Here are a few of my FAVORITE things to make your piano studio look more professional and run smoother. WORK SMARTER so you can WORK LESS!
Although, I do love raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, my favorite things have evolved a teeeensy bit since becoming a piano teacher. As a working Mother I'm always on the hunt for every tool that can help me work smarter so I can WORK LESS and I'm not a HOT MESS.
'Cuz, let's face it... we've got enough of a hot mess to deal with at home. Having a piano studio that's running smoothly, dare I say effortlessly, can really help you feel like a rock star!! Even if my kids a running around like wild animals.
These past few years I've implemented several new game changers that have helped me immensely! So naturally I want to share with all my fellow teachers out there ;) and of course:
Please share your FAVORITE THINGS in the comments below! I'm always looking to learn new tools.
MY MUSIC STAFF
If you haven't gotten in on this music studio management software yet... GET. IN. ON. THIS. This out of everything else has saved me soooo much time and energy! Shout out to Tyler Carlisle for introducing me to this amazing site! It will take over all the busy work for you - lesson scheduling, invoicing, automatic invoicing, online payments, track expenses and income, online teaching portals and more.
My favorite part about mymusicstaff.com is the professionalism that it adds to my studio. Having those invoices that send off automatically and look professional helps me sleep well at night. I've noticed tuition payments are paid promptly now and there's no confusion on pricing. Not to mention its just waaay less stress on me now that I'm not having to personally remind parents/students of tuition dues.
I also LOOOOOOVE that I can easily project how much I'm making every month. The interface they've created for this is very user friendly and so helpful. For just $13 a month this is one monthly subscription fee that's a no brainer for me. Watch the video below to learn more!
STUDIO WEBSITE
Marketing 101: you NEED a website to thrive these days as a business. Having a sleek website that's user friendly is critical to drive home the professional look you want. PLUS, it's the best way to attract new customers. What do people do first when they're looking for a piano teacher? Google - Piano Teacher Near Me. And YOU best be on the top of that list!
There are loads of great web developer pages that can help assist you in making a website. It's sooo easy now to get a fantastic looking website there just really isn't any excuse not to have one. My favorite amongst the choices? Wix.com
What I love about Wix is how user friendly it is to create a stunning looking site AND their gorgeous templates. They've got loads of beautiful ideas that don't require a ton of work. You just need to insert your ideas and BOOM you're present online with a B-E-A-UTIFUL site.
And if you need inspiration for content on what to/or not to put on your studio website here's a handy article. Also, I found it helpful to simply google "piano teacher studio" and browse through other teachers sites. There are SO many good looking websites to glean from.
CALENDLY
A "call to action" button is pretty crucial for a professional looking website. You want people to be able to schedule their first lesson themselves with you while they're on your website. So finding a trusty (and maybe even free) scheduling service that syncs with your calendar is sublime.
Calendly is just that service.
When you come to my website you notice the first thing I present to the visitor is a call to action. Book Your Free Lesson!
Once the visitor clicks that they are directly sent to my Calendly page. Calendly scheduling automatically syncs with my google calendar on a daily basis. So even if I have a time slot filled that I had previously left open in my schedule Calendly will reflect that change. Very helpful tool!
As you can see below I leave specific times/days open to do trial lessons. So I have a few morning and evening slots those days available in BLUE. Once they pick a date and time they can book with ease! And of course you're notified via e-mail/text.
SOCIAL MEDIA
I have moved several times now over my teaching career and every time I moved I depend HEAVILY on social media to advertise. USE SOCIAL MEDIA! It's free advertising and it will, it will get you new students. Mainly I use Facebook and Instagram to attract in clients.
Facebook is great because you can post multiple times per month on local community pages (be sure to check the page rules of course). There are hundreds of community facebook groups to get involved with. From garage sale to community event pages - feel free to spread the news about piano!
Make sure to post a catchy picture or poster advertisement along with a little blurb about yourself/studio and ALWAYS link to your website of course. If you aren't a graphic designer and cringe at the ideas of making a poster - never fear!! I have a website for that. Pssst it's free!
Poster My Wall is my best friend when it comes to creating professional looking posters and advertisements. It's so easy! You can even search for piano specific designs. I also like using this site to create recital posters or other promotional group lessons or ideas.
Instagram isn't just for posting duck faces and over-filtered photos of cappuccinos. It's an amazing tool for connecting with the greater classical piano and piano pedagogy world. I LOVE jumping on their and seeing what other teachers are working on with their students, getting pedagogical tips, being inspired by other players, getting technique tips and of course spreading the word about my studio.
For my studio its great because parents get to see first hand WHAT my teaching does. Instagram is a platform to BRAG about your teaching skills! And you should brag - you work hard teaching those little hands and minds.
Post videos of your students performing and especially YOU performing. Parents and students love to see this because they begin to value and believe in you as a capable pianist. I also think its a great idea to post any pedagogy tips you have, pieces you love to teach, ideas for students/other teachers and sometimes I post music humor (as you can see).
RECORD YOURSELF often and get on there and post. You can also link your Insta to your studios facebook page (which I'd also highly suggest having). Robust social media presence = More students and more free advertising.
