Are you heading out on a vacation this summer? If so, then a “to-do list” a mile long is probably taped to your fridge. Summer vacations only come around once a year, and so taking the time to assess your planning and preparation ensures a good time is on the horizon.
But do you ever notice how we always seem to take the time to check and double-check the preparations for the big events in our lives (like vacations)… but we rarely take enough time to truly analyze the day-to-day workings of our piano studio?
Teaching piano can be an exhausting job and at the end of the term, we tend to shut our musical brains down until our students return in the fall. Unfortunately, when this happens we miss out on the opportunity to assess the past year in order to determine what helped (or hurt) our studios.
Fortunately, with help from today’s post, you can take a quick moment to figure out what is not working in your studio, what is working for your studio, and what you should do to grow your piano studio.
10 Minutes + 10 Questions = Grow Your Piano Studio
While self-reflection may not come easy to you, these questions will make it painless! Upon completion, you will have a roadmap to grow your piano studio.
Simply take 10 minutes to reflect on the 10 questions below. Think about your responses to each of the questions then grab a pencil and a piece of paper and make a list of your responses. When you’re done… pin that list to your fridge (and finish reading to the end of this post).
- How did I build community in my studio this year?
- What goals did I accomplish that I had set for myself?
- What did I accomplish that surprised me?
- What was particularly stressful this year and how can I let it go next year?
- What did I use or do in my studio that caused the most positive impact?
- Which parents would I like to build relationships with next year?
- How can I “value add” to my lessons next year?
- What were my biggest “time wasters” in lessons and in administrative tasks?
- What aspect of my students’ progress makes me most proud?
- How can I increase my income? (We can help… see the next session!)
How To Increase Your Income
When you are a piano teacher, there are only two ways to increase your income: 1. raise rates, or 2. find more piano students.
If you are not ready to raise your rates, then you will need to grow your studio. And the easiest way to grow your studio is to start teaching lessons to older beginners and adults.
This year we released a piano series for older beginners called, WunderKeys Pop Staff Piano Library For Older Beginners. Its innovative Pop Staff approach to piano education allows adults to play music that sounds impressive from the first two weeks of lessons, while also integrating traditional pedagogical principles.
Check out what teachers are saying:
“The Pop Staff itself is revolutionary! I love how simple the concept is, and it helps students SO MUCH by putting the LH visually lower than the RH.”
“BEST beginner book ever! I will never go back to the adult method books that I have used for years! Absolutely love the chording method and how they can play cool-sounding stuff so quickly!”
“This is the older beginner piano book I’ve been looking for my entire teaching career! I couldn’t wait for this to be released and it doesn’t disappoint! From teenage beginners to adults (either beginners or lapsed learners) this book is EVERYTHING us piano teachers want and MORE!”
Jeannine zwiebel says
The most positive thing I did this year was teaching popular and praise music, using chords, showing chord progressions, and playing by ear and then transposing into different keys.
Andrea says
Such useful “real world” skills! Thanks for sharing Jeannine!
Barbara says
Something I used in my studio that caused a positive impact was a Floor Keyboard Mat. I was amazed at how much value I got out of this $40 item. I would have students play their new song on it, and since it was “fun” they would try it over and over and over, thus hearing the song many times. It was also great for sight reading…the kids actually thought sight reading was FUN!! Also, it can be used for theory, for example, toss a bean bag onto the keyboard, whichever key it lands on the student has to draw the note on a staff. Such an easy way to add tons of fun to the lesson and still be learning!!
Sonja says
Barbara, which floor keyboard Matt did you get for $40? I have thought about getting one to use in my studio. I think it would be a big hit!
Anne Mackey says
I would also like to know where to purchase the keyboard mat. Thanks so much,
Jaronda says
I got mine off of Amazon. Really good tool!
Andrea says
Hi Barbara – YES! That one purchase just opens the door to so many different uses! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Barbara says
Hi Sonja and Anne,
Good ol’ Amazon! Here’s the link to the one I have: https://www.amazon.com/Keyboard-Playmat-71-Playback-Adjustable/dp/B073R2FBWY/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1529603674&sr=8-4&keywords=keyboard+play+mat.
Hope you and your kiddies enjoy it as much as we have. Even the teens have cracked some smiles while playing around with it. Of course, the younger ones will get the most use out of it. They get very creative, sometimes using both a foot and a hand to reach between notes, or to play bass and treble notes together. It’s been a blast! This particular mat also has different instrument sounds. There’s a song in one of the books I use called “Hoedown” and we used the banjo…the kids LOVE picking out which instrument to use for which song; or trying the same song with every instrument. They don’t even know how much learning they are getting in…sneaky:) Only downside is that there aren’t enough octaves:/ but we are making it work. One student even ran to the piano and played the final low note that wasn’t on the mat! Enjoy!!
LINDA KIRKCONNELL says
Hello Barbara,
Thank you for your wonderful idea. I looked at the one you recommended. There was a bad review, with a video showing the sound wasn’t good. Has your experience been the same with that? Thank you.
Barbara says
Well, it IS basically a toy:/ IMO it sounds “good enough” for my uses. But it is just like most other low priced keyboards…a little “tinny” sounding.
Barbara says
Guess I should add to that “review” that I have no idea how long this item will last since it really isn’t made for LOTS of kids using it:/ But I’m going to get the most out of it while it is working. And even if the music “dies” the large keyboard will still be effective.
LINDA KIRKCONNELL says
Thanks, Barbara. That’s all I needed to hear. Placed the order!
Debbie says
Thank you. I’ve been using the floor tiles and I also considered making one out of contact paper, but having a ready-made keyboard mat is a much better idea.
Thank you all so much.
Donna says
Some of the most positive impacts came from practice incentives( thanks so much for your ideas online), including Gig’s in the community, bring a buddy, parent participation, sports-themed recital-all influenced by your inspiring blog. Positive impacts that keep me and the students both looking forward to fun/ engaging events-so incredibly grateful for your sharing with fellow teachers online.
Andrea says
Hi Donna! I’m so glad that our blog inspired you to try these 🙂
Michelle says
I built community this year through quarterly group lessons and two recitals, one of which was a fun, casual coffeeshop style recital.
Andrea says
So fun! I love those coffee shop recitals – it gives kids a taste of how they can use their music “in the real world” 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Michelle!
Crystal says
I would love to learn more about the coffee shop recitals.
Linda Poelzer says
I added Mini Recitals this year, where 1-2 students perform 7-8 of their pieces. Students picked their pieces from their lesson books. I printed a little program, family and friends provided the applause, and cookies were enjoyed. The littles were so thrilled and some of my intermediate students provided stunning performances. Mini Recitals were in November and March/April. Definitely the best addition—they will stay!!
Andrea says
Hi Linda – what a lovely idea for building community PLUS your students perfect a lot of pieces during the year doing so! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Barbara says
Love this idea Linda! I like that the students get to perform so many pieces. Does each student perform ALL of their pieces before the next students goes, or do that switch off every couple of pieces? Just wondering what works best with your groups. Thanks for sharing!
Nicola says
Hi Linda,
I love the idea of mini recitals! I’m curious as to how you chose which students participated in the mini recitals.
Lisa B says
Something I can do to add value to my lessons next year is to do more parent engagement and education (Pinterest & Facebook posts, helpful tips in newsletters/emails, keep my ‘travel’ theme throughout emails and Facebook). My goal is to keep the parents more connected and in touch.
Andrea says
Hi Lisa – a really great goal. Connected parents are key to the long-term success of your studio. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
LINDA KIRKCONNELL says
I agree that connected parents are key! That’s something I work really hard on. My thing this year in that category: At Thanksgiving time I wrote a letter to each parent telling them how thankful I am for their support, and included three things I’m grateful they do. Rolled these up and tied with ribbon, put in tiny gift bag with 5 caramels, and tissue paper. It made me feel good and parents were really touched.
Shannon B says
To build a sense of belonging / community, I had students draw, colour, or paint a picture. The pieces of paper were cut so that 5 pics would flit it in a 8×10 frame. They each did one pic every two months. These were on display for students and parents to see when they came. All were interested in what others created. At our final recital each student received their 5 photos in their own frame.
Andrea says
Hi Shannon – what a cool idea!! Thanks so much for commenting!
Barbara says
OMG Shannon!! What a fabulous idea. Totally stealing this one!! Thanks so much for sharing it!
LINDA KIRKCONNELL says
Shannon, I love this idea. Thank you!
Leanne says
One thing that went well this year was my Spring Recital. I used the theme “Name That Tune” (a popular TV game show from years ago). Students selected music that was familiar (classical, broadway, pop, folk, etc) and were told not tell their parents the theme. At the recital, programs were handed out with numbered blank lines and the name of the student performing, along with a pencil. Attendees were told to write down the name of the song as the student played. At the end, I gave out gift cards to the top two scorers. I received many comments that it was a fun recital and that they had to listen more closely.
Andrea says
What a fun idea for a recital! Love it 🙂 Thanks for sharing, Leanne.
Deanna says
4. Particularly Stressful? Students not practicing and then lesson time is spent practicing and playing and not moving forward. I’m not sure how to set up a better expectation and system for parents to support their student. I know they are paying me to help their child learn but I can’t do everything that needs to be done in a 30 minute lesson each week.
Jeanne Wegner says
I have the same problem. I brought different incentives throughout the year but the usual students who didn’t regularly practice, didn’t practice much more. One other problem for me is that it takes me too long to write down the practice instructions in my students notebooks. Any ideas?
Barbara says
If I might suggest Tim Topham has some great podcasts on this subject, esp. #122-124 (a 3-part series on parent involvement) and #129. (timtopham.com) (Hope I’m not overstepping boundaries by offering that info.) And definitely find out what the parent’s expectation actually IS for their child. Sometimes I’ve felt the stress of what you’re talking about only to find out the parent just wanted their child “exposed” to learning music with no particular end goal in mind. I think we (teachers) sometimes look our own learning experience and think our students should be where we were at a particular age (or years in piano lessons) but it may not be practical with today’s students, who are usually overscheduled, and whose parents are sometimes looking at piano lessons as “recreational” as opposed to academic. Hope that’s helpful:)
Sara says
Tim Topham is really great and I’ve learned a lot from him. Everything you have said here is very helpful. I often do forget to ask the parents what their expectations are and that is great advice. I appreciate your comments.
Sarah says
Probably what surprised me the most (I’m not sure it was an accomplishment, because as far as I know I didn’t do anything to cause it) was having a good number of my students excited about the recitals. I could hardly believe it — I never liked recitals at an elementary age. Of course I made sure to carefully prep each child of what was expected at a recital, and I also encouraged them to talk to each other after the recital was over (question 1). Anyone have any thoughts on what caused my students to enjoy recitals?
Barbara says
YOU DID, Sarah!! You remembered NOT liking recitals, so you really wanted your students to have a better experience. It just naturally came through in your teaching and prepping. And I bet you supplied them some great repertoire to choose from…loving what you’re playing always makes performing much more fun. Congrats on being an awesome teacher!
Kim says
During the spring, I invited a few musical parents to play a duet with their child. We took about 5 minutes during class for the parent to come in and work with us on the piece. Then they performed together during a special segment of our Spring Recital. I had two sets of duets, mothers/daughters, and two sets of trios, a mother/two daughters and grandmother/grandfather/student. It was a lot of fun, especially the grandfather.
Heather says
I teach primarily group lessons and this year I had 2 teen groups; 1 for boys and 1 for girls. Loved that; would do it again in a heartbeat. The students were free to be kids; it was so much fun to watch and listen to them to talk when they aren’t concerned about the opposite sex. The other thing I did with these groups was go curriculum free; no books. They loved it! We used tons of your materials (Beethoven Sessions, lead sheets, the duets for the not so musical mates, Beatbox Manifesto) as well as Anne Crosby Gaudet’s Chordtime. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Keep the teen music coming; we love it!
LINDA KIRKCONNELL says
My favorite this year: When parents entered a recital, they were handed a mini clipboard with four compliment cards. One was blank so they could fill in their child’s name. The others had three students’ names on them. Parents watched for those students’ names on the program. I asked parents to write one thing they appreciated about the performances of each child on their clipboard. After the recital my high school helpers collected the cards and put in each child’s gift bag. I got great feedback from parents. Students loved it. (They also want me to put the mini clipboards in my birthday closet!) 🙂
Barbara says
How lovely, Linda. I like that you put them in the gift bags rather than just handing to them. Also love the idea of high school helpers. I have to recruit some of those:) Thanks!
LINDA KIRKCONNELL says
The thing I wasted the most precious time on this year: Scheduling make-ups!! I’m just not ready to say no make-ups for some reason. Lots of great ideas for this on our facebook group; I just need to implement one. Or be brave and just say no make-ups period. Drives me completely nuts. 🙂
I love all the ideas on here, Andrea! So helpful.
Bonnie Arnold says
After 35 years of teaching, I no longer offer make-up lessons. My policy letter states: “due to high student enrollment make-up lessons are impossible to schedule.” I am finally free! I hated working four afternoons a week but being paid for only three. (No other job does that)
Nancy says
Hi Linda, I used to feel the same way. I started having one designated “makeup lesson day” each month. For me, they were always on a Saturday. I also said that the time slots were from 8am-12pm. My policy stated that parents had to schedule makeup lessons on the monthly Makeup Lesson Day, or they would lose it. Unfortunately, I was never great at following that rule for the parents who had multiple kids involved in weekend sports. :-/ They always wanted credits for missed lessons. For those busy families, I tried suggesting that we add an extra 10 minutes to lessons 3 times. Or an extra 15 minutes two times. This will only work for you if you leave time between lessons. I hope that helps! Good luck!
Christina Shimp says
Wendy Stevens has a great article on how to stop doing make up lessons. I’ll only do a make up if I have another student cancel. Then I will offer that time slot since I planned to work anyway. When explained properly I get very little pushback.
Ronda Seed says
#3 – I was surprised at the success of the Memory Challenge Achievement I introduced in January. Often I get the students to memorize their pieces they are working on. To encourage more practice time, I set up a chart for each student to memorize 30 songs or pieces. I made it clear that it was not a race or competition, so each student had an equal chance of successfully finishing.
The students were excited about the prospect – I did not even mention the awards they would earn! (I wrote up certificates, ordered colourful wrist bands with Memory Challenge Achievement written on them, and got assorted small prizes from Dollar Tree.)
Some students had several songs ready each week, while those who don’t practice often enough struggled a bit at first, but became more motivated.
I regularly write songs for my students when they ask me to, and also when l have specific notes or a certain skill I would like to reinforce. I do the songs in three levels – beginner, intermediate, and advanced. So l wrote a couple of songs for them to sight read in their lessons and then memorize on the spot, quick study style. They had to play the song by memory for the little stuffed bunny that sits on the piano for every lesson. They also played it forte for the tiny stuffed lion, then piano for the tiny stuffed mouse who were visiting the bunny. This enabled everyone to accomplish a song to add to the chart. That really got them working hard!
So far half of the 56 students participating have completed the challenge, with more finishing up their last few pieces. Some are asking to do another round! The parents are pleased with their children’s participation and accomplishments. A fantastic bonus is that they all had several pieces learned brilliantly to choose from, for their recitals this coming Saturday.
Nancy says
My “value add” and community-building technique were practice challenges. It’s extra work to make the posterboard, devise ways for them to earn points, and stock the prize box, but the kids love it and arrive to lessons glowing with excitement. I would love to host a bi-monthly or monthly weekend musical activity for my studio, but coordinating schedules frustrates me. I will reflect more on the questions you provided, Andrea! Thank you.
Jaronda says
One of my goals that accomplished was to start group lessons! It actually surprised me as well!
Michael Korman says
This could be an answer to either #2 or #3. First, I have managed to blog (somewhat) more consistently over the past year. This has been extremely helpful to me, not in the least because it has clarified in my own mind what my opinions are on certain subjects. I hope that this will eventually become a more complete resource for others who wish to learn about a different approach to piano playing.
Something that has surprised me was my decision to start creating my own materials for teaching. I have been trying for too long to adapt music written by others in order to teach basic concepts. I recently embarked on a project to write my own music, so that I can illustrate exactly what I am trying to show. This has been very successful so far!
Ngarita Davies says
I sewed my own keyboard and stave floor mats – (mostly because I was to lazy to draw chalk ones over and over). Obviously these had no sound! I made coloured discs (painted coasters, 2 of each colour) to use as notes. Throw a disc on either the keyboard or stave and the student with the same colour disc places his/her disc on the relevant place on the stave or keyboard. (My 1st attempt with this was on a smaller scale for use on a white board using clear plastic for the stave and keyboard and magnets for the notes). With the floor mats I also, I made 2 spinners one with the letters of the music alphabet and the other with Left and Right hands and feet (both spinners have to be spun each turn) to play ‘music twister’. Play intervals on a real instrument and have students step the interval on the stave or place the discs correctly. I also cut out accidentals and laminated them to use for more advanced students. Having sewn the floor mats means lines can be felt so you can have some fun blindfolded too.