I have to say the overwhelming response to seeing the new studio is Wow! This is amazing! Someone told me this isn't like any music studio in the area. After months of prepping for the studio opening, I agree that it is amazing!
Yet it isn't done yet.. there is still lots of things on the punchlist including upping the sound proofing to finish.
We have gotten many inquiries about lessons including drop-ins, those that saw our press releases, sign and personal referrals.
We kicked off the summer by doing a Groupon deal and had 61 people buy a 6 week package of lessons (guitar or piano). We're adding to those classes by offering a 6 week session of our own.
Our office staff, Julia and Faith, are fabulous. It's much easier to manage all the day-to-day things with them helping. After more training and a better scheduling software we'll be on task by the end of the summer for more polished systems, communication and professionalism.
I can foresee that September we'll be very busy if not full!
I'm excited about what we're offering this summer... 6 week sessions for guitar or piano, regular lessons as desired and percussion classes and Playful Piano classes. We're offering a Piano Camp and Playful Piano camp in July for 3 days through Rochester Enrichment and we're offering an African Drumming camp in August.
In the fall we'll add violin classes and Music Together classes.
We now have 3 Simply Music teachers, a percussion (and soon SM teacher) teacher and guitar teachers.
Many fun times ahead!!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Recitals 2011
The Summer recitals were today. We've grown enough that we needed 2 to make sure they didn't get too long. It was a nice mix at each recital or beginners to more advanced. I loved the accompaniment pieces with teens with less than a year of lessons playing piano and singing along. Angela Engnell one of our teachers composed her own song and sang/played it. I find the recitals to be a great chance to sit back and see what the students have accomplished in a the past year.
We had a couple contests with 2 winners of art and one that wrote about how she liked to play the piano.
We had a couple contests with 2 winners of art and one that wrote about how she liked to play the piano.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Grand Opening was today!!
The Grand Opening was today. It started at 2:30 with a dedication service. Short and sweet with Pastor Jerry sharing a few words and praying and then me sharing a few words, then I got to play a couple songs with the band!
Pastor Jerry said a couple things that I want to remember about how it's important to remember that we are able to do the type of thing we did where we live! To be able to have that freedom is amazing.
We had Ed/Lisa, Ken, Rick and John W. play as a band together. John Crumm came and joined in on a couple songs as well and I got to play a bit. It was a special moment to play with people that I played with years ago and it reminded me how we started that service together and started from nothing (like with the new studio) yet we were able to to grow into something quite beautiful that has lasted for years!
Very quickly we had lots of people around 3pm. Jacob thought we might have had 100 or more people at about 3:15pm.
We had wonderful food donated from Kim's restaurant, Nana's, Sweet Simplicity and bought sandwiches from Wright Stuff. Family and friends brought some other treats as well as fruit, veggies. It was a great spread of food and it went quickly!
It got congested around Studio 1 (where the band was).
Clem Fortuna came and talked with students about the piano and how it works.
Then we had demo classes for Playful Piano and Smart Hands.
Then classes for French and for Music Together.
They were all well attended, but the rooms were small and got a bit warm I think.
I probably talked with 5 families that were new and just checking out the studio and thinking about lessons. Some found us through the sign while others saw one of the 3 newsletter articles.
The architect and interior designer were both there and they were really excited to see what had been brought about!
Jacob and I were excited to see a couple people that we hadn't expected. It meant a lot to have EVERYONE there though.. family, friends, students and prospective students.
It was really well attended to the point that it was a bit overwhelming.
We also had donations for God's Helping Hands and probably raised a couple hundred dollars to them.
A very exciting new chapter in our lives has begun! It'll have lots of challenges and adventures and can't wait!
Pastor Jerry said a couple things that I want to remember about how it's important to remember that we are able to do the type of thing we did where we live! To be able to have that freedom is amazing.
We had Ed/Lisa, Ken, Rick and John W. play as a band together. John Crumm came and joined in on a couple songs as well and I got to play a bit. It was a special moment to play with people that I played with years ago and it reminded me how we started that service together and started from nothing (like with the new studio) yet we were able to to grow into something quite beautiful that has lasted for years!
Very quickly we had lots of people around 3pm. Jacob thought we might have had 100 or more people at about 3:15pm.
We had wonderful food donated from Kim's restaurant, Nana's, Sweet Simplicity and bought sandwiches from Wright Stuff. Family and friends brought some other treats as well as fruit, veggies. It was a great spread of food and it went quickly!
It got congested around Studio 1 (where the band was).
Clem Fortuna came and talked with students about the piano and how it works.
Then we had demo classes for Playful Piano and Smart Hands.
Then classes for French and for Music Together.
They were all well attended, but the rooms were small and got a bit warm I think.
I probably talked with 5 families that were new and just checking out the studio and thinking about lessons. Some found us through the sign while others saw one of the 3 newsletter articles.
The architect and interior designer were both there and they were really excited to see what had been brought about!
Jacob and I were excited to see a couple people that we hadn't expected. It meant a lot to have EVERYONE there though.. family, friends, students and prospective students.
It was really well attended to the point that it was a bit overwhelming.
We also had donations for God's Helping Hands and probably raised a couple hundred dollars to them.
A very exciting new chapter in our lives has begun! It'll have lots of challenges and adventures and can't wait!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
the early morning of
it is 1am and i am typing with one hand baby in the other cuddling and bouncing to sleep.
i'm thinking about how much has happened since last summer and the journey of expanding. thinking about the friendships i have made along the way.. new ones and the ones we've strengthened!
thinking of all the hours spent figuring out what to do.. time spent with jacob brainstorming and dreaming!
and it is here! it is open!
i can't help but think of the action we've taken that has occured as risky at times, yet i know without that 'risk' we wouldn't be able to move ahead into something amazing.
so excited about seeing friends.. some old and some new that will be there and how much support they have given us! so little naysaying.
Jacob has been such a huge role in this expansion. He's always been very supportive of my biz and helpful, but this expansion this time was his idea. He's put soo much time and effort into it. I heard him tell someone a few weeks ago that this was my business that he helped with but it truly is OUR business together even though it continues to have me as sole owner. The studio space truly marks his handiwork and guidance from gutting the place to the floor all by himself to making a punch list for the construction crew...
Ok.. baby's almost asleep and I need to get back to bed!Can't wait for about 12 more hours!
i'm thinking about how much has happened since last summer and the journey of expanding. thinking about the friendships i have made along the way.. new ones and the ones we've strengthened!
thinking of all the hours spent figuring out what to do.. time spent with jacob brainstorming and dreaming!
and it is here! it is open!
i can't help but think of the action we've taken that has occured as risky at times, yet i know without that 'risk' we wouldn't be able to move ahead into something amazing.
so excited about seeing friends.. some old and some new that will be there and how much support they have given us! so little naysaying.
Jacob has been such a huge role in this expansion. He's always been very supportive of my biz and helpful, but this expansion this time was his idea. He's put soo much time and effort into it. I heard him tell someone a few weeks ago that this was my business that he helped with but it truly is OUR business together even though it continues to have me as sole owner. The studio space truly marks his handiwork and guidance from gutting the place to the floor all by himself to making a punch list for the construction crew...
Ok.. baby's almost asleep and I need to get back to bed!Can't wait for about 12 more hours!
Grand Opening
Thanks to Samantha and some of my efforts the press and several websites posted our info about the Grand Opening. I'm hoping it is well attended not only by our students and friends but by the public.
It was in Troy Times, Oakland Press as well as Oakland County Moms and a couple others I have yet to find! Really grateful they ran the info.
We have plastered the postcards with info everywhere and passed them to students. Also have road signs to put up and have asked students to put some up as well.
My goal and hope is 300 people!
We have a live band comprised of close friends that I used to play with and lead at a church nearby, demo classes (Smart Hands, Music Together, French and Playful Piano) with Clem being on site to talk about pianos, food (donations from Nana's, Sweet Simplicity and food from Wright Stuff, Kim's Restaurant as well as donations from people bringing cookies and other snacks.
We also will have raffle prizes and there are LOTS of them.. probably 15 child-geared prizes.. like horsebackriding lessons and CK Diggs gift cards!
We also have a special through Monday $50 for June lessons + home material fees.
Goal is to fill up Rachel's schedule (piano) and James's schedule (guitar). Goal is 100 students enrolled by June 10th and then 50 more enrolled by July 10th.
Looking forward to meeting people on Sunday that I haven't seen in awhile or who are new to the studio!
Truly it has been an adventure and it is only beginning!!
It was in Troy Times, Oakland Press as well as Oakland County Moms and a couple others I have yet to find! Really grateful they ran the info.
We have plastered the postcards with info everywhere and passed them to students. Also have road signs to put up and have asked students to put some up as well.
My goal and hope is 300 people!
We have a live band comprised of close friends that I used to play with and lead at a church nearby, demo classes (Smart Hands, Music Together, French and Playful Piano) with Clem being on site to talk about pianos, food (donations from Nana's, Sweet Simplicity and food from Wright Stuff, Kim's Restaurant as well as donations from people bringing cookies and other snacks.
We also will have raffle prizes and there are LOTS of them.. probably 15 child-geared prizes.. like horsebackriding lessons and CK Diggs gift cards!
We also have a special through Monday $50 for June lessons + home material fees.
Goal is to fill up Rachel's schedule (piano) and James's schedule (guitar). Goal is 100 students enrolled by June 10th and then 50 more enrolled by July 10th.
Looking forward to meeting people on Sunday that I haven't seen in awhile or who are new to the studio!
Truly it has been an adventure and it is only beginning!!
Ribbon Cutting
We signed up for a Ribbon Cutting with the Rochester Chamber and it was a success. Mayor Bryan came out, Art from Brooks Patterson's office and a Chamber rep spoke a bit. We had about 15 close friends come out! It was special.. I spoke about the value of relationships with community, family and musically that we help and will continue to help create. Mayor Bryan played a simple turkey song on the piano that had everyone laughing and he was amazingly down to earth!
We had Chioptle that Jacob had won the week before (20 burritos!), desserts from Sweet Simplicity, chips/salsa, water and cookies.
The ceremony lasted probably 20 minutes max and people hung out for a bit afterward. The pictures were in the Rochester Chamber website.
We had Chioptle that Jacob had won the week before (20 burritos!), desserts from Sweet Simplicity, chips/salsa, water and cookies.
The ceremony lasted probably 20 minutes max and people hung out for a bit afterward. The pictures were in the Rochester Chamber website.
Friday, June 3, 2011
the prior whirlwind weeks!
It's 3am and I'm up with the baby.. he's 8 weeks today and the last weeks have been a bit of a blur with opening the new studio, taking care of 2 kids and keeping things going! I'm starting to get used to the lack of sleep and coffee (even if it's just decaf) seems to keep me alert enough! I'm sure the excitement of it all helps too.
Sad thing is that baby is sleeping again and here I am writing! I treasure now these quiet nighttime wakings.
So here's what's happening with the studio..
Came back to work 4 weeks ago and started right back to my regular schedule. Rachel and Angela and Mary were AWESOME in covering. Rachel covered a lot of my schedule and I'm especially grateful to how she keeps my students in check and required much of them.
The new studio construction seemed to take FOREVER.. we signed the lease in January I think and the last few weeks really dragged on. They finally finished enough that we could get occupancy last week Friday, then over the weekend we finished some things up and Jacob went to IKEA on Tuesday and the pianos arrived on Wed.
The studio space is beautiful. It's warm and friendly yet professional and it really looks nice. Everyone that has come through and seen it is amazed at how big it actually is and the design.
I wasn't sure how I'd feel about teaching there. I started on Wed. and despite some bumps with communication it felt great! All 3 teachers were there teachers for one consecutive hour which I enjoyed.. it really made it feel like it was being used properly.
I actually enjoyed the smaller room as opposed to my large studio space at home and I really enjoy having it separate from home. It has been a new change in routine and that has been a mild challenge with dragging kids from home to studio just to shuffle cars so Jacob's home on time, also making sure we have food and clothes for both kids at the studio is something to figure out. Aeden loves it there though and has asked a couple times if we could have a slumber party there!
The largest room is like a sauna with large windows that capture the sun in the evening. Something we hadn't anticipated.
Julia was at the studio on Thursday working and it was wonderful to have her there helping make phone calls, clean up and get things organized. I found that I felt I wanted to help a bit, but I also tried to resist the urge to micromanage. Faith starts next week 3 days and Julia will be 2 till we fill Fridays. For now I'm hoping to keep Fridays open and not teach that day.
The Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting have been lots of preparation see the next post about the Ribbon Cutting!
Sad thing is that baby is sleeping again and here I am writing! I treasure now these quiet nighttime wakings.
So here's what's happening with the studio..
Came back to work 4 weeks ago and started right back to my regular schedule. Rachel and Angela and Mary were AWESOME in covering. Rachel covered a lot of my schedule and I'm especially grateful to how she keeps my students in check and required much of them.
The new studio construction seemed to take FOREVER.. we signed the lease in January I think and the last few weeks really dragged on. They finally finished enough that we could get occupancy last week Friday, then over the weekend we finished some things up and Jacob went to IKEA on Tuesday and the pianos arrived on Wed.
The studio space is beautiful. It's warm and friendly yet professional and it really looks nice. Everyone that has come through and seen it is amazed at how big it actually is and the design.
I wasn't sure how I'd feel about teaching there. I started on Wed. and despite some bumps with communication it felt great! All 3 teachers were there teachers for one consecutive hour which I enjoyed.. it really made it feel like it was being used properly.
I actually enjoyed the smaller room as opposed to my large studio space at home and I really enjoy having it separate from home. It has been a new change in routine and that has been a mild challenge with dragging kids from home to studio just to shuffle cars so Jacob's home on time, also making sure we have food and clothes for both kids at the studio is something to figure out. Aeden loves it there though and has asked a couple times if we could have a slumber party there!
The largest room is like a sauna with large windows that capture the sun in the evening. Something we hadn't anticipated.
Julia was at the studio on Thursday working and it was wonderful to have her there helping make phone calls, clean up and get things organized. I found that I felt I wanted to help a bit, but I also tried to resist the urge to micromanage. Faith starts next week 3 days and Julia will be 2 till we fill Fridays. For now I'm hoping to keep Fridays open and not teach that day.
The Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting have been lots of preparation see the next post about the Ribbon Cutting!
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