Category Archives: Early Childhood Music

Small Business Tips for Emerging from an Economic Downturn

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With the recent approval of two Covid-19 vaccinations, and a second economic relief package from Congress, small businesses such as Children’s Music Studios can begin to share the hope that the economy will start to pick back up in 2021. Many small business owners have not fared well during the crisis. Some 30% to 40% of those most affected by social distancing have gone inactive since February.  Typically this time of year, small business owners are setting goals and making plans for growth in the coming year. The need to plan and adjust is just as important now as ever, but the approach and mental process is different in a flagging economy.

Tips for rebuilding your small business after Covid-19

  • Understand your prospective customers perception – Consumers are extremely cautious coming out of an economic upheaval. If they believe money is going to be tight (even if they have it), they are going to behave as such. Your message to them should be that your services are very important and a good value. It is also a good time to focus on keeping quality and customer satisfaction high.
  •  Take a hard look at your finances – It’s important to monitor your cash flow very carefully and forecast it at least three months in advance. Separate the essential expenditures from those that can wait, and work with creditors to spread or reduce payments while you get back on your feet. If your cash flow projection means that you will need to borrow in order to stay afloat, identify financial resources to help you recover.
  • Put together a marketing plan – You will not be able to market the exact same way as our economy comes limping out of the pandemic. Start by letting people know that you are back to business and offer them something of value to show you are in this together. We have previously explored how to make the best use of existing marketing resources with little additional cost. However, while many companies cut back on marketing in an economic downturn, savvy business owners understand it can be a good opportunity to capture market share with smart investment.
  • Develop a time line and contingency plan – When resources are scarce, a time line can help you to understand what actions (and expenses) should be addressed first. Rebuilding a business is just that – a step-by-step building process with contingencies. Knowing how and when to address priorities helps to balance resources.  Finally, be better prepared for the next time an unexpected downturn happens – and it will. Take what you have learned from this experience and prepare a well thought out plan for a better reaction to loss in customers and revenue.

While it is unfortunate that many small businesses across the world will never be able to open their doors again due to this pandemic, studio owners of children’s music programs can begin to make concrete plans on how to recover stronger than ever. And when the next downturn happens, that valuable experience will make them better prepared to endure it.  

Musikgarten is the leader in early childhood music education — for children and teachers, that offers a complete multi-year educational program that helps infants, toddlers, and children develop a deep love of music and the ability to express it. For more about Musikgarten and its offerings, go to https://www.musikgarten.org/.

Nurturing Customer Relationships with Music Students and Parents

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While we are by no means out of the woods of this pandemic, the recent vaccine news gives us all some hope that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Predictions for when we can safely resume normal activities vary from early Summer to the end of 2021. Depending on the state in which their children’s music studio resides, and personal preference, early childhood music program teachers will have a degree of flexibility as to when they can begin to offer in-person learning. For many educators, this time after a long and painful separation from beloved students cannot come too soon. With this anticipation in mind, studio owners and teachers can be marketing to return with a large number of enthusiastic students and parents.

Preparing to Return to In-person Children’s Music Classes

Many owners and teachers of children’s music studios have been offering online classes for students and parents during the pandemic, but most all agree that in-person teaching is preferable. So, in order to transition to a robust return to an in-person classroom setting, here are some marketing tips to consider.

  • Existing and Past Customers – the Low Hanging Fruit – Most of us have heard the marketing adage that it costs five times as much to gain a new customer than to keep an existing one. Focusing efforts on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) rather than new customer acquisition begins with developing and managing your Customer Relationship Database (CRD). A CRD is basically a customer contact list with other customer characteristics. Business owners can start compiling a database by dusting off old customer records and creating a single list of customer contacts with whatever information you may have, whether its mailing address, phone number, email, or a combination of those. Spreadsheets are very handy for this, and can also include children’s names, their age and level of music education, etc. Please keep in mind that this kind of information is very sensitive, so it’s important to take precautions to safeguard access to the list.
  • Categorize Your Contact List – Some music studio owners may haveyears of contact records witha mixed bag of phone numbers, addresses, and or/emails. You will want to separate your CRD in as many like groups as possible. Contact method is a good way to start because it often dictates how you will contact your customers in marketing campaigns. Start with emails first, because it is still one of the most cost-effective way to reach customers. Depending on how you decide to use phone numbers, group texting can be very cost-effective (but be sure to set it up without all reply), but does not work on older landlines. Addresses for mailing programs would be the least cost-effective method of contact because of postage costs. You may also want to then categorize your customers by former and current, past purchases, or music program level. Keep in mind that just because someone has not been in the program for five years does not mean they are not a valuable contact.
  • Plan and Execute – A robust and well-organized Customer Relationship Database does no good if it is not utilized. Once your list is compiled and organized, put together a plan on how you will execute your marketing efforts. How many categories do you have with each contact method? For example, emails for current customers vs. emails for past customers.  Marketing messages and “calls to action” for each category will vary, with current customer emails encouraging new class sign-ups, while past customer emails may ask for a referral or testimonial. Determine your goals for each category, and what steps you must take to reach them. There are many free and paid Customer Relationship software programs that can help with emailing, texting, and even traditional mailing programs.
  • Messaging the Message – Before pulling the trigger on an email, text, calling, or mailing marketing campaign, you will want to make sure your messaging is clear while matching your various targeted categories. For example, you will not want to ask a past customer whose children are now grown about music classes for their grown children, but you may ask them if they know parents who might benefit from your services. For getting back to in-person classes, write your message as to create anticipation for the upcoming classes. Lastly, be sure to ask recipients to take action in your message, whether it is signing up for a class, going to your web site, or forwarding an email to a friend or family member who might be interested. The bottom line is to create a message for each category of contacts that is meaningful for that specific group.

While cases are still rising, the eventual end of the Covid-19 pandemic is finally coming into sight. In preparation and anticipation for that, now is a good time for children’s music studio owners to gather and organize their customer contact information into a Customer Relationship Database. With this CRD, there should then be a solid plan on how marketing campaigns will be executed, so when the time comes, you are ready.

Musikgarten is the leader in early childhood music education — for children and teachers, that offers a complete multi-year educational program that helps infants, toddlers, and children develop a deep love of music and the ability to express it. For more about Musikgarten and its offerings, go to https://www.musikgarten.org/.

The Importance of Teaching Children to be Thankful

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Thanksgiving is the perfect time to teach children the importance of being grateful. It’s not uncommon for children, let alone adults, to disregard the significance of the little things that go on in our daily lives. While holidays do stand out in the memories of children, they don’t often understand the reason that family and friends are getting together and sharing meals. Even this year, when the COVID pandemic puts limits on our Thanksgiving gatherings, caregivers should think about ways to teach children how to appreciate things present in their lives as well as significant events and others in the past.

Expressing gratitude can decrease stress and increase a feeling of belonging. There are many ways that parents and caregivers can model behavior and teach children to be thankful.

Ways to Teach Children Gratitude 

  • Model Thanks Every Day – Teaching gratitude starts with the role-models in children’s everyday lives, whether a parent, a sibling, or a music teacher. Saying thank you to others when they assist you, no matter how small the gesture, sets an impression that children will mimic.
  • Discuss your meaning of Thanksgiving – The historic accuracy of the original “Thanksgiving Story” has been the subject of much debate over the years, and parents can decide whether to speak about it with their children.  It is important to talk about what thanksgiving means for your family so that they may put into context what you are truly thankful for, while giving them a chance to talk about things that they love.
  • Talk About Where Food Comes From – For most of us, food is something for which we depend on others. A study found that 25% of primary school children did not know where butter or cheese came from. Talk with your children about where and how food is produced, and how grateful you are for having such easy access to food.
  • Show the Joy of Giving – As you talk to your child about being grateful for what you have, it’s a good time to talk also about those who may not be as fortunate. Giving back, whether it is participating in a local food drive or donating to a worthy cause, children better understand the value of what they should be thankful for, while also observing empathy.
  • Create New Memories for Thankfulness – Create situations and activities for your family to spend time together without the typical outside influences of screens and other distractions. The act of preparing the Thanksgiving meal can be a great opportunity for the family to work together and talk about gratitude.
  • Ritual, Ceremony, and Tradition – We have written about how children love ritual, ceremony, and consistency. Even before science, all of the major religions understood the importance of gratitude. Whether your gathering gives blessing or talks about gratitude over the Thanksgiving meal, it can become a teaching tradition that children will learn from and cherish.
  • Be Sincere About Being Thankful – Young children, even before they understand language, are picking up on facial expressions and gestures from their role models. Sincerity is not often thought of as a physical act, but children can pick up on when adults give their undivided attention to a gesture, make eye contact, and smile after thanks is given.

Studies have found that people who practice gratitude gain many benefits in both physical and psychological health. From a teaching perspective, kids who understand gratitude have better grades and are less likely to get depressed. So whether at home around the Thanksgiving table, or in a classroom setting such as a children’s music class, learning to show gratitude is important and beneficial to the long term health of the child.

The Role of Adults in Young Children’s Music Class

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Exploring the natural development phases of The Nature of the Young Child, we have shown how the first phases of life are crucial in how a child discovers independence. Our final part of this series explores the child’s home environment, and in particular, the role of adults in influencing the physical and psychological well-being of children. This is not merely limited to the role of parents, but also other caregivers and influential adults such as teachers of children’s music programs.

When we refer to environment in how it influences the development of the young child, we are not just referring to people, but include also the places and objects surrounding the child. However, the role of the parent or caregiver is an important model for the child. As children are introduced to new environments, they look to the guidance of their familiar people for a comfort level that allows them to explore new interactions. This is why parent/caregiver participation is so important in an early childhood music class. These may be one of the first classroom experiences of the child’s life, and the attitude the caregiver shares in the experience will influence the child’s attitude toward education and participation with others.

Suggestions for Adults in Young Children’s Music Classes

  • Take Time to Listen to Toddlers – While their language may not be fully developed, modeling respect for what they have to say will show them that it should be done for others.
  • Acknowledge and Respect – Recognize a child’s individuality and efforts that are being made in a respectful manner.
  • Speak Clearly and in Full Sentences – Baby talk is not helpful for language development, so use complete sentences and enunciate clearly to help them develop expressive ideas of their experiences.
  • Encourage  Them to Participate, Then Let Them Make the Choice – Offer an activity and acknowledge the child, but if they do not respond, move on and let them feel free to sit and observe.
  • Be Courteous in Modeling – Children between the ages of 2.5 and 4 love learning the precise movements of adults, so model courtesy when greeting others, handling instruments, putting things away, and saying goodbye.
  • Keep Things Orderly and Clean –  Keeping a musical environment clean, whether in the classroom or at home, makes a lasting impression.
  • Be Melodious in Movement and Sound – Being graceful and singing in a calming, pleasant demeanor enriches the musical experience for the child.
  • Children Love Ritual, Ceremony, and Consistency – Children need a predictable and comfortable structure from which to explore and experiment, but it’s important to relinquish control without abandoning the child during class.

Perhaps the most endearing quality of children is their never-ending sense of wonder and amazement. By observing and engaging the child while allowing them to discover things on their own, adults energize their curiosity and sensorimotor mode. In these moments of deep concentration and reflection is where we observe and nurture their wonder-filled discoveries and creativity.

Much of the content for this post was based on the introduction to Family Music for Babies and Family Music for Toddlers, an early childhood music curriculum developed by Musikgarten.

The Role of Music in Early Childhood Development

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In this third installment of our series on The Nature of the Young Child, we continue to explore how children learn during the first phases of life, and how the first three years in particular are critical. Based on the pedagogical philosophy of acclaimed educator Maria  Montessori to “follow the child,” there are several experiences that influence sensory and motor development for neurological organization. Caregivers and children’s music teachers can see how music has a role to play in this vital stage of childhood development.

Children Learn Through Movement

Once they have learned to walk, toddlers spend much of their time exploring the world around them. Any parent can tell you that they are constantly on the move, learning to obtain control of their body movements. As a prerequisite to cognitive learning, sensorimotor integration is one of the earliest ways that babies and toddlers learn about their world.  From reaching and grasping to crawling and walking, children are explorers by nature. Through repetition and practice, the toddler begins to unconsciously strengthen body to mind neural connections. Kinesthetic awareness, an inner sense that operates below the conscious level, contributes information about how the body feels as it moves. Such awareness is invaluable to all learning, including music – through movements such as clapping, tapping, bouncing, or dancing.

Listening is the Most Important Sensory Channel for Learning

Formed in utero, the ear is functional at four months after conception, allowing the fetus to begin hearing their mother’s breathing, heartbeat, digestion, talking, and singing. The ear is an organ that never rests, and listening is important to almost all aspects of learning – physical, social, emotional, and intellectual. Music helps children to focus their attention on familiar sounds, whether it is a lullaby sung by a parent or a children’s music class, and helps to teach appropriate interaction with adults and peers.

Shaping Language is the Child’s Great Work

 At the earliest stages of life, children understand that speaking is what constitutes communication in their world. Sounds that come from the mouth such as cooing are very fascinating to babies, eliciting excited responses that begin a back and forth form of communication. In the beginning, tone and inflection are even more important than the words themselves, and infants will imitate and practice sounds as they become excited about their own vocalizations. Music offers a very strong source of pleasure for children, as it soothes, elicits attention, and stimulates response. The rhythm, repetition, and rhyming of music all contribute to a child’s language development as they are allowed to sing to themselves, make up words, and silly noises.

Children Have a Natural Tendency for Order 

As children experience the massive amount of information coming through their senses, they begin to sort, order, classify and categorize. Remarkable because it is not based on any previous experience, this process helps children to understand their environment and how to put persons and things in their accustomed place.  Maria Montessori understood this, and once order is established around the age of 3.5 years, change is better tolerated in the external environment. Music participation and education also helps establish a sense of order through repetition and routine of familiar songs and movements.

Independence and Initiative are the Embodiment of Learning

As children develop through movement and language, they are also beginning to move from total dependence on their caregiver towards a growing sense of self. Parents fully understand the “strong will” of a toddler, and at around 2 years of age, they love to participate in self-chosen tasks. Insisting on completing tasks alone, toddlers are showing a desire to free themselves from dependency. Music can provide a valuable tool for children to explore their independence. For example, playing different developmentally appropriate instruments presents cause and effect as they see what sounds they can make with them.

Repetition is Essential to Learning 

Children love to repeat enjoyable experiences, and this is an important aspect of both learning and teaching. While allowing them to enjoy the experience over and over, the repeated action boosts both cognitive as well as muscle memory. Often with deep concentration, children repeat tasks of their own choosing until they have mastered it and established control. It is then that they look for other ways to put the actions to work. Music is a wonderful tool for providing children with both a repetitive learning task, but also a means by which to take those tasks and add their own creativity.

In the first years of life, children use these mechanisms to understand their world and grow to free themselves of total dependence on others. Music, along with movement, can provide caregivers and early childhood music teachers with powerful tools to assist in this crucial stage of child development. In our next blog, we will explore the role of adults in the child’s environment, and how to encourage these mechanisms for both the physical and psychological well-being of the child.  

 Much of the content for this post was based on the introduction to Family Music for Babies and Family Music for Toddlers, an early childhood music curriculum developed by Musikgarten.

An Open Letter to Musikgarten Teachers

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Down the river, O, down the river, O, down the river we go….

down the river, O, down the river, O,  down the Ohio….

When everything started to change this past March, I was teaching several children whose parents had paid for a full 45-week year of lessons. Like many teachers, I moved everything online, thinking it would be temporary. I recall setting up seven weeks of Zoom meetings for each class and every private student, and laughing with a co-worker that seven would be more than we would need.

The river is up and the channel is deep….

I was up for the challenge, operating in a sort of “emergency mode”, happy to apply what I knew about teaching online to my own studio, assuming it would be for a short time. The first few weeks were full of successes, and I participated in worldwide music education forums to address online teaching strategies and best practices during a pandemic. I was going full steam, with little let-down.

…the wind is steady and strong….

In May, we reached the end of the school year, and I noticed many of my colleagues “calling it a day” on their online teaching. Easy for them to say, I thought, but my families go until August 1! I kept moving forward- adapting, learning, changing my approach, talking to parents and making every connection I could online with the children. Parents were tired, children were at one moment frenzied, the next, glazed.

…O, won’t we have a jolly good time, as we go sailing along?

I shifted some of my thinking to create order and purpose for parents and their children. I held an online Parent Orientation. I trusted the Musikgarten curriculum, and kept purposefully applying the tried-and-true philosophies of music learning. And soon, the children started simply amazing me. They learned, they listened, they sang, and they danced! We laughed, improvised, and played games. Parents began smiling more, dancing more, participating more.  

After a particularly engaging and enjoyable class, I went for a walk, on a bit of a “high” from the joyful music-making that had just taken place in our Cycle of Seasons class. Suddenly, I realized that I don’t actually have a choice- I must keep teaching, even if it’s online for now. Why? Because the children don’t have a “Pause” button. Children are going to keep growing. Like the water in Down the River, the current continues to flow! I have to set aside my frustrations, my desires, my dislike of the “screen”, and my longings for in-person teaching, because …the children can’t wait. They can’t just “pause” and pick it up later. The current is flowing, and I don’t want to miss any of it, or rob them of the nurturing gift of music at this time or any time.

I reflected on all that happens in a normal Musikgarten class in just 8 to 10 weeks. As the passionate Musikgarten teacher that you are, I invite you to do the same. Think of the strides the children make in that time, all while they are developing and growing in every way. We always are aware that we teach the whole child- so picture the children going 8 to 10 weeks without the influence of music and movement. That is a dismal picture! We really cannot afford to short-change them. They need us.

It’s not about me as a teacher; it’s about what I can bring to these students as they continue to grow and develop. Sure, they may be able to physically wait for in-person, but at what cost? Developmentally, there is no waiting. They are growing – with us or without us. Let’s be with them to bring to them what they need as they sail along in their ever flowing and deep current.

Contributed by Amy Rucker: Musikgarten Teacher Trainer, teacher, and past President for the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association (ECMMA)

Understanding the Nature of the Young Child in Teaching Music

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Maria Montessori, the acclaimed Italian physician and educator best known for the pedagogical philosophy that bears her name, once wrote “follow the child.” The statement is acknowledgement that children have their own particular pattern, of which careful observation is key to understanding in the classroom. Many childhood music programs approach and develop their curricula based on this philosophy. But the story, however, of each child begins even before the classroom – with the family in the home. At birth, babies are immediately exposed to a world of senses, each of which influences their process of self-construction. The environment in which they are submerged has a fundamental effect on the rest of the child’s life. Over the next several posts, we will explore how those early years are so formative, what influences that growth, and how the role of parents and caregivers is so important.

Phases of Childhood Development

Throughout time, psychologists and academics have sought to divide childhood development into phases, stages, or periods. Whether it is Piaget’s 4 stages of Cognitive Development, Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development, or Montessori’s Sensitive Periods of Development, each differs slightly from each other, either in behavioral approach or developmental milestones. But all of these agree that the most formative stages occur in the earliest part of life. While there is slight variation in the exact milestones, for discussion we can identify two major phases in childhood development:

Phase 1 – From birth to age three are years of intense activity and absorption.

Phase 2 – From age three to six years is a time to consolidate the gains from the first period

Whether cognitive or social, there is no more significant phase in human development than these early years, and even more influence is placed on the first three years of life.

A Child’s First Three Years are Critical

An incredibly complex stage of development takes place during the first three years of life, as a child becomes consciousness of being separate from others and builds competencies off of stimulating experiences. In the creative process from newborn to three-year-old, a series of transformations take the child from helpless infant to becoming a confident person in his or her own right. During this time they experience a growing sense of selfhood with an ability, through language as well as mobility, to communicate their individual needs and desires.

This formation is possible at a pre-conscious level because nature directs the development in the earliest stages of childhood. These are “critical” periods, where the developing child focuses on the necessary factors in their environment that direct the work of inner construction. The first three years of human life are so critical because it is a period in which intellectual growth rapidly occurs and cognitive functions are being established. Therefore, early experiences within an interesting and stimulating environment promote optimal development physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and intellectually.

The Senses are the Child’s Window to the World

Even before they are born, babies have some senses in the womb. They can hear their mothers voice and music being played, they can also sense vibration when their mother rubs her belly, and often engage in self-touch as their skin gradually becomes more sensitive to stimulation. At birth, they begin to absorb their surroundings with enthusiasm during every waking moment. Through exploration and manipulation, sensory information (taste, smell, touch, vision, and hearing) is confirmed though movement. This sensorimotor exploration is a way for babies to learn without language and begin to develop the symbolic system that is the basis of concept formation and cognitive learning. In just three years, babies have organized what their senses have taught them in ways that encapsulate their own understanding.

The process by which infants and toddlers learn is based on an important and impressionable phase during the first three years of life. It is during this formative period that the child organizes information that has been gathered through their senses to begin to establish selfhood and identity. During this time and the next three years of life, several factors determine how the child will learn and grow physically, emotionally, socially, spiritually and intellectually. Continuing to explore the Nature of the Child, our next post will expand on the important factors that influence these critical formative years.

Much of the content for this post was based on the introduction to Family Music for Babies and Family Music for Toddlers, an early childhood music curriculum developed by Musikgarten.

The Philosophy of Early Childhood Music Education Programs

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There has been a great deal of research and publication on the importance of music in early childhood development. Whether it is the educational, social, or emotional benefits that exposure and participation in music provides to children throughout their development from birth, there is an even deeper and more transcendent component that is not as easily measured. In the most basic terms, all of these musical benefits are greater than the sum of their parts, and have been ingrained in humanity since the earliest recorded times. This holistic, “whole child” approach is reflected in many of the persons and organizations dedicated to providing parents and families with early childhood music curricula. The philosophy of early childhood music can be seen enthusiastically in the core beliefs communicated by Musikgarten, and serve as a good example of the approach:

All Children are Musical

Closely tied to human expression, body movement is a natural outlet for children to express feelings. Children begin communicating effectively through body language long before they can with spoken language. Parents and adults get a glimpse into a toddler’s perceptions of the world as they observe body language and the child’s musical sounds. These observations illustrate that all children are innately musical from birth, with a biological ability to sing and move rhythmically. When children are exposed to an active music making environment, they learn to make music both freely and naturally.

Music Meets the Needs of Children

Psychological studies tell us that children learn more in a pleasant and non-threatening environment. Music-making is a naturally joyful experience for both children and adults. Furthermore, the combination of music along with movement creates an even more pleasing experience for children and provides important benefits for social development. This is not a new concept, by any means, as music has been a central part of family and community in the varied cultures across the globe. So as children engage and enjoy a musical environment, they are more open and interested to learn about the world around them.

Music Makes a Difference

When we as adults look back at some of the most memorable times in our lives, we hear music. Whether it was lullabies to ease us to sleep, the birthday song, top pop hits of our era, or even a commercial jingle, music has been a memorable part of our lives. But we also saw the funding and emphasis on music education dwindling over the years. The good news is that music is once again being recognized by parents, teachers, and researchers as a way to improve overall development while decreasing learning problems and enhancing brain function. Music touches not just the “whole child,” but also has a positive impact on family and the building of our community. 

Music Making Belongs in the Family

Providers of music curriculum for children understand that parents make the best teachers. In this digital age, with so many online and screen-based offerings, many well-meaning parents have placed too much faith in technology. Often the result is missing out on the joy of simply being with each other. However, parents and the public are becoming more aware of these consequences. As a result, early childhood education programs are making greater strides to provide more opportunities for parents to learn how to interact musically with children at home. These tools encourage and empower parents to reap the benefits of early childhood music from the earliest age.

Programs that encourage music and movement with the family and community can help deepen a child’s appreciation for music and the natural world around him/her, building a foundation for life-long music making. The goal of the most beneficial early childhood music programs is to provide an appropriate musical experience through a carefully sequenced approach towards music literacy, allowing a child to participate fully in musical experiences of all kinds. The first step in this holistic approach to “following the child” through their musical growth starts in the earliest stages of life at home, making joyful sounds and movement together.

Five Basic Steps for Marketing Early Childhood Music Programs

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With so many things needing attention at once, it is all too easy for owners of children’s music studios to lose focus on basic marketing principles that will help them ensure the ongoing success of their business. We often unintentionally get bogged down in the day to day activities, where more long-term plans are placed by the wayside. As a refresher, these five very basic marketing steps should be periodically addressed in order to help operators of childhood music programs stay on track and prevent “missing the forest from the trees.”

Step 1 – Setting SMART Marketing Goals

Goal Setting is the first important and crucial step in the marketing strategy process. We have explored in the past how to develop SMART goals and achieve them, because if you don’t know where you want to be, how can you plan to get there? Traditionally, goal setting for businesses was recommended at one- and five-year intervals. However, depending on changes in your business environment (such as the Covid pandemic), you will want to review and adjust your goals as needed.

Step 2 – Determine or Realize Your Target Market

A target market is the particular group of consumers at which your children’s music program is aimed. For example, your overall target market may be families with young children. Market segmentation further divides the larger market into smaller, more defined categories, such as parents or grandparents of young children. Even further, you can divide them into demographic, geographic, psychographic, and behavioral segmentation. The more specific the segments, the better you can focus your marketing resources. If you don’t know where to start, a good place is your current customer base. What are their similarities in those four segment categories? Once you have determined your current customer, you can expand marketing efforts from there to similar audiences.

Step 3 – Developing a Marketing Message

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink.” No matter how well you have identified your target market and segments, if you do not offer value to them through your music studio offerings, they will not enroll their child. Therefore, you must determine your value proposition or “pitch” in order to explain why they should enroll their child in your program. As a professional children’s music teacher, you are well aware of the numerous benefits that early childhood music education to children. The key is to create a concise statement or series of statements of this value called a Marketing Message. This is your “elevator speech” that should be consistent in all of your marketing and sales efforts and only slightly tweaked for different market segments.

Step 4 – The Competitive Positioning Statement

As with any business, it’s important to understand your competition. This may be indirect competitors that don’t offer the exact same product or service but yet compete for your target market’s resources. For example, children’s dance classes or sports programs that also enrich the lives of children may compete for your parent’s budget or time. It’s also important to know your direct competitors – other early childhood music programs. Think about how you can market or sell against both types of competitors, which is often summarized in a competitive positioning statement.  This is generally stated more in positive terms of the different benefits your business offers than negative terms such as “throwing shade” on your competitors. As with the marketing message, indirect and direct positioning statements will be slightly different.

Step 5 – The Marketing Mashup – How it All Comes Together

The final basic step in the marketing strategy process is to combine all the previous steps. In a nutshell, it is to present your unique value proposition to your target audience(s) in order to reach your marketing goals. A unique value proposition is how you combine your marketing message with your competitive positioning statement in order to differentiate your children’s music studio from its competition. Depending on the goals you have set and your marketing budget, you can determine the best way to reach your target audiences through the various marketing channels available. Remember that the more specific you are with your target market segments, the more efficient you will be with your marketing resources – whether in time or money.

While there are many other decisions to be made about implementing your marketing plan through sales and marketing channels, if you begin with these basic steps and refer back to them consistently, you will have a good marketing foundation for your early childhood music studio. Keep in mind, however, that marketing is both an inexact science as well as an iterative process. Fully expect that you will make mistakes along the way, but with a good marketing strategy, they will have less of a negative impact and make you that much smarter the next time around.

Virtual Children’s Music Classes – A Teachers Prospective – Dr. Joy Galliford

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If you have not been following our blog series which explores different music teacher’s perspectives on teaching children’s music classes virtually, you can find them here. In this final installment of the four-part series, we interview Dr. Joy Galliford, Ph. D., Director of Development and Instructor for South Florida Music serving children in Miami and surrounding areas. Dr. Galliford, or as her students call her, “Dr. Joy” has over thirty-six years of experience in music education at every level. That experience, along with the addition of having won numerous awards and accolades in her field, Dr. Joy’s insight into how childhood music translates into a virtual environment is invaluable.

Let Musikgarten first thank you again for agreeing to share your knowledge with us. Tell us a little bit about your experience teaching the Musikgarten curriculum?

Dr. Joy: My journey began as a parent. Over thirty-one years ago, I attended children’s music classes with my daughter, Alaina. Then, my son, Nathaniel, began classes, and later participated in the Musikgarten Piano curriculum pilot with Dr. Mary Louise Wilson, his piano teacher. I am certified in each of Musikgarten curricular levels and teaching each one for over 25 years.

Please share with us how you came about offering Musikgarten classes online, and what influenced that decision?

Dr. Joy: South Florida Music is based in Miami. In March, it became evident that our public-school system would be closing due to the pandemic. While the exact date was unclear, we knew it was only a few weeks away. Knowing this, we aggressively began planning our transition to online classes. For us, it was extremely important that our children would have the opportunity to continue this new virtual journey with South Florida Music.

South Florida Music considers everyone involved in our program a family. This includes the children, parents and staff. We knew that it was critical for everyone’s mental well-being that music and the relationships formed remain strong and present. Because of this, providing an opportunity for the children to see, hear and enjoy music-making with their teachers as well as seeing the sheer joy of the experience in their home environment was paramount for us. Together, our staff shifted the in-person program to virtual within one weeks. It was truly an amazing task embraced and accomplished as a team for which I am grateful to have been a member.

Did you offer in-person Musikgarten classes before the pandemic? Did you have previous experience with an online video “production”?

Dr. Joy: Our program only offered in-person classes prior to the pandemic, but I had some previous experience with video production. However, online video production was a new task for me.

What would you say were the biggest challenges or hurdles around transitioning from an in-person children’s music class to an online format?

Dr. Joy: The challenges and hurdles in transiting our program to online classes were numerous. First, we had to determine how the weekly classes would be provided to satisfy our semester commitment for enrolled parents. Second, a decision had to be made regarding the technology and equipment needs to produce a quality product. Then, it took careful content planning so that the children and parents would be engaged during the lesson. Another challenge was keeping our staff present in the lessons so that our 280 plus enrolled children would be able to see “their teacher” and continue a level of connectivity. The final hurdle came in the area of production. The complexity and time intensive labor involved in recording videos; storing and organizing of the recorded clips; producing, reviewing and editing the lessons; organizing, planning and producing resource materials for the piano levels; plus planning occasional LIVE Zoom sessions to continue excitement and engagement was more than anyone could imagine.

What technical advice could you offer to someone who has never created or provided an online children’s music class?

Dr. Joy: My recommendation is to begin by watching others who are producing online music classes. Increasing your understanding of this product line, what is being offered in your area, what are parent expectations, and can or do you have the ability to accomplish an online music class is paramount. Taking this first step assumes that you already have knowledge of the curricular level that you are intending to produce. If you don’t, please stop and make sure that you increase your confidence and mastery level. Then, one must be realistic in understanding his/her personal limitations with technology coupled with maintaining a high-level of commitment, perseverance, and love for early childhood music education. All of these factors must be evident to contribute to your success story for our profession.

How do you think the interaction between teacher and parent/child differs for online classes vs. in-person? From your experience, what tips can you offer to make that interaction meaningful?

Dr. Joy: I thoroughly enjoy interactions during my classes with both children and parents. My class is a learning lab for all who are present, including me! Online classes have made this more challenging. I still consider myself the conductor of the “Interaction Symphony”, yet, I have had to be even more intentional in creating this experience from the onset. I have had to establish the form for my symphony to be created. This has required me taking the time to ask my parents the following questions:

  1. What device are you using to view the class?
  2. Is your sound loud enough to hear the music played and myself?
  3. Could you possibly create physical boundaries so that your child has a specific space during class?
  4. Do you have your instruments (i.e. shakers, sticks, scarves, etc.) ready to use?
  5. Could you please stay in this area with your child and be present so that your participation is the in-person model for them during the lesson?

These are just a few of the questions I ask to establish the form for my “Interaction Symphony”.  If parents do not believe that their child is engaged, they begin to ponder if or not their continuation is necessary and valuable. Therefore, it is my responsibility to make sure that they are ready for success by helping them to understand how to assist me in this journey. They have become the in-person interaction model instead of me. The symphony has increased to another level of complexity. I love helping them to learn how they can become an active participant in this “Interaction Symphony” virtually! They are a key player! What a pleasure to help them understand that together we are making an incredible impact in their child’s life!

 What things do you think are lost or gained from an in-person classroom setting to an online format?

Dr. Joy: A common topic for music educators has always been how to effectively compete with those offering other children’s programming. Understanding the research regarding the importance of music for brain development and mental well-being makes this crystal clear to our profession. During in-person classes, evidence was seen weekly. However, moving to an online format significantly decreases these moments not to mention the side conversations before or after class with parents or between parents reinforcing these impressionable moments. This is a loss.

Energy and inspiration is generated for me when I am with children! I just love being with people. Positive and fun conversations are quite enjoyable! Even sharing the troubling and sad moments add depth to our relationship and increase our trust in one another.  While I embrace the role of an educator and entertainer in this online platform, many may find this new reality uncomfortable for various reasons.

The hugs after an accomplished “ba-ba-ba” or “sol-mi-do” is priceless. This is just one of the pieces that I, personally, am missing greatly! If I feel this void, what are the children experiencing? From the beginning of our pandemic, this is one of the many thoughts that has weighed very heavy on my mind and heart. Whether in-person or online, I am extremely intentional in communicating how much I love my children, how proud I am of them for anything that is accomplished, and how thrilled I will be to celebrate with them in-person as soon as we are able. Any life experience can have losses or gains. We, the believers and advocators, must find a way to move forward and continue the making music with our children.

Do you feel like once it is safe to do so, that you will go back to in-person classes only, continue with online only, or a mixture of both? Why?

Dr. Joy: South Florida Music will definitely offer in-person classes when we believe all will be safe to do so. We will also offer a component of online programming as well. While we believe strongly in the value of in-person classes, we also know that this pandemic has shifted the paradigm of education delivery. For this reason, as well as the safety concerns raised by parents and staff, we will need to accommodate both.

We would like to thank Dr. Galliford, as well as the other participants, in this series. Their unique and experienced perspectives help Musikgarten to provide a supportive community of children’s music educators and business owners who are working towards the same goal of instilling the gift of music into young minds and hearts.

Dr. Joy Galliford, Ph. D., is the Director of Development and an Instructor for South Florida Music and the Executive Director for the Friends of South Florida Music Foundation. She received the prestigious 2010 Florida College Music Educator of the Year Award from the Florida Music Educators Association, and is a nominee for the 2019 Children’s Trust David Lawrence Jr. Champion for Children Award. To find out more about Dr. Galliford and her studio(s), click here.