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 [...]

Do you offer make-up lessons? Do you require 24-hour advanced notice? Are there make-up lessons built into your semester or yearly calendar? Do your make-up lessons ever bleed over into summer lessons eating away at your precious summer income? Do make-up lessons make you feel stressed, overworked or manipulated?

What do you do in your studio for summer? Do you teach? Do you take the summer off? How do you support yourself during the lean summer months? Perhaps a summer camp is an option to fill the void. If so, now is the time to start thinking about summer. In the past, I have [...]

I recently came upon an article entitled 10 Tips for Engaging a Volunteer Community. The article piqued my interest and led me to Jeffery Cufaude’s blog. Here is a quick summary of his work; Jeffrey Cufaude is an architect of ideas …custom-designing keynotes, workshops, and leadership conferences that promote learning and community. What most impresses [...]

What ensemble experiences do your students participate in? Do you see a difference between those students who are engaged in music with their peers and those who are solitary? Do you require ensemble participation?

Two common struggles of teachers/studio owners are motivating students and keeping students long-term.   These are, of course, related to each other.  A student who isn’t motivated to practice his instrument probably isn’t enjoying the experience and isn’t progressing, and it’s likely that it won’t be long before his family feels the investment is a waste of money and [...]

My excitement about the iPad stems from the fluid way that I have been using it during lessons. The iPad is small and can easily rest on my solid, black music stand. It requires touching rather than a keyboard. And, most of all, the kids LOVE it. It’s pretty and it’s fun. The apps feel like games even when they are covering challenging concepts.

What are my favorite apps so far?

Communicating with parents can be scary and intimidating. After all, they are our bread and butter and we certainly want to keep them happy. However, they deserve to know exactly how their children are proceeding at all times in their musical studies. There are many ways to handle sharing your evaluation of a student with [...]

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?

Importance of maintaining balance for busy studio owners and teachers – a summary of “A Life in Balance” session given at the 2011 MTNA Conference in Milwaukee. Meg Gray, a professor of music at Lincoln University of Missouri, and Ellen McQuie, family medicine physician, gave an insightful and helpful session in which they concentrated on the following five different areas to assist in creating a balanced lifestyle.