I get asked all the time what online systems and processes I use as a self-employed music teacher!
Such as... What website host do you use? How do you keep track of all of your students' families? How do you send all of those onboarding emails without forgetting any? How do you give online music lessons? How do you accept payments? And more.
I found that there are some free options that work for some of these functions, but it was really hard to get them to "talk" to each other, and often there were glitches or other frustrating technical issues. Once I found a system that does it all, I realized it was worth paying for so that I didn't waste time on glitches or having to do those onboarding tasks manually. Once I set it all up, it automatically sends emails or adds new students to the appropriate tags so that I send them what they are supposed to receive. It even includes Zoom, so I don't have to pay for that separately!
My all-in-one resource is called AttractWell. It is a CRM, blog, website, landing page system, payment processor, and more all rolled into one, and their customer support has been amazing. I even asked to go "between" their different levels at one point because I didn't need to upgrade yet, and they were so easy to work with. A simple email got me exactly what I was looking for, saved me money, and provided what I needed.
I know that there are other resources out there created specifically for music teachers, but this has worked so well for not only my music teaching business, but other aspects of my other multiple income streams as well, making it a great option if you want to be multi-versed or generate income from multiple places.
Today is Prime Big Deals Day!
Here are bunch of my favorite Amazon finds as a music teacher mom, most of which happen to be part of the deals today, too. I use these ALL the time in my home and teaching space.
1. Rubber Chicken! We play a game called chickens & foxes with ours, there's lots of other uses. My students named him drumstick, haha! He's also a great model of open tall vowels for choir.
2. Googly eye rings! I use these for arioso, small group singing, and conversations in song back & forth between students.
3. This super cozy nursing and maternity sweatshirt -- so nice for fall/winter days and for nursing baby discreetly!
4. This white noise sound machine has been the best. It's not too big, so great for traveling. And even has colors if you need a night light feature.
5. These footed pants were SO cozy when baby was tiny. 10/10 recommend, especially if you have a fall/winter baby! This is all my baby girl wore except for footies last winter.
6. A pickler triangle set -- this is a great toddler activity for those cold winter days where we're all cooped up inside because it's too cold to even play in the snow. I am getting one for my baby girl for Christmas.
7. Classroom instruments are a great way to engage students without breaking the bank. I typically own only 1-2 of each instrument and we grow in patience, social skills, waiting, turning taking, etc by only using one. Here are a few I found on sale today: cabasa set, rainbow streamers for expressive movement, wood block, guiros, juggling scarves, and more!
8. Non toxic crayons! Perfect for beginning babies who are going to put them in their mouth.
9. I am getting this busy board for my baby girl because a friend recommended it for long car rides (or air plane rides!).
10. This musician's journal I created -- fun colors! You have SO MANY notebooks you're writing in allll the time too? You're in good company.
11. So much silly fun with pop tubes!
There's more, but this is a great start. Happy shopping!
