It’s the perfect time of year to shake the dust off your piano studio. Follow our 7-day plan to make your piano studio more profitable, more efficient, and more visible in your community.
They are small changes, but when combined can make a big difference! Set aside one week for “studio self-improvement” and get ready to make some progress!
Day 1: “Does This Brochure Look Professional?”
It’s time to ask some tough questions… and be ready for an honest answer. Choose 4 people who you know will be brutally truthful. Show them your piano studio advertising and ask for their first impression… and then be willing to accept their suggestions no matter how long it took you to create them. When you’re ready to make your changes, look to the “big guys” for advertising inspiration. It may be a cell phone company, but they spend millions on advertising… you’d be smart to take inspiration from their color choices, image selection, style of text, etc. Use a commercial printer to have them produced as the paper weight and ink vibrancy is usually better than a home printer.
Here are 4 ways to spruce up your Piano Studio Advertising Materials…
Day 2: “Welcome to the Kids Spa”
It’s time to transform your piano studio itself. Your clients will love to come to a place with which they feel proud to be associated. Gut, clean, decorate and organize.
Your studio should be serene, uncluttered, clean, and appealing to the age group you serve. Rid the walls of the same old pictures that have been there for eons. Get out your camera and create your own music-themed wall-art (use picmonkey.com to make them look professional). Make it your mission to have your returning clientele say “Wow!” when they walk through your new and improved doors.
Day 3: “Streamline for Sanity”
Do a method-book audit and be sure that your method book of choice fits with your yearly lesson plan. Are you completely and totally happy with the piano method book your students use? More importantly… are your piano students happy with the piano method book you use? Are there things that bug you about your method book choice? (If so… let us introduce you to a Primer you’ll love!)
By choosing an “all in one” method book that has supporting free printable resources, like WunderKeys. You’ll spend less time and less money looking for supplementary materials. Your students will have a great sense of continuity as they move through your chosen series. And… your significant other will thank you for the time you will no longer waste in the music book store as they sit playing solitaire on their cell phone in the car.
Day 4: “Commit to being cool”
It’s all very nice to say “This year I’m going to do ___”. But unless you actually sit down with a calendar and block off the exact week you’re going to make it happen, it probably won’t. Print off a yearly calendar and choose dates for your regular recitals, mini-recitals, studio events, composing weeks, etc. All of those activities that you’d really like to make happen should have an exact date set where they will actually happen. Stick to your calendar. If you have issues with commitment… give the calendar to your studio parents. They’ll keep you on your toes!
Day 5: “Don’t you dare click away from me!”
You need a website. Period. A good website means one that will capture your potential piano student’s attention long enough for them to be interested in what you have to say. There are no reasons to not have a beautiful site. Website design today is easy and often free. Choose your images wisely. When you’ve spent hours making it the way you’d like it to look, go back to those 4 brutally honest people again and see what they have to say. Change things accordingly. In fact, change things often – make sure you have a blog page that you update regularly. You should also have a Facebook page… and if you have no idea what to post… we can help!
Day 6: “Be unique. Be memorable”
Sit down and write a list of at least 8 ways your piano studio could be viewed as unique in your community. If you can’t do it, you need to change up your approach this year. Start with your vision for your piano studio and back it up with all of the ways you can accomplish this vision. Offer something to your community that no other piano teacher in your area does.
Any of our unique and innovative products are a good start! Are you the teacher known for teaching active kids to love the piano? Are you the teacher who is a whiz with preschoolers? Are you the teacher whose students ALL practice like crazy?
Day 7: “Re-Live your Teen Years”
Kids today are becoming teenagers well before they hit the age of 13. Their exposure to pop culture is heightened by their connection to technology from a very early age. To be “in the know” about how you can connect with your students, you need to spend a portion of your week being a teenager… without the bad skin and mood swings.
Change your radio station to one playing the Top 40. Cruise youtube for inspiration. Be willing to be on the lookout for what you and your students can share. Don’t be the teacher that stares blankly when your student requests a song they’d like to learn. Join our NEW Teen Facebook group where we share all kinds of cool teen resources!
Kimberly Wright says
I am just beginning to teach again after graduating 3 from high school. Your book and posts have really inspired me and excited me about teaching again. Thank you!
Jenny Boster says
What an inspirational post! Thank you so much!
Jen says
I am going to email this blog to my boss at the studio I teach at. And then pray I don’t get fired! Ha,ha!
jamila says
Your articles are so innovative ! I always look forward to reading your newsletters ! Thanks for sharing !
Hope says
I do most of this already. As soon as a new song comes out on the radio that is cool, I get the music for the kids. When Les Mis came out, I immediately had the kids play the music. I even went to the movie with a student and his family, and encouraged my other students to go. Inviting that student and his family was my idea. I have paper iPads up with student pictures and they have to earn apps. I am presenting each student with a rainbow loom piano bracelet that I created for this year’s recital. I am cool, groovy, funny, enthusiastic, and contemporary! I use iPad apps and all the newest music. My recital will feature the music from FROZEN and the song Radioactive, which the kid all love! When my name gets around, I get students. The problem is that my kids are no longer in the school system and have grown up, so I am not as well known anymore. So I am promoting myself via Facebook groups!
Hope Noar says
I am going to be the most awesome teacher this year! I have tricks up my sleeve, and lots of new ideas. I had the most students I have ever has this summer. So what does that tell you? Thanks for all your great ideas! And I do need to make my studio neater. So I will start on it today!
Jesica says
I so needed to read this right now!! I’ve spent the past couple of days reading and reading your posts!! My piano studio is in its 6 years aniversary and we’re definetely looking forward to start with all of these amazing resources! I just can’t get enough of teachpianotoday.com!!
Trevor says
So glad to hear it Jesica – thanks for reading 🙂