How to Run a Music Studio: 6 Essential Tools Every Music Teacher Should Have
Running a music studio can feel like a lot to manage, especially when you're trying to stay organized and keep up with everything from lessons to student progress. If you’re wondering how to run a music studio smoothly and efficiently, you’re in the right place! I’m here to share six of my favorite tools that will make your life easier and keep your students engaged.
Let’s dive into some tools that are going to help you run your studio better, save you time, and make your lessons more interactive!
Practice Space
In the podcast recording, we originally recommended Tonara Studio as a fantastic tool for creating engaging and interactive lesson plans, tracking students' practice, sending out assignments, and messaging directly through the app. It was a great time-saver for teachers and added excitement to lessons, helping students stay accountable and motivated.
However, since Tonara is no longer in business, we now recommend using Practice Space instead. Practice Space offers similar features, making it an excellent alternative for keeping students on track, saving lesson plans, and keeping practice sessions fun and engaging. While Tonara was wonderful, Practice Space is now our top recommendation for managing your students’ practice and assignments!
2. Carol Matz Interactive Method
Carol Matz’s Interactive Method is amazing, especially if you teach piano. This digital method includes not only books but also interactive games and activities that go with each unit. It’s a great way to make lessons more engaging. You can even screen share the games during online lessons to keep students excited about learning.
Having an all-digital method like this is a game changer, especially if you're teaching online. Plus, students love the activities and games—it keeps them motivated and eager to learn.
3. Internet MIDI & Classroom Maestro
Internet MIDI allows you to connect your MIDI keyboard to your computer, so your students can actually see the keys in real-time. What’s even cooler is if your student has a MIDI keyboard too, they can connect, and the sound of what you play comes through their keyboard! This makes duets and collaborative playing much easier.
Classroom Maestro is another tool that allows you to display chords, scales, and notes on a staff during your lessons. It’s perfect for teaching theory in an interactive way, especially in group settings.
These tools will blow your students away with the real-time sound and interaction. It's especially useful if you're teaching online and want to give students a more hands-on experience.
4. Zoom
I’m sure you’ve heard of Zoom, but it’s definitely worth mentioning because of how well it works for music lessons. Zoom allows you to share your computer audio directly with your students, which is perfect for playing backing tracks or accompaniment. It also has a super useful Annotate feature, where your students can draw or highlight notes on your shared screen.
Zoom offers the most flexibility and additional features, making it the best video conferencing tool for online lessons. If you're not using Zoom, I highly recommend making the switch!
And actually, here’s an even better recommendation we love to make! Forte Music Lessons is a great, free alternative! It’s made specifically for music teachers, so you get high-quality audio and video without the annoying sound delays or muffled audio you often get with Zoom. Plus, it’s completely free for both teachers and students!
If you want an easier, more reliable way to connect with your students online, give Forte a try—you’ll definitely notice the difference in your lessons!
5. SuperScore
SuperScore is an iOS app that functions like a digital music store. You and your students can purchase method books through the app and use them during lessons. What’s neat is that the music adjusts to fit your screen, and you can even play along with accompaniment tracks.
This app is fantastic for creating a digital music library, allowing you and your students to have access to books and music anywhere, anytime.
6. Music Flashclass
Music Flashclass is one of my favorite apps for quizzing students on their note reading. It’s super easy to use and turns note reading into a game. This is especially great for younger students who need interactive activities to stay focused. You can even customize the quizzes to target specific clefs or notes.
It makes learning notes fun! You can use it during lessons or assign it for practice, and it’s an excellent way to break up the session and keep students engaged.
Bonus Tool: Google Drive
Google Drive is my go-to for organizing all of my lesson materials, student info, and digital music. With everything stored in the cloud, you can access it from any device and share materials with students and parents quickly and easily.
Having a digital backup for your materials not only keeps you organized but also makes it easy to share PDFs, music, and resources with your students at any time.
You’ll Need More Than Just Tools To Run Your Music Studio Successfully
These tools are incredible for making your studio more organized and your lessons more interactive. But here’s the thing—knowing what tools to use is only part of the puzzle. To really take your studio to the next level, you need ongoing support, strategy, and a community of like-minded teachers.
If you’re ready to get personalized guidance and learn how to implement these tools and so much more, check out the Teach Music Online Membership. This membership is packed with resources, coaching, and support to help you grow a thriving music studio. You’ll get access to step-by-step strategies, courses, live coaching sessions, and a community of teachers who are on the same journey as you.
Don't just stop at the tools—get the guidance you need to truly succeed.