Lois Dicknoether's blog

My Red Vest
January Greetings!

I was sitting in Starbucks recently, preparing for a final exam, when a young family sat down at a table next to me. I like to study at Starbucks sometimes because, unlike at home, I don't get distracted with all the things that need doing around the house and studio. The father looked over at me, sauntered by my table sort of looking at me, it was weird and bent over to take a closer look as it turned out, at the MYC logo on my red vest.

It's a New Year and  some changes are good.

One of our family traditions is to reflect on the previous year, share one good thing about that year and what we dream or hope  for  as the new year begins.  It was always interesting to hear what the kids had to say about the previous  year and their thoughts and resolutions for the next.  Sometimes it would be serious, thoughtful and sometimes I wondered what planet they live on.

Merry Christmas from Solo Time Music Games

Dear Friends, Teachers and Followers,

This is a busy time of the year.  Year-end parties and recitals add pressure and stress but are always worth the effort. Performing is a great skill to learn when young and attending parties and eating good food together makes for great memories.

November's Unexpected Surprises
Good morning! I wish you all the best as we enter this season of winter and Christmas.
Do you invite guests to come into your class to watch? I hold a "bring a friend day" once a year and occasionally an auntie might come to watch a lesson. Grandmas and grandpas are also always welcome to visit, especially if they are from out of town. 

Happy Autumn!

September is here again and suddenly all my classes are full.  For some reason this new music season began slowly and I had begun to wonder if the world had suddenly lost interest in music. Okay, not really, but until a few weeks ago, even after all my advertising, only three new students had enrolled.  This is highly unusual for my programs.

Summer Greetings!
August is upon us and preparations for September have already begun. Whether working on marketing or starting lesson preparation, everything that needs to be done can seem a bit overwhelming. Nothing new in this idea but make a list of things that need to be accomplished. Then mark them off as they are completed. A sense of accomplishment does follow as you see the size of that list diminish. 

Is your website up to date?
New clients were phoning and requesting the times I had posted on my website for their children.  Opps...
 
I hadn't looked at my website for quite some time but quickly realized that I had last years levels and times still posted.  It wasn't current for new parents to make decisions  regarding their child's activities in the fall.  
Bad marketing mistake.   
Take the time to update your site soon.    

I've blogged about my iphone before and the more I use it the I realize what an awesome tool it is in the studio.  As students worked on their recital pieces over a period of three weeks this spring, I videod their performance on my iPhone.  Immediately after recording, they listened to it and were able to self judge their performance.  
 

Registrations are in and now the search is on for new students.
There are expensive ways to market your studio:   

Newspapers, Direct Mail, Rec Guides

Or cheaper ways:

Articulation!      

We teach it, We demonstrate it, We highlight all forms of articulation in our students music but can they identify different  

types of articulation when they hear it?

 

EVERYBODY IS A WINNER with SOLO TIME MUSIC GAMES