Letter No. 27 [establishing your music studio: physical studio space]
Dear Friend,
As the time draws closer to September, I’m getting more excited to open my home and teach in this new location. I’ve already shared many of the planning aspects of setting up a studio, but in this letter, I wanted to share some thoughts on physical studio space, and the aspects one might consider when setting up a space.
Instrument:
Your instrument should reflect your own musical tastes and standards. If you teach piano, it should be clean, in tune, and clutter-free. There should be room for you and your student to work on your instrument(s), as well as room for music stands if needed.
If your primary instrument is not piano, it’s still an excellent addition to have to your studio, as you can accompany your students and easily practice/show scale and theory exercises.
Lighting:
If natural light isn’t an option, invest in a few light fixtures. It shouldn’t be difficult for students to read music or see their hands playing during their lesson, and you want your studio to look bright and clean. Even if you do have a lot of natural light, you’ll want to consider your afternoon/evening lessons and limited light during the winter months.
Seating:
Make sure you have enough chairs available for your lessons. Depending on your instrument, you may need 1-4 chairs ready in your studio space, especially if your students are playing duets, trios, etc, or if you conduct any group lessons.
Writing Material:
Have extra pencils, pens, and paper ready for you and your students. If you require your students to log their practice times and write notes during lessons, they will probably forget these notebooks at some point. :) Having these materials at your fingertips will save valuable time during your lesson.
Waiting Area:
This area is almost as important as your actual studio space, because it’s where parents will spend most of their time. Make sure you have seating available, have a designated bathroom for waiting parents and students to use, and possibly even water, books, and games available as well.
Book Shelves:
Your method books and repertoire should be easily available to you throughout your lesson time. You may need to quickly reference material, provide a book the student forgot, or show a parent the music, so find a corner or wall in your studio where you can set up a bookshelf.
Parking:
Finally, know your neighborhood and where parking will be available for parents. Also know your zone—if it’s residential, your neighbors may have issues with your business filling up the parking spaces on your street. Availability will also change with the time of the day, so keep that in mind when choosing your studio location and factor this into the selling points of the space. If parking is tricky, you can provide details for parents in your introductory notice emails (or perhaps this isn’t the best location for your studio).
Your physical studio should reflect YOU as well, and what you love and enjoy, so have fun in creating this space; You’ll be spending quite some time here! :)
All the best,
Tara