Free appointment booking software for music teachers

Why should I use appointment booking software as a music professional?

As a music teacher, you want to spend as much time teaching as possible. No one really enjoys bookkeeping, sending out invoices, and that kind of stuff. Imagine being in the middle of a lesson when a parent calls to ask if they can reschedule tomorrow’s session.

If only there was a better way, right? With the free and easy-to-use software from Vev, you can do just that. Your students (or their parents) can book a lesson from a simple page.

The way you deal with invoicing is completely up to you. So you can just use the system to keep track of bookings and even automate how you get paid.

The top 3 reasons you should work with an appointment booking system to teach music:

1. More time for (undisturbed) teaching! Let an automated system deal with booking, rescheduling, and invoicing. No more phone calls in the middle of a lesson.
2. Get in business from the other side of the country. The market for remote music lessons grew exponentially over the pandemic. Use this to your advantage by also offering lessons to people that are too far away from your physical location.
3. Appointments can be made at night or over the weekend. Think of when a student tries to squeeze in a last-minute appointment, or someone stumbles upon your business on a Sunday night. With the ease of a reservation system, someone can book an appointment with you whenever.

How can I get more students for my music teaching business?

We have asked music teachers just like you using Vev how they get more students. This is what they said

1. Paid advertisement

A lot of music teachers have turned to online advertising to grow their businesses. And for good reasons, but they often miss one crucial step. People will see your ad, click on it, and just see a phone number or email address to contact. If you run your ad throughout the day, chances are that people will see it at odd hours. Research shows that this is a big conversion killer for businesses.

When you run online ads make sure that you always lead students to your booking page. They often click on it because they are interested to begin with, so it’s smart to keep momentum and allow them to book right away.

2. Referral program

Another great idea is to launch a so-called ‘referral program’. In more practical words: ask a current student if they have a friend or family member that might be interested in taking lessons as well. As a thank-you offer them either a (small) gift, a free lesson, or something that fits your brand. Your new student can for example be welcomed with a nice introduction offer. Often, we see music teachers giving out a 50% discount on the first or second lesson, a free book or other relevant gift. Up to you!

3. Local community building

A third great way to promote your business is by building a stronger presence in your local community. This can be done online, but also offline. Online for example in local Facebook Groups, on Instagram with local hashtags and geotags, and leverage platforms like Reddit, MeetUp and even Nextdoor. Offline it can be done by promoting your business at local schools, community centers, grocery stores, and local music stores.

4. Google Business Profile

Lastly, think of yourself if you are in need for a plumber. Assuming you don’t have a phone number at hand, you most likely will turn to Google and search for a ‘plumber near me’. Aspiring musicians (or their parents) will probably do the same but for your profession. In that case it helps to have a well reviewed Google Maps page. Google calls this your “Google Business Profile”. This listing will come up for people in your community when they search for music lessons. It would be perfect if those aspiring students will then see some nice words from former and current students, and if possible a couple of photos. If you haven’t done any of this, don’t feel ashamed to start today and ask a couple of former students (especially the ones that had a good time) to write a review. You can go back here for as much as 6 months, and we are sure people are willing to help you out. Provide them the link, and craft a nice message inviting them to leave a review.

To summarize, these are 4 surefire way to get more students for your business:

1. Use a booking page in your online ads
2. Launch a referral program
3. Promote your business in your local community
4. Ask for reviews on Google Maps

What is important to know before working with a reservation system?

A reservation system will for sure make your business run a whole lot smoother. Though there are a couple of things you have to keep in mind.

• Students love clarity. Make sure that all of your offerings are listed on your booking page.
• Ensure your page is up-to-date. There’s nothing more frustrating than booking a session and having to reschedule later because it turns out you are not available. With a booking system, you can easily communicate your availability.
• A system is there to help you. Trust the process! No need to keep a calendar on paper, as long as everything is in your booking tool. A system like Vev also allows you to add appointments on behalf of your Vev. An easy way to keep everything synchronized.

What are music teachers saying about a booking system for lessons?

Vev was created after conducting many hours of research and talking to many music teachers along the way. The result is a booking system that meets the requirements of what music teachers are looking for in a booking system.

Things we hear from music teachers that they love the most about working with Vev:

• Having more time for teaching. Some teachers say they were spending up to 2 hours a week dealing with requests from students (or their parents). Automating this process gave them back 2 hours a week. That’s over 100 hours a year!
• Boost their revenue. Preventing a lot of back and forths over scheduling a lesson, and giving students insights into when you are available allows students to pick a time that works best for them. Even when a certain time slot might not be their first choice. The result in all cases is a more densely packed schedule, or in other words more revenue.
• Improved student happiness. Students often fully understand that you can’t pick up the phone at all times. Giving them the ability to book, reschedule, and cancel whenever they prefer is something we hear all the time that people love.

Can music teachers also work with software to boost virtual lessons?

Absolutely! Ever since the pandemic hit us, virtual classes popped up everywhere. Even students that still live nearby might prefer virtual classes over in-person private lessons.

Offering these sessions in addition to the in-person lessons is a great way to boost business! This means that not only local student can benefit from your services, but the entire nation.

If you want, you can also differentiate here in pricing. Making either the in-person or virtual lessons more affordable. Another great way to go about this is by offering “punch cards” that allow students to book packages of, for example, 10 classes and let them decide when they’d like to redeem them.