Earlier this week, I hosted a Facebook Live series that toured various areas of my piano studio.
If you missed it, you can still catch the videos on the Piano Pantry Facebook page. There were several blog posts and items I mentioned in the videos I’ve also linked for you below.
Many thanks for all the encouraging comments and feedback! Now that I’ve finally taken the plunge, I look forward to doing more Facebook Live videos!
As we roll into the end of a semester of teaching, students and teachers alike are itching for a much-needed break from the past months. It’s time to breathe and reset our mind, body, and spirit by walking away from our day-to-day tasks and celebrating the season with friends and family.
Before you close the door to your studio, I would like to encourage you to take a little time to reset your workspace so that when you return, you can hit the ground running in a fresh environment.
We’ll address three areas that are common in a music studio, including our teaching space (around the piano), workspace (around our desk), and student space (such as the music lab, waiting room, and prize box/incentive areas) accompanied by photos of my own space getting a refresh.
At the end, I’ll even share a few ways I use “resetting” on a daily basis, not just in my studio but in daily life tasks.
Do you enjoy giving gifts to your Christmas students? I do!
I know sometimes teachers struggle with whether or not to do gifts. To that, I say, don’t stress over it! If it’s something you enjoy doing, then do it and if it feels more like it’s coming from a place of obligation, make the decision not to do so and be OK with that decision. Most students and families certainly do not expect it.
I like doing it as a gesture to acknowledge both my joy for my students and the season. Along with that, however, comes the difficulty of figuring out something new to do each year. When you have students that are with you for years, giving them the same ornament year after year isn’t very exciting.
This dilemma, if you will, made me procrastinate for several years. After cutting it a little too close a few years ago, I vowed to stop waiting until the last minute. (Year-ahead purchases have even become normal.) Bye-bye stress!
In his post I’ll share several ideas I’ve used over the past years because as this post title states – who couldn’t use another idea?! 🙂
Crafts are not my strong suit, so my kiddos will probably never get a hand-made craft from me. Since I love to cook, homemade goodies do make it into the mix.
The gifts I give each year are often influenced by where life is in the moment. If money is tight, some years may be homemade and less costly. On the flip side, if time is more of a commodity, I just purchase an item – even if I spend more. I’m sure you’ve experienced the same thing!
My comfort zone is between $1 – $5 per student, with $3 being my sweet spot. With a full studio, the cost can add up quickly!
The XL size is about $1.50 apiece and can be found on Amazon 12 for $18.
The GIANT version is also fun to give and is around $2.50 apiece. (At the time of this post, they were not available in bulk on Amazon but can likely be found in your nearest grocery store.)
Ornaments
Ornaments are probably the easiest and most popular gift teachers give – for a good reason!
One fun way to distribute them is to decorate a Christmas tree in the studio. You can either do the same ornament or different ornaments they can choose from. Decorate the tree after Thanksgiving, and tell the students that at the last lesson in December, they get to pull one off the tree!
At the time of this post, the price on Amazon is $22.99 for a dozen. You can get these at Oriental Trading for $15.99 but may pay more depending on shipping.
(Sara’s Music Studio suggested adding a ribbon around the neck like a scarf. How cute would that be? )
The other one was this assortment of black glitter ornaments.
I especially liked that students had three to choose from (which means you could give them away for 2-3 years in a row, and they could choose a different one each year!).
The only downside is that they’re glitter; to me, that equals messy. If that doesn’t bother you, though – go for it! The students will still love them.
In 2014, I purchased them from Hobby Lobby in a package of 12 for $10. I’m not sure they still carry them, but I found them on this website for $20 for a pack of 3. Do some searching, though – I’m sure you could find something similar for cheaper.
Homemade Hot Cocoa
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix is a perfect gift. What kid doesn’t love hot chocolate?
Ball jars are so easy to decorate with something as simple as a colorful ribbon. Be sure to include the directions!
Consider recipes made with powdered milk so students only have to add hot water. Along those same lines, don’t do the layered-type cocoa mix where you must dump the whole container into a pot to mix.
My favorite recipe is from Cook’s Country, but since it’s a paid recipe service, here are some other versions you could try from Pioneer Woman and AllRecipes.
Japanese Erasers
Will the Japanese Eraser craze ever go away? I would be surprised if it did – they’re just too cute! Students will love these grand piano erasers.
Purchase a mixture of black and red and let students choose. Based on what my students chose, I would suggest purchasing 30% red and 60% black.Or if you want to keep it simple, just go for the black!
Puppy Chow
What kid doesn’t love Puppy Chow? To that end, what adult? Ha! It’s such a fun thing to make and a very traditional American holiday snack.
The year I did the Japanese erasers, I wanted to do more than just the little eraser, so I made Puppy Chow and attached the eraser to the bow.
Before we go, let me give you one organizational tip regarding student Christmas gifts:
Keep a list of what you give your students each year!
The first year I opened my studio, I didn’t record the gift I gave, and I regretted it because it is SOOOO nice to be able to look back and see what you’ve done in the past.
Knowing how long it’s been since you last gave a certain gift means you can confidently repeat gifts (depending on how long your students have been with you).
It’s as simple as writing it down in your favorite note-taking app (like Evernote, of course!).
As we near the end of the school term, this is the time our attention begins to turn not only toward end-of-year recitals and performances but also wrapping up and reflecting on the past school year.
Being that individual instrument study is often a long-term commitment, taking the time to reflect is an important part of the process.
There are two parts I would encourage you to include in your end-of-term reflection.
The second (and the topic of this post) is a survey/questionnaire from parents and students.
This post will cover the type of content and specific questions you should consider asking and various ways to execute and deliver these questionnaires. You’ll also get access to a free download which includes both student and parent questionnaires I’ve used in the past.
Content
When crafting the content of these questionnaires, keep in mind that this form can facilitate multiple avenues of reflection/feedback including (but not exhaustively limited to):
Our teaching (and business!)
Parental engagement and overall satisfaction
Student progress and overall satisfaction within the studio/community
With this in mind, I would encourage you to have two separate questionnaires – one for parents, and one for students. Not only are they viewing lessons from completely different roles/perspectives, but they may not always share opinions. If you prefer (understandably) to keep it to one form, at least be specific in who you are asking the question of.
While it would be wonderful to create a form and use the same one year after year, I have found that as my studio changes and evolves, so do these questionnaires.
For example, when I was first building my business, I asked lots of questions regarding studio communication and quality. The next year I was more interested in whether or not they felt they were getting enough outside opportunities. Every year is a little different.
This is also a great time to feel out potential new ideas. Considering moving your group classes to Saturdays instead of a weeknight? Poll your families!
Lastly, don’t forget that while you have them, you may ask for a formal testimony that can be used on your studio website or on social media.
Means of Delivery
There are multiple ways you can go through this process and, like the questions, these can change (and perhaps should) and evolve from year to year.
For the first seven years of my studio, I emailed a PDF so they could download and print the form, fill it out, and bring it to their evaluation meeting.
My second evolution was to create an online form directly on my studio’s WordPress site.
Most recently (and currently), I’ve moved into using Google Forms.
No matter what format you use, be sure and give a clear deadline – such as prior to the student’s last lesson.
Get the Free Questionnaires Download
Most of the forms I’ve created over the years include general questions that could be universal to any music studio as well as specifics regarding my own teaching and studio.
In these two free downloads, I removed any questions that related directly to my own studio so you could potentially use them for your own studio. Alternatively, you can do like I did with Natalie’s and use it as a starting point for creating your own!
*By submitting this form, you acknowledge that you’re signing up for my email list and agree to receive regular communication (generally once a week).
What do your year-end parent/student questionnaires look like? Share your ideas in the comments!
What’s the one digital item you find trickiest to keep organized?
For me, it’s photos.
Many readers have asked about this, and when a friend asked the same question just the other day, I knew it was time to share.
I have a confession though – I wouldn’t call my way anything special, it’s just what I do for now. I love seeing ideas of how others organize, even if I don’t end up doing it that way, so hopefully, you can find some inspiration to clean up your photo files and share any great tips you have with me!
I thrive on it. I love the seasons, rearranging my studio annually and re-doing my student schedule each summer and fall. The latter, of course, takes time, but for me, the idea of never changing my lesson schedule is suffocating! LOL.
Clear start and endpoints can give distinctive physical and mental relief and rest. When I used to be a choral director, I would frequently get sick the week following school being out as my body was letting go of the stress!
For many independent studios, the end of the school year is a time to take a step back and celebrate the culmination of students’ work and progress through recitals.
Not only that, but it’s the perfect time to turn our heads and reflect on the last 30-40 lessons and 4,000-plus hours of practice. Did we use our time wisely? Did the student make progress? Did they participate in any studio events? Does the student feel they put in their best effort? There are so many questions that can be pondered and progress assessed, that conducting student evaluations has become a part of my annual schedule.
My recital is always the Sunday before Memorial Day. It does get a little crazy having it that time of year, but I love the feeling of having that culminating event where the whole studio comes together to celebrate and make music.
The week following the recital, students and parents come to the student’s normal lesson time, but there is no formal lesson. We sit down and hash out the past and the future of the student’s piano studies together. (My studio is closed for a semester break the last week of May, and then we return for summer lessons the first week of June.)
My role in that meeting time is to give the student a formal evaluation, and the parent and student’s part is to fill out questionnaires, which I give to them ahead of time. Today, we’re focusing on the former.
Many teachers, after seeing my extensive tutorial on how Evernote can help you organize your studio, got a peek at my evaluation form, and have been asking if I would be willing to share. Not only am I going to share the form, but I’m going to explain in detail how I use Evernote to organize and track evaluations from year to year.
Seeing how far we’ve come is only possible if we remember where we started!
It’s that time of year for many when preparations for year-end recitals are in full force. If you have ever had to mentally think through the same basic list of tasks every year for your recital preparation, this post is for you!
The first year I had a recital in my studio, I kept detailed records of what needed to be done, when, food needs and amounts, and more. I’ve continued to do so every year, and this habit has become a planning life-saver.
Using a recital preparation timeline and checklist keeps me sane, saves time (by not having to think through every little detail again from year to year), and saves money (tracking food purchases vs. actual usage).
What Should I Include?
There are three different types of items you will want to create checklists for:
Preparation timeline and checklist
Miscellaneous notes of reflection
Food buying guide
The recital preparation timeline and checklist should include a timeline leading up to the recital, such as what items to complete 3-4 months before, 6-12 weeks before, 3-4 weeks before, the week before, the day before, and the day of.
Miscellaneous notes of reflection are a great place to jot down mental notes for yourself for future recitals. For example, “Don’t do recitals that last longer than 60 minutes without including an intermission,” “Don’t forget you like to keep a clipboard with you for all your announcements and awards,” and so forth.
The food buying guide, of course, is only applicable if you provide the refreshments for the recital yourself (or for the rehearsal). I’ve always liked serving students a pizza lunch after rehearsal as a simple and fun way to build community within the studio.
Over the years, I’ve saved myself a lot of money by taking time to record actual numbers, such as how many people attended, how much food I bought, how much was left, etc., and have really gotten it down to an exact science.
Be sure to sit down no more than a day or two following the recital to make your notes of reflection and record food consumption. I promise your future self will thank you!
Start Your Own Document
To help you get started, I’m going to share a free document of my list of items – many of which you will want to include.
Keep in mind that the content is my personal record. I’m giving you access via Google Docs. Access is view-only, so you will want to download the document and make your own edits.
This is the third and final installment of The Varsity Musician’s Playbook. In it, we discuss community presence — being visible in your community and building community within your studio.
It was written by my good friend and colleague, Christina Whitlock, NCTM. I asked her to write this series for you since, of all the conference sessions I attended last year, it was the one that impacted me the most.
If you missed the first two posts in this series, I would recommend reading them first.
