A new course designed specifically for singing teachers will help you start or grow your own business.
It’s one thing to teach singing, but it’s another to run a singing teaching business.
A teacher can be adept at diagnosing vocal problems, demonstrating technique and coaxing the best from students but to keep a business afloat, they’ll also need marketing, IT, book-keeping and admin skills.
Someone who understands the multi-tasking it takes to be your own boss is former BAST student Cinnamon Fuller, the founder and director of the Surrey Singing School.
Cinnamon has put together a course for vocal coaches who want to learn more about the business aspect of running a studio or stage school.
Background
Cinnamon Fuller
After growing up in a musical family (her mum ran a stage school with a whopping 800 students), Cinnamon worked as a professional singer.
She then studied economics, law and marketing and worked in the corporate world before returning to her first love: the performing arts.
In 2001 Cinnamon placed an advert offering singing lessons in a local paper. Within three weeks, she had 30 students and Surrey Singing School was born.
In recent years, Cinnamon has also worked as a business coach.
She’s now brought all these strands of her career together to create the Running the Show Business Strategy courses for singing teachers.
Learn business strategy
There are two courses, each covering business set-up, finance, marketing, branding, goals and HR.
Running the Show Business Strategy Part 1 is for teachers who coach clients one-to-one and want to launch or grow a singing studio.
It runs on Thursday, July 15, 6pm to 8.30pm and Friday, July 16, from 6pm to 8.30pm.
Course cost (with a 10% discount for BAST members) is £197.50 (includes a free post-course one-to-one support session).
Running the Show Business Strategy Part 2 is for teachers who coach group classes who want to launch or grow a singing school.
It runs on Monday, July 19, 6pm to 8.30pm and Tuesday, July 20 from 6pm to 8.30pm.
Course cost (with a 10% discount for BAST members) is £197.50 (includes a free post-course one-to-one support session).
Why put these courses together?
Over the years, many teachers have asked Cinnamon for business advice.
“I’ve got teachers, some of whom have now worked for me for ten years, who are ready to grow,” she says.
“They love what they do but feel it’s time to step up.”
Last year Cinnamon created a training programme for some of these teachers looking to start their own business. She realised the course would be relevant to many others in the industry, so she set about researching other successful singing teaching models.
As well as looking at two national performing arts chains, she spoke to top vocal coaches, including Gareth Henderson and Gemma Sugrue.
“They all have different business models, but we can learn from all of them,” she says.
And that’s one of the most exciting parts of going it alone – you can shape your business to suit your lifestyle and goals.
“I’m aware that many singing teachers are looking for a business model that will work alongside family commitments, so I talk about that too,” Cinnamon says.
At the end of the course, participants will get a one-to-one session with Cinnamon to ask questions specific to their circumstances.
To find out more, email cinnamon.fuller@hotmail.co.uk.
