Meet the Entrepreneur
Marie Lee
This issue’s featured entrepreneur is independent teacher Marie Lee. She says, “I never wanted to be a piano teacher!” But fast forward 30 years and she is owner of Musicality Schools, a group piano school of more than 100 students in Las Vegas, Nevada. Watch video Read Transcript
Kristin Yost
Kristin Yost is the founder of Centre for Musical Minds. You may also know her as the author of How I Made $100,000 My First Year as a Piano Teacher and The Mindset of a $100,000 Piano Teacher.
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Raphaelita Justice
Raphaelita Justice is a passionate piano teacher, digital marketer and entrepreneur. She utilized a military grant to help launch Muse Piano Academy which offers in-person and online lessons for group music and piano, blending empathy and innovation to inspire her students. Learn more about Muse Piano Academy. Watch video Read Transcript
Jeremy Siskind
Jeremy Siskind is a jazz pianist, composer and author/publisher who teaches at Fullerton College. In this video, Jeremy reflects on his career path and current projects, sharing insights on key experiences and the entrepreneurial mindset that guided him to where he is now while offering advice for others with similar career goals. Learn more about Jeremy at http://jeremysiskind.com. Watch video Read Transcript
Jeeyoon Kim
Jeeyoon Kim is a classical pianist, author, podcaster, YouTuber and independent teacher in San Diego. She is passionate about creating classical music relevant to the 21st-century audience. For this short video, Kim was asked to describe her current career and entrepreneurial projects while sharing key steps that she would suggest to others hoping to follow a similar path. Learn more about her projects at jeeyoonkim.com. Watch video Read Transcript
Artina McCain
Meet the musicians’ advocate—Artina McCain! She has built a successful career that defies a traditional linear path. Her diversified career portfolio includes performing, teaching, arts administration, recording, speaking, repertoire expansion, and advocating for musicians’ wellness. In this video, Artina McCain reflects on her career path and current projects, sharing insights on key experiences and the entrepreneurial mindset that guided her to where she is now. One piece of advice that she would offer to emerging entrepreneurs is to embrace finding a mentor. Watch video Read Transcript
Josh Wright
Josh Wright is the recipient of MTNA’s 2023 Stecher and Horowitz Power of Innovation Award, a national award given to an individual who displays innovation and entrepreneurship in the field of music. His work in the field of online music teaching and performance has reached over 185,000 subscribers and 20 million views. For this short video, Wright was asked to describe his current projects/career while sharing key steps that guided him and advice that he would give to others hoping to follow a similar path. Watch video Read Transcript
Cody Goetz
Do’s and Don’ts of Starting a Non-Profit
Ever thought about starting or leading a nonprofit? Learn some Do’s and Don’ts about nonprofit leadership and management from an experienced nonprofit professional. Watch video
Debra Perez
How I Built a Thriving Business Around Teaching Adults to Play Piano
There are more adults who want to play the piano than we can imagine. Hear how Debra used this realization to start and grow a meaningful business that has helped thousands of adults learn to play the piano. Watch video
Tony Parlapiano
Keeping It Simple!
Triangles are Tony Parlapiano's favorite shape, and the triangle between student, parent and teacher satisfaction is an especially important one to him. In this video, Tony shares the varied approaches to studio structure he has experienced through the years, ending with his current decision to move from private lessons to individually accessed online classes. Watch video
Alyssa Haffner
Group Lessons…
Wondering how to begin offering group lessons? Alyssa Haffner shares a few of her successes, failures, and surprise from when she began offering group and lab piano lessons at her studio. Watch video
Nancy O'Neill Breth
The Accidental Entrepreneur
The careers of successful music teachers often take unexpected twists and turns. Nancy Breth embraces the bends in the road that brought her to a career as an entrepreneur, performer, educator, author, speaker and mentor. Her vibrant website highlights her teaching, publications, videos, pedagogy workshops, blog and more—all with photos that radiate energy and market her multi-faceted career. Here she offers some food for thought for teachers who are open to the varied opportunities that a career in music can bring. Watch video
Davis Dorrough
Online Teaching is Not Just for Pandemics
After most of the music profession was thrown into online teaching during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Davis Dorrough found plenty of reasons to not go back to in-person lessons. Learn why he chose this path, how he pivoted his business to an entirely virtual model, where he found new students and how he enhanced the online experience with innovative technology. Watch Video
Noreen Wenjen
Entrepreneurial Secrets to Building Your Music Studio from Within
What does a successful music teacher need to stand out in today’s competitive music studio market? In this video, I reveal my entrepreneurial secrets to building my music studio business from within. Find out why these entrepreneurial secrets will help your students beyond learning music and how it will help you and your studio grow! Watch Video
Lynette Zelis
Noteable Notes Music Academy
As music teachers, we have numerous options for our business structure—from an independent studio to a community school of the arts. The following short video highlights Noteable Notes Music Academy, a multi-instrument, three-location program employing twenty-one teachers, offering private lessons and summer camps, and founded and directed by Lynette Zelis. Watch Video