inBachs / Studio "Back-to-school"

This first month of school is arguably the most stressful time of the entire year. Stressful because we are settling into new schedules and routines and trying to sort out where lessons fit in between students, sports, calendars, and other priorities. Stressful because we are juggling policy enforcement with those chaotic schedules. Stressful because, for many of us, there can be an internal pressure to see rapid growth for the music studio.

We know that the time of the year is a really strong time for lesson enrollment. Logically, it makes sense that, at the start of the year, students are returning to school and re-engaging with their school music classes and other extracurricular ensembles that they would be looking for lesson support at this stage. Therefore, a lot of musicians look at this time as being mission-critical for their studio growth.

While we can build a really strong studio any time of the year, I agree that this time of the year does have significant advantages for studio marketing and growth strategies. If you're feeling that pressure right now to grow quickly or to say “yes” to any and every opportunity that comes through your email inbox and take on every possible student, I have a few reframes I would love to offer to hopefully make the season a bit more comfortable:

1. I truly believe that every student has an ideal teacher, and every teacher has an ideal student. In my opinion, this should be at the forefront of everything that we do in our marketing and in our enrollment process. This is to ensure that not only does the student have the best possible fit for them and therefore can get the best possible results through lessons, but also that every teacher is fulfilled long term. They are at risk of significant burnout because they said yes to students who are not aligned with their teaching philosophy and approach.

2. Policy is our best friend, and the more strict your policy document is, the easier your enforcement becomes. Do your future self a favor now, and if you haven't taken the opportunity to revamp policy, especially for new incoming students, let's rework key areas (such as our makeup lessons) to ensure we have ourselves set up for future success.

3. Yes, now is a fantastic time for lesson enrollment. However, the entire school year presents fantastic opportunities. Now is a good time for lesson enrollment, not just because students are looking for lessons, but because there's a ton of time for us throughout the rest of the school year to schedule school visits and to build relationships with programs in our area, in schools and beyond. This can include organizations like homeschool co-ops, scout troops, community ensembles, and youth music groups. It can also be a great opportunity to connect with private music lesson teachers in your area to build additional relationships. While this is a really fantastic time for our studio growth and marketing, it is not the only time that studios see growth. Our data shows that it is entirely possible to grow a studio year-round.

With all that in mind, if you're feeling that pressure right now, you're feeling overwhelmed, you really want things to move forward quickly, and the stress of the season is starting to creep in, please know that you have support. I'm attaching a key resource below that might be helpful in some of these areas to get things moving in the right direction for your studio at this time of the year, or rather, within this season.

If you really want to talk through and just get a second set of eyes, this might also be the perfect opportunity to jump on one of our free strategy sessions for more support.

You probably heard me say this before, but just to make sure we're on the same page, this is 45 minutes: an opportunity for you to ask your questions, get organized in your studio planning, and receive a personalized action plan for your studio growth, policy, and organization. There is no sales pitch. There is no catch. This is just an opportunity for mentorship and resources from seasoned pros who have been in your shoes before too and understand how you're feeling. Here to help, and I look forward to talking to you soon.