As music teachers we face a constant challenge. How do we live for 12 months when our regular, guaranteed income is only 9 or 10 months? Unlike school teachers, we are usually independent studio teachers or work for a music school that is unlikely to spread out our income over 12 months. Summer is wonderful, don't get me wrong. But financially it can be a...
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Feeling overwhelmed with your business planning?
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
Don’t hesitate to enlist help! Being an independent teacher, I am fiercely independent, self-sufficient, and sometimes stubborn! However, when I become willing to ask for help, it seems the teachers magically appear.
Everyone needs a little help every now and then. Many of us have not had the business training that running a successful busines requires – I am the first to admit that I am lacking in these essential skills. This month I will feature the newly formed Piano Teacher School founded by Kathleen Theisen and Kristin Yost. Kathleen Theisen is an assistant professor at Western State Connecticut University and Kristin Yost is the founder and director of The Centre for Musical Minds in Frisco, Texas. Both of these enthusiastic teachers are not only very successful in their music careers but are also thriving entrepeneurs. And now they are here to help! They have developed practical courses to help independent teachers with the myriad of different activities involved in the daily tasks of teaching.
Piano Teacher School offers affordable online courses in four areas: Business Planning, Organization Strategies, Image and Branding, and Technology. Their goal is to “maximize the efficiency and productivity of your music studio.” Each class offers videos on private links and includes personalized one-on-one coaching. There are detailed descriptions of the classes on their website at pianoteacherschool.com – each sound fabulous and I would like to take them all, if only I could find the time! Courses are also accepted by the Music Teachers National Association for recertification.
"what are the goals of YOUR program"? Have you thought about why you teach and what you hope to see for your students? Are you a professional training program? Do you have a speciality, a preferred age range, a required time/class commitment? Have you communicated your goals effectively in your program or school? Are you meeting the needs of your participants? And does your program...
Read MoreBuilding 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...
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