Dance Teacher / September 1999

(...) Your local newspaper may run a special back-to-school section you can advertise in. If you choose to advertise, think carefully about how you portray your studio in print. "It's important to focus on your business and make a case for why parents should choose your studio over soccer, scouting, music lessons and all the other activities that compete for children's time," says Retter. Another way to encourage early registration is by offering incentives - such as discounted registration fees, free classes or dance apparel - to returning students who sign up early or bring a friend in. "On registration day we give away T-shirts to the first 250 students who register," says Retter. Larger studios may want to set up a series of tables or stations to move parents through the system smoothly. Retter's studio sends out customized schedules to parents with appropriate classes for each child highlighted. "Our clients are very happy with our system because their questions about which classes a child is eligible for are answered ahead of time," says Retter. She also provides parents with a complete list of policies, important dates and costume costs. Once classes start, finalize the schedule and balance classes according to the teacher/student ratio at your school. Larger classes may require adding an extra session or hiring an assistant teacher to help out. Other classes may be dropped if there aren't enough interested students to cover the costs involved (teacher's pay, electricity, office staff. The first order of business should be a good cleaning and maybe even a minor facelift (see sidebars). Walking into a sparkling studio lets your students know the new year is a fresh start for everyone. "When they come back, the students need to see a difference," says Linda Retter, of Retter's Academy of Dance in Agoura Hills, California. "We take down any decorations left over from last year's show and put up newspaper clippings, articles and trophies from summer events and competitions," she adds.