Tips for Music Studio Expansion 

The pandemic presented numerous challenges for businesses across various industries, especially private music studios. However, with a combination of strategic planning and creative approaches, I managed to not only sustain my studio but triple its size during those unprecedented times. In this blog post, I will share the key steps I took to expand my studio and achieve this growth. From establishing a studio policy to leveraging free advertising methods, these strategies played a vital role in my studio’s success. 

Establishing a Studio Policy:

One of the fundamental steps I took towards expanding my studio was establishing a comprehensive studio policy. This is often overlooked when building a studio as most teachers are primarily focused on teaching and the communication that happens in the lesson. However, a studio policy serves as a clear communication tool that outlines various aspects such as lesson costs, expectations, equipment requirements, book recommendations, health and safety procedures, and cancellation policies. By providing students with a well-defined studio policy, I streamlined communication and eliminated the need to reiterate expectations. The time invested in creating a detailed studio policy paid off by creating a structured and streamlined onboarding process which lead to a confusion free learning environment. 

Time and energy invested into a clear studio policy is the gift that keeps on giving.

Finding Free Ways to Advertise

While advertising is essential for any business, most teachers do not have an advertising budget, especially during the pandemic. I prioritized exploring cost-effective alternatives. I advertised on regional and national teaching databases, but the most successful avenue for growth was advertising on a local music store’s website. Any place you can advertise for free is a perfect place to start! If there is a list of local music teachers in your area, see if you can join it! I previously had relied off of word of mouth to bring in most of my students but during the pandemic, as I wasn’t meeting as many people, I had to create an online presence. Joining said online teacher’s directory went a long way. I am still reaping the benefits of being listed online many years after. My studio has been full for three years and I have a wait list. Just letting people know you’re teaching and have available spots can go a long way, both in person and online!

Any place you can advertise for free is a perfect place to start!

Make lessons enjoyable, educational, and personal

Even if you have great marketing and visibility, if your lessons are not engaging, and dare I say, FUN, you won’t have as many repeat customers. To stand out from other music teachers and studios, I focused on making the learning experience enjoyable for my students. Music should be a source of inspiration and delight, especially during challenging times. Of course teaching online made it challenging to pull out new activities that worked well in person, but not online, teaching online can be just as fun and productive if you understand the new set of challenges, which made it doubly rewarding whenever I had to teach online! 

Make sure that you have created a fun pedagogical progression for your students! If another teacher has great online resources, use them!! You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, but you do need to present your students extra opportunities and assignments for growth.

Your personality also goes a long way in making lessons fun. Picking engaging repertoire aids in fun lessons, but a healthy teacher/student relationship produces the most musical growth, regardless of technique and knowledge the teacher has. As an educator, your main goal is to create a fun and safe learning environment, where children and adults can work on things and make mistakes, which are integral to the learning process.  Whether it’s through your imagination and storytelling that captures their imagination and engages them in music, or your human connection and relationship you need to build with each student, your personality becomes the catalyst for transforming ordinary lessons about intonation into musical adventures that the student readily embraces. 

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel to offer your students more.

Knowing your Niche

Many musicians do many things well. Most private teachers have at least one degree and several years of teaching experience. You need to know what it is that you want to teach as that makes you stand out from a teacher who is merely teaching for financial stability, or as a hobby.

Do you love teaching 3-5 year olds? Do you only like teaching advanced students? Do you shine when teaching specific genres or techniques? Do you like teaching one instrument, more than one instrument, or enjoy teaching group classes? Knowing not only your teaching philosophy, but also your own strengths as a teacher will aid in setting up and expanding a studio. I narrowed down my niche during the pandemic to fewer musical genres and age ranges. This helped me teach more creatively and enthusiastically when I wasn’t worried about keeping a 4 year old’s attention during an online lesson.

What do I enjoy teaching the most?

Personalized Lessons

Every student wants to feel seen and heard during their lessons. To provide the highest level of personalized attention, I made the choice to only teach private one-on-one lessons and made it a priority to acknowledge and appreciate each student’s progress and efforts. I strive to teach my students how to listen and learn at home, not just in the lesson. By actively listening and teaching students to listen while providing constructive feedback, I created a supportive and nurturing atmosphere. Many of my teachers throughout my musical learning career taught in such a way that made it seem that there was only one correct way to do lessons, or one correct repertoire list to play. 

Your students need standardized technique, not standardized lesson plans.

Students want to be seen and to feel valued, which not only enhanced their learning experience but also led to positive word-of-mouth recommendations. This personal touch played a significant role in boosting my studio’s reputation and attracting new students.

Word of mouth is a great way to build your reputation. Advertising online is a great way to build your studio.

Expanding my studio during the pandemic felt like an insurmountable task, but by implementing the five points listed above, I was able to triple my studio size during a time when most studios decreased in size or closed up altogether. Establishing a studio policy, finding free ways to advertise, knowing your niche as a teacher, making music fun to learn and showing off your kooky, totally normal personality through lessons tailored to each student, were key elements to my success as a studio owner. 

Have a happy music making, studio building life. ❤️🎻