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 be tight for EVERY new studio owner and our sponsors get this, too, Spoiler alert: we’ve also got AP...
Jul 24, 2024•5 min
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 Shannon Saravia. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup....
Jul 17, 2024•9 min
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 Megan Schraer. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.co...
Jul 10, 2024•13 min
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 Cheyenne Olson. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.c...
Jul 03, 2024•11 min
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 Dorla Aparicio. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.c...
Jun 26, 2024•10 min
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 Ann Lemke. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/sn...
Jun 19, 2024•14 min
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 Grant competition...
May 29, 2024•7 min
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 over, how their plans played out in real life, how they transitioned back into teaching, and what they ...
May 15, 2024•28 min
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 found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode146. MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind MSS Studio Launch Grant...
May 08, 2024•31 min
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 from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode145. MSS Studio Launch Grant Competiti...
Apr 24, 2024•49 min
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 figured out next steps. (Teachers on the call identified some really neat opportunities that have the pot...
Apr 10, 2024•38 min
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 the seasonality she experiences, how she thinks about pricing, and trends she has observed pre- and...
Apr 03, 2024•36 min
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 this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode142 . MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind M...
Mar 27, 2024•7 min
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 weak and strong calls to action and more. Get your notepad ready because you’ll want to take notes....
Mar 13, 2024•43 min
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 workshop. It’s one you’ll want to listen to more than once! A full transcript and resources from this epi...
Mar 06, 2024•37 min
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), part of the Corporate Transparency Act. Today I’m going to share what I learned in my research of the r...
Feb 28, 2024•9 min
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 going. Andrea’s first appearance on the Music Studio Startup podcast was back in Episode 012 when she ...
Feb 21, 2024•36 min
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 Showalter. We talk about Anna’s studio, how she made use of the grant competition prize package, an...
Feb 14, 2024•31 min
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 us and I knew Amy would have things to say about this. The conversation did not disappoint. We gush o...
Jan 31, 2024•40 min
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 group lessons. Over the summer, Tony was featured in our studio snapshot series. In that episode he ...
Jan 24, 2024•35 min
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 program than your standard 1:1 or group lessons. Over the summer, Tony was featured in our studio sna...
Jan 17, 2024•32 min
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 she bootstrapped the first print runs, why she doesn’t expect to make a profit by selling on Amazon,...
Jan 10, 2024•36 min
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 planning. Whether you’ve been doing annual reflections forever or you’re trying to figure out how to get st...
Jan 03, 2024•2 min
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, practicing more effectively. So he decided to tackle this challenge. Not in the form of a practice app, but ...
Dec 20, 2023•53 min
Today I have a return guest on the podcast! I did a two-part interview with Thomas Grayston, the developer behind the NoteRush note-reading app in episodes 021 and 022. In those episodes, we talked about how he turned NoteRush from a side project to a full-time gig and then we talked about the first steps a teacher might take if they have an app idea of their own that they want to bring to market. In today’s conversation we get to hear all about the v. 2 release of NoteRush and we get to revisit...
Dec 13, 2023•43 min
Today, I’m deviating from our usual interview format to discuss a challenge that I’m sure all of us have experienced at one point or another and is especially common this time of year—managing life when it becomes overwhelmingly full. In this episode I break down the process and strategies I follow in my own life to get through these times and calm the chaos. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode130.
Dec 06, 2023•9 min
A quick episode to wish you a happy thanksgiving and share a resource to aid your year-end tax planning. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/2023novemberannouncement
Nov 22, 2023•2 min
Today I'm continuing the pattern of quarterly check-ins that I've been doing all this year kind of on accident. Previously, I did these with Amy Elmore as we were launching the new Harmony podcast together. But today I'm solo, and I'm going to be recapping my quarter three: what I've been up to, what was challenging this quarter, and what I'm looking forward to in quarter four. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode129. MSS Entrepreneurs ...
Nov 01, 2023•9 min
Today I’m joined by David Smolover, a serial entrepreneur who has led an inspiring career in music education. You’ll hear about how he started the National Guitar Summer Workshop that has served up to 6k students, how he made his way into publishing instructional materials (both digital and physical), and how his response to a random cold email led to the start of the guided practice app that we’re diving into today. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioSt...
Oct 26, 2023•49 min
With Tonara’s announcement that they will be shutting down their practice app, a lot of teachers are looking for a replacement, so we thought it would be helpful to feature a few of the other apps in this space. Last week we talked to Nicola Cantan about the startup story of her brand new app - Vivid Practice and today we’re rebroadcasting an episode with the founders of PracticeSpace, Robert Miller and Chris Mallett. PracticeSpace was not the first business Robert and Chris started together - t...
Oct 18, 2023•42 min
