If you are interested in creating professional-looking materials for your studio, I highly recommend the Print Shop software. Using Print Shop, I’ve been able to create everything from business cards to brochures to assignment book covers to newsletters to recital program covers and more! The possibilities are endless! There are higher end programs available, but Print Shop is much more affordable and easier to learn.

Here are a couple samples from my own collection:

Business Card

Assignment Book Cover

Recital Program Cover

In upcoming posts, I plan to share some specific design tips that I have learned from other desktop designers that have helped me immensely in developing an ability to design materials that look attractive and adhere to good design principles. One tip I’ll give you to start off with - start picking up brochures, pamphlets, flyers, etc. and notice what you like and don’t like about the design. What catches your eye? What looks confusing? Does the information flow clearly?

The most attractive design can be rendered useless if it takes away from the message. Remember, good design must always be subservient to the message that is being communicated.

Okay, I just checked into another website option and I think this may be the best one yet! It uses an open source program called Mambo. (Open Source means that the code used to build the program is available to any web developers who want to adapt it or create add-ons to the program for the benefit of all the users. What this means for us non-developers: a free program!)

If you sign up for hosting with
Bluehost, they have an automatic installation feature that will install the program for you, so that it’s ready to use. This makes it a piece of cake to get started with your very own website! (Once you sign up for the hosting, you’ll get access to the cpanel - control panel - where you’ll have all kinds of options. Just click on the fantastico icon and it will list Mambo as an option for an automatic installation.) Just realize that when you sign up for hosting, it will take approximately 24 hours until you will be able to access the site and all the features. So, sign up now and then work on it as you have time!

Just so you can get an idea of what the Mambo site will look like, I’ve created a sample site here that you can look at. Other than changing the name to “Piano Studio,” I have not made any additional changes. You can change the whole look of the site just by applying a different template to the site. Mambo Hut has a bunch of great template options that you can download and apply to the site.

If you want to view a working Mambo site, visit Wendy’s Piano Studio. Wendy is a fellow music teacher and the one who first told me about Mambo.

This is a little more involved than the Webvertisement option on Music Teaching.com, but if you want to have more control over the layout of the site, I highly recommend Mambo!

[UPDATE: Instead of Mambo, I now recommend using Joomla, also available as an automatic installation with Fantastico through the
Bluehost hosting service. Joomla is the newer replacement to Mambo and is packed full of great options!]

My dear friend, and fellow music teacher, Azure gave me a mini tour of her studio this morning. The studio was so fun and cheery! She pointed me to this site where you can print your own bulletin boards. She used the Music is a Treat and Kick-Off the New Year in Music bulletin board sets in her studio and they looked great!

Wouldn’t you love to just be able to send potential students to a website to review your policy instead of having to send it to them via postal mail? I know this has saved me all kinds of time and extra costs associated with having to mail out studio information to everyone who calls. If you don’t already have one, now is the time to get your own studio website - and it’s a lot easier than you think!

First, let me fill you in on some of the terminology you should know:

URL: Uniform Resource Locator - this is what you type into address bar to get to a specific site.

Domain Name: This is how you purchase your own URL. You are buying the exclusive right to a specific address. These are relatively inexpensive - usually under $15/year, but you can often get one included for free in a hosting (see below) package.

Web Server: A central computer where all your website files are stored so that they can be accessed by Internet users around the world.

Hosting: You could think of this as “renting.” You are renting space on someone’s server to store all your website files. (Of the three hosting companies I’ve used for different sites, so far my favorite is Bluehost. Their prices are competitive - $6.95/mo - and the capabilities you get are quite extensive.)

There is all kinds of additional information you can learn once you delve more into the web design world, but that should be enough to get you started. Now, for the good stuff!

If you haven’t seen it yet, check out this site! It looks absolutely wonderful. Designed especially for music teachers, you can set up your own studio website from a pre-designed template. They even have a way to include a blog on your site! The price is super - $79.95 for a year. The same amount you’d end up paying just for a hosting package.

If you are serious about learning web design, Dreamweaver is the best software out there (of course I am a little biased since that’s what I use - but I sure love it!). I’m currently a couple versions behind - I’m using version 4.0, but it still works for me. Be sure to get the academic version which is the same as the full version, but is sold at a reduced price to educators.

Dreamweaver is a more complex software program, so I opted to take a class to learn how to use it. However, I didn’t want to take a whole semester-long class in order to learn the ropes. So, I was able to track down ExecuTrain on-line. Thankfully there was a local ExecuTrain office for me to check into. Since they primarily cater to large corporations with their classes, I was able to get a reduced rate as a small business owner. I cannot say enough good things about the classes I have taken from them. In two days, I learned enough about Dreamweaver to build my studio website. The instructors were all very knowledgeable, excellent at teaching and very personable. Plus, they offer on-going support once you’ve taken a class and you can audit the same class for free anytime it’s held in the future. I highly recommend them to those wanting to learn a lot in a short amount of time!

I know there are a number of other website package deals available on the Internet, but these are the two best options that I’ve seen. (I’m going to check out one other specific option and post on that in the future once I see how well it works.) A website says a lot about a business to the public and it is so important for us music teachers to project a professional image. Lots of people will see your site, so I encourage you to take the time to make sure that it looks professional!

As I mentioned in my initial posting, a primary source of influence in me starting this blog was the book BLOG by Hugh Hewitt. I highly recommend it if you are interested in learning more about blogging or want to know why you should have your own blog.

Check outWhat are Blogs? for a short and informative introduction to blogging.

Here’s an overview of some of the options available for starting your own blog:

1. Blogger is so far the easiest way I’ve found to set up a blog. You really don’t have to know any computer language to get started! (This is what I use for my personal blog and I’ve been very happy with it. For those who want to customize it, there are limited options, but you can use it quite effectively just the way it is. You can host it on your own website or use the Blogger servers. The best part is that it’s free! So, it can’t hurt to give it a try.

2. Blogit is an option I just came across and to be honest, the way it’s set up was a bit confusing for me. I didn’t spend a lot of time exploring its intricacies, but it seems there’s a way to make money by having others read your blog. If anyone checks into this further, feel free to comment on what you find. For now, though, I don’t necessarily recommend it.

3. Squarespace is more involved, but looks like a great option for a new blogger. It includes options to expand/upgrade to a more full-featured website at a later date if you so desire. The rates start at $7/month up to $17/month for the advanced versions. Like Blogger, Squarespace is run from the Internet and doesn’t require you to download any files.

4. TypePad looks like another easy-to-use Internet based blogging site with prices ranging from $4.95/month to $14.95/month. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial to see what you think.

5. BlogSource is a relatively new player in the field of blogging options. It’s still a little sparce right now, but new developments are in the works. Plus, it’s free!

6. WordPress is a powerful and free software tool for those who know more about web design and want to put in some time to customize their blog. (This is what I used for Music Matters Blog.) If you use WordPress, you need to setup your own hosting for it. I used the recommended Blue Host and have been very pleased with it.

For those who got lost in some of the terminology, don’t despair! Check back tomorrow for a post on terminology to know when setting up your own website - and every music teacher should have their own studio website. Find out how tomorrow!

If you already have a blog or decide to set one up, let me know so I can link to you!

For years, I tried to figure out how I could make my own CDs. I wanted to be able to record myself or students playing the piano and burn the audio file onto a CD. I looked up information on-line, went to workshops, talked with other teachers, but still felt like I lacked the information to get started. If this describes your situation at all, take heart! It is so much easier and so much less expensive than I thought it would be.

Here’s the equipment you’ll need to get started (most of which you probably have right there next to you!)
1. a computer - desktop or laptop, PC or Mac
2. a CD burner - your computer probably came with this already included
3. CD burning software - this is probably already installed on your computer, if it came with a CD burner
4. a microphone - for starters, just use a simple computer voice mic; if you don’t have one, you can pick one up at a computer store. (Here’s a great deal on a Computer Microphone. I just paid $20 at Best Buy for this exact same mic.) Once you get more experienced and get the hang of how to do this, you can upgrade to a better quality mic. But this will allow you to get started less expensively.
5. Audacity software (free! look below for step-by-step instructions to install the software)

Step-by-Step Instructions to download and install the free Audacity software:

1. Go to the site: audacity.sourceforge.net
2. Click on the link: Download Audacity 1.2.4b
3. Click on the recommended download: Audacity 1.2.4 installer (.exe file, 2.4 MB) - The latest version of the free Audacity audio editor.
4. Find the mirror site location that is closest to your present location. Click on the icon in the download column of that row.
5. When given the option, choose to save the file. Select the appropriate location from your files (I have created a folder under “My Documents” that is called “Downloads” where I save everything I download off the Internet.)
6. Once you’ve finished downloading, open the file. Complete the setup wizard to install the software onto your computer.
7. Once you’ve finished, open the Audacity software. You should see a screen that looks like this: (except without the sound waves on the screen)

8. Plug your microphone into the microphone jack on the side or back of your computer. (This may also be called the input jack.)
9. Click on the red record button on your screen and begin talking or playing into the microphone.
10. Once you have finished recording, select File>Export as WAV.
11. Name your file and save it to a specified file location. (I have created a folder in My Documents called CD Burning where I save all the files that I want to burn onto a CD. You can add more specific folders as you increase the number of projects you’re recording.)
12. Open your CD burning software. (I use Easy CD Creator since that’s what came with my computer.)
13. Navigate to the file you just exported and select it as your source file. If given the option, select Music CD as the type of CD you want to burn. Add the selected file to the list of tracks to be burned to the CD.
14. Place a blank CD-R into your burn drive.
15. Click the record or burn button in your software to burn the CD.
16. Take out your CD, label it and enjoy listening to your very own recording!

Explore the Audacity website for additional downloads or instructions. I’ll post more about these in a future post as well. Remember, have fun experimenting with the different capabilities in your software! Feel free to post questions you may have in the comments section. I will help as much as I can so that you can begin recording in your studio - it’s so much fun!

Welcome to Music Matters Blog!

After many hours of work, I am excited to launch what I hope and anticipate will be a valuable and oft-visited site for all music teachers. For those of you unfamiliar with what a blog is or how the blogosphere works, I highly recommend the book, BLOG by Hugh Hewitt. In an upcoming post, I plan to write in more detail about how you, too, can begin your own blog. There are a number of options available, so I’ll attempt to give you an overview so you can get started blogging for yourself!

One of the highlights of a blog is the ability to facilitate dialogue between the writers and the readers. A comments section will be included on each post and I would love to have your feedback and participation in the topics discussed on Music Matters Blog.

There are several reasons why I was compelled to embark on this rather extensive project:

1. In my involvement with music teachers in my area, I found that many of them would like to be able to perform more computer-related tasks but have a very difficult time finding the resources to assist them in this process. I plan to include many ideas and practical how-tos so that teachers can learn to design and produce their own recital programs, business cards, studio newsletters, assignment book pages and more.

2. While there are a number of music and teaching-related sites with helpful information and ideas, I have found it at times to be overwhelming to try to wade through everything and find that often, though I’ve spent many hours on-line, I have little to show for my time investment. I want Music Matters Blog to be a place where teachers can come daily to learn more about a specific product or resource, quickly find it, and be able to utilize it immediately and effectively in their studios.

3. I hope that many creative, committed and experienced teachers will contribute to the topics on Music Matters Blog so that we can all learn from each other and be inspired to grow musically and strive to be better teachers for the many students we impact every day.

Feel free to leave me a comment if you stop by so we can get things off to a great start! If you have your own blog or website, be sure to e-mail me the link so I can feature it in upcoming posts. I have a bunch of ideas for posts, but feel free to e-mail me your suggestions for future topics.

Enjoy your visit!

My name is Natalie Wickham. I am an Independent Music Teacher in Derby, Kansas, where I maintain a studio of approximately 35 piano students. I opened my studio in 1998 and I think I grow to love teaching more and more each year!

As a small business owner, I am eager to project a professional image to the public and have found myself through the years turning increasingly to computers, design and the Internet to fulfill this desire. From a growing understanding of the complex world of technology, I have been able to produce many materials for my own studio, build a studio website, and build a website for the South Central Kansas Music Teachers Association and the Wichita Metropolitan Music Teachers Association.

As I’m sure any teacher would readily attest, I have so much more to learn in both the areas of teaching and in the use of technology! But I love to learn new things and discover new ways to improve my teaching and run a more efficient and effective business. I have learned so much from the teachers in our local associations and from the teachers I’ve met on-line. I hope that Music Matters Blog will be an outlet for me to share with others in appreciation for the investment that so many others have made in me!

I would love for you to stop by my personal blog, where I post on other topics of interest to me.

Welcome to Music Matters Blog! My name is Natalie Wickham and I operate an independent piano studio in Derby, Kansas. Ever since I was a little girl I’ve wanted to be a teacher. I just never would have guessed that I would be a piano teacher! At the age of 17 I began teaching lessons to a family of three boys, not because I wanted to, but because their Mom begged me until I couldn’t say no anymore. Word quickly spread in our small community that I was teaching and soon I had several days’ worth of students. The only problem was that I didn’t enjoy teaching piano. In fact, most days I dreaded it. Until I caught the vision for something more…

About a year and a half after I first began teaching, I attended a weeklong piano pedagogy workshop that was transforming. The workshop instructor was a dynamic young woman who just oozed energy and excitement. It was contagious! She did far-out things like use colored pens to write her students’ assignments. What?! Assignments were to be boring, written in pencil, preferably on a blank sheet of paper in a drab looking spiral notebook. Right? She made big, exaggerated motions when explaining concepts to her students. If I even tried that my students would look at me like I was crazy! Wouldn’t they? Or, they might think I was actually having (dare I say it?)…f.u.n. while I was teaching. Horrors! Needless to say, I left that workshop with a whole different image in my mind of what it could look like to be a piano teacher. The only problem was that now I felt completely inadequate and incapable of being the kind of teacher I wanted to be. I had only a fragment of the knowledge and experience of this inspiring teacher. Only one thing kept me going when I was ready to throw in the towel.

I was spending time in my morning Bible reading one day when I came across a sentence in a verse that seemed to be God’s promise to me. It was in Ezekiel 36:36 and it read, “I the LORD have spoken it, and I will do it.” In that moment I felt certain that my role as a piano teacher was no longer a self-imposed duty, but a Divine calling, at least for this time in my life. God had called me to teach and He would do it through me. I cannot tell you how often I have quoted those words to myself when I feel inadequate or burned out or overwhelmed. With that promise in mind I determined to become the best teacher I possibly could for the glory of God and the benefit of the families and students in my studio.

As soon as I arrived home, I began taking lessons from another teacher, joined several on-line music teachers forums and became more active in our local music teachers associations - asking questions, attending workshops, participating in festivals, etc. My students bombed the first couple years of our state Music Progressions evaluations. But I had warned them of that possibility and we plodded on, learning and growing together. I gained valuable experience and received practical tips from other teachers so that we would be better prepared in the future. I started thinking creatively and using some of the ideas I’d come across in my other teaching experiences to enhance piano lessons for my students. I started developing a theme each year with specific goals to work toward and a variety of incentives to inspire each student to work hard and do his or her best. We organized special events and poured hours into planning and preparing for every detail so that family and friends would enjoy it.

The studio is now painted in bright red and yellow with a border of black hand-painted musical notes dancing across the walls where the colors meet. Framed prints of colorful flowers adorn each wall. I still have those days that I don’t look forward to teaching, but honestly, I love what I do. I love my students and I love having the privilege of teaching them to play the piano. There is still so much to learn. And I’m still not the teacher I want to be. But now I have a cup of colored pens sitting next to my piano that I use to write all of my students’ assignments…