Mission statements.

You probably associate these with large corporations. You picture a big group of people sitting around a large table discussing the mission statement for their company.

But a mission statement is valuable even if you’re the only piano teacher in your studio.

Table Of Contents:

1. What Is A Mission Statement?
2. Why You, A Piano Teacher, Should Write A Mission Statement
3. How To Start Writing Your Mission Statement
4. What To Consider
5. After You’ve Written Your First Draft
6. You Can Do It!

What Is A Mission Statement?

A mission statement is a brief description of the overarching meaning of the company.

It includes your purpose (why you exist), your vision (what you want to achieve in the future), and your values (the core values that guide your behavior and decisions).

Inspiration Examples of Mission Statements

If you’re new to mission statements, you might think, “But what does a mission statement even look like?”

Let’s take some famous companies’ mission statements as examples:

• Starbucks: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit- one person, one cut, and one neighborhood at a time.”
• Amazon: “We strive to offer our customers the lowest possible prices, the best available selection, and the utmost convenience.”
• LinkedIn: “To connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful.”
• The Home Depot: “The Home Depot is in the home improvement business, and our goal is to provide the highest level of service, the broadest selection of products, and the most competitive prices.”
• TikTok: “Our mission is to capture and present the world’s creativity, knowledge, and moments that matter in everyday life.”

Why You, A Piano Teacher, Should Write A Mission Statement

Taking the time to think through and compile a mission statement is beneficial to you in many ways:

• Create a succinct way to present your studio to the public.
• Differentiate yourself from other studios.
• Clarify for yourself what you hope to accomplish with your students and how you plan to do it.

You can think of your mission statement as a map. It can guide you through times when you’re unsure of the direction you want or need.

How To Start Writing Your Mission Statement

1. Keep it short and to the point.
   The goal is a sentence or two. Your first couple of drafts may be longer – you can refine and condense them as you work on your statement.
   
2. Think deeply about what you value and what you deem to be most important.
   If you only want words you can hang on your wall, you might settle on vague phrases such as “help students develop a lifelong love of music” or “help each student achieve their potential”.
   A specific and precise mission statement will probably serve you better in the long run.

Remember: a mission statement is not written in stone. If things change, so can (and should) your mission statement.

What To Consider

• Think about your aims.
  Be as specific as possible and do not discount anything or limit what you write down.
  
• Ask yourself questions:
  What do I want to achieve in my studio? Do I want to produce classical pianists? Do I want to focus on a variety of styles? Teach improv or composition? Do I specialize (or want to specialize) in teaching certain students? For example, special needs students, adults, or preschoolers?
  It’s important to be specific rather than general.
  
• Write in first person (me, my, I)
  This will keep your mission statement warm and personal.
  Since you are in the business of working with people personally, you need to be especially conscious of the mood the words in your mission statement set.

After You’ve Written Your First Draft

Once you have your draft version done, consider consulting a thesaurus for more vibrant or exciting versions of the words you used (where applicable).

You don’t want to sound fake, but you do want to keep it interesting so people will read your mission statement.

Keep tweaking until you are happy. Share it with your friends and family for their feedback.

When you’re satisfied you have the best version, type it up. Print it out. Keep it where you’ll see it all the time as a reminder.

You Can Do It!

Writing a mission statement is probably not something most piano teachers have done or even thought about doing.

As it’s something unfamiliar, it might be uncomfortable to begin with.

However, taking the time to write down your aims and goals for your studio can potentially have far-reaching positive effects both in student retention and acquisition.

We would love to hear what your mission statement is! When you’re happy with your final draft, share it with us in the comments.