Introducing
Piano Studio Startup
This is a comprehensive program for pianists to confidently build their own private studios. Piano Studio Startup will give you the tools, inspiration, and support to create and grow your piano studio so that you can work part-time or full-time in a satisfying career path.
Before I tell you all about this program, let's make sure you're a good fit.
You're right for Piano Studio Startup if you're ...
An advanced pianist
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Who is 16+ years old
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Who wants to share their knowledge of piano
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Who has never taught before or has minimal teaching experience
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A student
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Who is about to or has recently finished university or college
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Who wants to teach but has never taught before or has minimal teaching experience
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A teacher
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Who has their own private studio for less than 3 years
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Who works for a music school and wants to start their own business
You're in the right place!
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By the end of this program, you will have ...
Nailed down your ideal student
Developed a marketing plan
Understood how to budget your income and expenses
Gained confidence to run your own business
Learned about different types of studio equipment
Formed a lesson policy for your studio
course features
Here's what you can expect
Live Classes
Every week the module will be presented to you on Zoom. For those unable to attend live, the recordings will be available in your student portal for viewing later.
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Private Facebook Group
A private online space to share questions, thoughts and discussions, and where you'll be supported by your classmates and myself.
Discussion sessions
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In these weekly hour-long sessions, you can ask questions, show your work, provide feedback to other students, share resources, and receive assistance with your challenges.
12-month access
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All course content will be accessible for 12 months after your course completion to allow ample time to make use of the resources.
Resources
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There will be worksheets, checklists, templates, and real-life examples to accommodate many different learning styles.
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Discounted private coaching
If you'd like time to chat with me 1:1, you'll get a discount code for 20% off private coaching sessions.
What's inside ...
Module 1: Defining your Ideal Student(s)
Defining your target audience and ideal students. Topics include:
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what age groups(s) and levels you want to teach
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how to incorporate students with physical and/or mental disabilities
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what level of student commitment you expect your students to have
Module 2: Branding
Developing your brand to attract your target audience. Topics include:
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establishing branding pillars
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creating a logo
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designing a website
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creating business cards
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choosing images and fonts
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deciding on your colour pallet
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​creating your teaching philosophy
Module 3: Advertising
Discussing advertising and marketing strategies to obtain students. Topics include:
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designing ads
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writing copy/text
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developing a social media presence and strategy
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posting in classifieds ads
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becoming involved with your community
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creating word-of-mouth incentives
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networking with music organizations and publishers
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establishing your SEO keywords
Module 4: Lesson Policy
Writing a policy that works for you and your students. Topics include establishing:
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rates
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lesson durations and frequencies
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payment types
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payment frequency
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a cancellation & makeup lesson policy
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a lesson termination policy
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late fees
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methods to prevent ghosting
Module 5: Scheduling
Managing your schedule and setting boundaries. Topics include:
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discussing software options for scheduling students
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managing necessary breaks in your teaching day
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allocating lesson prep time
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taking holidays and vacation
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being aware of your mental health
Module 6: Equipment
Equipping your studio for teaching in-person, online, or travelling to students' homes. Topics include:
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stationary for you and your students
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bench options
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pedal extenders and feet support options
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computer software and hardware
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music apps, games, and supplementary activities
Module 7: Communication
Preparing responses to phone, text, and email inquiries. Topics include:
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drafting answers to commonly asked questions in phone conversations
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creating email templates
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conducting interviews for prospective students
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recognizing spam
Module 8: Fees and Expenses
Managing the 'behind-the-scenes' fees and expenses. Topics include how to budget money for:
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insurance
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software
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taxes
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professional organization memberships
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online teaching resource memberships
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abundant vs sparse income months
Bonus: The First Lesson
How to make the most of your first lesson with a student. ​Potential topics include:
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exploring the instrument
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explaining a brief history of the piano
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learning rote pieces
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discovering improvisation
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assessing rhythm through various activities
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playing games
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introducing books
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assessing knowledge level
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Course Schedule
The enrolment for this course will be open between June 18 - 27, 2024.
The course will start on July 2, 2024.
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The exact dates and times of lectures and discussion sessions will be announced soon.
Add your name to the waitlist to be notified when enrolment begins!
OR
Think about how ...
You want to be independent
This course will give you the skills to run your own business. Imagine working independently and earning a full hourly wage instead of giving up a percentage to a music school. Also, picture having full control of who enrols in your studio—this will also give you greater job satisfaction!
You want to save time
If you want to dispel the myth that running your own business is extremely time consuming, this course will teach you many strategies to reduce your administration time, establish effective studio policies and procedures, and create work-life boundaries.
You want to be confident
Envision having an impressionable website and social media presence to attract your ideal student, being prepared for your first lesson, and owning the respective equipment to set up your studio for continued success. This course will cover this and more to boost your confidence in running your own studio!
You should give Piano Studio Startup a 7-day risk free chance.
A bit about me and why I created this course ...
I have been teaching for almost 20 years in a variety of different settings. including teaching at a music school, teaching at students' homes, as well as teaching part-time and full-time.
I have also worked full-time managing a music lesson centre with 400 students and 14 teachers. In this position, I learned about lesson policy enforcement, customer satisfaction, teacher-student relationships, and business administration.
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​After working in this position for five years, I was longing for more flexibility in my schedule and more control of my work environment. I took a leap of faith and quit with the decision to become self-employed as a full-time piano teacher. I had no training in this new career path; only the faith that I believed it was possible.
In the first year of teaching full-time, I blindly trusted my students to
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bring cash or a cheque to each lesson
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be compassionate and pay for any lesson(s) they were going to miss
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understand I could only offer a limited amount of make-up lessons each month
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be reliable with their punctuality and not expect the full lesson length if they arrived late
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pay for a lesson even though they did not show up
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provide notice far in advance if they were planning to quit lessons
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As the years went on, I still found it very hard to
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attract the students that I enjoy teaching
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make boundaries between my personal and work time
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be comfortable asking for money for absences
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raise my rates
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budget for studio expenses
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estimate my yearly income
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know what equipment I needed to make online lessons effective
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Through hundreds of hours of research, trial and error, and lost income, I have now figured out how to
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create a lesson policy that respects my time
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advertise and market for my ideal student
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manage all the studio administration tasks
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select the right equipment for my in-person and online lessons
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budget for the inconsistent income throughout the year
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create a stellar lesson plan for the first lesson
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prevent students from ghosting me
By offering this course, I'm going to teach you how to fast-track your success for your piano studio. It's been quite a journey to get to where I'm at now, and I am grateful to have reached this point and to share my knowledge with you.
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My qualifications
In 2014, I completed the Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Toronto (ARCT) in Piano Performance diploma and the Associate of the Canadian Conservatory of Music (ACCM) diploma in Piano Performance with First Class Honours. Previous to these accomplishments, I obtained a Bachelor of Music (BMus), with a specialization in music education, from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
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I became a Royal Conservatory of Music Certified Teacher in 2019 and an Ontario Registered Music Teacher in 2017. These additional qualifications are due to the successes that my students have had in competitions, festivals, and piano and theory examinations. I have also received certificates for outstanding teaching excellence from the Canadian International Music Competition and the Quebec International Music Competition.
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Here's what my piano students say about learning from me ...
"You're a great teacher and have always been so patient and understanding with me. I always feel inspired to pursue music after lessons and appreciate the attitude you always carry."
Daniel B.
Join the Waitlist
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