Music learning is mainly provided as an enrichment programme in Malaysia. What is known as music academies or schools elsewhere is known as music centres here in Malaysia. Since the pandemic, the music teaching business is badly impacted and the industry is going through some growing pains as business owners accept, adapt and adopt new ways of running the business. In this video podcast episode, I’m joined by Amanda Ong, the owner of Fusion Music Studio Puchong and a member of my online learning community, Music Teacher Meets Technology. Amanda shared some of the progressive decisions she made for her studio. Tune in to find out more!
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Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:52 Guest intro and education background
04:45 How Amanda started her own music centre
10:15 The norms of managing the business (i.e. staffing)
12:32 A brief explanation of the Malaysian music teaching business
13:20 The integrity of music teachers and how Amanda overcome staffing problems
14:50 The service offered to parents and students
17:55 Other services provided by music centres
19:40 Teachers as entrepreneurs
21:40 Teacher branding
24:56 How Amanda started to see the importance of branding
26:26 Cher’s aspiration & niche in her own career
29:05 Don’t focus on competition and just move forward
31:31 Amanda’s success stories and trusting staff
33:47 The initial difficulties
36:27 Shared experience but different coping mechanisms
39:52 How Amanda get her teachers to ease into the new norm
42:40 Training tech to senior teachers
43:55 Zoom fatigue
44:34 Handling large class size online, class management and handling lesson objectives 48:10 Preparing materials for online lessons
49:30 Teaching older students
52:44 Feedback from teachers, parents & students
54:30 Online toddler music class
56:12 Amanda’s game plan -“Start local, go global” and advertising the school’s programme
59:12 Social media marketing
01:01:26 Mindset reset
01:02:47 Amanda’s hope for the industry
01:07:01 How you can contact Amanda [Check podcast show notes]
Contact Amanda Ong, Fusion Music Studio Puchong
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