3 Things You Should Be Doing For Your Vocal Studio

Weekly Teaching Tip – Mar. 23, 2015
by Daniel Hayes

Do you find yourself stressed with the management of your vocal studio?

Consider adding the following items to your studio management to become less stressed, financially stable, and free up time to be the best teacher you can be for your students!

Auto Pay: Automatically collecting your lesson fees each month will free up your time and energy to do more important things like; furthering your education, organize student recitals, and enjoy extra-curricular activities. The best thing about implementing auto pay in your studio is it almost completely eliminates conversations about money and fees during lessons. The “I forgot my checkbook” scenario is removed from the student to teacher relationship. There are many services you can use that allow auto pay. Some are very simple and some are more in-depth; with features like online scheduling, reports, and lesson reminders.

Here is a list of services to consider which I’ve had success using:

• Jackrabbit: www.jackrabbitmusic.com
• Mind Body: www.mindbodyonline.com
• Chargify: www.chargify.com

30 Day Cancellation Notice: Requiring students to submit a 30 day cancellation notice to completely stop lessons will give you a better understanding of what your financial income and outcome will be for the following month. It’s good to know if 5 students are leaving for the summer so you can adjust your schedule or marketing efforts to get more students.

Here are some tips to consider*:

• When introducing this policy, give plenty of notice to students (pick a time that is NOT during summer break or back to school).
• Explain your reasoning: Your studio is growing and you need more time to do things like recitals, workshops, classes, and more.
• This is a necessary part of any business, whether a gym, daycare, dance studio, gymnastic school or otherwise.

*for tips on dealing with advanced/celebrity clientele please contact me via email: daniel_e_hayes@icloud.com

Group Classes: As voice teachers we are only paid for the time we sell to our students; adding group classes to your program can significantly grow your revenue. Group classes are fun and build student’s self-confidence and sense of community.

Here are some tips for implementing group classes:

• Start advertising group classes for summer NOW.
• If you are too busy to teach a class, consider hiring another teacher who specializes in performance, vocal styling, musical theatre, and song writing. Pay them an hourly wage and not a percentage of collected fees.
• Have an end goal in mind (e.g. 10 week class that ends with a performance/showcase, etc.)

These are my top three vocal studio management tips for 2015!

Happy teaching everyone!

Looking for more tips or studio consultations?
E-mail me: daniel_e_hayes@icloud.com