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. The trip was just what I needed to replenish my energy, giving me a fresh perspective as well as gratitude for all that I do have!
By Julia Kossuth As we are approaching our spring recital in the end of May, as well the middle and end of the school year, I like to implement new practice strategies and reminders. With each student I often take a slightly different approach, so there are always suggestions and changes to be made to refresh their practicing habits. One comprehensive source from which I've gleaned...
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Every year it seems that I blog about a big change happening in my studio: renovating, hiring another teacher, taking the summer off to have a baby…and now, moving to a bigger location!
My studio has grown from being a traveling one (where I went to my student’s homes), to a small one-room space in my house, to another part of my home which includes a separate entrance, waiting room, and restroom in addition to the studio.
That has worked very well for me and my students over the last three years, but I’m at the point where I need a studio that is not located at my home. Exciting? Yes. Scary? Definitely. So why make the move when at this point in time, I have virtually no overhead costs?
I have been meaning to start a newsletter for my studio, because it's a great way to stay connected and give information. Also- it makes you look extra professional. I sampled a few programs, including some paid ones, but I ended up going with Mail Chimp. Mail Chimp is free if you send less than 1,000 emails a month, so that's a great bonus. I...
Read MoreI know it’s only March, but I like to take advantage of the time off during spring break to begin planning my studio summer camp so that I can begin advertising in April. (And I can’t exactly advertise unless I know what it IS that I’m advertising.) In years past, I’ve offered camps where I work with one group (based on age/ability) for a couple of hours a day for the week. This year, I’m expanding my camp and bringing in a large group of all ages and abilities at the same time, dividing them up into smaller groups and hiring older, advanced students to oversee crafts and activities while I take turns working with students in the lesson portion of camps.
There are so many fantastic resources available for teachers and studio owners in the way of innovative crafts and musical activities. I’ve reached out to a talented group of bloggers from the Kid Blogger Network and rounded up some of their fabulous teaching ideas to provide a helpful, go-to list for crafts and activities as you work on your summer camp schedule: