What I'm pondering today:
When it comes to our studios, bigger is not always better.
I heard from a (non-teacher) friend this week who always keeps me updated on her small town's booming music studio.
From afar, I've always admired what this studio owner has built. She was passionate about teaching, clever in business, and quickly built a studio that was thriving beyond many of our wildest dreams.
She brought on additional teachers and class offerings to keep up with demand.
Her recitals felt like community-wide events.
She was held in high esteem by her students and their families.
I imagine she was making great money.
She was living the dream, right?
Well, this studio owner recently made an unexpected announcement: the studio was immediately, indefinitely closed for business.
This decision came without warning and without explanation.
It sparked concern for the well-being of the teacher, and sadness over musical opportunities lost.
Let it be known: I have no idea what the circumstances were around this decision.
I am quite sure it was heartbreaking, painful, and frightening for the owner and her staff.
This situation has been on my mind a lot lately as I work through the back-to-school season with teacher consult clients.
There are many of us in this profession who are driven to maximize. We want all the students and all the opportunities we can cram into the 24 hours we're given each day.
And, because we also happen to be a profession of creative, capable people, many of us achieve incredible things with this mindset.
But at what point does the grand scale of our vision turn it into something else entirely?
As my friend was telling me about her local situation, she asked me if running a studio really felt like "that big of a task".
(Of course, I had to laugh because YES IT DOES🤣).
The more we talked, the more I began to wonder if this young, capable teacher simply became so over-burdened by the responsibilities of her operation, it was easier to let it go altogether than to try and re-envision something more manageable.
I'm tempted to think this is the case because I've worked with several teachers in similar scenarios.
Sometimes, it feels easier to walk away than to implement a new vision.
...and if there's ONE THING I want for good studio music teachers, it's to help them do whatever they need to do to STAY IN THIS BUSINESS and keep bringing the gift of music to their communities, even if it's in a smaller capacity than they originally envisioned.
Truly, even those of us who are out-of-our-minds-in-love-with-this-profession (🙋♀️) will find ourselves tempted to walk away from teaching at times.
I have to say: the seasons when I've most wanted to give up correspond to the years when my studio roster was the largest.
Just as we know PERFECT can be the enemy of GOOD, I think MORE is the enemy of ENOUGH.
It's easy to take "just a few more students", but there is a straw that will break the camel's back.
As much as you want to help those additional students, if it leads you to burnout and you stop being able to help any students at all... well, the extra commitments are not worth it, are they?
I say all this to you today to suggest that maybe less is not more. Maybe, in fact, less is everything.
So, I've shared my thoughts: Now it's YOUR turn!
HIT THAT REPLY BUTTON and tell me how happy you are with your current studio numbers. Let's use the Goldilocks scale.😉 Too little? Too many? Juuuust right?
Hit that REPLY button and let me know!
🥂Cheers to considering the idea that LESS might be EVERYTHING.🥂