How to Become the Private Music Teacher You Envy

Early on in my private teaching career, I was so envious of some music teachers I knew.

While I struggled to find any students at all, these teachers had a whole studio full of dedicated students who had been with them for years - and a long waiting list to boot.

I was trying to figure out how low my rates needed to be to attract new students; they were able to charge premium rates for their services.

I dealt with regular hassles over lesson fees, student practice, and lesson attendance. The teachers I envied received little pushback; parents and students were grateful to have a spot in the their studio and didn't want to jeopardize it by creating problems.

As a result, these teachers found running a private music studio to be financially and personally rewarding. I found it less lucrative and more frustrating than I would have liked.

Over the years, I unlocked many of the secrets to running a highly successful and personally rewarding studio.

As I put these learned strategies into place, I was able to

• find more students I genuinely connected with

• effortlessly recruit new students, increase my retention rates, and grow my waiting list

• raise my hourly rates significantly without losing students as a result

Here's what I learned are key steps to building an enviable teaching studio:

Build an authentic studio culture and brand.

Teachers with successful studios tend to know their values, skills, and needs well and tailor their studios accordingly. Take the time to understand yourself as a person and teacher so you can build a studio culture that truly reflects who you are. You'll be happier teaching students you genuinely connect with, and your clear sense of studio identity will allow you market yourself more effectively and make thoughtful decisions about which students are a good fit for you.

Find students who want what you uniquely offer.

Successful, satisfied private teachers are skilled at finding students that are a good fit for their particular studio. Once you establish your studio culture and brand, you'll be poised to attract students who want exactly what you offer. A relationship where the teacher, parent and student are all on the same page results in less tension and more satisfied students who are more likely to enjoy lessons and stay in your studio longer.

Give students an exceptional experience.

Students are more likely to have a great experience if you're well-matched and have a genuine connection. And as successful studio owners know, highly satisfied parents are often willing to pay higher rates to maintain this positive relationship and experience for their child. Satisfied parents and students are also excellent ambassadors for your studio. Over time, word-of-mouth will do much of your recruitment work for you, sending a steady stream of potential students your way.

Be creative and diverse in your marketing efforts.

It's important to advertise consistently in a variety of different ways. Even though most of my lesson inquiries eventually came via word-of-mouth, I still advertised in other ways. Sending emails to appropriate groups, putting out yard signs, building relationships with / doing master classes for school music teachers, and word-of-mouth recruiting are four ways I build a recruitment engine that sent a constant stream of lesson inquiries my way.

Be discerning in your student acceptance.

Continuous inquiries from potential new students are great, but it's important to be make a thoughtful decision about who you offer lesson spots to. To determine which students are a good fit for you, be sure to have an effective "interview" process. I required at least one (often multiple) introductory lessons during which I explained my policies and fees and got a sense of whether I thought the student, parent and I would work well together before offering them a permanent spot in the studio.

Build a studio infrastructure that is intentional and strategic.

This one takes some time and planning, but will absolutely pay off - both literally and figuratively. And it's definitely something that the private teachers you envy have done in some capacity or another.

Success doesn't just happen; it depends on putting a thoughtful strategy into place. Developing an effective framework for all my studio operations was what got me from struggling part-time teacher to full-time, highly successful studio owner.

Check out my upcoming online course, The High Value Music Studio, which walks you through the step-by-step process I used to move from frustrated to flourishing. (Special bonus: You can get access to the course at the half price discounted price just for signing up for the newsletter!)

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