Request vs Requirement Based Studios
Found in: Claiming Territory, Relationships, Student Management, Studio Management
Kerry V., Australia
December 2006 Neil came over to Australia for a series of workshops and spoke about the difference between Require and Request.
This was a rather large insight for me. Although I knew where Neil was coming from and could appreciate it, I did wonder how I would be as I didn’t want to be “not nice” anymore. Well, that was not an issue at all. Since adopting, and quite naturally I hasten to add, the requirement attitude, my retention rate has been much higher, I have gotten many more word of mouth referrals, strength in lessons and the way students are playing has improved, my expectations are followed, and I have extremely happy families. Of course an extremely happy ME too.
There are still a few parents who would like to push it I but this only a gentle reminder to remain strong and steadfast because I have seen how brilliantly it is to be respected not for being nice but for being strong in my convictions. Hope all that makes sense.
There was a strength and self confidence within me and a steadfastness of what I wanted to happen and how it was going to happen. Basically, all I did was change my thoughts and followed through. I had clear policies and I was going to follow them through. I stopped being coy about my position of being the teacher. People look up to you as the teacher and so they expect great things. They don’t want someone who is wishy-washy.
Anyway, my first goal in 2007 was to build my student body. It had fallen to around 6 (from 24 the previous year). By the end of the first term, which would have been around the end of March, I was to have 25 students. What really happened truly amazed me. By the end of February I had 30 students—well over my intended goal. My next goal then was to have 50 students. This was finally reached by July and I did not have to advertise. They were by word of mouth. Who from? The very people I had requested many things from. There was a much bigger respect for me and SM and it seemed to help me grow stronger. By the end of 2007 I had around 50 students and all but one will be returning. The one not returning is traveling overseas for the year and swears he wants to be back! Wow, that is incredible. I have finally reached a retention rate that is very high. Why? All I did was change the way I thought and then followed through.
So, in using the Require rather than the Request my student base has grown, the retention rate been has remained high, payments are made much more regularly and far less chasing up. I know I am not perfect with it yet, always room to grow; however, it has been fantastic to see a huge growth in a miniscule shift.
I am so looking forward to this year. I hope that this inspires you to build to the student body you want and then to retain them.
Whitney M.
That is so great to hear! The request/requirement part of the Sacramento symposium back in November was such a help. Neil’s analogy about the locked door really hit home for me. I imagine he has countless analogies, but for anyone interested in this one, here’s how he unfolded it for us. As we talked about the concept behind the request vs. requirement based studio, it came up that we as teachers were struggling with the idea of “being mean”. Neil reminded us that a requirement based studio has nothing to do with emotion. Its just a very matter of fact set up. If you were in front of a locked door and you didn’t have a key, would you be mad at the door because it wouldn’t let you in? Would the door be mad at you? Of course not – it is what it is what it is. Just a locked door you can’t get through. So if we as teachers set up very clear policies and someone doesn’t follow them, it is what it is. No one is mad, we just can’t continue.
I am finding it empowering when I stick to my convictions and keep my word; however it is still a work in progress. Do you have any specific examples or advice? Here’s an example from this past week: one of the assignments I gave was finishing up Squidigies Boogie, continued work on the suspended chords, finishing up an arrangement, and listening to Dark Blue on the audio. One student didn’t listen to the audio recording. How would you handle something like that? Do teachers even assign the audio recording as homework? I wish everyone would listen to the audio recording more, I think it would be a great benefit.
Sheri R., California
I’m so glad Kerry wrote this letter. It is a very powerful tool we have to transform our studios and so good to hear of her experience. And, yes, it is a work in progress for me too. But I noticed this past year my studio retention has been much higher and more word-of-mouth too since incorporating, at least to a certain extent, the requirement-based idea.
However, I think having a requirement-based studio with private students is much easier. My studio is mostly groups. If a private student didn’t listen to the audio recording you just take up their precious lesson time having them listen to the audio recording and the parents hopefully won’t be thrilled and they will get more on top of having their kids complete the assignments. But to stop a class to listen to the audio recording when only one didn’t follow through doesn’t seem right.
I ask students in classes to call me if they didn’t complete an assignment and play the “tardy” song on my machine at least two days before their next lesson. It doesn’t always happen that they call before their lesson and when they show up for their lesson I still let them come to their lesson but remind them about their promise. It’s not perfect and I too wish for more audio recording listening etc. I constantly remind students to listen but the follow through is a struggle. Just writing this has made me think that maybe if I actually had students listen in the lesson (with their parents counting the minutes!) that that might do the trick regarding the audio. Even if it was just one–that one parent might be embarrassed that the whole class had to listen on their child’s behalf and so be more diligent in the future.
If we have the tough conversation about letting them go because “I have a waiting list of students who would love your spot that are willing to do everything I ask of them” it’s simply not true when you have a class that has progressed anywhere past the first few songs as a new student can’t join that particular group. And the students know that. So I feel like we’re left with getting our students to want to do what we ask and what is the trick to that?!
Any and all feedback on the forum would be most instructive! This is a very big subject and I’m sure we can all gain from each others’ experiences.
I had a call the other day from a potential student (who signed up today) and pretty quickly she asked “what are the requirements of your studio?” I almost fell off my chair! If we would train students to get that concept we would be formidable!
Beth S., Tennessee
I too was greatly inspired by this concept after attending the Nashville symposium in August last year. I started off the school term by requiring a parent meeting where I clearly stated my requirements verbally and in writing. That was the first and easy step. Waiting for what would happen next was another. Some parents were new; the old ones probably didn’t take me too seriously. I expected that, and within the first couple of months, the same old resistance became evident. Most of the trouble came from old students, who I had already trained to not take me seriously (unfortunately). I had a couple of private lessons where I stopped and said I couldn’t go on — that it was unethical to take their money for doing nothing, that if nothing else, I wouldn’t do a job that bored me out of my mind, and if there was no progress it was boring to me. I gave them an ultimatum and said they could go home and think it over and that the only way I would continue was if they would sign my requirement sheet and come back committed 100%.
The one didn’t return, much to her parents’ disappointment, and the other has come back much improved. Both of those students were my first two students ever, and I chalk it all up to my obvious inexperience when I first started them out. The students I have started this year are a different breed learning under a “different” teacher. I worried and worried about whether I had done the right thing in releasing the one student. We had a close bond, they had become personal friends, etc. But in the end, it was a relief to cull out the non-productive from my student body.
I have also tossed around the idea of some sort of accountability. I asked about this on the Forum once and was generally discouraged about any sort of grading system. However, I can’t get away from the idea that it is just human nature to apply greater effort when there’s accountability. So, to start small towards that direction, I made up a chart for each student and told them I was going to begin tracking their weekly activities. When they pop into their lesson first thing, I ask them five questions:
- How many days did you practice the playlist?
- How many days did you practice your lesson material? (they now have to check off my lesson notes as well)
- Watch the video?
- Compose?
- Share your music with someone besides Mom or spouse?
While they answer, they watch me filling in their chart. Overall, there has been greater effort from everyone. The greatest thrill for me has been all the new compositions. Last week, almost everyone came with something; some of them quite good and some from people that I have been unable to motivate to compose anything at all. While it’s exciting to hear the new foundation songs learned, it’s ten times more thrilling when they make up their own and makes me feel like indeed I am accomplishing something. The old excuses of “I can’t” are no longer acceptable. They see from me that they must, and somehow it happens.