Summer is approaching for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere and that means it's time to dive deep into planning your 2021 summer camp!  

So grab an iced tea, a lemonade, or a Pina Colada (there’s no judgment here).

Not in the Northern Hemisphere?  No worries, this information is great for group classes too!  I actually turned a summer camp into a 10-week class for homeschoolers and you can too! 

 In this blog, we will share 5 tips to help you feel confident while planning group classes, even during a pandemic.

Tip #1: Plan Ahead 

Preparation is KEY when it comes to  Summer Camps/Group Classes.

• Learning the curriculum
• Ordering Supplies
• Advertising 

Don’t procrastinate! Families are already booking activities for this summer, let’s make sure your music camp is one of them.

Dorla Aparicio, group class extraordinaire,  has created an immensely valuable resource titled “Your 30 Day Plan to Piano Camp”.  

Tip #2: Don’t Tell, Show

When advertising your summer camp, SHOW students and parents what they will be doing.  

If you are excited about an activity and you show your students and parents snippets of what is to come, they will become excited and want to know more.  

Record a video and take pictures of you preparing for the camp then use those for emails that you send to parents and for your social media accounts. 

Tip #3: You Can Teach Camps Online

Jennifer Foxx, a Top Music Pro expert teacher, owner of Music Educator Resources, and TopMusic Marketplace Seller talks with Tim on The TopCast episode 191 about running great online summer camps for your piano students. 

If you’ve never thought about having one, I’m pretty confident that after you listen to this episode, you’ll be looking at the concept in a different light.

Click the photo to Listen to TC191.

Tip #4: “If I have time…” Activities

One mistake teachers make when they start group teaching is not planning enough activities to fill the time. Sometimes it is hard to predict how long activities will take without doing them first. It can be a guessing game and can vary drastically depending on the dynamic of the students in a particular group.

I always like to plan and prepare for more activities than I have time for. I call these activities in my lesson plan, “If I have time…”. That way if we get to them, great! But if not, that is okay because I can always save it for another time. -Jennifer Foxx

Tip #5: Start Small

“So, if you’re teaching group piano for the first time, my advice is to start small. I encourage teachers to select one age group or student level from their studio and design a group program for these students. By doing so, you can focus your energy on the intricacies involved in facilitating learning for this student population.” - Dr. Christopher Fisher

Bonus Tip: Invite Friends

Depending on the type of camp you are hosting, you can ask your students to invite their friends (even if they don’t know how to play music).  

After the camp is over, invite the friend to join your studio!

Ready to start planning?  Check out these awesome camps we have available at TopMusic Marketplace.

Interested in taking group teaching to the next level?  Consider becoming a member of TopMusicPro.  You can access courses like The Business of Group Teaching, Growing A Group Teaching Studio, PLUS MANY MORE LIKE IT.