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Policies and Procedures

09 Jan

The Importance of Performances

by cconrad
in Marketing, Performance, Policies and Procedures, Uncategorized
Comments

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 progrPejman-Recital-Hollandessing, and it’s likely that it won’t be long before his family feels the investment is a waste of money and decides to pull their child out of lessons. 

That said, I’ve never been one to implement reward programs to try to motivate a student.  I’ve known teachers who provide prizes or even monetary rewards for students who practice a certain number of times per week, but in my experience these can be ineffective and expensive.  Instead, I have found that providing students with performance opportunities motivates students to practice and in doing so, helps encourage a long-term relationship with the student and his family.

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21 Nov

Collaborating with Parents

by admin
in Policies and Procedures, Program Development, Uncategorized
Comments

parents_and_teachers-einstein 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 their parents. Phone calls, emails, letters, conferences, and weekly progress reports can be done. This year I have vowed to do an even better job of connecting with parents.

Reconciling Lessons

Music Teachers Helper has been an invaluable resource in following through with my goal. Reconciling lessons after each day of teaching helps me to reinforce assignments that were given at the lesson (Music Teachers Helper can automatically email these notes to both parent and student). I always include something positive that the student did during the lesson or as a result of good practice during the week, and constructive comments for improvement. I use the private notes to help me prepare for the next week’s lesson and to remember to follow up about something that the student told me during the lesson (like an upcoming music concert, sporting event, or special occasion). Since this takes some time, I hope that the parents read it! I think most of them do and I was especially surprised when one parent emailed me asking where the notes were (I had been a little late in getting them out)!

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09 Sep

Offsetting Studio Owner Costs

by cconrad
in Finances, Marketing, Policies and Procedures
Comments

money45121yI think the fall is probably an expensive time for most studio owners across the board as we prepare to head into another year of teaching…

Here’s what my business records show for this month:

Membership renewal in my national, state, and local teachers’ associations: $135

Ad in the local paper: $45

Ad in local parenting magazine: $100

New teaching materials for lessons: $50

Business license renewal: $25

                                                                                           You get the idea.

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22 Aug

Building a Business Plan – Part 1

by admin
in Finances, Marketing, Policies and Procedures, Program Development, Uncategorized
Comments

businessplan
Every Successful Business Has a Business Plan.

That being said, I have to admit that when I began my home piano studio, I did not write out a formal business plan or even a startup plan! I did, however, create professional documents such as a studio policy, studio brochure, business cards, tuition statements, and many other documents necessary for running my studio. I also had a lot of goals for my business but they were mostly in my head. In spite of not writing out a business plan, my business has flourished and I am now in my ninth years with a full studio and a waiting list. As I become more and more educated on the business end of things, I realize the need for a business plan. It’s never too late to write one. In fact, to insure that my business continues to be successful, it is absolutely essential.

Why Write a Business Plan?

Putting everything on paper is powerful. Similar to writing weekly assignments for our students and asking them to document their practice for the week, writing a business plan aids in solidifying goals and recognizing both strengths and weaknesses. The United States Small Business Administration stresses the importance of writing a business plan for the following reasons: to obtain outside funding and credit from suppliers, to manage operation and finances, to promote and market your business, and to achieve goals and objectives. A standard template for a business plan usually includes:

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09 Aug

Communicating with Your Customers

by cconrad
in Marketing, Performance, Policies and Procedures
Comments

Having been a piano teacher for nine years now, I have learned how very important it is to maintain contact with my clients.  I believe that keeping the lines of communication open with my customers results in a better lesson experience for all involved, and I’ve also learned that it helps my students and their families to feel as though they are important and not becoming “lost in the shuffle”.  Regular contact with stucommunicatedents makes them feel that I am accessible and they, in turn, are very open to coming to me with questions, concerns, and positive feedback.  Below are a few simple ideas to encourage interaction between you and your studio’s customers:

E-mail

The Internet has made communicating simple and effective.  When I think of how my own piano teacher growing up had to make phone calls whenever there was a schedule change or send letters home with students about upcoming events (and rely on us actually giving them to our parents…), I realize how lucky I am to be running a studio in the age of the Internet.  I use e-mail to communicate nearly everything that happens in my studio–upcoming recitals, workshops, lesson reminders, etc.  Not only does this simple and efficent way of communicating make life easier for me, but busy parents appreciate the quick, non-intrusive updates.  I also use e-mail to tell students about events in the community.  For example, if there is an upcoming symphony performance or a great sale at our local piano store, I will send a brief e-mail to my piano families to let them know.

Newsletters

I have found newsletters to be a great way to not only get studio information into my clients hands, but also to provide motivational and educational tips and articles to my families.  This has also been a wonderful tool to promote the benefits of music education. 

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