Jenna Michael

Whether you are a new teacher trying to build your studio, or an established teacher looking to add a few students to your schedule, these tips are sure to help you increase your student base!

Have a neat, organized website

Cost: $-$$$

Having an organized and professional looking website is, in my opinion, the best way to show potential students that you’re a legitimate business that provides high-quality lessons.

When preparing your website, I recommend keeping things simple – too many bright colors can be harsh on the eyes. Include information about your teaching style, availability, location, a concise bio, and your rates. Yes, I said rates! There are conflicting opinions on including this on your website – some people believe that having students reach out and get to know you before hearing your rates will make them more likely to spend the money on lessons. However, when I didn’t have my rates on my website, I found that I was spending a lot of time responding to inquiries about my rates, just to not hear back. As service-providers, our time is money, and I believe in eliminating this step for myself.

In addition to having an organized website, creating blog posts (like this one!) can also help boost your SEO to help attract more potential students.

As far as costs go, I just paid my 2024 bill for website hosting through Blue Host, and it was $21.99 for the domain and $15.00 for domain privacy & protection. You can also pay someone to create your website for you, but this will be much more expensive. If you do have the money for a web designer, I had a great experience working with NB Media Solutions when I worked for a larger music studio.

Bonus tip! You can purchase Google Workspace through Blue Host for $6.00 a month and get a custom email address. An email address with your website can look more professional than an email ending in “gmail.com”.

Network with other teachers in your area

Cost: $

Other private lessons teachers in your area are not your competition, they are your support system! At the start of 2024, I made a goal to search for other Suzuki violin teachers in the area. My search, sadly, didn’t amount to many teachers, but I did meet a couple of great violinists who I was able to develop a great working relationship and also friendship with!

By simply saying “Hi ___________, I am a violin teacher. I found you through ______________, and I’d love to connect!” You can open the door to a great relationship. You can brainstorm teaching solutions, host joint recitals, host large group lessons together, and even collaborate on special performances for your students. You’ll also be able to share leads with each other – if you have a potential student looking for a specific lessons time that you don’t have, you can refer them to another teacher, and that teacher is likely to return the favor!

The cost of this is only as much as a cup of coffee at your favorite coffee shop!

Build a presence on social media

Cost: Free – $$

I have gotten quite a few leads from Facebook by having a business account that people can follow and send messages to. By posting a couple times a month, parents are able to see what your studio is like and what activities you provide for your students. You can post about what availability you have, what your students are working on in group lessons, or practice challenges you might have for your studio.

When I first started my studio, I paid for ads through Facebook. They were really helpful when I got started, but be warned: you’ll be sorting through a lot of messages that aren’t very serious, or worse, some outright offensive messages! You can spend a little or a lot – Facebook has a lot of customization options for ads!

Paying for ads on Facebook is something I recommend for new teachers only. When you’re first starting out, you likely don’t have a large network available to you and Facebook can help you grow that. For teachers with a more established studio, I find that sorting through the spam messages is just not worth it anymore. Asking parents and friends to share your posts can be just as helpful!

Contact school teachers and music shops

Cost: Free

Okay, so you’ve probably already contacted your local school teachers, but if you haven’t, do so ASAP! School music teachers often keep a list of private lessons teachers on file for parents who ask them about it. Don’t forget to reach out to local homeschool organizations as well! This is a free resource that you really should take advantage of.

Something you might not have already thought of is contacting music shops. In my area, I have a nice working relationship with one of the local music shops that rents out instruments. Be sure to include information about where you are located and what age group you teach when you reach out to them.

Bonus tip! You can also reach out to local arts centers in your area! Small towns often have arts centers where they have summer camps and performances for kids. In my area, one of those places actually kept flyers for me for a while to give to potential students.

Perform at local farmers markets

Cost: Free, and you’ll also probably be paid!

If you have a local farmers market in your area, reach out to their Market Master to see if they’d allow you to come play music a few times in the summer. Putting together a nice looking sign and having cards available helps to get your name out to parents, and you can schedule the performance for a time you wouldn’t be teaching. And, usually it’s fine to put your case out to collect tips as well! Just be sure to ask the Market Master if they allow busking. I’ve gotten leads for students and gigs by playing fiddle music at my local farmers markets.

How have you grown your studio? I would love to hear your own tips in the comments!