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How I Started My Multi-Teacher Studio

Do you ever look at a multi-teacher studio with envy? You dream of walking down a corridor decorated with student artwork and recital photos. You smile as you hear enthusiastic students making music and memories in each room you pass.

How I Started My Multi-Teacher Studio

Do you ever look at a multi-teacher studio with envy?

You dream of walking down a corridor decorated with student artwork and recital photos. You smile as you hear enthusiastic students making music and memories in each room you pass. And in each room is a teacher (carefully hand-picked to match your studio vision) who you’re so proud of.

It doesn’t have to stay a dream. Let Clinton Pratt’s story inspire you…

Table of Contents:

  1. Clinton’s Backstory
  2. Who To Hire
  3. Interviewing Process
  4. Routine
  5. Sound Good?

Clinton’s Backstory

After finishing grad school, I knew I had to earn money. Teaching seemed like a quick and easy “filler” job, so I joined a local studio.

A few months into the job, I realised something. I love teaching.

Being naturally curious, I loved how every student presented me with a different puzzle. The puzzle of figuring out the best way to teach them.

Over time, I took more control of my teaching. From handling scheduling to sorting tuition fees, I was doing my own thing. I just happened to be in the building of a multi-teacher studio.
When the studio’s building went up for sale, I was happy to find my own space.

My timetable filled up very quickly. I taught five days a week, six to eight students a day. Just under 40 students felt enough for me, but I hated turning students away!

I remembered my landlord telling me I could add other rooms to the rent if needed. I took this as an opportunity to expand my studio.

Related: Growing Creative Cultivation Studio

Who To Hire To Work In A Multi-Teacher Studio

But knowing who to hire was a challenge.

My mind went to a local teacher who had subbed for me several times. My students knew him, and they’d enjoyed the lessons he’d covered. He was a good fit.

I gave him all of my Monday students. My Mondays were now free for other things.

Seeing the success of hiring this first teacher, I wanted to expand even more. But I knew I had to be mindful of who I was adding to the studio.

Experienced and qualified teachers would already be too busy.

But, relying on grad students or doctoral students would be temporary. They’d move away after graduating.

Then there are performers. They’d be happy to teach when free but would lack commitment and drop lessons if something better came up.

I wanted teachers who were passionate about teaching.

This led me to create an interview process where I could assess whether a teacher would be a good fit.

Related: 5 Things I’ve Learned in Hiring 20 Teachers

The Interviewing Process

It started with an application interview.

Then, there was a second interview where I asked them questions. I’d give them a hypothetical situation and ask what they would do.

If they passed this round, they would then observe my lessons for several weeks. This let me demonstrate my teaching style and philosophies.

When I felt they were ready, I’d ask the applicant to step in. I’d let the parents and students know ahead of time that the teacher who’d been observing the lessons would now be helping out.

After seeing the teacher in action, I’d give feedback. This was a vital part of the hiring process. If a teacher wasn’t interested in improving and receiving feedback, I knew they would not be a good fit for the studio.

I still use this interview process today. It allows me to control the quality of teaching in the studio, and also helps establish a community of teachers who share a vision and are happy to learn from each other.

From early on, I knew I didn’t want to dictate how teachers teach. I didn’t want to tell them to use certain method books and teach certain pieces. It’s more important to me how teachers handle things rather than the methods they use.

Want more tips on starting and managing a multi-teacher studio? Check this out.

A Multi-Teacher Studio Routine

As the multi-teacher studio continued to grow, I established a routine. A routine I still use to this day.

I do all the admin work for all the teachers. I do the marketing, scheduling, and billing. I book all the recitals, order materials, and deal with any problems.

I run initial meet and greets with new studios. This allows me to give them a tour of the studio, explain how everything works, and get to know the student. I give them a sample lesson where they can instantly make music, and it gives me a glimpse of what they’re interested in and how they learn.

This lets me match them with the teacher I think will be the best fit.

We get an 85 to 90% conversion rate from these meet and greets, so it always feels worth it.

My teachers know they’d receive a higher hourly rate if they taught privately. But they love the benefits they get from being part of a multi-teacher studio.

They can just show up and teach rather than deal with any extra admin hassle.

They’re part of a bigger community. We have studio recitals where students can see each other and watch each other progress.

We run challenges and contests throughout the year, with public leaderboards so everyone can see progression.

Then we have an awards party or some kind of celebration to honor the winners.

Sound Good?

Right now, Piano Sensei (my studio) has six instructors and about 75 students a week.

I absolutely love managing my multi-teacher studio. But it’s not for everybody.

If you love running a business and doing all the businessy things, absolutely go for it. But if the admin tasks, like marketing, scheduling, billing, aren’t something you enjoy doing, you don’t want to do it for a whole studio.

If starting your own music school or running a studio is something you dream about doing, TopMusicPro Evolution is the place for you.

Evolution membership is for entrepreneurial teachers looking for help with scaling, hiring, building and online business development.

Tim Topham

Tim Topham is the founder and director of TopMusic. Tim hosts the popular Integrated Music Teaching Podcast, blogs regularly at topmusic.co and speaks at local and international conferences on topics such as integrated teaching, creativity, business, marketing and entrepreneurship. Tim has been featured in American Music Teacher, The Piano Teacher Magazine, California Music Teacher and EPTA Piano Professional. Tim holds an MBA in Educational Leadership, BMus, DipEd and AMusA.

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