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January 2023 • Volume 2, Issue 2
Welcome
In our ever-changing world, we continually need to learn “how to.” This Digest offers suggestions for a number of “how to’s,” such as how to create a podcast, how to grow as an entrepreneur, how to best use Excel in your studio, how to fund a start-up business, how to pursue payments when they are withheld and how to find and follow some of the best podcasts for music educators. Our final entry is an excellent book on human nature, a great tool for how to better understand ourselves and our students. 
Beth Gigante Klingenstein, NCTM
MTNA Business Resources Coordinator

♪ Just a Note: For those who have an interest in the topics below, links are provided at the bottom of many of the Digest articles to take you to various MTNA Business Resources sections of the MTNA website.
In the Spotlight
So You Want to Start a Podcast? A Podcasting Primer
Andrea Miller

Have you been curious about starting a podcast? Do you have a message to share and wonder if podcasting would be a good medium with which to do that? Whatever the case may be, today we’re pulling back the curtain and demystifying what it takes to start a podcast. Read more.
Meet the Entrepreneur
Keeping It Simple!
Tony Parlapiano

Triangles are Tony Parlapiano’s favorite shape, and the triangle between student, parent and teacher satisfaction is an especially important one to him. In this video, Tony shares the varied approaches to studio structure he has experienced through the years, ending with his current decision to move from private lessons to individually accessed online classes. Watch video.
Technology Tips and Tools
EXCEL-ling Your Music Studio
Deborah How and Nancy Woo

Have you ever wondered how to create a beautifully designed recital program with a minimum amount of effort? Join us in this short two-part series: first, learn how to sort and organize student information in Excel; then, learn how to use Microsoft Word with Excel to produce a professional recital program. Watch Videos.
Top Five
Top Five Ways to Fund a Start-Up Business 
Tim Stephenson

The business aspects of starting your teaching studio can feel like a daunting task. Teaching materials, technology, piano upkeep, accounting and organizational software—all of these initial needs cost money and prevent many teachers from taking the first critical step towards opening their own studios. The good news is that there are many ways to gather the funds you need to start your business without breaking your bank. Read more.
Legal Landscape
What to Do If You Don’t Get Paid
Beth Gigante Klingenstein, NCTM

What are the options if a student or family does not pay the tuition they owe? We all hope that this will never occur, but if it does, there are better choices than just “swallowing the loss.” Read more.
Resource Gems
Music Podcasts Music Educators Can Follow
Jennifer Foxx

It doesn’t seem that long ago when I could count on one hand how many music podcasters were out there (that I knew of). There seems to have been an explosion in the last few years because I am finding new music podcasts all the time. The beauty of it all? Every one of them has a unique voice! Read more.
Looking for a Good Read?
The Laws of Human Nature by Robert Greene
Ken Thompson

While reading this book, I was often stopped in my tracks by its profound and sometimes brutal truths, yet I ultimately found a great sense of peace and purpose as I worked through its pages. If you manage people, work with people or are a person, this book will help you. Read more.
Heads Up

  • Would you like to contribute to a future MTNA Business Digest? Contact Beth Gigante Klingenstein at mtnanet@mtna.org with any ideas or questions you may have. We’d love to hear from you! Guidelines for submission.

  • We invite you to share the MTNA Business Digest as a resource for the readers of your blog, website, webpage or on social media. Digest Archives can be found by clicking here.

  • MTNA offers its sincere thanks to all those who contributed their insights, knowledge and experience in this issue of the MTNA Business Digest.