Building a private studio is a difficult thing. I would say that the biggest downside to moving around a lot is that my private studio has suffered greatly from it. I've retained some of my very dedicated students. However, overall I've lost a large number, and I find myself basically building from scratch.
So, now that things have calmed down a bit (since I had my second son...4 months old now!), I've started thinking about how to do more for my wonderful dedicated bunch of students. I thought that making my own personal website that would give my students educational resources and even a way to communicate with one another (using forums) would be a fun way for me to do something extra for them. Not only that, I could use it as a tool to build my studio into something more.
My husband, who is a cellist, has also been working along side me with this idea. Our sites are pretty small right now, and need lots of pictures, videos, and sound files to spice them up, but we are pretty proud of the work we've done so far.
www.adamscellostudio.memberlodge.com/ (my hubby's!)
www.juliasviolinandviolastudio.memberlodge.com/ (my own!)
I want my students to be inspired to practice more! I want them to listen to more music, read more violin related material, and just get even more excited about violin playing. I'm really truly hoping this brings the most out of them and helps them feel more support from me during the week.
I'm currently trying to add things that will make my "Prospective Student" page more compelling for parents and students alike. At this point, I'm taking all of my own photos and feeling less than confident about how they are turning out.
As of now, I think it just seems pretty pathetic:
juliasviolinandviolastudio.memberlodge.com/newstudent/violinlessons
I want it to be special. I need to sit down and brainstorm about this...I know there is something I'm missing.
-Julia
Violinist.com is made possible by...
Dimitri Musafia, Master Maker of Violin and Viola Cases
Miroirs CA Classical Music Journal
Coltman Chamber Music Competition
Johnson String Instrument/Carriage House Violins
Discover the best of Violinist.com in these collections of editor Laurie Niles' exclusive interviews.
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 1, with introduction by Hilary Hahn
Violinist.com Interviews Volume 2, with introduction by Rachel Barton Pine