The cost of living is nuts.
I have personally analyzed no less than 20 times over how our studio’s enrollment stats have changed in the last 18 months. It’s no secret: they’re down. Because when it’s hard for so many people to make ends meet, “fluff” like music lessons is the first thing to get cut from the budget.
As a music educator of 10 years, I am passionate about the transformative power of music education. It’s not “fluff,” it’s a yearslong experience that can instill confidence, resilience, and cooperation like few other activities can. It’s something every child should have access to, and it’s been pushed more and more in the direction of something that only the 1% can afford.
I think that’s a huge disservice.
For months, I’ve wracked my brain for something I can do to help as a music business owner. After hemming and hawing about whether or not it was financially sound to universally drop rates, I saw an Instagram post for community mutual aid.
Lightbulb.
What if I just did a mutual aid for music ed?
So I did.
We have an “advertised” rate that’s pretty commensurate with what most studios around here charge for Suzuki lessons - $200/month. I could have everyone pay that rate with no exceptions, but that will inherently isolate some people.
But, with PWYC, there’s just a range. $160-$310. Pick what works for you. No questions asked.
If you’re in a position to pay more to help the business operate and grow, awesome!
If you’re not, cool, we’re still thrilled to have you and whatever rate you can pay still helps compensate our stellar educators and bring quality programming to the studio.
It’s mutual aid: everyone gets what they need while our studio community stays well-resourced. When our community is well-resourced, it thrives and that helps our students thrive, too!
I hope you’ll join us this fall, at whatever rate you feel capable of paying.
If you’re still curious about lessons, you can:
Sign up for a Discovery Lesson to get an idea of what lessons are like for you. Ms. Abby will be seeing new students starting September 19th.
Fill out the PWYC interest form so we can reach out to you and help you decide if lessons are a good fit for you.
