Want to make no-shows a thing of the past? Mike Risko Music has just about eradicated no-shows from its lesson program, and here, company founders Mike and Miriam Risko share their tried-and-true ideas. They reveal how to set up and communicate an effective policy, popular alternatives for no-shows that parents love and how to successfully use video lessons and video assignments. Find out how to ensure students get their lessons when they can’t make it and your teachers get paid.

Don’t let common crises in your music lesson program hurt your student retention. In this session, Melissa Loggins of Music Authority offers practical tips to help you address the five biggest customer-service crises in a lesson business without losing your cool. She covers everything from handling late fees to parents who are unhappy with a cancellation policy.

At the 2019 NAMM Show, Eileen Tan of 7 Notes Music School shared her tips on how to hire the best teachers for your lesson program and business—and avoid bad hiring decisions. Tan guaranteed that you’ll save yourself time and mistakes by following these tips.

We’ve all heard that people are your greatest resource, and when it comes to building a successful lesson program, that goes double. The teachers you hire greatly affect sales and your business’ reputation. So, what makes a great music teacher? What should you look for when hiring or recruiting new teachers? Where and how do you find them? Jonathan Shue of Dusty Strings Music Store & School weighs in.

Big Music recently boosted student sign-ups in its lesson program by 15 percent, from 700 to more than 800 students—and did so without breaking the bank. In this session, Richard Berkman of Big Music reveals the cost-effective strategies behind his lesson program’s growth, and what they mean to your own lesson operation.

Resonate Music School & Studio is one of the fastest-growing lesson operations in North America, hosting 1,000 music lessons per week and operating a 24-hour-a-day recording studio. Here, Michael Cathrea, co-founder and president of Resonate, offers unique insight into how he and his team built the business to that size in just six years. Whether you have an established program or are just getting started, he’ll get you thinking differently about how to improve your lesson business.

Mike Risko Music now uses mindfulness concepts in its music lesson program. This has helped students and their parents get the most out of lessons and has also helped with retention. Here, company co-founders Mike and Miriam Risko share how they've incorporated mindfulness concepts into lessons—and how you can, too.

Adult students can be an untapped customer base for your music lesson program, but they require a much different approach than other students. Here, Jonathan Shue, education director of Dusty Strings Music Store & School, shares expert tips, best practices and ideas for helping potential adult students warm up to the idea of taking music lessons.

Wentworth Music has expanded its lesson program from 90 to nearly 1,000 students—and in a mid-size city of less than 200,000 people. Here, NAMM Top 100 finalist Noel Wentworth from Wentworth Music shares the eight strategies that made this possible. He dives into proven ideas for student retention, team development, teacher interviews, lesson do’s and don’ts, and more.

Keeping good teachers in your music lesson program can be as important as keeping your students and customers. When Melissa Loggins of Music Authority lost a handful of instructors recently, she had to adjust how she worked with her teachers. Find out how she improved her teacher retention in just 5 minutes a day, and how you can, too.