Order for My Studio

Over the summer my students had the option to take lessons during the day or evening.  As a result my schedule was very sporadic.  Every week I was presented with different teaching hours.  I can’t complain too much since I was only teaching 3 or 4 days out of the week.  But boy am I ready to get back to a normal schedule.

This week marks my deadline to have my studio organized and ready for the 2009-2010 school year.  In the midst of scheduling students, I am also spending much of my time compiling information for parents.  My plan is to get several important documents out to parents by the end of this week.   It is really important that I get everything in order now since my husband and I are about to make our last summer getaway.  In this post read all about how I am bringing order to my studio in preparation for the new year.

Student Schedules

About three weeks ago I sent out paperwork for parents to fill out and return with a registration payment.  I allowed returning students the courtesy of registering first.  If they registered by August 1st, they were granted their preferred scheduling requests.  My registration packet included a letter to parents explaining the registration process, contract for the 2009-2010 year, scheduling form, and a picture/video release form.  I was very clear that my studio would most likely be full this coming year–a carrot for parents to register as soon as possible.

To date the registration deadline is just around the corner, and I am still waiting on at least four families to submit their forms and fees.  Most of them have already requested a time, but it cannot be guaranteed until their registration fee is paid.  In hind-site I will be sure to send the packet out earlier next year.  Because its summer many families are frequently out of town.  So they need plenty of time to receive the information and return it in-between vacations.  I think I will also make the registration period shorter.  Fifteen days is just enough time for people to put it off until a later date, and then forget about it until they receive my friendly reminder that they only have a week left.

The scheduling form was very helpful for me.  Since I knew my schedule would be tight, I was worried that I would lose a student because of scheduling conflicts.  So the form worked to give parents a chance to indicate their top three preferences for lesson day and time.  From there I could easily set students up with times that worked for them.  I have had to shift people around a bit in order to make room for later registrants with very specific scheduling needs.  I’m still not finished with the task of scheduling all of my students, but there is light at the end of the tunnel.  I highly recommend setting up a registration period and registration fee at the beginning of the school year.  It helps motivate parents to commit to lessons in advance, which makes the transition from summer to school year go more smoothly.

Outgoing Information

Before I leave town, I am making a point to get the following information out to parents:

• Permanent lesson time for each student
• Revised studio packet (policies)
• 2009-2010 studio schedule (dates for studio classes, recitals, 35 lessons, holidays, payment schedule, and mandatory events)
• Payment vouchers for monthly tuition

Ironing out the wrinkles: New to my studio for 2009-2010

My studio exists through TowerArts Conservatory in Dallas, Texas.  This particular program is only one year old, and so many of my ideas for running the studio are always changing. When forming studio policies its really important to weigh out obstacles and find new ways to be successful in those specific areas.  If I had to pick ONE SINGLE thing that was most frustrating about the previous year, it would have to be the lack of timely tuition payments.  This problem is nothing new.  Over the years I’ve always had to deal with one or more families who are consistently late in paying their monthly tuition.  Late payments are an inconvenience because it requires extra time to call or email parents and remind them of past due accounts.  This year I have decided to handle tuition payments through payment vouchers.

At the beginning of the year each family will receive a set of payment vouchers, one for each month, September through June.  Each payment voucher includes a mailing address for submission, payment amount, due date, and family name.  At the bottom of the voucher I have inserted a statement that instructs parents to include an additional $10 fee if they are paying past the due date.  This system is designed so that parents consider tuition as a monthly bill.  Because they have a voucher in their hands, hopefully they will remember to make timely payments without my persistence.  I’ll let you know how it goes!

I hope these tips are helpful as you set out to get your studio up and running for another year of lessons.