Beyond the Studio Management Software to Studio Management Motivation

A few personal experiences from the last week gave me pause for thought, and had me step back from my usual topic of music and dance studio management software and websites to look at the bigger picture.

I spent the week in St. Louis, where my oldest daughter just received her PhD in biomedical engineering from Wash U, and after the glow of parental pride faded enough for me to think straight, I spent some time talking with her and thinking about the role of extracurricular activities like music and dance in the education of our children.

It will not come as a surprise to most of you that my daughter attributes much of her real education to her flute teacher and highland dance teacher. There she learned the value of commitment and hard work. It seems that these teachers have a more direct connection to their students than academic teachers. Plus something I can only attribute to those cliches "The power of Music" and "The power of Dance".

My younger daughter had the same experience, but even more directly, with her music classes. She is now a harpist in Asheville, NC providing wedding harp music and is building herself a career in the arts. Her Kindermusik, piano and eventually harp teachers clearly had a big influence on her life.

So a big thank you to all you dance and music studio teachers and owners. I know I am not alone in appreciating the tremendous positive influence you have had, and continue to have, on our children.