Music Teacher's Helper and Me Part 3 (or Part 2 Rewritten)

Sometimes technology hates me.  Actually, I just made a dumb mistake and didn't catch it soon enough to undo it, so I totally lost the text for the post "Music Teacher's Helper and Me Part 2".  If anyone was so amazed by it that you saved it and printed it, please send me a copy.  Since the chance of that are slim to none, I decided to try to reconstruct something resembling what the first post looked like.  I remember that although it was intended to be a post about what I learned at convention about MTH, I didn't really learn a lot new, so I used that post to comment on how I am using all the cool new things I learned about while preparing the session.

This post will hopefully help me pull some thoughts together.  I have an article to write for the MMTA newsletter.  It won't really resemble this much, but believe it or not, it really does help me to just write like this.  I'll try to remember to post a link to the article when it is done.

Home Page

Your home page can be customized to include any or all of the following:  unreconciled events, upcoming events, birthdays, latest blog articles, account information, a monthly earnings chart, and overdue lent items.  I like having the account and earnings info come up every time I log in.  If you are up to date with charging fees and reconciling lessons, you can see exactly what you pending earnings are and who owes you.  (Unfortunately, due to a change in the way I am entering the charges in the system, and the fact that I haven't updated old accounts, this feature isn't as helpful for me as it could be.)  I also have the unreconciled events show up on my home page, but I've decide not to include more items because it was just too much for me on one page.  

Students Tab

The pages included under this tab are the ones that I've been trying to make better use of in the last few months.  MTH recently updated the manage student page.  One of the helps of that update is that now when you click on "view", you are taken to one page from which you can easily access all information relating to that particular student.  It's still not quite as clean a process as I would like it to be, but it is an improvement.  

I've always used the email feature, but now that I am being more complete on the information that I include on students' individual files, I can also quickly select just the particular group that I want.  For example, if something applies only to my EVHS students, I can enter EVHS in the filter and it will pull up only the EVHS students and their parents. I'm also getting more comfortable with some of the formatting options in the MTH email page.

Only a few of my students are using the MTH practice log.  (I don't require it.)  I'm also having trouble remembering to check the logs.  I wish the practice log information was included in the daily summary emails that I receive.  Although there is great potential with this feature, I'm not using it as well as I probably could.  

I am doing much better with the Lending Library.  All of my materials that circulate are now entered in the system.  I've been checking things in and out during lessons so I'm not forgetting or getting behind.  Once it is all set up, the Lending Library is very quick and easy to use.  

Repertoire Tracker is another area where I'm just not doing all I would like to.  I think I really do need to spend lesson time on this or it won't get done.  I might end up just using it to record songs that students use for contests.  I like the ability to record information about the score the student received.  

Calendar Tab

I am pleased to announce that the calendar features are being well used.  I am now using my MTH calendar as my personal calendar too.  (I just added myself as a student.)  I've added several new categories and locations with their own individual colors and icons.  It looks pretty good.  

I required all students and parents to have log in information, and now all scheduling, canceling, and rescheduling is on the website.  I love it!   No more phone or email tag trying to set things up.  A student signs up on the website, it is automatically changed on my calendar, and I receive an email to let me know that a change has been made.  The only tricky thing is that I still need to go in a change the price when a student cancels with the required 48 hours notice.

I've also discovered that when setting up the calendar, if you use the blocked dates page, you can choose a range of days rather than blocking just one day at a time on the actual calendar.

My MTH calendar also sends updated to the calendars on my computer and phone so I see things there too.  Unfortunately, it doesn't work the other way around, so everything has to be entered in MTH first.  I also can't edit events in iCal or on my phone.  If someone has found ways around this, please let me know.

Billing Tab

There are things I need to clean up and do better with in this area.  Because I charge quarterly, but it isn't at a regular interval (like the 15th of every 3 months), I can't set it up to charge tuition automatically.  What I used to do was divide the tuition by the number of lessons and have the system charge a per lesson fee.  But that got messy when dealing with make up lessons, etc.  Last year, I changed to making lessons $0 and then using the charge a fee function to enter the full price of tuition.  It worked much better, but unfortunately, there are still a few things to clean up from previous years.  

I also want to get better at using the mileage tracker and expenses records.  I always put my expenses in, but it's usually as I'm preparing my taxes at the end of the year.  I want to get better at recording things right away.  I also think that some of the travel I am doing could count as a business expense, so I need to do a better job of recording that.  

My goal for reports is to download and back up the information more often.  If the entire MTH site crashed (which is highly unlikely, but still possible) would I still be able to reconstruct my records?  I'm a firm believer in having multiple back ups in place.  I just downloaded my latest reports and in addition to saving them on my computer, I emailed them to myself so there is a copy in my email too.  

Website Tab

This tab is where you control all the content of your site.  One of the reasons I chose MTH is that it allowed me to make password protected files available to my students.  I have about 30 handouts that I used to copy and give to students as we discussed that material. Now I just put a note in their lesson notes to go log in and look at the related file on the website.  I'm saving paper and time by having these all ready to go and making them easily accessible to my students.  I've been working revising all of my handouts (about 30 right now), creating PDFs of them, and posting them in the File Area.  

I need to learn more about how to post photos.  I don't like the way it is set up right now.  

I'm also hoping to get better about posting announcements on the website.  I send out a lot of email communications, but I need to remember to get the short version on the website too.  

I just spent some time updating the information on the various pages of my website.  I'm not saying that it's totally what I want yet, but it is better.

Affiliate Program

I haven't made any money yet through the affiliate program, but if you're interested in creating your own Music Teacher's Helper website, please click here to get 10% off your first month.  Then you too can join the affiliate program and make money (maybe) just by telling people about Music Teacher's Helper.  

Music Lists and Easy Rebates on Sheet Music Plus

For years I have been getting mailings from Sheet Music Plus telling me about their Easy Rebates Program. And I would keep them in my "think about it" pile and then eventually they would end up in recycle.  For one thing, Easy Rebates gives you 8% back (plus there are still shipping costs) and the place where I do my local shopping gives me 10% off.  Amazon also seemed to have better deals, especially when they qualified for Free Shipping.  I wanted my students to be able to get the best possible price, so I often just gave them a link to Amazon.

That is changing.  I finally just decided to sign up for Easy Rebates.  I might not make any money, but a little bit is better than nothing.  I added a banner on my blog.  When people click that link to get to Sheet Music Plus and then they buy something, I qualify for the rebate.  I changed things on my Resources page of my MTH site so that Sheet Music Plus (with my special "make me money" link) is the easiest of the places to find for ordering music.

All that was good.  I was opening things up for potential income, but I wasn't expecting anything.  Then I discovered that even if I don't make any money at this, I'm still going to keep using their system for making music lists.  I love it!  I can make a list very quickly and easily that contains just the books that I want a particular student to purchase.  It doesn't take me any longer to do than it did to search amazon and then cut and paste the link into a student's lesson notes.  Sheet Music Plus gives me a special link just to that particular music list and I include in with lesson notes.  I tell students that they are welcome to look other places, but all the info they need about the books (title, cost, publisher, etc.) is easily accessed when they click on the link.  Why should I feel bad if they choose to go this easy route rather than doing some searching on their own to find the best deal available?   It's not my job to do their shopping.

I'm very excited about this feature of their program.  I've used it a couple of times already and hope that it will make everything easier this fall.  I'll let you know in a few months how things are going with this.

Revising My Studio Guide

Warning:  This post might seem a little rambling and/or disjointed, but I'm finding that the process of writing this post is very helpful for me in refining my studio guide.

I used to have a studio policy, but since I've started posting it on my Music Teacher's Helper website and their tab says "Studio Guide", I've started leaning towards that name instead.  For one thing, a policy is a list of rules and penalties or an explanation of procedures.  I want the main document about my studio to be more than that.  By calling it a guide, it makes it feel more user friendly (yes, I do love that term.)  It's more like saying, "Here are the ways to succeed in my studio," rather than the "Do this or else" feeling of a policy.  Hopefully, it's not so user friendly that students see it as suggestions rather than the way things work in my studio.

Another reason I am leaning towards a Studio Guide is the length of my current document (9 pages of 12pt).  It really is a small book and the word "guide" just seems more appropriate for that.  (Yes, I know some government policies and legal documents can be BIG books, but stay with me here.)  My studio guide is much longer than the guides/policies of many of my colleagues, but I want my students and their parents to be able to find complete answers quickly and easily.  I've also been teaching in a high school setting for many years and I've seen a lot of problems when things were not spelled out in detail.

My studio guide is divided into sections with headings in bold and then short paragraphs or bullet points explaining the things I want them to know.  For example, under the Tuition heading, you will find all the information about the quarterly cost of lessons for each length of lessons.  You will also see the due dates, information on how to pay online, how to address checks, my mailing address, and penalties for not paying in a timely fashion.

As it stands right now, my studio guide includes these sections:

• Concurrent study with another teacher (I don't allow it.)
• Communication (Please tell me if you have problems or if something we are trying doesn't work. This also includes all the ways to contact me and how they will receive communications from me.  
• Website (How to use it.)
• Tuitions Payments and Lesson Scheduling
• Your Lessons Will Include...
• Practicing
• Attendance Policy
• Health
• Supplies Needed
• Use of the Lending Library
• Repertoire and Technique (What kinds of songs you'll be singing and why.)
• Studio Classes, Recitals, and Workshops (Extra learning opportunities covered by your tuition and no you don't get a refund if you don't come.)
• Solo/Ensemble Contest and Other Performance Opportunities
• Accompanist Fees

As you can see, just the bullet points of the sections is a lot of information, but I think it is essential information that is important for students and parents to know from the very beginning.  

Every year I revise my policy/guide and I will be revising all the way until the school starts this year.  If you are interested in seeing last year's documents, you can click on the Studio Guide tab at www.jeanninerobinett.com.  Check back in mid-September to see the full new and improved version.  The past couple of years, I have deleted whole sections, replacing them with a note about which document in the File Area to view for more information.

• My section on practicing is much shorter than it used to be, but students and parents are referred to the document in the File Area to get more information on practicing effectively.  
• I used to include a section about my expectations of where students should be before a performance (when they should be memorized, polished, etc.).  This year, I decided that all the other documents I have in the file area should give them the info they need.  I deleted this section from the guide and just included this statement, "I reserve the right to cancel the performance of any student who is not adequately prepared. The student will still be responsible for any non-refundable fees associated with that performance."
  
  
  

Every year, I also add or tweak a few items to make them clearer.  Additions and changes for this year include:

• A very clear statement that outside of lessons I will communicate with them mostly through email and that students and parents need to check email frequently and will be responsible for any information that is sent.  
• Clearer language regarding quarter payments since somehow 3 different families thought that the payment they made at the beginning of the year covered all year.   
• I've also made a change this year to quarterly payments for all students that want a regular lesson time.  Other students can sign up when I have openings and pay a per lesson fee.  There is a big section explaining how this will work.  I'm hoping to cut it down a little bit before I publish.  
• Information about accompanist fees.  I want students to know up front that extra performances and recordings will require not only an investment of their time, but an investment of their money as well.  
• Tips for using my website more effectively, including how to get new user names and passwords and a video to walk them through the website.  
• This year I also added a few bullet points before the main body of the guide.  These give short answers to the most frequently asked questions and refer people to full guide for more details. These are this year's bullet points (and yes, I do know people for whom this would stand alone as a policy, but if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm much more wordy than most people.)
• Contact me through the website at www.jeanninerobinett.com
• All parents and students must have email accounts and check them frequently for messages from me. 
• All parents and students should have usernames and passwords for the website. 
• Quarterly tuition is due prior to the first date of each new quarter (with the exception of 1st quarter.) Read below for other pricing and details on how to pay. 
• When it is necessary to cancel lessons, student must do so on the website 48 hours in advance or they still have to pay for that time. 
• Students will be asked to purchase music. Be sure and check the box on your Policy Signature form that lets me know how much money you can spend. 
• The cost of studio classes, recitals, and some workshops are included in your tuition, but will not be refunded if you choose not to attend. All other events will have additional entrance and/or accompanist fees. 

Because the document changes every year, each fall when school starts, I require every student to fill out a new policy signature form basically saying that they have read, understood, and agree to abide by everything in the studio guide.  That signature form also gets revisions each year.  This year, I am stealing an idea from the choir department. On their handbook signature forms, they ask students to list all the concert dates.  So this year, on my policy signature form I am asking students write in all the tuition due dates.

Lastly, I want to let you know about a feature that I just figured out last year.  When you set up your website pages in MTH, you can set up parent pages and create drop down lists.  So if you click on Studio Guide, you will get my last year's studio policy for non-EVHS students.  But if you hover over Studio Guide, you will see a drop down list that includes the summer addendum, last year's EVHS policy,  and the policy signature form, plus a file about lesson formats that incorporate more theory or tai chi.  This year, because of the changes to lesson scheduling and tuition, I will just do one studio guide which will make things even clearer for students and parents.

I used this same feature to create a drop-down list under registration.  If a student has already had lessons with me, my MTH registration form reminds them not to fill it out again.  In early August, a form will be added to the drop down list for students who are planning to return in the fall.  The other document in the drop down list is a form required by the school for EVHS students.

Tell me about your studio policies/guides.  You're also welcome to tell me that mine is so long and busy that no one will actually read it.  That's fine.  I don't really care if they read it or not, but I will hold them accountable for everything in it, and I will not accept, "but you didn't tell me," as an excuse.

Handouts Are Now Downloads

When I first started using Music Teacher's Helper, one of the features that I was most interested in was the ability to post files for students to view.  I was tired of making copies and having students lose them and ask for more.  Plus I wanted to save a few trees.  By using the File Area feature with MTH, students can have access to all my handouts whenever they want to use them.  I have a classroom set printed up that we use for studio classes and as reference in lessons, but if students want to have their own copy, they go to the website and print it themselves.

The way the program is set up, when I upload a file, I get to choose whether I want it to appear on the Resources page of my website where it is available to the whole world, or if I only want it available to students and parents after they log in.  If you only want it available after you log in, you can also choose if you want all users to be able to see it or you can choose specific people to view that file.  For example, my handout on practicing is available to all my students after they log in (and I really hope they use it).  I could also scan a student's Solo and Ensemble critique form and select only that student and his or her parents as viewers.    So far I haven't done that much.  (Mostly because I need to fix my printer/copier/scanner that has been broken for far too long, but that's another story.)

When I first started using the File Area, I posted all of my regular handouts, plus a few things compiled for specific studio classes.  This summer, I decided that I need to find quicker ways of doing lesson notes, so I created a whole bunch of new files describing specific concepts or exercises.  Now I can just put the key words into students' lesson notes and they can go find the file if they need more specific reminders.

This morning, I created these new files, each covering a specific topic that I will cover in lessons.  Some like straws and body mapping are spread out over multiple weeks.

• Breathing, Resonance, Vowels (Basics)
• Straws
• Body Mapping
• Chocolate Cake Principle
• Personal Positive Pep Talks
• Trains and Train X3
• Spray Paint and Laser Beams

I'm also in the process of revising my Listening List and Recommended Reading files. Comment if you have any recommendations for singers for my students to listen to or books/articles for them to read.

The big bonus of all of this work with the files of handouts and writing these blogs is that if I ever actually get around to writing my book, most of the information will already be there, just waiting for my to revise and organize.  

Music Teacher's Helper: Tricks and Tips Part 1

On Monday, June 10th, I'll be leading a discussion session at MMTA Convention about using Music Teacher's Helper (MTH).  I've been using the system since 2009, but I'm still learning and I'm still slowly adding features to how I regularly use it.  This post will cover a few basics and then some of the latest tips I've learned.  

First, although I tend to have an easier time figuring things out on my own rather than following instructions, I did learn a few new things from watching the videos that MTH has produced.  You can view them here.

Second, the support options MTH offers are wonderful.  You can check search FAQS or the Knowledge Base.  You can get ideas from other teachers by participating in the Community Forum. And of course, there are ways to contact MTH directly, by email or phone number to get help with your specific issues.  I've called a couple of times when I had a time sensitive question.  Most of the time I email and receive a helpful answer often within an hour,  and if not that soon, within the same day.  Following their blog is another way to learn more about how to make MTH work for you.  

Third, MTH is willing to listen if you have problems with the way the system currently works or suggestions for improvements.  Go here to suggest an idea, vote on someone else's suggestion, or comment on suggestions.  

As I mentioned before, I'm still incorporating some features into how I use the system.  This year, I started using make up credits.  There are some improvements I've commented on and hope they consider, but even with it's flaws, I've found it very helpful.  

Make up credits

When reconciling a missed or cancelled lesson, I just click the option to issue a make up lesson credit.  Then when the student does reschedule, I just select the make-up credit that I want to use for that lesson and the credit is closed.  You can search closed and pending credits by date and by student to see how you or your students are doing with keeping up with make up lessons.  By using this feature this year, I learned that I am far too lenient with offering make up lessons, and the students only made up about half of the lessons that I offered credits for.  The suggestion that I'm really hoping to see incorporated is to have an automatic expiration date for these so I don't have to close them individually.  That suggestion is currently under review.  

Lending Library

Another great feature of the system is the Lending Library.  It was time consuming to enter all the books and sheet music that I have available to loan out, but now that the date has been entered, I can check things out with just a few simple clicks.  I like the fact that I can select a due date and have an automatic reminder send to the student.  

Repertoire Tracker

I would love to use the Repertoire Tracker more, but I find it's current setup too time consuming.  If anyone has any great suggestions, please let me know.  I would love to keep track of scores and ratings for MMTA contests and exams, as well as school events like Solo and Ensemble Contests, and have it all in one handy place.  

Practice Log

Another feature I haven't really pushed with the students is the Practice Log.  Have any of you found this helpful?  How do you encourage kids to use it?

Calendar

The calendar is probably the most important item.  Here are some tricks I've recently learned:

• Have students register for studio classes, recitals, and other events.  
• To allows students to sign up for their own lesson times, post events as "Open", require registration, and then limit the number of registrants to 1.  I'm trying this out over the summer.  
• I love click and drag (and wish I could do it for more than one entry at a time).  
• I used to delete the events individually or have to delete the whole day and then add back in the few students that I was teaching.  Now, if I need to delete part of a day, but not every lesson, I drag the entries I want to delete to a Sunday (when I don't teach), and then click delete all events for that day.  I used to delete the events individually or have to delete the whole day and then add back in the few students that I was teaching.  
• You can change how your calendar is set up by clicking settings, and then going to the calendar tab.  I've always just used the month view, because the day and week views were hard to read because my lessons during the school year don't start on the hour.  A few quick clicks and now all the views are easier for me to use.  I wish I had known about this earlier.  
• When you click and drag within the week view, it changes the time too.  When you do this on the month view, you have to go in and edit the time.  
• I'm now using the MTH calendar as my everything calendar.  The tai chi studio I work with is listed as one of my students and classes that I am assisting in are one color and classes I'm subbing for are another.  I also added myself as a student (with my own special color) so I can add personal items such as doctor visits, etc.  
• I learned how to sync my MTH and iCal calendars.  (Again, click settings and then the calendar tab after you click settings).  

Online payments

I just signed up for PayPal and enabled online payments on my website.  I'm going to try it out for the summer to see how often it is used and how much it actually ends up costing me.  I'll let you know how that goes.  

Affiliate Program

I also just signed up for the Affiliate Program so I can earn money when a friend or colleague opens a new account.  (I wish I'd had it earlier.  I was among the first of my colleagues to get in to this system.)

I'm currently offering 10% off your first month.  Click here or on the banner you see in the sidebar if you are not yet using MTH and would like to give it a try.  

Please comment to share how you use Music Teacher's Helper, and check back next week for a report on what we discussed at the convention.