Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs

Welcome back! We're doing a special series on the podcast this summer called Studio Snapshots. Rather than the in-depth, process-oriented interviews you're used to hearing, these rapid-fire interviews give us a glimpse in a guest's studio at a moment in time.  They're part reflection, part anticipation of the future, and fully a celebration of where these teachers are today. Today I'm talking to J...

This is the third time Music Studio Startup has hosted our grant competition for new and new-ish music teachers and this year's competition is going to be epic, thanks to the generous support of our amazing sponsors! Listen in to hear about the incredible grand prize package up for grabs that includes a $1,000 cash grant, plus tools and resources to help launch your studio. P.S. We know money can...

Welcome back! We're doing a special series on the podcast this summer called Studio Snapshots. Rather than the in-depth, process-oriented interviews you're used to hearing, these rapid-fire interviews give us a glimpse in a guest's studio at a moment in time.  They're part reflection, part anticipation of the future, and fully a celebration of where these teachers are today. Today I'm talking to S...

Welcome back! We're doing a special series on the podcast this summer called Studio Snapshots. Rather than the in-depth, process-oriented interviews you're used to hearing, these rapid-fire interviews give us a glimpse in a guest's studio at a moment in time.  They're part reflection, part anticipation of the future, and fully a celebration of where these teachers are today. Today I'm talking to M...

Welcome back! We're doing a special series on the podcast this summer called Studio Snapshots. Rather than the in-depth, process-oriented interviews you're used to hearing, these rapid-fire interviews give us a glimpse in a guest's studio at a moment in time.  They're part reflection, part anticipation of the future, and fully a celebration of where these teachers are today. Today I'm talking to C...

Welcome back! We're doing a special series on the podcast this summer called Studio Snapshots. Rather than the in-depth, process-oriented interviews you're used to hearing, these rapid-fire interviews give us a glimpse in a guest's studio at a moment in time.  They're part reflection, part anticipation of the future, and fully a celebration of where these teachers are today. Today I'm talking to D...

Welcome back! We're doing a special series on the podcast this summer called Studio Snapshots. Rather than the in-depth, process-oriented interviews you're used to hearing, these rapid-fire interviews give us a glimpse in a guest's studio at a moment in time.  They're part reflection, part anticipation of the future, and fully a celebration of where these teachers are today. Today I'm talking to A...

Today's episode was prompted by questions I get from newly-graduated or soon-to-be graduated music majors who are just getting ready to launch their studios and want to know how to get started from nothing. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode148. Applications for the 2024 Studio Launch Grant Competition open in June! $1,000 Studio Launch...

My conversation today is the second in a set of two interviews from first-time parents talking about how they planned for parental leave. In both, the episode with Renee Shaw Nutwell and today's episode with Jeremy Eikenberry, we talk about the goals these teachers had for their students and studios during their leave, how they attempted to plan for something that they didn't have full control ove...

Summary It's time for another quarterly check-in! Today I'm joined by Cindy Hsu, Director of Partnerships and Business Development at Music Studio Startup and we're talking about our (very full!) Q1 and what we're looking forward to in Q2. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode146. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be fo...

Today we're talking about all things non-profit management. My guest, Erin Parkes, founder of the Lotus Centre shares so many insights from her experiences working with a board of directors, crafting effective messaging for different stakeholders, managing a budget, and even dealing with burnout. All while keeping the mission of her organization front and center.  A full transcript and resources f...

With the MTNA conference in March, I guess you could say I've been on a conference kick. We talked about Networking with Stephanie Bonte-Lebair in Episode 141, I shared my takeaways from MTNA in Episode 142, and then last week I did a live Networking Debrief workshop with a group of teachers and, together, we went through our own lists of people we want to build deeper relationships with and figur...

Today I'm joined by Jennifer Foxx, a teacher who has been blogging and creating curriculum and resources for music teachers for over a decade. In our conversation, we talk about how she took the simplest route at first and started her business on Teachers Pay Teachers and has since strengthened her business by investing in platforms she owns, like her own website and email list. We also talk about...

Last week I was at the MTNA National conference in Atlanta. Georgia. It was a whirlwind - as conferences usually are - and I think I'm still absorbing everything. I wanted to go over three things today: first - some personal reflections from MTNA, second - I want to share some of my business takeaways, and third - I want to invite you to a workshop next week. A full transcript and resources from t...

In my original interview with Stephanie , she talked about the role business networking played in the marketing of her business and she talked about it with such intentionality that I knew I wanted to learn more. So today we're talking about everything, from how to choose events to network at, how to prepare, how Stephanie makes the most of her time at an event, her follow-up routines, examples of...

Today's conversation with Stephanie Bonte-Lebair is a rebroadcast of an early episode of Music Studio Startup that has always been a fan favorite. Stephanie is a classically-trained opera singer turned voice/presentation/sales coach. This interview blurs the line between an entrepreneurial music teacher sharing the evolution of her voice studio and a communication expert sharing a mini sales works...

Today's episode is more of a public service announcement for studio owners who have businesses that are registered in the US. On January 1, a new reporting requirement from the US Treasury Department went into effect and it might impact you. I'm talking about the Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting rule or BOI Reporting requirement from the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), par...

With the turn of the calendar, many of us are closing the fiscal years for our businesses and wrapping up our bookkeeping for the year in anticipation of the tax season ahead. I am a HUGE fan of a low-stress tax season and the way to accomplish that is to get started early and tackle one step at a time. Which is why I invited back to the podcast, Andrea Yahr, a certified tax preparer, to get us go...

I mentioned before that we will, again, be holding our studio launch grant competition this year! This grant is to help new or new-ish independent teachers launch their studios. It's one of my favorite things that we do and it's been so neat to see the impact the grant has on getting these studios off to a strong start. Today I'm talking to our last MSS Studio Launch Grant competition winner, Anna...

It's time for another quarterly check-in! Today I'm joined by Amy Chaplin, a fellow piano teacher and productivity nerd. Since it's January, this review takes more of an annual review perspective as we look back on 2023 and look forward to 2024.  I was looking forward to this conversation with Amy because I wanted an excuse to talk about apps and tools for organizing all the things life throws at...

Today I'm sharing part two of a two-part episode with my guest, Tony Parlapiano. Teaching piano has taken many forms over the years for Tony. From being a travel piano teacher and teaching students homes, to teaching online during the pandemic and then sticking with it afterward, to the studio we're going to hear about today, that more closely resembles a college program than your standard 1:1 or...

Today I'm sharing part one of a two-part episode with a guest you've heard from before. Teaching piano has taken many forms over the years for today's guest, Tony Parlapiano. From being a travel piano teacher and teaching students homes, to teaching online during the pandemic and then sticking with it afterward, to the studio we're going to hear about today, that more closely resembles a college p...

The first quarter of the MSS Hub Mastermind program starts in just a few weeks. So if you've been curious about joining, now is a great time to get plugged in and start your year off strong! Today I'm talking with my guest about her journey from book idea to selling the first 1000 copies. We talk about how she tried to publish through a traditional book publisher and ended up self-publishing, how...

Happy new year! Today I've got a quick announcement about a live event we're holding TOMORROW morning (Thursday, January 4) as a kickoff to 2024. A bunch of you have already responded to the email about this event and registered, so I know it's going to be a fantastic group. In tomorrow's kickoff we'll talk through some of the questions I use to review the last year and guide my own annual plannin...

Most teachers agree that one of the greatest indicators of whether or not a student will progress in music is not their innate talent. It all comes down to practicing. Today's musician entrepreneur, Christopher Maloney, realized that there was a gap in where his adults were and where they wanted to be in their musical skills and that gap could only be traversed by practicing and, ideally, practici...