Maybe you are fresh out of college with a music degree or feel like it is time to settle down after years of performing, either way running a vocal studio is not all about artistic talent. It requires business know-how, planning, and a lot of hard work, especially if you want to establish a full-time studio. Here are some ideas and tips to help you get started that I have found helpful. Most of these ideas and more can be found in the book, The Private Voice Studio Handbook by Joan Frey Boytim.

Though I run my studio differently than the author, her ideas are a great starting point for those serious about giving lessons.

Where to Hold Lessons: Most teachers hope to teach from their homes, but sometimes can’t because their apartment is not private enough or they are located far away from the majority of their students. If that is the case for you, look for a music store with an attached studio. They are often willing to rent out the space for a small fee or might hire you. Whether you are hired or rent the space is usually of little consequence, because most of the decisions on how you run your studio are still left up to you and often you make the same amount of money.

Another viable option is to go to your students. Families and individuals are busy and for some the time taken to transport themselves to and from lessons is a deterrent. If you come to them, they may be more likely to take lessons. When families are large, parents might also be more willing to allow multiple children to take lessons.

The added convenience of coming to your student, rather than the other way around, should also warrant a larger payment for lessons that should at least cover travel costs.

Money: When running a studio of your own, you will need to collect money and keep track of who has paid or not. Some teachers choose to simply charge a fee for an entire semester to simplify this process. Other teachers accept payments week by week. Either way, keeping track of who has paid what is important. There are many ways to do so, but I find it easiest to use an excel spreadsheet. The first column is reserved for my students’ names, another column lists how much money I have received from that student, and yet another states whether they are up-to-date on their payments. The last column makes it easy for me to see who still owes money and how much, as I simply update it week by week. I print a copy of my spreadsheet to use during lessons and update the master copy later on my computer.

At the end of the year, my spreadsheet is all I need to turn into my accountant come tax time. Note, I highly recommend hiring one at least for your first year of serious teaching. Often the amount you pay is only a portion of the amount of money you save in deductions that you might not have otherwise thought to take.

Staying Organized: As mentioned before, I keep track of money using a spreadsheet. I also have a place on that same spreadsheet for my student’s phone numbers, their parents’ names, if applicable, their ages, day and time of their lesson, and any other information I need right at my fingertips. My students are asked to purchase a one subject wire bound notebook. In their notebook, I write their homework assignments. When students come into the studio, I may refer to their notebook, if needed, to refresh where we are in lessons. Generally, I have planned lessons that I know in advance. When you are just starting, you may need to prepare for each individual lesson by keeping track of what your students are learning in a notebook of your own.

Policies: Before starting a studio, it is important to spell out your expectations and then express them to your students either in writing or verbally. I prefer to do so in writing. Some things you may include in your policy letter is how you deal with make-up lessons, your policy on tardiness, where the bathroom is, how much you expect students to practice, what vocal concepts you intend to cover during the year or semester, and possibly a short paragraph about the experience and training qualifying you to teach voice. You also may want to include your telephone, address, and email on your policy sheet. Of course, there are many more thoughts that could be included. You should also expect to update your policy sheet each semester or year.

Books and Song Literature: Are you going to buy literature books for your students and have them pay you later? Or, will you ask students to purchase books themselves? If so, it is important to instruct students very carefully as to what they should buy and where they can find it available to purchase. My first semester of teaching taught me not all students can be relied on to purchase materials. If that is the case, you must be willing to find a way to deal with the problem or your student will not progress, especially if you use exercise books as a part of your technical curriculum.