Studio Management
Piano Summer Camp
Hi, I’m a Simply Music teacher for 1 1/2 years, and last summer I did not teach. I noticed how in September my students had forgotten their piano pieces. I was pleasantly surprised at how fast they could remember their play list (short one for sure,…
Piano Party
I like to hear how other teachers’ Piano Party or Concert went, so I am sharing my recent event. I went with Piano Party idea this year and gave out blow out blowers (bought in packs of 10 or 20). After each item the audience…
Pace of private vs. shared lesson students
Greetings – I have 30 students, of which 5 are private, for various reasons. I have heard and read repeatedly about the advantages of shared lessons, particularly the pace of progress – that shared lessons actually progress more quickly. I am finding that my private…
Older students without life coach
Hi Everyone, At what point do you allow students to come to classes without their parent? I have two students, brothers, ages 12 and 13 who are in level 7. Their parents are very supportive of the program and the process, but the dad…
Managing the re-entry to lessons after summer
Greetings – School begins today in Canada, and so lessons are resuming after summer break. I anticipate some regression after the summer as not all families were able to come for a few lessons as suggested, and so I welcome any ideas re: how to…
Larger Groups
I have been teaching SM for almost 6 years now in a small studio space that would only accommodate a total of 8 people: 4 students with parents. Because of the large number of inquiries I’m receiving, and a growing waiting list, and having no…
Insights on Student Piano Events
Hi everyone, I’ve been holding my “Winter Music Celebration” studio events over the past few weeks and wanted to share a few things. I personally never call them ‘recitals’ – I think this word has a stigma attached for many people. I refer to them…
How many streams per lesson?
I’m sure there’s variety in this, and I’d like to hear lots of perspectives. We teach so many different programs, or streams. How many different streams do you present in each lesson? (Side note, do you call them “streams” with your students?) I’m the sort…
Acquiring students from other teachers
I have the wonderful opportunity to expand my studio by taking on someone else’s students. While it’s a bit intimidating to me as a newer teacher (1 1/2 years), I look forward to the challenge. The good news is that I’m licensed in the levels…
Waiting Lists
My studio is full and I’ve got four potential students coming to an introductory session next week. They are all very different from each other, so they probably wouldn’t form a new class, even if I had a time slot for them. How do other…