Promoting Your Studio « Music Teacher's Helper Blog

Set Your Studio Apart

July 14th, 2011 by Leila Viss

Recently, 3 home-schooled siblings began lessons with me (yay–that means they can arrive before the bewitching hour of 3:00pm!) With good reason, their mother was definitely concerned about her large monthly investment. With past piano teachers, communication of what and how to practice was frustrating for her children. Once they started with me, it was reassuring to hear that my detailed lesson notes, emailed after each lesson “set me apart” from other teachers.

Wow–that phrase “set me apart” got me thinking about my teaching style and how my studio may differ from others. Below is a list of the dominant traits that have risen to the top to make mY brand of teaching unique.

PhilosophY

This statement was crafted years ago but is frequently revisited to help me stay focused on what’s important and what’s not:

Students at any age will be encouraged to develop independence at the piano so that music can be enjoyed on the bench for a lifetime.

This mission statement determines what organizations to join, if/when I may enter students in competitions, what materials to use, and most importantly what students will “fit” within my style of teaching.

PsychologY

I play all of these roles but enjoy some more than others: hostess, entertainer, policy enforcer, accountant, administrator, disciplinarian, cheerleader, coach, musician, teacher, bar tender, bill collector, confidant, therapist and friend.

In general, I often ask myself–is this a bench or a couch? I count it a privilege and honor to “be there” when needed.

Read more…

Time to Market Your Studio

June 20th, 2011 by Yiyi Ku

Most of us private music teachers love as well as dread the summer months. We look forward to having more free time to ourselves, but worry somewhat about our reduced income. Some teachers avoid the income problem by charging the same monthly fees throughout the year. I have not tried this approach and do allow my students to take summer vacation if they choose to (without payment), but actively market my studio during the summer months to ensure that come Fall, I will have enough newcomers to fill any empty slots. Remember, it is the nature of our business that students come and go, and summer is a great time to recruit potential new students. Read more…

The Voice Teacher Search

June 13th, 2011 by Wendy Morgan Hunter

The Search

This month I am closing my West Coast Vocal Studio and heading to the East Coast. As I prepared to do this, I wanted to assist my students in the process of selecting a new teacher. I hope the letter below is helpful to some of you!

Hello Dear Singers and Families,

Well it is that time! As we begin to prepare our move and I close my west coast studio, it is now time to refer you to other teachers.

I am copying all of you on this list of teachers, and recommending one for each of you to try first. I have taken into account the following aspects of both you and the teachers I am recommending, including :
1. Personality
2. Skill level
3. Strengths and weaknesses
4. I encourage you to give the teacher I chose for you a try first, and if you are not comfortable, try another.

It is fine to “date” multiple teachers for a few lessons while you determine your new path, but not to be “engaged” to more than one- that is not acceptable private teacher behavior.
1. Be up front that you are shopping for a new teacher, tell them I recommended you if I did, and try them a few times.
2. When you have settled on the teacher you think is the best fit for you, then tell them you have decided.
3. This “dating process” is a two way street. If the teacher feels they cannot help you or your personalities do not fit, they can say “no thanks” as well. Do not take this personally, as it is part of the matching up process! You want your teacher to be at their best, and you want to be at your best, and if your personalities and skills don’t mesh, learning may be a struggle. Read more…

Notes from a Studio Recital

June 2nd, 2011 by Chris Foley

Last week I held my annual studio recital at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto. Since I teach children, teenagers, and adults, I like to break up the program into two halves, the first for the younger students and second for adults of all ability levels. You see, many of my adult students are terrified at the thought of having to play after some young hotshot and feel much more comfortable around those of their own age, even though they might be playing at vastly different ability levels. Thus, an advanced student might be greatly inspired by watching an adult beginner who has made great strides in a short period of time, just as that beginner can learn much from watching an advanced player they can relate to. I’ve found that younger students can be thrust into all sorts of difficult performance situations without too much fretting, whereas adults need to feel comfortable with the situation and with each other before they can play at their best.

Endorsements and the Music Teacher

May 28th, 2011 by Brittany Frompovich

Many of us associate famous musicians with their instrument and the instrument’s builder. That powerful imagery has become a marketing tool that has beneficially served both the artist and the instrument builder.

But as a teacher, we have the power to influence a great number of people as well.

For years, I played Ibanez Soundgear basses, Ovation acoustic electric guitars, and Les Paul style guitars. After a year or two, my beginner students would start moving on from their starter instruments. There was an unusually high percentage of Ibanez Soundgear basses and Ovation acoustic electrics in the mix of new purchases.

Later on, I acquired a Gibson SG and switched to playing Spector and LightWave basses. Not surprisingly, the next batch of students tended to gravitate to SG style guitars (made by a wide variety of builders…Samick, Epiphone, and even Ibanez) and a few Spector basses entered the mix.
Read more…

Time to write a Studio Report

May 21st, 2011 by Yiyi Ku

As the school academic year is coming to an end, many students will be starting summer vacation soon. It is a busy time of the year, as we prepare our students for that last audition/recital/jury/competition, before they take off for the summer. Most companies provide their shareholders and investors an end-of-year report, outlining the year’s activities and successes. As I gather information to put together my end-of-year Studio Report (using the Pages App on my iPad), I would like to share with fellow teachers some of my thoughts.

My Studio Report is separate from individual student progress reports. Although it is one more item on our never-ending “To-do” list, taking the time to write a Studio Report has many advantages, including:

1. Keep your current students
2. Attract potential new students
3. Important record-keeping for teacher certification/renewal Read more…

Why Talking To Audiences Is Essential When Playing Classical Music

April 4th, 2011 by Chris Foley

Image by allaboutgeorge

Yesterday when judging the ORMTA Southern Zone Competition in Hamilton, Ontario, one of the participants came up to me before performing and asked if it would be appropriate if he talked about one of the pieces on his program before playing it. My response to the pianist was that more than being just appropriate, it was a brilliant idea and I looked forward to hearing him speak.

The piece that he was playing was Larysa Kuzmenko’s In Memoriam to the Victims of Chernobyl, a dramatic, moving, and atonal piece, precisely the kind of piece that many people might have difficulty connecting with. That is, until they understand that it is also a work dedicated to those who perished in the most catastrophic nuclear accident in history. The pianist also mentioned the current Japanese nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiishi nuclear plant as a contemporary frame of reference. Because of his introduction, the audience was able to connect with his fine performance on a level that they might not have had he not talked beforehand.

Audiences love it when performers talk. It is absolutely necessary for every single type of popular music, and many artists in these genres are able to connect in ways that they would not be able to by merely keeping silent and playing their music.

We in the classical music world need to learn how to talk to audiences for two reasons:

5 Tips for Beginner Teachers

March 24th, 2011 by Nicole Murphy

I was speaking with a beginner teacher last week and offered her some advice on some issues she was having in her studio. Below are five tips I think all beginner teachers should know before starting out. Read more…

Tips on Music Studio Marketing

January 7th, 2011 by Guest Author

Having your own music studio can be a fantastic way to use your creative energies and give back to the music community by teaching your love of music. Being able to harness the power and emotion that music can convey can be a big responsibility, but with the proper training and equipment, every musician that enters your studio will surely be in good hands. So after you have built your music studio, what do you do next? First of all, you will need to put the word out. You need to market your studio as well as yourself so that you can get some clients. So how do we go about marketing our studio? With a little bit of creativity and hard work, you will have some of the most aspiring musicians knocking at your door.

Create your Own Website
Every business needs a website in order to survive these days and having your own music studio is just like any other business. Your site can have pictures of your studio, schedules, rates, etc. Read more…

5 Tips for Music Teachers

December 7th, 2010 by Guest Author

They’re a very special class of people because they must be talented at multiple levels – music teachers must not only know the ins and outs of music, they must also have the skill to impart this knowledge to their students. Some teachers play more than one instrument while others stick to one chosen favorite. But no matter what the choice of instrument, the teaching methods remain almost the same. If you’re considering becoming a music teacher or already are one, here are a few tips that will come in handy:
• Tailor your classes to your students: Music does not have rigid curriculums or syllabi; it’s an expressive and creative art that conforms to aesthetic sense and rhythm. So instead of using one fixed method of teaching for all your students, Read more…

Music Teacher's Helper Blog

Music Teachers Blog

Set Your Studio Apart

Time to Market Your Studio

The Voice Teacher Search

Notes from a Studio Recital

Endorsements and the Music Teacher

Time to write a Studio Report

Why Talking To Audiences Is Essential When Playing Classical Music

5 Tips for Beginner Teachers

Tips on Music Studio Marketing

5 Tips for Music Teachers

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