485: $US87 for a 30-Minute Lesson? How Nicole Kovar Went Premium and Kept Her Families

From The TopCast: The Official Music Teachers' Podcast · 52:30

Show by Tim Topham

What if you charged $87 for a 30-minute lesson and your families stayed? Today I’m chatting with Nicole Kovar, founder of Piano & More. She went from $25 lessons and burnout to a thriving in-home music school with a nonprofit arm. We’re kicking off Business and Marketing Month with her lessons on pricing, hiring and keeping great teachers. Tim kicked off Business and Marketing Month and previewed Kelly Riordan’s spotlight.Nicole explained how her in-home music school works like Uber for lessons.She shared how she raised lesson prices from $25 to $87.Why Nicole nearly closed her thriving school after seven years.How she raised prices at least 30% and rebuilt her policies.Nicole explained why testing higher prices on new students works well.Why she hired her first two teachers while running a waitlist.How stricter policies helped lift teacher retention to around three years.The importance of promoting your teaching philosophy rather than your own name.Nicole explained why her school keeps about 60% of lesson revenue.How the nonprofit structure provides a board, credibility and donor support.Nicole shared how Play It Forward gives free lessons and keyboards. Links Mentioned Find out more about Spotlight Session with Kelly Riordan here.Nicole's website:nicolekovar.comNicole's Instagram page:@nicolekovarmusicNicole's Facebook group:In-Home Music Studio Teachers & OwnersNicole's FREE GUIDE for In-Home Music School Owners Today’s Guest Nicole Kovar is an entrepreneur, educator, and founder of Piano & More, an award-winning music school that has served over 1,000 students through its innovative in-home music education model. With over a decade of experience building and leading a successful music school, Nicole is passionate about helping fellow music educators turn their passion into profitable, scalable schools. Today, she leads a growing community of in-home music school owners, empowering and coaching them to build thriving businesses that offer greater financial freedom, flexibility, and a better quality of life. Today’s Sponsor Practice Space is the digital assignment notebook for music teachers. Build assignments with your scores, audio and video, and give students one app for everything they need to practice. Students record practice videos right inside each assignment, while streaks, practice awards and custom studio challenges keep them motivated between lessons. The Creative Suite adds a catalog of 1,000+ pieces, a built-in notation editor, AI-generated exercises and flashcards, and Speech-to-Notes, which turns a quick voice memo into formatted lesson notes. TopCast listeners get 50% off the first three months with code TOP50: admin.practicespaceapp.com/signup TopMusicPro 14-Day Free Trial Heard about TopMusicPro Membership? As a valued podcast listener, I’d like to offer you a special chance to try our community free for 14 days. You can access a treasure trove of teaching resources, professional development courses, and creative lesson ideas. Click the link below to access your exclusive 14-day free trial for our Studio Membership. TOPMUSICPRO MEMBERSHIP 14-DAY FREE TRIAL

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