Business Matters

5 Ways to Save Money on Sheet Music

Looking for ways to stretch your music budget? I discovered the following money-saving tactics while running my private music studio. I use these methods and can vouch for them. It’s definitely worth the few minutes it takes to sign up for accounts! 1. Sheet Music Plus Easy Rebates Program (for Students and Music Teachers) Music teachers, […]

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Online Lesson Scheduling Tools

How do you handle lesson scheduling? I was getting tired of phone and email tag, so I enlisted the internet to help me out. I’m coming to the close of my fourth summer using the website www.youcanbook.me for scheduling. It has been amazing! This isn’t a sponsored post or anything—it just worked well. Here are […]

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When to sell your hand-made bassoon reeds to your students

Selling Reeds to Students

Would you benefit from selling your own hand-made reeds to your students? How much should you charge? Is it worth it? There have been times in my teaching career where it has been a wonderfully convenient thing–and then other times when it has caused me way more stress than I bargained for. Learn from my […]

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every-other-week music lessons - advice for teachers

Every-other-week Lessons

This post is about the every-other-week lesson schedule. I don’t like to put students on this schedule. I try to avoid it at all costs, unless the cost is that the student will have no lessons. Every-other-week lessons are better than no lessons, obviously, so these are the measures I have put into place to […]

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Private music teachers deserve raises too - here's how to get one

Give Yourself a Yearly Raise

Are you making the same amount per lesson this year as you did last year? Do you get stressed out when you think about raising your rates? Here are a few ideas that are meant to motivate you. Every “real” job I’ve ever had gave raises at least annually. Why should teaching music be any […]

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FREE attendance and payment tracker for music teachers

Lesson Attendance Sheet & Payment Tracker

How good are you at keeping track of your students’ tuition payments? How about their attendance? I haven’t always been good at keeping track of tuition payments and attendance. I always think that I’ll be able to remember if I’ve been paid or not—and then I never can. I ended up teaching more than my […]

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Tax Tips for Studio Teachers

This series of posts on tax tips was written by guest author Tairsa Mathews. She’s an accountant, bassoonist, and piano teacher in Utah. I am so excited that Jessi asked me to write this series of blog posts. It’s not often that I get to use my accounting degree to discuss my favorite subject: music. […]

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Is your music teaching business a sole proprietorship or more of an LLC?

Should I be a Sole Proprietor or an LLC?

A guest post by accountant, bassoonist, and piano-teacher, Tairsa Mathews When starting a business (or just adjusting the way you manage your business) there are a lot of options to choose from. Before studying accounting I didn’t know what it meant to be a sole proprietor or a limited liability company. I honestly don’t think […]

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Keeping Tax Records

A guest post by accountant, bassoonist, and piano teacher, Tairsa Mathews One of the most important things you can do is to keep accurate records. Keep your receipts, keep your bank account separate, and keep track of the money you make. If ever you are questioned about issues with your taxes, the IRS will almost […]

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Do music teachers need a business bank account?

Do I Need a Business Bank Account?

A guest post by accountant, bassoonist, and piano teacher, Tairsa Mathews To make your accountant VERY happy and your life easier at tax season, I would highly recommend having a bank account that is 100% for your business. You can have an actual business account and write checks from your business name if you choose […]

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