Here's a question that often comes up in Online Lesson Academy: Do you charge less for online lessons? (Not make-up lessons, but students who are 100% online students.)

It always makes me smile because my online students actually pay MORE than my in-person students. Gasp! MORE? Yes - they really do!

I'll give you the nitty gritty details on that in a minute....but first....

Many teachers feel a little.....guilty about online lessons and want to charge less. I'll be honest, I don't get it. 

Here are the facts:

• Your qualifications haven't changed.
• Lessons are the same length of time.
• You're teaching the same material.
• You're providing a convenience for the family, since there's no travel to your studio.
• You have to be more organized. (You can't simply flip through your student's book to look at past assignments.)

There's no reason to charge less, so don't sell yourself short. Keep the same rate.

Unless....

Online lessons allow you to teach students who live absolutely anywhere. You have a lot more freedom when it comes to pricing.

When we lived in the Dallas area, my rates were higher. After we moved to a smaller city, I needed to lower my price, but I kept my Dallas students at the same rate. Even though they transitioned to online lessons. 

If you want to build your studio (and your income!) you can do the same thing by adding online students who live outside of your area.

It's a great solution for teachers who live in small towns. You're able to teach students who live anywhere in the world - and yes, you can charge a higher rate.

​When my family decided to move, I was faced with a big decision: try online lessons or lose my entire studio.

Believe it or not, I let my fears get the best of me - and I told all my families to find a new teacher. I really did.

But then, as our move date got closer, reality hit. I didn't want to lose my students. We'd invested SO much time together. Fortunately, I decided to get brave and go for it!

Thank goodness I did!! YOU CAN DO THIS TOO!

​Do you want to add this option to your studio, but find yourself hesitating? You're not alone!

Lots of teachers are worried about technology. Or lack confidence with all the equipment. Or they're afraid  they won't know how to troubleshoot. That's the very reason Sara and I created Online Lesson Academy.

The LIVE Group Coaching is all about equipping you to successfully add this option to your studio. You can click here to learn more and read teacher reviews.

Registration opens May 1st and I hope you'll join us!

Note: Last time we sold out of both academies, but this time we're only holding ONE academy. If you're interested, make sure you get in soon. When it's full, the doors will close until fall. (You can get on the waitlist here. We'll even send you the first part of the workbook!)

Have you ever gotten an idea and launched right into it, without stopping to think it through? This happened to me just a couple weeks ago. 

Because my son will be a senior in high school this fall, one of my goals is to lighten my teaching schedule. I really want enjoy this last year with him before he heads off to college!

It occurred to me that hosting group lessons once a month in lieu of private lessons would be the perfect low-stress solution. Idea planted. Done! 

But then I talked with my Upbeat partner, Sara Campbell. The first thing out of her mouth was "Will planning that every month actually be more stressful for you?"

Hmmmm...I hadn't considered that. I was only thinking about "teaching" time. 

And then I realized....I hadn't really looked at this from every angle. What I really needed was to STOP everything and do some serious thinking.

Here's the point: When we take time to really think over new ventures BEFORE we dive in, we increase the odds of success. 

Are you considering a new venture that involves preschoolers? I hope these questions will help you figure out if it's the right move for you!

It sounds like an obvious question, but the truth is most people have age preferences. For example: teenagers. Some people LOVE teaching teens - and other teachers will avoid them at all costs!  

Take the time to think about what ages YOU like to teach.

​Yes, adding preschoolers might be great for your bottom line, but if you don't like this age group, you'll never find the success you're looking for.

Adding preschoolers will help YOU in several ways:

• You'll make more money.
• You'll be able to work "off hours."
• You'll have students ready to move right into "regular" piano lessons.
• These students will have a solid foundation. (That YOU gave them - not another teacher.)
• You'll get a reputation for teaching the young ones.

But this option would also benefit your students. Take the time to think about this option from the perspective of your families. How will it help them? What will they gain from preschool lessons?

One thing's for sure - you'll be helping youngsters develop a love of music early in life. That's invaluable!  

Starting any new venture is exciting! But there's always a learning curve. Do you have time to research everything?

You'll need to think about:

• Class type
• Method options
• Goals Setting
• How to deal with behavior issues
• Age appropriate activities
• And a lot more!

If reading that list got you excited, then teaching preschoolers is probably a good move for you!

I'll be honest - when I started teaching preschoolers, I didn't give this question enough consideration. I simply launched into what I was already doing - private lessons.

But there are several options to mull over: private, group, or partner lessons. Each choice has pros and cons. Write those down. Play around with them in your head. 

I encourage you to think about what type of lesson YOU would enjoy the most. If YOU'RE happy and having fun, your preschoolers will too!

The GOOD news - There are LOTS of methods to choose from.

The BAD news - There are LOTS of methods to choose from. 

Seriously though, take the time to do your research and find a method that fits your personality. Ideally, I suggest that you find a couple methods you would feel comfortable teaching.

​The truth is that all kids are different. You might find that certain students would benefit from a different method. I know that often happens in my studio with older students. Preschoolers are no different. (See this post for more.)

If you decide that preschoolers are right for you, make sure you check out Playing with Preschoolers. Sara and I interviewed 7 teachers who are having great success with this age group. Click here to find out more!

Do you have any preschool questions? If so, let me know! 

It was an ordinary day at school, but not for my student. I'll call her Katie.

​I was walking Katie to her makeup lesson and she was over-the-moon excited! Literally skipping all the way to my room with a BIG smile on her face.

Truthfully, I thought it was a little odd. Katie liked piano, but her excitement was a bit...over the top. 

Fast forward 15 minutes and she looked at me with those big beautiful eyes and asked "When is my makeup class going to start?"

I was confused. "This IS your makeup class."

Then she reached up and patted her cheek "No, my MAKEUP class."

Oh my! Katie thought we were putting on makeup! Isn't that the cutest thing? And yes, her mother did give me permission to pull out the cosmetics the following week. To this day, thinking about it all still makes me smile!

Here's the point - preschoolers have a different mindset. They DON'T always think the way we expect them to. If we want to teach them successfully, we need to change the way we think.

There are plenty of teachers who are successfully teaching preschoolers. I wish I'd spent more time learning from them first.

Sure I researched different curriculum, but there was a lot more I could have done to prepare. I wish I had asked teachers about:

• Setting goals for preschoolers
• How to organize my activities better. (Preschoolers move FAST and you better be ready!)
• Partner lessons verses private lessons verses a full class 
• How to deal with bad behavior (BEFORE it happened in my studio)
• What marketing ideas work for this age group

To be honest, this is the very reason that Sara and I created Playing with Preschoolers. Hearing what worked for different teachers was a game-changer for me!

Don't judge me, but I went into preschool lessons thinking I'd teach piano at a slower pace. It honestly sounds dumb now, but I really didn't think that teaching preschoolers would be that different from my other elementary students.

Boy was I wrong. I needed a different mindset in many areas. Especially the idea of  "piano lessons" verses "music lessons." 

That alone would have helped my attitude AND my success.

First off, whether you teach preschoolers in private lessons, group lessons, or partner lessons - there is no WRONG answer. It's completely a personal preference. 

My problem was that I defaulted to private lessons without really considering my options. The rest of my studio is private lessons, why would I do anything different?

That thinking was a mistake.

Again, I should have researched more. In hindsight, I would have chosen partner lessons. But of course, if you're looking to UP your income, a larger class might be the right choice for you. 

Whatever you decide, the important thing is to give serious consideration to ALL the options.

This was by far my biggest mistake: I decided on ONE curriculum, expecting it to work for ALL my students.  When it didn't work for each student, I was left feeling frustrated and stressed out. 

I'm not sure why I didn't consider this earlier. With my older students, I use different methods, depending on the child. I TOTALLY should have done this with preschoolers. Epic fail on my part.

Of course, if you're teaching to a full class, your program will obviously be geared toward a larger group.

But if you're planning on private or partner lessons, go ahead and find a couple methods that you like. Then you'll be ready to go to Plan B at a moment's notice!

This FREE Rainy Toolbox will help you keep all your ideas organized. Being ready at a moment's notice is SO important when teaching preschoolers!

Click here to get it for free!

I have a couple friends that I meet routinely for coffee. Well, they do coffee. I'm a tea girl.

A couple weeks ago, we were scheduled to meet and I literally couldn't get myself out of bed. I was so tired, I kept resetting the clock for 15 more minutes. Then again - 15 more minutes. Finally I just texted them and said I couldn't make it.

I was just too. tired.

Fast forward to last week and something weird happened. I've never been one to bounce out of bed at 5am, but on Wednesday, I did. I woke up around 6:30 - without the alarm clock - and realized - I feel good. Really good. 

It was kind of.....weird. And it made me realize that hadn't felt "good" in quite a while.

The combination of a busy season of life and the recent time change has been tough. I feel tired. And unmotivated. I don't feel like myself.

I know exactly what the problem is - I need to rework my morning strategy.

Because even though I don't always bounce out of bed, I do LOVE getting an early start to the day. It feels fabulous to check off some of my priorities before breakfast.

Here are 3 things I'm doing to revamp my mornings:

We all go through different seasons of life. Routines need to adjust accordingly.

My morning routine always includes quiet time (Bible reading and prayer) and  I like to get in a short workout. This is where I've been struggling recently.  

At the end of the day, plans are great, but plans that include "fun" are much more successful!

To "up the fun" in my quiet time plan, I'm adding in a good book - 40 Days to a Joy-Filled Life. And as far as the treadmill goes - It's probably going to be doing a walk/jog with a good Hallmark movie!

I'm also going to come up with a reward system. Something like....workout 4 days this week and (insert reward here!) I'll have to spend some time thinking about that!

Okay, so technically I've listed 2 things here: exercise and sleep. But they really do go together! When I get daily exercise, I sleep better. Period.

As far as actual sleep, I've found that 7 hours seems to be perfect for me. That will be my focus for the next couple of weeks. Which means when the alarm goes off - I need to get UP!

How can I prep for this? I'll put away the electronics early and curl up with a good book instead. Training my brain for sleep will pay off.

Starting Monday I'll be revamping my mornings with Crystal Paine's Make Over Your Morning program.

This will be my THIRD time going through it and I'm SO excited! The first time, I did it with a good friend. Round #2 was with a few friends, and this time I'm teaming up with some Upbeats!

If you're interested, you can click here for more information. And before you ask - no! You DON'T have to get up early. But you can if you want!​

***If you decide to do this, please let me know! I've started a little FB group where we can encourage each other. We can cheer each other on! 

​Note: Some of links in this post are affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.