5 Steps to a Successful Piano Teaching Business
by Kristin Yost (PianoTeacherSchool.com and CentreforMusicalMinds.org) Let’s face it, your planning abilities make you more than capable of creating an elaborate family budget, time for volunteering, planning recitals, judging, social events, spending time with family, etc… but you just might not know where to begin when it comes to your teaching business outside of the usual scheduling. You’re a piano teacher who has a successful home studio and you know you could be making more money, and would certainly like to, but you’re...
read moreHal Leonard Sacred Music 40% off
Hal Leonard is offering 40% off select sacred books in the month of February via the Teacher VIP line. This includes my Easy Hymn Solos series, the Phillip Keveren Series, and more! Simple visit the Teacher VIP link to see what is on sale. Standard shipping & handling charges apply to all orders. Please enter ad code PT02 at checkout to receive your educator 40% discount. This offer is limited to the items featured in the February 2012 Teacher VIP Special Offer. If you are not a part of the Teacher VIP or new release club, simply...
read moreHow Do I Implement a Registration Fee?
I had a parent call during Christmas break wanting to enroll two young beginners in February. When I called to confirm the arrangements we had made, and he said they had changed their mind. I had already purchased music for them. I would like to charge a $50 registration fee but how do I justify this with parents? Answered by Wendy Stevens Well unfortunately you can’t do anything about people who change their minds! But, you are right that this situation is definitely something where a deposit would help protect you from or at least...
read moreAre Extrinsic Rewards Motivating?
The subject of motivation always interests me. Here’s a great post by Tim Topham summarizing the book on motivation called Drive. He mentions a few of the studies conducted on motivation including one on preschoolers and one on adults. The “if-then” approach to motivation (i.e. “if you do this, then I’ll give you this…”) is certainly problematic and Tim’s summary helps us see where those problems lie and how we teachers can tweak our own reward systems to be less problematic. You can also get...
read moreSay YES to 12 months of Income as a Piano Teachers
by Kristin Yost of PianoTeacherSchool.com and Centre for Musical Minds in Texas. Admit it, you’re a piano teacher that teaches at least one lesson every week of the year, and you spend “summer” doing too many makeup lessons. When asked why you teach all the time, you say, “I have to make a living!” What if I told you that I have 12 months of revenue and have 8 to 10 weeks off each year? It’s all in the strategy! After four years of teaching (too many) piano lessons while still trying to improve the quality of my life, I finally...
read moreHL Winter Catalogue – 40% off
Now through March 31st, you can get 40% off books on technique from Hal Leonard. See all of the books included in this special offer here. Here are a few books in which I am especially interested: Piano Teacher’s Guide to Creative Composition by Carol Klose Piano Aerobics Piano Teachers Resource Kit by Karen Harrington (see her interview on the book...
read moreSmash Hit Games with the Eggspert
About a month ago, I purchased the Eggspert Quizzing System and began using it in my studio. Since then, I have not stopped raving about how my students and I love it! Many of you have also purchased the inexpensive system and wanted more details on how I use it in my studio, so I thought I’d post about it. First, a bit about how the quizzing system works. There are 2 settings: one where 1 of 2-6 players can press their “egg” which lights up the corresponding egg color on the master quizzing set. This is the setting I...
read moreHow Do I Teach Fewer Weeks a Year and Still Make a Living? [Dollars and Sense Q&A]
How do teachers only teach 45 or so weeks a year and still make a living? I’m working 48-50 weeks per year and still feel like I’m just scraping by! Answered by Kristin Yost You are the CEO of your company, if you don’t like your payment system, you are the only one that can change it. I think the most important thing for you to do is change your mindset – you aren’t charging “by the lesson”; your rate should be determined by your experience, education, student achievements, etc…and you should be collecting...
read moreStudent Critiques
Over the years, I’ve had my students critique each other a number of times. Mostly its been for their performances of pieces in our group Performance Classes. We’ve used a variety of materials to do this from the Performance Class Worksheet (there are 4 of them on this page) to a simple piece of paper on which students write 1 thing they liked and 1 thing they think could be improved. I think I am like most teachers when I say that sometimes this process makes me a little nervous. Perhaps this nervousness is why I’ve been...
read moreWhen Should I Raise My Rates? [Dollars and Sense Q&A]
As promised, I am adding a feature to the Dollars and Sense category of the blog called Dollars and Sense Q&A! Kristin Yost has give a brief answer to this week’s question: I know that I need to raise my rates. What is the best time to do this? Answered by Kristin Yost Ah yes, the raising of the rates! First and foremost, I would make it clear in your studio policy that your rates are raised annually based on the national average, (last year is was 2-3%) and the new tuition takes effect June or July 1 of each year or when your...
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