Music Studio Organization: 4 Tips To Keep Your Business Running Smoothly
Are you feeling overwhelmed with all the tasks that come with running your music studio? Whether you’re managing lessons in person or online, getting organized can make a world of difference. Today, I’m sharing four simple yet powerful tips for music studio organization that will help you save time and reduce stress.
Before we dive in, I want to share a quick testimonial from Miss Talia Voice Studio, a vocal music education major who started her teaching business while still in college. Here’s what she had to say about the Teach Music Online community:
"I am currently a vocal music education major in university. I started my teaching business my sophomore year of college, before I found the TMO podcast, I taught only in-person one-on-one lessons and didn’t have an efficient way to market my studio. After binging episodes of the TMO podcast, I have updated my studio policy and put in an incentive for referring me to a friend. Now, if a current student refers me to their friend, they get a free lesson. I have a website now too. At first, I only did my business through Facebook, and in November, I will be teaching my first online expressive singing workshop. I’m so excited. I never thought I would be able to be a full-time college student and studio owner at the same time. Thank you so much, Carly, for being an inspiration to us new studio owners."
It’s stories like this that motivate me to share what I know with other music teachers. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to streamline your current setup, getting your studio organized can help you feel more confident and productive.
Make sure to join us if you want step by step guidance and support in growing your own music studio!
Let’s dive into some easy, actionable steps you can take to create a more organized and efficient music studio!
Level 1: Create Helpful Spreadsheets
If you’re new to organizing your studio, a great first step is setting up some basic spreadsheets to keep all your info in one place. You can create a student list with contact info, registration details, and lesson notes. Google Forms is a great tool for student registration because it automatically creates a spreadsheet for you—no more entering details manually!
Another must-have spreadsheet is for your teaching curriculum. Even if you teach different students with varied materials, you can organize it by milestones and levels rather than sticking to one rigid method. Add your favorite books, music theory milestones, and improvisation activities, so it’s all ready to go when you need it. This way, when a student reaches a certain level, you can easily pull from your curated list of resources.
And don’t forget to have a spreadsheet with links to all the music your students need to buy! Having those Amazon links handy will save you so much time during and after lessons.
Level 2: Digitize Your Music Library
The next step for getting your studio organized is digitizing your music library. I know this might sound like a big project, but it’s such a game-changer! Imagine having all your music accessible on your iPad, computer, or phone—no matter where you are.
You can use apps like Genius Scan to quickly digitize your books. Just take photos of each page, save them as a PDF, and then upload them to Google Drive. Make sure to label everything clearly by the book title, level, and method, so it’s easy to find later.
Digitizing your music is perfect for when you need to share sheet music with students or when you’re traveling and want to access everything remotely. Trust me, it’s worth the effort!
Level 3: Use Lesson Assignment Apps
Want to save even more time? Try using apps like Practice Space to create reusable lesson assignments. This is one of my favorite time-saving strategies because it allows you to reuse assignments for multiple students. If you know you're going to assign a Sonatina to more than one student, why not create a lesson plan that you can pull from in the future?
These apps let you create a library of lessons, videos, and activities that you can easily share with students each week. It’s a great way to stay organized and make sure each student gets a detailed, thoughtful lesson plan.
Level 4: Use Productivity Tools Like Notion
Finally, if you’re looking to get super organized, I highly recommend using a productivity tool like Notion. It’s basically a dashboard for your life and work! You can create to-do lists, track your students’ progress, organize your lesson plans, and so much more.
I use Notion to plan out all of my podcast episodes, organize my business tasks, and even manage my personal life. It’s customizable, so you can set it up however it works best for you. It’s free, too, so go ahead and try it out! I’ve found it to be the ultimate tool for keeping everything in one place and staying on top of things.
Recap of 4 Music Studio Organization Tips:
Create spreadsheets for students, curriculum, and music links.
Digitize your music library and store it on Google Drive for easy access.
Use lesson assignment apps like Tanara or Practice Space to save and reuse lessons.
Try a productivity tool like Notion to organize your studio and life in one place.
How To Get More Support From Teach Music Online
I hope these tips help you feel more in control of your studio and your time. Remember, you don’t have to tackle everything at once—just start with one thing that you know will make a difference for you right now. Maybe it’s organizing your physical space or digitizing a couple of music books. Whatever it is, know that it’s going to help you feel more focused and less stressed.
If you’re ready to take your music studio organization and business growth to the next level, join the Teach Music Online Membership! The membership is packed with more strategies like these, plus a supportive community that will help you build the teaching business you dream of. Whether you're just starting out or ready to grow, the membership offers courses, live coaching, and so much more to guide you every step of the way.
And don’t forget we have a library of free tools to help you get started as well!
