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    Sure the economy’s shakey. That doesn’t mean your private music studio needs to be!

        Quick tips to keep you going during tough economic times. Learn money-making and creative ideas to enlarge your studio, especially when the economy isn’t great.

    More Thoughts on the Private Studio

        Are you a private studio teacher? Would you like to make more money in your current business or learn how to open a new studio? Private music studio expert Mimi Butler will show you creative, money-making strategies.

    Starting and growing your Private Music Studio

        Are you a school teacher who would like to teach privately? Private music studio expert Mimi Butler will show you how to open a part-time or full-time studio, find a location or enlarge your current studio. Plus creative, money-making ideas to grow your new business.

    Merging the School & Studio

        Communication between studio and school teachers, finding studio teachers, encouraging school students to take private lessons and studio teachers working with school teachers. Studio and school teachers work together to accomplish the same results.

    Your Next-Gen Private Music Studio - What Does the Future Hold?

        Fortunately, the future of private music studio teaching is that music teachers will always be needed. Each generation of parents are trying to create well-rounded children, and music education is quite often a large part of that equation. As for the adult students, there are always those who look back on their days as young students fondly and will forever want their second chance at playing.


        Many factors will dictate whether your private music studio will be successful. Where you’re located in the country, how saturated the market is, and what instruments are needed will be different in each area. Some parts of the country are so competitive that it will always be necessary to figure out how you can be better than the others and more attractive to future students. Other places may warrant traveling to teach, teaching more than one instrument, and greater flexibility.

    You’ll Never Be Broke as a musician or teacher !!

        A lot of people hear the term “musician” and think of a struggling performer who can barely make ends meet. But being a “professional musician” who is well trained and experienced actually has quite a lot of options to make a great living.


        In fact, most musicians have so many career choices they don’t stick to just one area. They either do several at a time or their career moves in different directions as they continue to grow musically. If your training and practice is solid, you can create a professional career for yourself just like other vocations. 

    Your Next-Gen Private Music Studio - 20 Tips to Get the Word Out

        Have business cards ready at all times and leave them at music stores, libraries, religious institutions, and anywhere you visit frequently.

        Develop and distribute a brochure about your private music studio.

        Sign up for broker sites.

        And -- 17 more !! 

    How to make Virtual Lessons in the Private Music Studio Fun

        We all know that learning is so much more than absorbing information, especially for kids. What about building relationships with our students? What about the emotional connection you get from playing music together? What about the fun?


        I’ve never met a kid that wants to stick with anything if it isn’t fun. And virtual lessons can be fun, too! Here are 10 ways to keep your students excited and engaged during your virtual lessons. Some are for younger students, some for older and some for all ages!

    Don’t Worry even though it’s almost Tax Time in Your Private Music Studio

        Often creative minds get into trouble when they’re not drawn to the business and finance world. Making music and sharing their love is what demands most of their attention, but the real world comes knocking - studio costs, travel expenses, and the dreaded taxes.

         

        If you want to run a successful business (even in a creative industry) you must have your dollars and cents in order. Need some guidance when it comes to tax write-offs for musicians? We’ve got you covered!

    Your Next-Gen Private Music Studio -- Who’s the Adult Here?

        Adult music students can take many forms. You may encounter the retiree who is fulfilling a lifelong dream, a stay at home mom whose kids are finally school age and has the time to practice, or a workaholic who needs a creative outlet to burn off steam.


          Regardless of their reasons, adults can be a joy to teach. They are intelligent and know how to learn. They can pick up on concepts quickly and will progress at a rapid pace. After many years of working, they’re probably eager to learn something new!


          On the other hand, teaching adults can also have its own set of challenges. They can have unrealistically high expectations and may think this is going to be easy. If their son/ daughter can do it, why can’t they? Try to remind them on a regular basis that everything takes time, students need to practice regardless of age, and all the hard work it will be worth it.

HIGHER SAT SCORES
SAT scores of students who study music surpass non-music students. Grades for young musicians were 60 points higher on verbal and 43 points higher on math.&
BETTER ACADEMICS
For every year a student participates in music their SAT score improved.  This shows a string correlation between music and academic success.*
MORE SUCCESS
Students with for or more years of music instruction scored 62 points than students with one semester of music instruction.*
* The College Board, Profile of College-Bound Seniors National Report for 2001.

Teacher Testimonials

"I had students stopping me in the hall to tell me how valuable they found your information.  Your presentations were lively, good humored, inspiring, and information-packed all at once.  Throughout the two sessions, you had the rapt attention of graduate students and undergrads."

Dr. Gerald Fischbach

 "It was great to see you the other week & watch how you teach! I learn so much each time (for me & for my teaching)."

Teresa P.

"...a valuable reference for any teacher that teaches privately, regardless of the size of the studio. The information covered in this book is worthwhile towards improving all teaching situations."

Roberta Warfield

The smartest business move I made this month was to invest in Mimi Butler's teacher mentoring program. Mimi's business savvy, years of experience and natural enthusiasm for her clients made it easy for me to implement new strategies that were immediatelyhelpful in building my music studio business."

Diane R.

Stepping Up To Make a Difference...

In its 10 years, Symphony in C's summer camp for South Jersey middle and high school musicians has provided training to more than 500 students. For two weeks each summer, the whine of violins, the clanging of cymbals, and the sounds of tinny horns have filled the halls of Rutgers-Camden.

But this year, that rehearsal music sounds a little sweeter, and the coordinators and campers are relishing in it a bit more, knowing that the camp, two weeks of intensive training in orchestra and band instruments, almost didn't happen.

"In April, we were looking at each other saying, 'This isn't going to work,' " said Pamela Brant, director of Symphony in C. "Arts have experienced a severe decline in funding opportunities. When the economy tanked, there was less funding available for grant-making, larger companies refocused and decided to give to other areas, and camp was going to be a casualty of that."

The trouble started for the camp when Campbell Soup Co., the primary sponsor for nine years, notified Symphony in C that it would no longer be able to sponsor the camp because of a decision to support initiatives to end hunger and childhood obesity.

Organizers reached out to Cooper University Hospital and L-3 Communications, which came through with gifts but not nearly enough to provide scholarships and busing to all Camden participants, as had been done for the previous nine years.

Mimi Butler, a Haddonfield resident and private music teacher, heard about the camp's financial woes through one of her students. Butler, who had run her own Summer Strings camp for three years and seen it shut down for similar financial reasons, decided to do something.

She recruited friends in the community and formed a committee to save the music. The group met at Ponzio's in Cherry Hill and pooled music and media contacts.

Instead of going after larger corporate donations, the group launched a "Sponsor a Camper" initiative. For $300, you could sponsor two weeks of camp, or you could pay $150 for one week. The group held a fund-raiser at Wamsley Violin in Haddonfield featuring music from former campers.

By May, the group had raised $17,000, well over the $10,000 goal and enough to expand enrollment to 75 students.

 Julia Terruso, Inquirer Staff Writer Posted: August 11, 2013
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