The one art form that has the capacity to touch the soul and heal a person even though he or she might not understand the language is Music. Music is also sometimes referred to as the universal language of love. And singing can be done literally at anyplace and at any time; all you need is just a few minutes of time. Some schools have also integrated music in their curriculum. There are innumerable great voices in this world and some are even waiting to be discovered still. However, learning music was restricted to only art schools or private tutors. But now, with the advent of technology and the rapid progress it is making musicians and aspiring musicians have been blessed with opportunities that could not have been imaginable just a couple of years earlier as well.
There are innumerable genres of music in this world which we are not even aware of. And now we are able to access all of them with just a click of a button. We are able to listen to any song from our mobile devices from any location with just an internet connection. And taking the present scenario into consideration where everything we know of, starting from grocery shopping to work and schooling has gone online, it is definitely time to take the music lessons on the world wide web as well.
Being a teacher is not an easy job. You will be solely responsible for your entire student’s schedules, progression, lessons etc. Though you have the same responsibilities even on an online platform, however it comes with its own benefits.
Here are a few-
- Flexible timings
- Flexible location
- Efficient sharing of course material
- Implement diverse and enriching learning
- Great online resources
and many more.
Now, let us get to the main content, how to run a successful music school?
In order to discuss this topic you need to know how to basically build your music class online. There is not much difference between developing an online music tutorial and a regular academic tutorial. The only difference being in the execution and methods of teaching. Here are the pointers required to build a robust and efficient virtual music school.
Let’s get started!
1. Choose your target audience
This is the foremost step one needs to take in order to even start planning your business and revenue models. This step plays an extremely crucial role in determining the course of your tutoring business. There can be many classifications done based on various criteria’s. But the major points you need to keep in mind while deciding the student base you choose are-
- Their age
- Their prior music learning experience
- Their knowledge of music
- Their purpose to learn
2. Finalize a business plan and revenue model
This is like the foundation you lay in order to build strong virtual tutorials. Below are a few things you need to consider while laying out your business plan.
- Target audience
- Your subject matter expertise
- The syllabus you want to impart
- Duration of your classes
- Method of teaching etc.
Based on the business plan you devise, you need to exercise suitable revenue model as well. Here are the most widely used revenue systems used in this field.
- Membership based model
- Subscription based model
- Pay-per-class model
There is no hard and fast rule that you need to follow only these models, by combining any of the above you can also create your own version of the revenue model which will suit your tutorials the best.
3. Determine the course material
There are numerous aspects you need to think about before laying out the outline for your materials. You can possibly take two types of classes.
- Certification course
- General classes
Each requires separate type of materials and modified teaching techniques. Given that you have finalized on the target audience you will have an idea about what you want to teach in your online classes. Build your materials with these as your joining dots.
- Primary goal to achieve
- Categories the teaching materials per relevance
- Connecting topics to another
- Evaluate student’s learnings
4. Develop your own online tutorial
It is not compulsory to start your tutorials only by building your own virtual platform. You can first subscribe to another established platform and then later slowly move on to your own. This way you will also get an opportunity to learn the inside operations, revenue system, technical aspects etc.
However, if you want to start your own website, here are two options you can use to develop your very own online tutorials.
- Developing the website from scratch
- Purchasing a ready-made turnkey solution
Both have their own pros and cons. But the first options will need more time and money compared to the 2nd option. The advantages of buying a turnkey solution is-
- Open sourced coding
- Customizable
- One Time payment
- Full technical support
- Installation help
- Domain and server assistance
While choosing which turnkey solution to purchase you need to be weary of the below features-
- Quality video and audio streaming facility
- Notification Alerts
- Class scheduler
- Payment gateways
- Dashboards dedicated to the admin, tutors and students
- Review and rating system
Here are a few best software providers – Apple final cut pro, Adobe captivate, Pinlearn and many more.
5. How to keep your students engaged?
The struggle for attention is the same whether it is with physical classes or online. You need to be more creative and always have some tricks up your sleeves. The normal textbook methods have become very mundane and boring for the students. You need to come up with a contingency plan. Here are a few options you can blend in with your teaching.
- Conduct group activities
- Give control to your students during a few classes
- You can also conduct some fun activities related to the music lessons
- Conduct tests and competitions to keep the scene lively and interesting
- Invite guest teachers and demonstrators etc.
6. Determining the marketing strategies for your tutorials
With so much hard work put in, you need to market and promote yourself in such a way that you even reach an international audience. The basic aim of marketing an online platform is to get great visibility which will in turn result in gaining more student base. This is only possible if you land a good ranking on the search engine result page(SERP). To help you achieve this here are some tried and proven methods that you can also use to promote yourself.
- Content marketing -> email marketing, blog writing, vlogging, SEO technique etc.
- Digital marketing -> paid search ads, display ads, listing ads etc.
- Social Media marketing -> Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram etc.
- Marketing through the feedbacks received -> reviews, testimonials, ratings
You can also choose and combine more than one method to promote and market your tutorials.
With all the above steps you will be able to achieve your goal of running a successful music school. If approached with the right attitude will undoubtedly take your class the enriching experience that makes it stand apart from others. With the ever demanding world, good tutorials are also in great demand. Hope this article was of help to you and you were able to gain some knowledge regarding the steps required to build a reputable online music school.
If you need further clarifications or any other information do contact us anytime. We are always here to help!
