Don’t Miss Promotional Opportunities at Your Recital!
Literally speaking, producing a recital is the act of looking back and showing what you have learned or accomplished over the course of a school year. It’s all about making great memories that can be enjoyed for years to come. The whole recital experience is full of memory-capture elements such as the recital program book, […]
Studio Owner Dance Recital Checklist: 4 Weeks Out
I remember it so clearly…during one of my early years of studio ownership, I was sitting at the kitchen table with my head in my hands, completely paralyzed and overwhelmed. We had just crossed into the month of April and there were SO MANY things that I still needed to do in order to get […]
Making the Most of Your Studio Dance Recital
Of the many hats studio owners wear, one of the most important ones is that of a marketer for our business. In fact, if you think of all of the ways you have marketed your studio over the past year you will probably be surprised to find out just how much time is spent promoting […]
Dance Class Size: Why 9 Students Are Much Less Profitable Than 8
About seven years ago I was a partner in a business that managed five daycare centers. It was an excellent learning experience, but one lesson continues to rise above the rest: The concept of “break points” in enrollment. And, this is how I learned that 9 students are less profitable than 8! Curious about this […]
4 New Ways to Increase Dance School Registration
When I was a child and my mom went to enroll me in dance classes, there was only ONE OPTION: sign up for a weekly class for an entire school year. In fact, enrolling in a weekly, 9-month class was the ONLY way to get involved with dance lessons for my entire childhood and it […]
Three Ways to Evaluate Your Dance School Enrollment
As I travel the country talking to studio owners the question I hear exchanged more often than any other is some version of: “How big is your studio?” I understand the motivation behind the question and have asked it several times myself. I believe the enrollment size questions are motivated by a few things: We […]
Dance Studio Teacher Staff Meetings That ROCK
The school supply lists are posted at Target, the mailbox is filling up with registration paperwork for my children’s schools and Facebook is blowing up with pictures of kids in backpacks. It’s officially time for back-to-school and that means it’s time to get serious about back-to-dance! As a studio owner, I’m a big fan of […]
First Impressions Still Matter
In business we call it “first impressions.” Psychologists call it “thin slicing.” Regardless of what you call it, career experts say it takes just three seconds for someone to determine whether they like you and want to do business with you. According to BusinessInsider.com (2015), you have even less time to make a good first […]
Summer Dance Camps and More: Filling Hours at Your Studio
To borrow a made up word by one of my favorite bloggers, Glennon Doyle Melton, Summer is a BRUTIFUL season at the dance studio. BRUTIFUL? Yes. Beautiful + brutal = brutiful. Summer at the dance studio is BEAUTIFUL for several reasons: It’s a break from the marathon of weekly classes. There is a more relaxed […]
Dance Studio Registration: Back-to-School Starts TODAY!
It’s mid-April, right? If you own a dance studio, that’s not EXACTLY true. It may be the middle of April on your Google calendar, but if you are like me, your mind is somewhere closer to September. Not convinced? Just take a look at your to-do list. Finalize fall schedule Find one more teacher for […]
Backstage Management Tools for Dance Recitals
As a studio owner, I have three lists running in my brain at all times. I’m always asking myself the following three questions: What needs to be done today? What needs to be done in the next 2-6 months? What can I make for dinner without going to the store? (Not kidding on that last […]
Parent Teacher Conference for Dancers
Looking back, I feel like I have had three different lives as a studio owner: Studio owner before kids. Studio owner with young kids. Studio owner with kids in other activities. Before I had children, my studio centered on the needs of the classes. Whatever worked best for the classes took first place. If we […]
7 Ways to Ensure a Strong Dance Summer
As I sit down to write this article, it’s 10 below zero outside the doors of my studio. We are in the depths of winter in Wisconsin and summer is on my mind. But, I’m not thinking about vacations or visits to the local pool. My mind is fixed on the programming I can offer […]
It’s Halftime: Mid-Season Dance Teacher Reviews
It’s halftime! No, I’m not talking about football (and I call the Packers’ mid-game break “intermission” anyway). I’m talking about halftime of the DANCE SEASON—the midway point for studio owners between the first days of class and the finish line of recital. By now you are far enough into classes to be past the busyness […]
Dance Studio Registration Tips – The Final PUSH
When I started my business, I started dance studio registration in June of each year and closed it in early November because that was when we measured students and ordered recital costumes. After that time we were technically closed to new students until summer brochures came out in March of the following year—a registration flow […]
