First Lessons: First Impressions

First Blog post by Alissa Strople for the Alissa Strople Music Studio

 

Hi there!  I’m Alissa, a private music teacher with my own studio.  Welcome you to my Blog!

I thought it was appropriate to write my first post on first impressions.

As instructors we all know that first lessons are all about first impressions.  Every musician can remember a few of their own first lessons.  It can be both an exciting and nerve wracking experience.  So how do we as teachers now ourselves, ensure that the first lessons we are giving are memorable, earn new students and set ourselves up for successful teacher student relationships?

The key is preparation.  A first lesson can be considered a teacher interview and like in any interview we want to put our best foot forward!  There is a lot to accomplish in a first lesson that will have students leaving convinced that you are the right fit for their teacher.

have students leaving lessons convinced that you are the right fit for their teacher Click To Tweet

We want to:

1. make our potential students comfortable
2. set a tone for future lessons, and
3. ensure that the student comes back for a second lesson!

Follow this quick and easy advice for a great first impression in a first lesson.

Set yourself up for success

First off, it is crucial to set yourself up for success.  Make sure to have all interview forms, contact spread sheets, business cards, pencils, etc. ready and handy before your potential student arrives.  Unless of course you have a waiting list, I suggest offering a free trial lesson since there is a lot to discuss during this initial meeting.  Students and parents will feel like they didn’t waste any money interviewing you and may be more willing to sign up for lessons.  This is a good long game strategy.  The interview starts at the very first contact be that via website, email, or phone.

Guarantee a good initial contact by:

1. Introducing yourself in an approachable manner ,
2. Getting the students name including accurate spelling and pronunciation so you can greet them properly when they arrive  (If it is a difficult name to pronounce, put those hard earned IPA skills to good use!)

 Hi Max, I’m Alissa Welcome to my studio, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you!

3. Gathering all their contact information and entering it into a contact spreadsheet
4. Scheduling a first lesson, or a trial lesson, time
5. Making sure to provide accurate and easy directions to your studio, and
6. Be sure they know exactly what they need to bring to the lesson

(think past music, a recording device, or a list of something they would like to work on)

Show time: Enter the Student, let the interview begin

Now that you are prepared, enter the student!  Make the student and if applicable their parents feel welcome right away by greeting them by name and starting on time.  Here is where the real interview begins!  In all lessons I like to have my student, and parent, join me in sitting and talking about lessons.  I do this by walking my student through a “Student Information Form”.  I have attached a free printable version here!

Student Information Form

During this time you want to make sure to engage the student.  Make them feel like you are really talking to them and not just filling out a form.  Often after greeting the parent I ask them to fill out the top portion while I get to know the student.  Not only are you collecting valuable information from your student but you are establishing a comfortable lesson environment and making yourself approachable.  Music lessons, singing in particular, are so personal and so connected to both our emotional and physical being that making your student feel at ease with you right away is fundamental toward successful lessons.

Beside contact information the most important things to gather are your student’s personal music goals.  What do they want to accomplish during lessons?  Do you have an eminent need like an upcoming audition or production they want to prepare for?  Are they doing this for personal or professional growth?  Why do they want to take lessons and why do they want to take them now?  Are they starting lessons for the first time, looking for a different teacher, or new to the area?  These all establish parameters for you lessons.  All lessons should be tailored to the student’s specific needs, but that is a subject for another post all together!

Lastly open up for questions about you.  Does the student or parent have anything they want to know about you they didn’t get from your website or a referral?

Make some Music

Now finally, on to making some music!!   Lead your student in a guided warm-up just like you would in any lesson.  Here is an opportunity for you to assess your student’s current skills.  I have included a space for this on my “Student Information Form”.  For a voice lesson this is the time to assess the students vocal range and abilities and set teaching goals for the student.  Generally it takes a few lessons to really begin to understand a student’s unique voice, range and needs but this is a good place to start.  Often I then ask the student to sing something they have performed, worked on in the past, or for beginners just something they enjoy singing along to.  I feel this helps me to get a sense of the student’s voice beyond scales.  And without fail this highlights some obvious areas for growth.

My grad school voice professor and head teacher for my teaching assistant position in voice, Benjamin Brecher of University of California Santa Barbara, gave me the best advice ever.  The best thing you can do in a lesson is make sure the student leaves feeling they improved their singing and that you helped them do it!

make sure students leave feeling they improved their singing and that you helped them do it! Click To Tweet

It doesn’t have to be a revelation but they need something tangible they can take away with them, bonus points if it is something they can then repeat independently in their home practice and apply to their songs.  Never is this more important than in a first lesson.  Above all this is what will keep your student coming back and will get them to sign up for that crucial second lesson.

Before they Go

At the end of your lesson, reserve a few minutes to wrap things up.  Answer any lingering questions and give the student something concrete to work on.  Make sure the student has a clear picture of what you expect to happen between now and their next lesson.

I like to call it like it is, assigning homework.  For a first lesson this is usually to simply compile a list of music they are interested in working on, have them begin to establish a daily practice schedule, or with in a more advanced student work on something specific in regards to the music they brought to prepare.

And finally if at all possible get them to schedule a second lesson with you. I like to do this by asking them to “reserve their official lesson time with me”.  Send the student home with any policy forms you need them to sign before your next lesson.  Sending it home to read saves you time and awkwardness of discussing finances and policies straight away.  Yet again be sure once again that you have all their contact information.

The Follow up

Just like with any interview, make sure to follow up with a personal call or even an email a few days after your first lessons.  I find it is nice to check in with the student’s progress, remind them of their next lesson time and how great you feel about their potential!  If they haven’t already this is a great opportunity to encourage them to sign up for regular lessons with you!

Running a music studio, no matter how large or small can be a challenge!  If you are like me and just love teaching the benefits far outweigh the costs!   I hope you find this post both helpful and encouraging AND I hope to see you back here reading again soon!!  Please feel free to contact me with questions you have, ideas you would like to see posted in the future, and of course to sign up for lessons!

Until next time!

~ Alissa