by Rachel | Uncategorized
The countdown is finally over. After waiting anxiously all summer long, Kimberly Sena Moore, Michelle Erfurt and I are thrilled to launch Music Therapy Pro.
Music Therapy Pro is a community. Music Therapy Pro is exclusive information and valuable resources. Music Therapy Pro is all of the following:
- Receiving the business training you didn’t get in school.
- Becoming a savvy networker, online and offline.
- Empowering both beginners and experts.
- Accessing an exclusive online community.
- Downloading relevant information and resources…instantly.
- Learning through bonus monthly podcasts.
- Watching quality step-by-step “how to” videos.
Head on over to Music Therapy Pro to watch a video that gives you the full scoop, and take advantage of our charter membership, which we’ll only be offering for a limited time. We look forward to welcoming you to our community!
by Rachel | Uncategorized
If you are an entrepreneur, own a business of any kind, or plan to someday, stop reading my blog right now and go buy this book.
I have fallen way out of the internet loop, so I only found out that the amazing and inspiring Derek Sivers (founder of CD Baby) published a book because Kat Fulton posted it on Facebook.
Of course, I immediately dropped everything I was doing, downloaded the audio version and consumed the entire thing — it’s only 1.5 hours long — in one sitting.
What I love so much about this book is that, in the author’s true style, he teaches through storytelling. Anything You Want is centered around the development of CD Baby, but it is jam packed with lessons for success. It’s the kind of book I already want to read again, and take notes this time.
Thank you for the heads-up, Kat. And everyone else: go get the book! (It’s super cheap and comes with 200 mp3 downloads, not to mention my wholehearted endorsement.)
by Rachel | Uncategorized
Self-employment can be scary at first. After making the decision to leave my full-time job in order to expand my private practice and teaching studio, I did what I thought was the most logical thing, and took on as many new students as I could. More students, more income, less worries…right?
But what I didn’t factor into that equation was “less time” and “more stress”. I’ve already written about my jam-packed schedule once this month, but thought the topic was worth revisiting after I received this tweet:
It was meant in good fun, of course, but Sarah makes a good point. Most sane people probably wouldn’t schedule 14+ half hour lessons and/or music therapy sessions in one day.
The good news is that I absolutely love my students and the work I do with them. Yes, the days are long, but I’m not sitting in an office, bored, watching the clock count down to quitting time.
But I will admit that maybe I’m a little close to crossing the line separating a healthy workload from too much. I haven’t done so yet, though, and intend to keep it that way. That’s what my waiting list is for!
Sarah’s tweet sparked my curiosity, and now I want to know: what is your definition of too much as far as the number of lessons/sessions per day or week? Have you crossed that line? And if so, how did you handle it?
by Rachel | Uncategorized
It’s after 10 pm, and I’m just now getting around to writing today’s blog post. So much for having more spare time now that I’m completely self-employed. Looking back just a few weeks, I was naive to think that owning a full-time private practice was going to allow for a more flexible schedule.
It’s one thing to run a part-time business, but doing so full-time is a completely different ballgame. And as thrilled as I am with my decision to leave my former job, I find myself thinking nostalgically about a time when I actually had a few extra minutes to catch up on my Google Reader, write blog posts in advance, reply to non-work-related email, etc.
Giving lessons and providing music therapy to an average of 13 students per day is the easy part of my business. It’s the administrative and prep work — choosing repertoire, responding to billing inquiries, managing schedules, sending out nightly lesson and session notes, studio upkeep — that leaves me completely exhausted at the end of the day.
But then I remember that I’m 100% in control of my days and my private practice; there is no handbook. I’m writing it as I go, and I’m appreciative of all the lessons I’m learning along the way. I’m also appreciative of my incredibly comfortable bed, which is where I’m headed right now.
by Rachel | Uncategorized
As you might have previously read, I got an iPad 2 for my birthday. The primary reason I wanted one was for use in my studio, and I didn’t waste any time putting it into action yesterday.
Up until this past spring, I’ve sent my students home with written assignment sheets and lesson or music therapy session notes in their binders. However, with so many students to see every day, I hated the thought of going through so much paper — not to mention all the time spent handwriting notes.
So I whipped up a notes template on Pages (a word processing app I have on both my Macbook Pro and iPad 2) and then created a document for each day of the week. Each document has a page dedicated to every student I see on that day, with the notes templates all ready to be completed during lessons and music therapy sessions.
At the end of the day after my last student has left, I copy and paste each student’s lesson/session note into an email to either the student (if he/she is an adult) or the parents. That way, we both have an electronic record of everything that happened in the lesson/session, as well as any assignments.
I also include a reminder at the bottom of my notes template to students and parents that they can log practice time, comments, and questions about that week’s lesson/session in their account on my website.
I knew the iPad 2 would be great for educational music apps and playing and recording music, but this use of it is worth the price alone. Do you use your iPad or another electronic device to write and share lesson or session notes, or do you stick to paper and pen?
