One of our favorite topics at TeachPianoToday is how to teach piano to kids. In fact, we’ve written a huge series about teaching piano lessons to kids of all kinds. I love kids and I love the piano… I obviously chose the right career 🙂
But along with teaching piano to kids comes managing the business side of a studio and with managing the business side of a studio comes a serious dose of public relations; specifically relations with parents. It’s something that you either naturally excel at… or find incredibly difficult.
But fear not! If you love teaching piano to kids but you don’t love the other “stuff” that comes with it here are our Top 7 Secrets of Piano Teacher PR.
The 7 Things Piano Teachers Can Do To Build Positive Relationships With Their Clients
1. Communicate Frequently: Good PR means you actually need to do the “R” portion… you need to relate. Often. Long periods of no communication breeds problems. Find a way that works for you to communicate frequently with your piano parents that also doesn’t take over your life (check out our email plan here!). As providers in the service industry, we need to be continually clear about the service we are providing. I am sure you would be concerned about a plumber who slunk in your front door, did his work without a word, and retreated to his truck. We like to be informed.
Piano teachers need to be frequently forthcoming with what is happening behind the studio doors. Find a good mixture of studio newsletters, personal emails, the occasional phone call, and some kind of blog or online presence to communicate all that is happening not only at your studio but (and most importantly) with their own child.
2. Be One (Giant) Step Ahead: I can’t remember the last time a parent brought an issue to my attention. This is because I’ve become very good at “heading them off at the pass”. The moment I notice even an inkling of halted progress, lack of motivation, behavioral changes, etc. I either email or phone to let the parent know what I’ve observed AND… tell them my plan for a solution. There is a difference between telling a parent that something is not right vs. telling a parent that something is not right and how you will be fixing it. When done enough times this places you in a very good position of having your parents trust you implicitly, knowing that you have everything under control.
3. Celebrate Their Child: It is a wonderful bit of nature in that parents adore their children, no matter what. As we are working closely with their kids you’ll gain nothing but brownie points if you find ways of showing that you too see their child’s special qualities. These don’t always need to be grand awards or gestures. Sometimes a few carefully chosen words mean much more than anything else.
4. Have a Written Piano Studio Policy: You’ll avoid many problems if your expectations for payment, lesson attendance, discontinuation of lessons, pick/up and drop off procedure, waiting room rules, etc. are in writing and provided to piano parents before they begin lessons with you. Even those of us who do have written policies still deal with problems, but it’s much easier to refer to something in writing than to deal with case-by-case situations.
5. Learn to Let Go: I’ve often wished there was a website that would give you the satisfaction of pressing “send” on an email that would feel oh so good to send when you feel someone has wronged you. 99% of the time it’s a really bad idea to press send to the actual person. 99% of the time it’s a great idea to instead put things into perspective and learn to let go of needing to be proven to be right. Regardless of who did what, said what or should have done what… you’ll attract more bees with honey than vinegar. And once you get really good at it, it’s actually equally as satisfying to be “oozing in honey” when needed…
6. Watch Written Word: Be very conscious of your tone in written communications with parents. In this digital age where we communicate via text and email it is easy to become blahsee about niceties. However, written communication can often be misinterpreted without careful attention. Not only that, but any written communication is also an opportunity for relationship building. Be sure to include a warm salutation, to include a nicety, and to sign off with a friendly goodbye. Know that capital letters, bold, underline, etc. comes across as shouting. Spelling mistakes and poor grammar reflect poorly on your business. Goofy email backgrounds and moving icons give a less than professional impression. Find your “digital voice” by looking for the perfect combo of pleasantness and business. Never write anything that you wouldn’t say face to face. Never write anything that you wouldn’t want publicly published. This seems trivial, but just one misinterpreted email can damage years of relationship-building with your piano studio clients.
7. Project Professionalism: If every part of your piano teaching studio is organized, consistent and professional then it puts you in a much better position for Piano Teacher PR. If people view you as an authority in your field they are much less likely to challenge you. Attention to detail makes a big difference and the time you spend fixing up those parts of your business that need it will save you hours in the long run dealing with the less desirable parts of running a piano studio.
Using professional-looking materials is important too! Dated, boring graphics on your teaching materials don’t accurately represent the fabulous studio you have created! This is why we work closely with professional artists who create beautiful, custom artwork for our WunderKeys books and printables and why we spend hours each week creating beautiful free materials to help you coordinate your lessons like a pro!
Piano Teacher Public Relations is important to pay attention to, and by following these 7 guidelines you’ll be able to spend much more time thinking about how to teach piano effectively to kids instead of worrying about their parents. We work with the public and this means, of course, we will always have the occasional problem. However, by implementing these strategies you’ll notice these problems will become few and far between!
Cameron Weckerley says
Even if you do all of the above I am afraid some of us, let me back that up, apparently I can’t do it. I taught public school music effectively for 15 years and then struck out on my own…big mistake…I have a beautiful studio actually 2 of them equipped with a pair of U1 Yamahas and a total production suite. The kids and parents I do have SEEM to think I am great. But there is just not enough business and we are basically starving…So I am off today to look for other employment and start shutting things down. Thanks for your great blog! Also, a big KUDOS to those of you who are successful, be grateful and enjoy!!!
Andrea says
Hi Cameron – I’m so sorry to hear this. Nothing is more depressing to me than someone who loves teaching piano but who is not able to do so. I hope that you find something else you enjoy as much. All the best to you.
Cameron Weckerley says
Ohhh. and I wanted to share with you the video of some of my kids playing “Fearless” which was a cool thing, but I don’t know how to send you a link, so I guess I will just have to say it was cool! 🙂
Andrea says
Hi Cameron – too bad! We would have loved to have seen that 🙂 You could try posting it to our Facebook page if you wanted to.
Gordon Ryan says
Excellent article! A good studio policy makes a huge diiference in heading off challenging issues before they begin. Frequent communication is key, too!
Michiganteacher says
Did you write another post on #2 Be one Giant step ahead?
How do you address it when a Brilliant student who has been making great progress Suddenly Attends lessons inconsistently and stops practicing? What questions do you ask to determine where the cause of the sudden change?
Andrea says
Hi Melody – In this instance I would most definitely be contacting the parents. A sudden change in attendance and a stop in practice motivation is certainly signalling that something needs to change. I would email and say that you’ve noticed a decrease in his/her motivation lately and that while peaks and valleys are a normal part of long-term piano lessons that you’re working to really change up his/her repertoire to get them back on track. I’d hint that regular attendance will also help to re-kindle the student’s feelings of success and progress and ask the parent to let you know if they notice a positive change at home once you’ve implemented the adjustments. And then I’d be sure to really make a drastic change in what you are giving the student to work on for the next few months to hopefully get them excited about lessons again. Hope that helps – it’s human nature to not want to “rock the boat” by saying anything, but I have always found that it’s best to be the one to say something first and to have a solution ready to present. It puts you clearly in the authority role and that’s an important place to be for so many reasons.
Carol Glover says
Any suggestions for an age-appropriate curriculum for a beginning female student who is 15 yrs. old?
Andrea says
Hi Carol – as another reader commented I too would recommend the Adult Piano adventures by Faber and Faber. For this age I have also used the Older Beginner books from the same series but we work through them faster and I supplement a LOT. This age group is definitely more maintenance in that they require more “out of the book” material to keep their interest than do younger students. It is really important though to have them in a method book that will ensure they follow a framework of concepts as they learn.
Mareli says
I would recommend using the Adult Piano Adventures by Nancy and Randall Faber.