024: Setting Your Piano Studio Rates with Andrea Miller

In this episode, I am joined by Andrea Miller, the dynamic piano teacher and entrepreneur behind the Music Studio Startup podcast and blog. Andrea shares her journey from teaching piano in high school to launching a music school that quickly expanded to five teachers and over 100 students. With a double-major in Entrepreneurship and Piano Performance, Andrea brings a wealth of knowledge to music teachers seeking to build financially sustainable studios. Our conversation delves into practical advice for setting studio rates, creative solutions for affordability, and the importance of maintaining confidence in business decisions. Tune in for an insightful discussion that will help you navigate the financial aspects of running a successful music studio.

• Andrea shared a brief overview of her background as a piano teacher, helping music teachers build financially sustainable studios.
• How her interest in entrepreneurship began early, leading her to combine it with her passion for piano.
• Her approach to helping teachers with finances, branding, marketing, and building websites.
• Her background working with non-music business owners, particularly in STEM education.
• Importance of setting lesson rates based on personal financial sustainability rather than market rates alone.
• Andrea's formula for determining lesson rates based on studio expenses, desired salary & taxes.
• Considering the value of big box studio rates and positioning oneself in the market based on their unique offerings.
• The mindset shifts needed for raising rates, emphasizing the value of teachers' work in the market.
• Response for teachers when faced with complaints about rates.
• Some creative solutions for affordability include alternating private and group lessons.
• Why it's crucial to separate business sustainability from affordability.
• Andrea's talks about her Business Building 101 course, guiding new studio owners through foundational decisions, and a grant competition to support new teachers.

Links Mentioned

• Andrea Miller Website
• Music Studio Startup Instagram
• Music Studio Startup Podcast

Today's Guest

Andrea Miller is the piano teacher and entrepreneur behind the Music Studio Startup podcast and blog. She talks about all things business and coaches musicians who want to build financially sustainable studios. She started teaching piano in high school and decided she wanted to open a music school. After she graduated from college with a double-major in Entrepreneurship and Piano Performance, that goal to open a music school became a reality and she launched a school that quickly expanded to five teachers, an intern, and 100+ students. Eventually, that experience led to other entrepreneurial endeavors and consulting opportunities in all sorts of fields. She loves working with entrepreneurs and small businesses. And in 2016, she decided it was time to bring her expertise back to the music world so she launched Music Studio Startup.

About Rachel Ehring

Dr. Rachel Ehring is a pianist, teacher, music administrator, and lover of piano teaching gadgets. She holds a DMA in Collaborative Piano from the University of Colorado Boulder and a MM in Accompanying from the University of Kansas. She currently serves as Director at St. John’s Conservatory of the Arts in Orange County, CA. Previously, she held positions at Concordia University Irvine and Henderson State University. Rachel is passionate about empowering music teachers to create engaging and exciting lessons for students of all ages. When she isn’t playing the piano, you might find Rachel reading books with her son or walking her beagle Frieda.

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