Resources Mentioned

• My Go-To Plan for First Piano Lessons

• Printable Rhythm Pattern Cards

• Customizable Email Templates for Studio Teachers

Years ago, I received an email from a piano teacher asking about initial consultations and interviews.

“What do you do? What questions do you ask? How long should it be? What materials do you give them?” These are great questions!

Here are some of the reasons I offer consultations to prospective families in my studio:

1. They give you an opportunity to meet prospective students (and their parents) face-to-face before either of you commit to lessons.

2. For students who are transferring from another teacher, it's important to see what music they're currently working on, assess what they know, and determine where you want to begin in your first lesson.

In this episode, you’ll learn how to structure a prospective student consultation (including what to have the student bring or prepare ahead of time), six questions to ask, how to plan your time together, and how to onboard new students and families after the consultation.

How to Structure Your Consultation

For most of us, consultations fall into two main categories: New Students and Transfer Students.

For new students, I usually ask the parent(s) or guardians and child to meet face-to-face for a 15- to 20-minute consultation/meet and greet.

I often do my 10-minute, go-to "introduction to the piano" lesson and get the child playing groups of two and three black keys up and down the keyboard, playing C-D-E and F-G-A-B groups, and reading quarter and half note rhythms, which they’ve usually learned in music class at school at this point. We also do an improv activity, a few technique things to explore their fine motor skills, and explore how the piano is made and what kinds of sounds it can make. I ask them about their piano at home and encourage them to explore it in the same way.

If the student has taken lessons before, I like to use this initial meeting time to get a sense of where to place them. Often, I've had an initial conversation with the parent(s) or guardians, by phone or email, before the consultation, so I am aware of their lesson history, what books they've been using, what performance experiences they’ve had, etc.

I usually ask the student to bring their books to the consultation, prepare something familiar to play for me, and do a little sight-reading (rhythmic reading, playing, transposing a short melody, etc.). I ask questions as we go to get a sense of what they know and jot down a few notes for myself, based on my observations (strengths, weaknesses, technique, etc.).

(Read more about interviewing transfer students, what to look for, and questions to ask.)

6 Questions to Ask Prospective Students

For both types of consultations, I ask the student questions like:

• Why do you want to take piano lessons?

• What kind of music do you like to listen to?

• Have you taken lessons before? What was that like?

• How much time do you spend practicing or playing at home?

• What prior music experiences have you had? This is where you learn about their experiences in the school play, community theater, summer camps, and more.

• What other hobbies and interests do you have? Maybe they play a sport. Maybe they take an art class. Maybe they’re an Irish dancer.

If the parent answers all the questions for the child, that's a red flag for me.

I want to work with students who genuinely want to be there, who demonstrate curiosity about the instrument, who want to learn how to play, much more than students who are there only because their parents are making them take lessons.

Related post: Ep. 020 - Asking the Right Kinds of Questions

How to Prepare for a Consultation

I've done consultations a few different ways.

I used to bring copies of my studio policies and expectations (with a copy for the parent or student, depending on age, to sign and return).

Then several years ago, I put together a welcome packet for prospective families with an introductory letter from me, a copy of my studio policies and expectations (for me as the teacher, the parents or guardians, and the student), a studio calendar, tuition rates, and a fee schedule.

Depending on the situation, I either bring this to the consultation or send it via email in advance.

For transfer student interviews, I usually bring a few books for sight-reading, a set of rhythm cards, which I sell in my shop, and maybe a few short folk tunes for harmonizing or transposing. I also bring some repertoire books that I think may be a good fit for the student and gauge their interest and readiness.

Onboarding a New Student

If you’re like me, you have limited space in your studio at any given time. If it looks like I might have an opening, I often go ahead and schedule a consultation with a prospective family to assess whether or not we’d be a good fit for each other. 

In these cases, I tell the family upfront: "I may have an opening this fall, so let's go ahead and schedule a consultation."

If I end up not having space in my studio, I send a follow-up email that reads something like this:

"It was so nice meeting you and ____ (student’s name) last week! Unfortunately, it looks like I will not have an opening this semester. I'd be happy to add you to my waiting list for next semester, or if something opens up sooner, or if you’d like, I can refer you to another teacher that may be able to schedule something sooner."

For more pre-written email templates for music teachers, see my Customizable Email Templates for Studio Teachers—a collection of 30 emails I write and send in my private studio every year. See what’s included >>

I also like to give parents the opportunity to opt out after the consultation, if they feel we are not the right fit for each other. This saves everyone time and hassle in the long run.

I recently had this happen with a family—they had a 5th grader who had been taking lessons for a few years but was looking for a teacher at school, for convenience. Both parents were doctors and were very enthusiastic and quick to respond to my emails. So, we set up a consultation. The parents sat in the room during the lesson consult, but I noticed they were both on their phones the whole time, not paying attention to what we were doing. The student was obviously very interested in the instrument, loved playing for me, and was eager to try new things and talk about recent performances.

After the consultation, I spoke with the parents about a lesson time that might work, music recommendations, an upcoming performance opportunity, and when we could start.

The next day, I sent them an email officially offering them a spot in my studio. If I am offering a spot to someone after a consult, I usually write:

"It was so nice meeting you and ____ (student’s name) yesterday! It looks like I will have an opening this semester and I'd love to have ____ (student’s name) in my studio. I have ____ (day/time) available. Will this work for you? Please let me know if you'd like to go ahead and schedule lessons. I look forward to hearing from you!"

With this particular family, I also included a copy of my studio policies, a sign-up form for the upcoming performance, and an invoice.

Days went by. I think it was almost a week before I received an email from one of the parents saying they loved meeting me, but were going to keep looking for a teacher. The reason? They found my policies too restrictive. As a family who travels frequently, they’re looking for a teacher with more flexibility for rescheduling, taking breaks, and offering make-ups.

This could have been avoided if I had been more upfront with my policies and expectations—then we would have figured out right away that we aren’t a good fit for each other, at least in this season of life.

So the takeaway here is to be clear in your communication and upfront in the onboarding process about your expectations, studio requirements, and policies. Don’t wait until you’re sending the first invoice and preparing for the first lesson to talk about these things and get on the same page.

Summary

In sum, I’ve found consultations to be a helpful way to not only assess a student’s readiness and musical aptitude, but get to know them and their family to ensure that you’ll work well together. Again, this goes both ways—are you the best teacher for them? Will they be a good student for you?

I’d love to hear from you:

Do you do consultations with prospective families? I’d love to hear about your experience. What kinds of things do you include? What have you learned through the years?