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This is the time of year when I start thinking about what I want summer to look like—for me and for my students. If you’re a piano teacher, you’re probably starting to think about that, too!
Summer offers a natural change of pace—a chance to mix things up, take a little time off, or do things differently than you do during the school year. However, it can also be a season when income takes a hit, especially if your studio follows a traditional school schedule. Planning ahead now can help you so that you’re not scrambling come June.
If you love to teach groups of kids, have the space to host 4-10 kids, and want to either recruit new students or offer a fun alternative to lessons for current students, consider offering a summer camp!
Here are a few things I love about camps:
Camps Build Community
Camps give piano students, who usually learn in isolation, an opportunity to learn together, laugh together, and make music together. They discover that rhythm games are more fun with friends, composing is easier when ideas bounce around the room, and music is something to be shared.
Camps Attract New Students (and Re‑Engage Current Ones)
Summer is a natural time for families to explore new activities. A camp is a low‑commitment, high‑interest way for new students to meet you, experience your teaching style, and get excited about music. It’s a natural recruiting tool!
It’s also a wonderful way to re‑energize current students who need a little inspiration. A week of hands‑on activities, games, and creative projects can spark motivation that carries into fall lessons.
Camps Give You Flexibility
Some practical benefits of running a camp are that it allows you to:
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Replace or supplement summer lesson income
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Consolidate teaching hours into a few focused days
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Free up the rest of your summer for rest, travel, or creative work
For the price of a month of lessons, students get to participate in a fun music camp “intensive” —and you get the benefit of teaching multiple students at once.
Camps Let You Teach Musicianship in New Ways
Explore rhythm through movement, composition through storytelling, listening skills through group games, and theory through hands‑on activities. Students absorb concepts differently when they’re immersed in a sensory camp experience…and they’ll remember the fun they had when the bullfrog visited them during an outside theory game!
But… Planning a Camp Can Feel Overwhelming
The questions pile up quickly:
- What kind of camp should I run?
- How many students should I plan for?
- How long should it be?
- Should I use an existing curriculum or create my own?
- How do I structure each day?
- What should I charge?
- When do I start marketing?
So many decisions can be overwhelming.
That’s why I put together a planning workshop for you!
How to Run a Summer Camp: A Planning Workshop for Piano Teachers
In this on-demand workshop, I’ll walk you through:
- Choosing the right type of camp for your studio
- Deciding on length, structure, pacing, and group size
- Reviewing the best camp curriculums available for piano teachers
- Tips for writing your own curriculum (if you want to!)
- Pricing, marketing, and registration strategies
- A planning timeline to keep you on track
- Sample emails and registration form
You’ll leave with a clear plan of action for this year’s camp—plus a planning guide with all the resources you need to get started.
Summer camps have been a fun way to supplement my private piano teaching and keep students engaged. If you’ve ever thought about running one—or even if you’re just curious—I would love to help you get started.
Ready to plan your camp?
👉 Click here to access the workshop.
I can’t wait to see what you create this summer!
Happy music-making!
Cori
P.S. For more ideas on how to boost your summer income, check out this link.