a display ad.

Weekly Entertainment papers

Consider smaller publications… the ones listing dining reviews, concerts, clubs and so forth. Again, consider target audience. What’s the circulation? How is it distributed… racks at coffee shops? Stores? Would the people likely to pick it up fit your client profile? Are the distribution locations near your studio?

Yellow Pages

This poses an interesting conundrum, since there are multiple products out there touting their wares. My son bought an ad for his painting company in one of the “off brand” products, it brought in zero business. Another factor is ensuring your ad is listed under the right topic. Again, look through current publications.

Is the best heading Dance? Ballet? Studio? Instruction? How about: Karate? Martial Arts? Self-Defense? Some books cross-reference (Karate: see Martial Arts), others do not.

Phone book type ads can be expensive. They do stay around for a year, that’s one benefit. As part of your decision process, review what the competition does and which vendor they’ve chosen. Does price include a business listing? What’s the cost of listing in bold? Graphics? Colors? Is there an electronic edition (I can request Yellow Pages on CD in my area), is inclusion automatic?

Posters

These sometimes reach the right audience, but be sure they look professional. Are there studios for other skills you can trade postings with? Maybe there are coffee shops near your studio? How about informal dining establishments? Often they’ll have bulletin boards for posting. There are two factors to keep in mind: Make sure to ask for permission, and take a look at the board so you know the size and format most likely to remain in place. It’s also worth looping back periodically to re-post if needed, maybe to restock business cards or contact cards if that’s part of your post.

Radio

This is hard to quantify. Commercial vendors spread ads across a block of time, that can get expensive. Explore your local public radio station. They often have a “day sponsor” program where for a fixed amount you can get mentioned multiple times. Do it at the right time of the year (just before the school year starts?), there’s a chance your message will be heard. Parents who care enough to have their children take lessons could be fans of public radio.

Television

Perhaps one of the least effective media per dollar, though managing a free spot as an informational interview is worth pursuing. Watch to see if there is a noon or weekend morning show featuring local items.

Come up with a topic to share so you’re not just proposing a “free commercial,” contact the station and be prepared to work your way onto the list of possible stories. I’ve been involved in media pieces where the decision took 2 months, then filming, it was 3 months later before it aired. That may be a extreme, but “a news story always trumps a public interest spot.”

in trade advertising

Maybe you can get in a publication if you give them something in return. Use your imagination, but be aware there may be tax implications for “in kind” arrangements. Consult your financial planner on this one.

Where, When, Cost, How Effective

Keep track of your advertising expenditure, map it to students, and maximize your ad dollars.

In the next month or so I would like to discuss in depth the marketing strategies shared with me from Gary Heavin founder and CEO of Curves for Women.  Some may ask, “How can you relate a music studio to a fitness franchise?”  This answer is simple as there are many similarities between the two.  Both industries provide services to people; have a specific target market in mind and perhaps the biggest one of all is that both have desired outcomes which in turn can reflect the effectiveness of your service.  I am sure that if their proven system was not effective he and his wife would not have had all of the success they’ve experienced. That goes the same for sharing the gift of music. We as educators know that when a student does his or her part coupled with the guidance of a caring instructor that the possibilities are limitless!

When I was with both Diane and Gary Heavin I had the opportunity to see with my own eyes, what is now a fitness empire.  Their campus is immaculate and I can tell that his employees enjoy what they do by the warm welcome I received.  Owning a music studio is no different, we should have clean, safe facilities with staff who have a vested interest in music education.  Nothing happens over night, it is all a process.  That is why I want to look closely at the 3 main marketing strategies shared by Gary over the next month.

The first strategy is to build an efficient business model. I have to be honest; when he told me Strategy #1 I was thinking how can this possibly help me to market our business.  As I listened to his reasoning, it became evident that in order to have a successful business you have to have a firm foundation and an efficient business model does just that.  Notice that he didn’t say you have to have a business model, but he specifically said you have to have an “efficient” business model.

An efficient business model is detailed information of the operation of your business, from what employees say when answering the phone to the organizational structure of your music studio.  You’re model should include step by step information on how to effectively run your business.  We’ve noticed in our own music studio that our demographics have changed. After running our music studio for seven years we’ve discovered that we had greater success with the early childhood, pre-teen and teenage markets. So we decided to build our business model around these markets.  You can look at this decision two ways, one is that we’ve excluded the adult market or two we are focusing on the market that works for our music studio.  Prior to curves, Gary and Diane targeted both men and women, but later decided to focus on women and now Curves for Women is the worlds largest fitness center franchising business.

Another thing that is in our business model is our hours and days of operation. One of our business values includes a “Commitment to Family.” When we first started our music studio we were open Monday through Saturday, but we saw the stress it put on our own family and made the decision to close our business on Saturday’s.  This gives our family, our staff and students the opportunity to spend time with their family on the weekends. We may hold special events such as workshops and recitals on Saturday’s, but for the most part we value this as family time.

Other components of your efficient business model may include the programs you offer, how they operate, the amount of staff needed, your target audience, staff policy and procedures, payment procedures, parent/student handbook, website content management system, studio policy and anything else that helps your business operate effectively.  Trust me, once you create your efficient business model…on paper, things will look and be a lot better! A firm foundation is the key to marketing a successful music studio.

In my next blog I will discuss Marketing Strategy #2 Utilizing Community. Click here to view the video with Curves CEO, Gary Heavin.

It’s a fact: Consistency in your studio makes a big difference for clear parent communication. Prior blog entries have already touched on benefits of having a “studio handbook” addressing responsibilities and procedures.

One area can that can cause friction unless it’s clearly spelled out is the policy regarding missed lessons or classes.

There is no right answer to the question “What should the policy be?” It’s just important that the policy is defined and consistently enforced. Here are some thoughts, drawn from my experience in a variety of teaching situations as well as many, many years as a student. They’re posed as questions because only you can provide the answers.

Why the absence?

Did the student forget the lesson? Studio Helper reminders can help with this, but it still takes a certain level or responsibility from parents and students. Was “last minute transportation” the issue? Sometimes that happens. Was there a sudden illness? Studio Helper emails can be used to verity this with parents, “just in case.” Not that a student ever invents a reason to miss lessons/classes (ahem) right?

How many is too many?

At one point does the number of missed sessions result in canceling further make-up sessions? Do you offer a “carry forward” credit for the future? This applies more to classes (ballet, karate, art, etc.) than private lessons. When do you work with the teacher and decide to drop the student and make room for new students who will show up regularly? For that matter, do you have a “wait list” for students that want to enter your studio?

How often is too often?

What if a student cancels for several weeks in a row? How many cancellations “tips the balance”? What happens when a student falls behind or fails to progress as a result? How do you handle potential complaints from parents when the real reason is frequent student absence? Supporting your teacher in this situation is key, of course. If you know the attendance record from Studio Helper reports, talking with parents is based on facts, not perceptions. This also removes the teacher from the middle of the equation and reduces stress on them.

I worked for a manager who used to say “your job is to get the work done, mine is to run interference with problems so you’re not distracted.” I have to say that working in that environment was one of the most pleasurable I ever experienced. If you apply this to your studio, then your teachers teach while you keep down the “noise level” they need to deal with. It also does a lot to keep teacher to parent/student communication in a positive light.

How much notice is acceptable?

It’s not uncommon to follow the same practice a medical office does: If a lesson is canceled with less than 24 (or 48) hours notice, full payment is due. It’s also possible to set a policy that if a lesson is canceled with more advanced notice, a partial fee is charged. After all, if a teacher has a “gap” between other scheduled lessons, that time is wasted for them.

What about special situations?

• Student/family vacation: How much advanced notice is appropriate? You can plan around part of this by allowing for major holidays in scheduling (4th of July, Labor Day, the week between Christmas & New Year’s Day), but spring is particularly challenging since school districts can select different weeks for “Spring Break.”
• Short term illness: What if a student gets the flu or something sudden? What sort of documentation is appropriate?
• Extended illness: How do you handle protracted illness (mononucleosis? hospitalization?). Is there a credit or refund offered to parents?
• Family Emergency: How does your studio show respect for family situations (loss of a relative, etc.) and still manage this as a business?

What to do?

Is there a consistent policy on make-up lessons or classes in the event of legitimate “excused absence”? If so, how is the teacher paid? After all, they may well have been in place, ready to teach. To ask for more time from instructors to teach make-up sessions means having a way to pay them for the additional time.

Does the studio set aside a “blank hour or two” each week or once a month to use for make-up, with the teacher paid? Is bill rate set to cover this time on average over the week/month so your studio is not losing money on the policy (meaning the teacher is paid whether the make-up time is used or not)? Are make-up activities covered as private sessions or group activities like a master class? What if the student/parents are unavailable during the make-up time?

So there you are

You can see why it’s critical to address this issue and make sure it is clear to all of the  teachers, parents and students in your studio. That way, there’s consistency and the “wiggle room” opening the door for complaints and parents feeling unfairly treated is reduced or eliminated (Example: one teacher offers a make-up, a sibling’s instructor another doesn’t).

There could be other issues to include in your absence policy that are unique to type of studio you run. Remember, it’s much less important what the policy is than that there is a policy.

A fair studio is a happy studio!

It’s not unusual for the holidays to be a “down time” for studios. Here are some ideas that might turn these otherwise quiet days into positive energy and help build your business.

Consider this blog posting “timely,” since the the holiday break for schools is rapidly approaching. There may be an opportunity to implement some of these in the next couple of weeks.

These thoughts fall into five key areas. Each can be customized for your studio, but the general principles apply across a lot of environments.

Scheduling:

With Studio Helper, you can align schedules across the studio. That avoids the issue of teachers taking off different times (meaning you never get well deserved time off). It can even help cut utility costs if you’re in a space where you are paying directly for heat and lighting.

It does make sense, though, to coordinate holiday scheduling with student schedules for school break (over the end of December in particular).

This sort of thinking can also affect scheduling decisions you make around typical summer vacation periods (4th of July). It’s not uncommon for parents to take 4 days of vacation when there’s a holiday in the week (think Thanksgiving). Think “when will parents be away, affecting student availability?”

With Studio Helper’s calendar tools, it’s easy to block time off and to send reminder emails before the holiday. It’s great to send reminders before lessons/classes start up again. Avoid confusion, inform!

Marketing:

If your schedule falls into blocks (8 week, quarter, etc.) decided partly by holidays, that’s an ideal time to offer “refer a friend” discounts.

Pick up new students when existing students are planning their return to the studio. Send the discount message to parents. It reminds them that classes are starting up again and gives them a reason to ask “Hey, doesn’t Johnny play sax in the school band? Do you think he’d like to take lessons too?” How about “You and Amy like doing things together. Do you think she’d want to join your ballet class?”

Calendar:

Rough in your calendar at least a year ahead. That lets you “establish the base” from which adjustments can be made. Maybe your performance date for next January conflicts with something in the local schools (exams?)… by having a target in mind, you can ask for schedules from other groups and coordinate more effectively. This avoids those surprises that drop events on top of each other.

You can use calendar planning and coordination as a great reason to get in touch with those “feeder contacts” where you pick up new students. It might be other studios, school programs, community groups. Every time you reach out in a positive way, there is a chance to pick up new students and reinforce your studio’s connection within the community.

Restart:

Be sure to plan for the “first day” of class or lessons after any semester/quarter/section break. This means making sure new students get help finding their way around, sharing any information with parents, and checking to make sure all the students “got the word” and show up at their assigned time.

In so many teaching situations, it’s easy for students to “fall off the radar” for a week or two. They also fall off the financial books for those lessons, so it’s to your advantage to ensure everyone is cued to return to classes/lessons.

Planning:

It makes a lot of sense to use the break offered by holidays to catch your breath. This means giving yourself permission to take time away and recharge the batteries.

It also offers the perfect opportunity to brainstorm, to come up with fresh ideas and approaches for your studio. It might mean looking at new classes or marketing tactics. It may also mean looking over your current studio practices and assessing where the weaker points might be. Choosing to address concerns in a positive way helps your studio show what’s called in the business world “continuous improvement.” Thinking leads to positive change!

Use your holiday breaks wisely and they can work for you. Remember:

• Scheduling
• Marketing
• Calendar
• Restart
• Planning