One way to get the positive attention of parents, students and relatives is to make sure that any performance is presentedin the best way possible. This means paying attention to all the performance details along with having a professional printed program. Here are some tips that might give you additional ideas.

On the one hand, they may seem like common sense. On the other, sometimes we get so used to doing things a certain way that rethinking what we are doing can result in positive changes. These ideas are based on approaches used by a number of successful studios.

Publicity before the event is critical. Post the event on your web site, distribute programs in advance, send copies home with students. Make up posters with key information (in large type size).

Printed Program

Print on good quality paper, avoiding “cheesy colors.” Since most printers can produce a good quality master copy, there’s no excuse for having an unprofessional look. Limit yourself to 2 fonts (one for headings, the other for “body copy”) to maintain a clean design. Use no more than 2 sizes of your body copy font, limiting use of bold, italics and underlining as well. Clean & simple!

Cover:

• Include your logo, the studio name, the performance date and location
• Make sure your logo is clear, not grainy

Content:

• Include space between entries so it isn’t crowded
• List each piece (if music) and/or group title (Yellow Belt Group 2)
• On the same line, list the composer, choreographer or other creative contributor.
  • It’s common to use what’s called a “leader” between the title and the other information (those dotted lines linking left and right sides).
  • Alternatively, indent all information below the title and put the title in all capital letters.
• If this is a single performer, list them as well on a second line. If it is a group, group members should be listed on the back of the program if it’s a long list. Otherwise, group members can be included as a short list beneath the title.
• List the teacher by name.
  • If the performance is grouped by teacher (rather than sequencing beginner through advanced), it’s fine to list “Students of Mr. Albert Aaron.

Back of program:

• Provide a list of performance group members if they aren’t listed in the program body
• Include a note of thanks to parents and families for their support
• Provide a list of the teachers
• If certifications are appropriate, include them (being sensitive to the impact on teachers without certifications… how will their students’ parents feel?)
• Include a short description of the studio, plus studio contact information

The Performance

The program is more than a listing for that day. Since printing costs are more focused on setup or making the master copy, consider printing some extra program copies and keeping them on file. You can, of course, track attendance at performances and adjust the number printed over time.

Extra program copies can be:

• Shared with family members (encourage the attendees to take extras to send to grandparents and other family members)
• Put on display (framed for the wall of the studio)
• Sent as “marketing material” to area contacts (band directors if music; art teachers; phys ed teachers… whatever matches your target sources for new student recruits)
• Shared with potential students and their parents (”We have 3 performances a year and all students have the opportunity to participate and show their new skills”)
• Scanned and put on your web site (probably as PDF files)

If you have the opportunity and it makes sense, audio/videotape performances and make copies available to parents. These materials can also be sources for brief excerpts (30 seconds) to post on your web site. Bear in mind that those excluded may ask “why not my child?” It’s sometimes good to use an entire group/class to sidestep that issue.

Performance Tips:

• Start any performance with a few brief (prepared!) remarks. This should include a welcome as well as introducing each teacher. That way, the teachers get recognized and linked with the performers. It’s part of showing your studio as a “team” rather than an “entity.”
• It is sometimes advantageous to proceed from beginner to advanced (there are often multiple family members) and to include a “y’all come” final piece where everyone participates. This keeps parents from skipping out and diminishing the audience size.
• Before the last piece is performed, be sure to thank the parents, the teachers, “and most of all, the students for their hard work. We’re very proud of each of them.”
• If you are working for the “warm fuzzy” by following the performance with a cookies & punch reception, don’t forget to include the reception in “closing comments” at the performance.

Timing:

• If the performance is longer than an hour, consider adding an intermission. This applies particularly if the students are young or if there is a costume or uniform change needed.
• Try to hold any performance to less than 90 minutes, including an intermission.

Important:

• Time everything accurately before assembling the program. Yes, the professional recording of that trombone solo takes 5 minutes… but the middle school performer might just have a much slower tempo in mind!
• Add in time for performers to go on and off stage (this is a common oversight… did you ever sit through a 2+ hour performance?)

Final Thoughts:

Be sure the performance space is appropriate to the performance itself. A huge stage with a crowd of 50 works against you. So would fitting 150 audience members in a small room where the performers stand on the floor and can’t be seen.

Perhaps a good way to summarize all this is for you to recall performances you enjoyed (whether your own children, students or others). That is a perfect place to gather the “subtle details” you can apply to your own studio performances.

A bit of thoughtful planning will help any performance represent your studio in the best possible light. Doing it right builds that indefinable quality known as “goodwill” and can operate as a positive publicity tool for the studio.

Looks Matter!

This is a tough time for the economy and parents are often looking for ways to trim expenses… sometimes that may mean cutting the lessons and classes that support your business.What can you do to retain and add clients, because you “stand out from the crowd?”

Let’s think for a moment about how studio appearance affects perception. It’s important that your business is “inviting” to students and parents. They are, after all, your clients and keeping them happy is part of your success story.

These ideas come from the variety of work environments I’ve personally experienced… “cube land” in a large corporation, workspace in a small company with open cubes, large classroom teaching, group lessons and private lessons. I hope the diversity I survived helps you gain some insight.

Think about all those other business you visit. What makes one place feel “warm and comfortable” while another feels cold and unwelcoming? Here are some thoughts to help you assess that “unspoken quality” that makes people comfortable.

Entryway and Waiting Area

Signage: How do you feel about a business with lighted signs that are “over the top” or look ratty, perhaps have burnt out letters? Have you ever had problems finding a business because signs are small or hidden?

Visual: Are walls stark or decorated? Plants? Other “warming items”? A good mix of light and dark colors, texture variety?

Aesthetics: Is the entry cluttered, open space or “just right”?

Wasted Space: How about reception — is there an unused receptionist desk, serving no purpose?

Seating: Is it comfortable? New or worn? Enough for those wanting to sit?

Reading materials: Current or old (a 2001 Reader’s Digest just doesn’t cut it)? A variety of topics? Think of those hair places where the magazines are limited to Hollywood glam publications. A cross-section of news, sports and topical for your business might better serve to be welcoming.

Lighting quality: Is it warm & inviting or cold? Compact fluorescent lamps put off a better quality of light than overhead fluorescent light fixtures and will save money on utilities in the long run.

Lighting amount: It’s common to over-light spaces with overhead fluorescents. The typical office environment has about 200% of the light amount needed for work. It can be a distraction and cause visual fatigue.

Temperature and Air Quality: Those offices where the entry is cold have people “tucked into themselves” and time seems to pass slowly. Too warm isn’t good either. Neither are drafts of heat or cold. Is seating away from the outside doorway to minimize “temperature shock?” Is there a ceiling fan (on low) to keep air circulating rather than stale?

Accessory Areas

Restrooms: Are they clean, well kept, and well lit? Soap and other supplies kept stocked?

Hallways: Are they wide enough to let people pass without bumping?

Cleanliness: Is there hand sanitizer available?

Other Accessory Areas

For this category, check out gyms, etc.

Dressing areas: Is there a way to address privacy in any way? Kids can, of course, be self conscious about their bodies.

Lockers/storage: Are they kept clean and sanitary?

Studio and/or Business areas

“Feel”: Is work/meeting (for your studio, teaching) space cluttered? So sparse as to be uninviting?

Temperature: Is it appropriate for the usage? Think of that freezing doctor’s room, right? In your studio, if activity involves movement (dancing, martial arts), a cooler temperature is right. For stationary activities (music lessons?), a bit cooler is good. Stuffy is not ideal – moving air helps small rooms feel better.

Sound decisions: Hard surfaces reflect sound. So do flat areas at right angles. High ceilings make for lots of echo (and could make spoken instructions harder to understand).

Light: Blinding light gives headaches, dim light produces eyestrain. Overlighting is not uncommon in dance studios. Is there a way to soften it? Filters? Turning off half the bulbs?

Space to move in small areas: Ah, those tiny corporate conference rooms with room for a table, three chairs and a phone — but everybody has to be seated before the door closes! Personally, I find it better to teach music lessons where I can make eye contact with the student rather than being “frozen in a chair beside them.” That means having enough room to comfortably get in front of them and sometimes “dance around” a bit to illustrate points.

The right space: Cavernous conference rooms for a meeting also feel, well, hollow! For small studio classes, a huge space can make students feel isolated. If you can manage to add movable partitions, customizing the space for class size makes for a more inviting feeling. Instead of feeling “all alone,” students will feel they are getting personalized attention.

These are just a few ideas to jumpstart your studio’s image. Give it a bit of thought, perhaps add it to your planning for the future. Changes can be implemented in stages to spread out impact on your budget. The important thing is to consider how visual environment affects your customers’ perceptions.

On the one hand, this isn’t something that’s mandatory. On the other, would students and parents who feel welcome be more likely to keep coming back for lessons/classes, and to refer the studio to friends?

Inventory is a part of many studio operations. Knowing more about retailing can help your bottom line. In many cases your students need supplies, uniforms or equipment. Let’s  focus on ways to control overhead and maximize use of finances.

Outsource entirely

It’s ideal to have a local vendor willing to stock items. How can you help build the best relationship?

• Keep them informed of your schedule so they know when students will be buying. That helps them know when to stock.
• Track sizes when you can. That helps your vendor know what to stock.
• Note how many new students you add in a particular period. If you pick up 4 advanced students each quarter, they’ll need shoes and supplies.
• Negotiate discounts based on student purchase quantities, then pass savings along. It’s a good selling point for parents.

Outsource by order

Some vendors will come to your studio at the beginning of each new session and take orders. They’ll then pull from stock or order from suppliers. As long as your students can get by until materials are available, it helps your vendor manage inventory and costs.

Carry your own inventory

This is one area that affects your bottom line directly. Money committed to inventory isn’t available for studio finances.

General principle: Buy by period rather than annually.

Here’s why… if you buy for the year, money is tied up rather than available. If you borrowed the money you’ll  be paying interest for the year. Dollars are also invested based on cost at the time of purchase. The potential benefit: Large quantity buys may allow you to negotiate a larger discount. Then again, your money is not available for your business!

If you buy in smaller amounts prior to each teaching period, you might pay a bit more… but inventory sells and your money is freed up. The only money invested is in items that didn’t sell.

Negotiate best price from vendors: Let them know you are shopping competitively while making sure that you are “comparing apples to apples.” This means pricing the same brand name or making sure items are equivalent quality. If you’re not sure of quality, ask for samples to evaluate.

Let vendors know the total you will be purchasing through the year and ask to use that quantity to set pricing. Pay your bills promptly and let them know you do so. Vendors typically have receivables at 60/90/120 days past due. That costs them money and pushes up prices. Think how you would feel if parents consistently paid in a 120 day time frame (Studio Helper lets you track that, right?) – show the same respect to your vendors that you expect from your parents/clients.

Establish a personal relationship with each vendor representative: That way you can do a better job of leveraging… “Sam, I know you didn’t get the last contract, but I’d love to give you the business this year. What can you do to adjust pricing for this season?”

Inventory items: Did you ever notice stores stock more of popular sizes? Try buying 4 pairs of size 17 1/2 athletic shoes in a store! If you know the “size profile” for each class, it helps you stock the right items.  For starting points, go through existing classes and take a survey.

Standardize inventory: Make sure any items are generic enough to be used in the future. That sidesteps the issue where parents of existing students constantly have to purchase new uniforms/materials.

Pricing and Tracking

It’s OK to build a modest margin into products you have purchased in quantity as long as you are setting prices below market cost in your area. Not all the dollars you put into inventory generate the same return. Average across inventory to understand whether you are making the right amount of return to cover your outlay.

Tip: Retailers typically use a selling price spread to allow for unsold item cost. That means they expect, say, 60 percent to sell at list price; 30 percent to sell at a 20% discount, the remaining 10 percent to sell at a 50% discount. That might be items you got in the wrong size, older style items that can still be used for practice or class participation (perhaps not performances). There’s your sale rack! A belly dancing studio near me stocks outfits at a variety of prices, in a variety of sizes.  Perfect example.

Track items by category: Following each item in a specific size isn’t enough information to follow trends and stock turnover.

Many retailers use a coding system. Example: 3 digit item code, 2 digit size code. 2 digit “style code,” 3 digit vendor code. 003-04-01-002 would translate to 003 = ballet slipper, 04 = size, 01 = pink, vendor = 002 (Sizemore). Leading zeros are important for sorting, of course.

Knowing quantities on hand over time helps track inventory turnover and can assist with setting base stock levels. Cost per unit and sale price might be other items to track. Recording purchase dates and quantities can help, too. Whatever coding you use, you’ll have information to base future purchase and stocking decisions on.

If your inventory is less complicated, so much the better — it is, though, of value to know “what, how many, cost, markup, reorder point.”

Inventory management and your bottom line: If you “turn your inventory” every quarter, money is in your pocket rather than hanging on a rack or stored in a drawer. Inventory can, of course, be a lot of things. Ballet shoes, karate uniforms, instrument mouthpieces, reeds and music, instruction manuals, specialized lesson notebooks, riding boots, swim outfits. These general principles apply to all of the above.

Summary:

• Manage stock quantities and “on hand timing”
• negotiate best pricing through bids
• build relationships
• think of inventory as a business

This is Part 2 of the content around growing your studio. We at Studio Helper want to jump start your thinking. Truth: I’ve had enough thoughts that there will even be a “Part 3 of 2” down the road.

This article focuses on ideas that may help your web marketing and use of email succeed.

The goal: Reach as many new  potential students and parents as you can. A percentage of those become clients… there’s your growth.

Use web marketing creatively

It’s not at all unusual for a studio site to be focused on current students and parents. That works reasonably well for existing studio clients (as long as it is kept up to date, of course).

What is on your site to attract the attention of potential students and parents?

Rethink Your Web Site

Make your home page general: Don’t try to cram everything onto the home page. Be specific in welcoming to new visitors.

Move information to other site pages; link to them from the home page. Set up something for visitors! Here’s a sample organization:

• Student Information
• Parents of Students
• Potential Student and Parent Info
  
• Special Events and Calendar
• Pictures of Us In Action
• About Us (teacher bios, studio history, awards)
• Contact Us

Use photos, art and logos sparingly: Keep text to what fits on a page or a bit more (scrolling down 5 pages is a turnoff).

Keywords on the Home Page: Be sure any “keywords” applying to your studio are used on the home page.  Examples might be:

ballet   studio   private   lesson   class   beginning   intermediate   advanced   Muncie   Indiana  LegUp (studio name)

You can also use phrases like “ballet lessons in Muncie Indiana.” Some search engines match phrases well.

How might you search for a studio like yours? If you use a keyword multiple times on the home page, that’s even better. Keep keywords singular.

Remember: Organization, Content, Keywords.

Email marketing

There are legitimate and ethical ways to use bulk email to promote your studio.

Bulk email is very different from “spam.”  Here’s a bit of spam background from WikiPedia.  Control over spam in the U.S. was established by the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003. It spells out exactly what is considered spam plus defining legitimate email use.

Here’s the actual FTC guideline sheet for business use of marketing emails. As long as you follow the guidelines it is perfectly legal and legitimate to use email

In a nutshell:

1. If you are providing information and not selling something in the email, it is not considered commercial. That makes a non-promotional newsletter format acceptable. In general, less than 20% of content should be commercial. It is acceptable to have a logo or contact information at the bottom of the message.
2. There are no restrictions against a company emailing existing customers or anyone who has inquired about its products or services.

The other CAN-SPAM regulation categories to follow include: Unsubscribe Options, Content Compliance (no false subjects!),  and Sending  Behavior. The link above will give you a chance to check over this in more detail. It all comes down to being ethical – a recipient should know where the email came from, who you are, have an easy way to opt out of future mailings.  You can use purchased email address lists, but building your own over time can be better targeted and more cost effective.

The important thing to know is, email marketing is quite doable and legitimate on behalf of your business.

How do I do this?

There are great web-based tools that provide email service and handle the background stuff needed to keep you CAN-SPAM compliant. Two to consider are Campaign Monitor and icontact.

What do I do?

One of the easiest ways to handle email marketing is to provide a regular newsletter to current contacts as well as any you have gathered over time. From my personal experience:

I’ve done a lot of volunteer work for National Wildlife Federation. The monthly Nature Scoop email now goes out to over 1,400 people just because names have been gathered over several years… Plus, a number of organizations resend to their membership list (I have no idea how many others that reaches).

Any time you do a public event, give people the opportunity to sign up for a free “e-newsletter” with useful information. Tell them their email will never be shared or sold. Have a form on clipboards and check that they write the email address legibly. You might only gather a few names at each event, but they add up.

Content: Information can be almost anything.

• What’s the difference between…
• Did you know… (trivia)

Build topic ideas by  listing words about your discipline, its background and so forth. Many of those will be suited for a couple or three sentences.

Two or three of those items plus “web links of interest” and an “upcoming events” or “calendar” listing and you’re done.

Newsletter tips:

1. Write your message, read it several times. Print it, read it aloud. Trim extra words. Spell check.
2. Keep it short.
3. Consider your subject line.  Include the month so they know it’s new – Dayton Soccer Kicker (November 2009).
4. When you’re just starting, identify several people you respect and ask them to give you honest feedback on a test newsletter. Ideas, suggestions, things that work well, things that are turn-offs.
5. Do test emailings to yourself before a full send. I use Outlook and have test accounts on HotMail, Yahoo and Google.

Stay tuned for part 3 in a couple of weeks. Ensuring your success is our business here at Studio Helper.

Growing a studio can be challenging

This post is the first of two covering creative thoughts to help build your studio. Perhaps they’ll get your own creative juices going on marketing ideas. Studio Helper can help you manage the studio as it grows so all aspects stay under control. Controlled growth is always a good thing, right?

The traditional method for studio growth was to let students find you… by word of mouth from former students, satisfied parents, teachers and other personal contacts.

There’s one built-in challenge with this approach:

Any growth originates from outside, it’s not under your control.

Let’s think for a bit about ways to make changes and put actions to work for you. New approaches equal new visibility. Increased visibility translates to new students. Here are some specific ideas to help you.

Community involvement

• Find an event where your teachers and students can give to others.

Being involved provides a very positive outlet for your studio’s energy and lets students’ hard work and progress be displayed in a very positive atmosphere. You can get extra mileage by having matching shirts , logo materials, and signs as appropriate (Music provided by students from ProTeach Studio).

Volunteering doesn’t have to be in the area of study, of course. Hand out materials at an event registration table, participate in a community parade — look to any available local opportunities. It’s ideal to tie in with established organizations (United Way, Red Cross, Breast Cancer Awareness) or a personal cause (fund raiser for a family who lost their home or to help a critically ill child).

The important thing is to get out there with a positive message:

“We care about our community.”

Not all volunteers need to be students and teachers… parents are welcome too, right? This can give them a sense of ownership and connection to the studio community that’s priceless.

Tips:

Remember to follow common sense in arranging for any event. Thinking points can include: Chaperones, transportation planning (which may include parking information), keeping time involvement to a reasonable length (which might mean multiple “shifts” of volunteers), tracking weather and making alternate plans if it’s an outdoor activity, knowing any “rain date” or reschedule policy, making sure there’s shelter if needed.

Are there physical equipment needs? Amplification? Table and chairs? Risers for a choir? Flooring requirements? Stage/presentation size?

A lesson I learned the hard way: If you have handouts for an outdoor event, don’t forget to take something to hold them down in a breeze plus plastic or some way to keep them dry! The same thing applies for signs and displays… anchoring is a good thing.

Visibility

• This is a bit different from community involvement. Here’s how:

Studios often have performances, concerts, competitions and other events. These are typically attended mostly by parents and relatives, right?

Anything you can do to broaden exposure for your students can inspire them to feel a sense of pride and lead them to “be up to the challenge” of learning more. For less accomplished students, this may mean group rather than solo activities — providing the same sort of visibility but without the pressure.

Think for a moment about places your studio’s students might perform outside of traditional recitals. Play in the mall during the holidays, even on a weekend afternoon when there will be a crowd. Stage a special event on your own: How about “Easter Bunny Trumpet Festival?” On the one hand, it seems a bit, well, cheesy. Then again, “OcTuba Fest” and “Merry Tuba Christmas” are hugely popular annual events in some towns.

Participate in local venues

One example: There is an Asian Festival in my town where karate demonstrations are often presented by local studios. So are ethnic dancing and music.

Parents will “burst their buttons” over seeing Suzy and Chris perform for a crowd, your studio gets visibility, many more people have the chance to watch and get joy they weren’t expecting. Again, the value for your studio is priceless and wide-ranging.

Branding

• Make sure your logo and short marketing phrase are clear.

There are many ways to incorporate this. We’ve all seen those bumper stickers, “My child is a mediocre discipline problem student at West Middle School.” (well, not that one, I suppose). Why not a sticker for your studio? Go for marketing clothing. T-shirts? It’s not unreasonable to think they’ll show up at school sometimes. These can also be worn at community events where your studio is involved, whether performing or volunteering.

Any logo needs to look professional and represent your business effectively. Paying a graphics designer to draft several possibilities is well worth it if you end up with a logo that can be used for years to come.

An important tip: When buying printed materials, always get competitive bids (from the exact same specifications). Printers hate to have equipment sitting idle and will often put in a low bid for that reason.  I’ve seen low bids at half the price of the highest one. That’s a little known fact about the printing business.

Another tip: Printers charge more for multiple colors. The logo above would be less expensive than a full color image. It can be printed with red and black (a two-color press run). Save even more by making the red shape all black, the kicking figure white. Then you’ve got a single color run. Perhaps not as “spiffy,” but more affordable.

Marketing phrases need to be 2-5 words. “We Kick It,” “Swim With The Best,” “Top Notch Players,” “Dance Your Heart Out,” “Color Us Bright.” Those stick in people’s minds, fit on marketing materials and establish a recognizable brand in combination with your logo.

Choose to include some items from: logo, studio name, URL, Marketing Phrase. Not all are needed on each piece… a bumper sticker won’t hold all and be readable, for example. Look at materials that get your attention for clues on what’s best for your business.

It’s actually not a bad idea to sketch out a lot of ideas and ask for thoughts from others. Perhaps involve your teachers and students in the creative process. A student competition for your “catch phrase” might just yield something unexpected that would resonate with their peers.

Final Thoughts

• Invite a lot of ideas, then filter them to select what matches your thoughts and “studio style.”

Visit us again to get more ideas in the next blog posting, including tips for effective web marketing. If you have things that have worked for you, please share them with others through the blog comments section!

The team at Studio Helper is here to help you in as many ways as possible. That includes providing some fresh ideas!

Building a better studio is one of the primary goals we each want to do. That’s one reason why Studio Helper was developed in the first place.

Here’s an area you might not have explored, one where creative thought and planning can make your studio stand out from the crowd.

We all want the best teachers in our studio

It’s not uncommon to think that the best performers are great teachers. “It ain’t necessarily so,” as the Gershwin song says.

First, let’s think about the makeup of a successful performer

• Obviously highly talented
• Very dedicated to their art form
• Able to analyze their own challenges and self-correct them while practicing
• Willing to spend an incredible amount of time mastering their craft

So far, so good. These all seem like positive attributes.

let’s think about traits that can work for positive or negative

• Are communication skills strong, given a superb performer’s ability to focus intently (often in isolation)?
• Can this person relate to students by providing age and skill appropriate examples?
• Will high level teacher expectation create frustration towards the student? (Why can’t they get it?)
• Will this person be able to provide consistent compliments on incremental improvement? Parents appreciate positive response to their children.
• Are repertoire and tasks based only on the teacher’s personal learning experience?
• Can this skilled performer lay out logical curriculum at the most basic levels?

Where does this all lead?

It’s not unusual for high level performers to only relate to exceptionally talented students. That leaves lots of students getting less than ideal instruction, leading to potentially unhappy customers.

Maybe the teacher can say “do it like this” with a demonstration but not explain what to do.

I remember seeing jazz saxophonist Art Pepper do a “Master Class.” He would say, “Well, I just… uh, it’s probably… uh.” Then he’d put the mouthpiece in his face and play a wonderful phrase.

Was he able to perform at a world class level? Absolutely. Able to communicate with students? Not in the least..

Here are the real questions to ask yourself

Can a teacher think in terms of varied curriculum materials spanning multiple styles? Does the teacher know a variety of beginning and intermediate level materials? This would be critical if a student “doesn’t get it” and needs to spend more time at the same level before advancing.

How about being able to build essentials in multiple ways? If the teacher had a weakness while learning (arm flow for ballet), was their personal instruction so focused on the problem that their future teaching focuses on the same issue, even if the student has other challenges?

How is the teacher’s “positive attitude” when dealing with lesser skilled students? Is encouragement part of the process, or are there negative words and phrases used?

Are the teacher’s technical fundamentals sound in the area being taught? There are sometimes excellent teachers on one instrument whose background is with another. As long as they know how to teach what they teach, success is probable.

Can this teacher put together an email, letter or face to face discussion to show parents “Your student is progressing wonderfully in skills a, b, and c. The next challenge to work on is…” Negative words (isn’t, can’t, should be, won’t) have no place in parent communication.

There are some performers who are wonderfully gifted teachers. Those folks are the ones you’d love to have in your studio… encouraging your students, educating parents, providing the highest level of artistry.

That said, there are excellent teachers who may not be the most highly skilled performers. In a sense, their “high level performance skill” is the ability to teach.

Just what can you do to learn more about teachers?

Here’s what is often done at the university level, perhaps it might give some ideas for hiring within your studio. When applying for college teaching jobs, my interviews (exhausting as they were) typically included the following components:

• Meet with the top level administrator… that would be you, of course!
• Meet with faculty (other teaching staff, in your case)
• Meet with current students in the subject area (their feedback can be quite revealing)
• A brief performance or recital open to those involved in the studio
• A Master Class, teaching one or more students (this will reveal teaching style, communication skills, use of positive reinforcement, ability to pick up on issues and prioritize them).
• Providing a sample lesson plan or curriculum for beginning and intermediate students.

While it seems overwhelming, these steps would give you a complete picture of the potential teacher.

What does that process really show?

1. Can the teacher relate to colleagues and managers?
2. Can the teacher relate to and guide student progress?
3. Can the teacher communicate with parents?

Thinking about hiring new teachers with these ideas in mind can really add value to your hiring process. Any change on your part hires better teachers.

Here’s another reason to use “planned pre-screening” techniques

With the knowledge you gain, recruiting students for the teacher becomes very easy. Singing the praises of a new teacher catches attention quickly, and you know from personal observation that what you say is true. It helps whether prospecting through emails, posting notices on community bulletin boards and blogs or placing announcements in newsletters.

Give this approach some thought. It may help you hire the best and make your studio “best in class.” Always try to hire the best teachers. That is the critical thought to keep in mind!

Use all the tools at your disposal: Studio Helper, thoughtful hiring, community outreach, creative marketing. Possibilities are limited only by your imagination.

Meanwhile, stop by the blog periodically to learn new ideas that may spark your own creative thinking.

As you know, quality in your studio depends a lot on the quality of your teachers.

One way your studio can rise above the competition:

Provide a positive and successful environment for your instructors – help them do their best on your behalf.

It’s a fact: Word of mouth referral goes a long way towards expanding your business. If students tell others about good experiences, the studio sells itself.

Knowing more about your staff’s strengths helps document successes. It can give you new ways to identify, recognize and encourage the best teaching approaches across your entire business.

Here are six tips to help evaluate your instructors in a positive way. This sort of information can be useful to you as a studio owner or manager, regardless of the focus of your teaching studio.

Studio Helper is a leading edge tool supporting this type of communication with students, parents and teachers. These tips and Studio Helper can give you a way to measure and track your success.

1. Keep it simple and straightforward.

Use a simple questionnaire, checking only the most general information. Short forms are most likely to be completed.

The web provides some great free tools for gathering information. Two that are easily available are surveymonkey.com and www.polldaddy.com. Getting the survey to your target audience is as simple as including a link in an email.

2. Measure accurately.

For valid results, use statements that assign a rating:

Another way to get this information (perhaps better suited for online forms):

Question #1: The zoo is a place where animals are kept

a. Strongly agree
b. Agree
c. Neither agree nor disagree
d. Disagree
e. Strongly disagree
f. Does not apply

Here are sample questions that might work on a student questionnaire:

• My teacher clearly shows me what to practice.
• My teacher helps me know how to practice.
• I feel my teacher helps me improve.
• Class always begins on time.
• When I don’t understand, my teacher helps me by presenting ideas in other ways.

Questions that might apply to a parent questionnaire:

• I am kept informed well of my child’s progress.
• I know schedule information well in advance.
• Class always ends at the scheduled time.
• I am welcome to attend any class or lesson.

Of course, if you are using a comprehensive tracking and communication tool like Studio Helper, the only reason for not knowing about items [a] and [b] is that the parent hasn’t logged on to check status or they are ignoring emails!

Looking at the questions above, can you see how “checking for positive issues” need not be threatening to instructors?

Instead, these questions focus on gathering feedback so teachers can think about ways to improve and be more successful. It also helps parents and students feel they have a voice, that someone is interested in their opinions.

Remember, look for the good, note areas where coaching or mentoring might help.

3. Give them a reason to participate.

Provide an incentive for students and/or parents to complete the questionnaire. This may take a bit of thinking on your part.

A discount on tuition could raise response rate. For the kids, arrange an ice cream party or some other celebration if they respond. Whatever works for you, give it a try.

Anonymity is important for comfort levels:

Stress that any information will only be shared with a teacher in an average way, individual responses are completely confidential.

4. Track results.

Compare results across a period of time (say three times a year). Don’t view results from a single data set as a strong indicators.

Remember, a small response pool can give single voices a very large impact. In that case, individual ratings can assume a strong bias towards positive or negative. The more responses you get, the more valuable the information.

5. Share the good news.

Visibly recognize and reward teachers who show significant improvement over time. It’s a great way to encourage others to think about “how they do what they do.” Movie tickets, certificates, posting the “teacher of the quarter” names on your web site – each of these can help boost morale.

6. Prepare before you start measuring.

Present the concept of evaluation to your teachers in a carefully planned way. A team meeting is an excellent time to introduce the idea. If you have a questionnaire prepared before the meeting, sharing it with them during the meeting can help defuse any worry about “being judged.” What you’re doing, after all, is building the best possible team.

It’s also good to ask for teacher input and ideas, giving them a sense of ownership and participation in the process. Getting ideas from small groups while you are outside of the room probably leads to the best sort of response.

Closing thoughts:

So you decide to try this out. Awesome. Just remember that when it comes to teacher assessment:

1. Any questionnaire should have no more than 4-5 items.
2. Put your contact information on the form (email for online formats), it gives anyone filling it out a chance to get in touch with you about other thoughts or issues.
3. Transition gently into regular assessment in a very positive way. Your teachers should know the information affects neither pay nor status. It’s a chance for them to get feedback that improves their ability to help students succeed.

These tips can help your studio improve a lot over time. That should be the goal – developing the best possible environment for your students and teachers.

With Studio Helper as a communication tool and thoughtful data collection for feedback, the circle of success is complete.

Checking the pulse of your studio helps everybody!