6 Genius Organising Tools for Music Teachers

Are you on a constant quest to become more organised? (Or is that just me!) These organising tools for music teachers have the potential to make your life easier and more efficient. Whether you prefer digital tools, paper tools, or a mix of both, there’s sure to be something on this list that will save your time, money, and sanity!

1. Notion

Notion is like a digital version of my brain! I use it to keep track of nearly all parts of my life, including my music studio. Lesson planning, keeping a comprehensive database of students, updating my resource master list, making notes from my favourite books for music teachers, keeping track of new ideas… If I could only use one app in my business it would be this one!

And good news: it’s free and simple to get started with a template. Plus you have the ability to customise everything to your heart’s content. 

2. Bullet Journal

Instead of piles of random scribbles on scrap paper and post-it notes, I try to keep all of my lists, plans, ideas, and goals in a bullet journal.

It’s simple to start (all you need is a blank notebook!) and you can customise the system to work for you. Looking for bullet journal inspiration can send you down a massive internet rabbit hole, but here’s some good information on getting set up.

The best thing about bullet journals is the flexibility. My favourite features are the index, collections, and signifiers, but I don’t use it for logs at all. You can easily pick and choose what you want to include, and enjoy having all your ideas and plans in one place.

3. Online Calendar

For someone who loves planning and organising, my time management skills still need work! To better track my appointments and commitments I’ve started using an online calendar for everything (appointments, lessons, deadlines, family commitments, birthdays, holidays, events…).

Being able to access my calendar from my phone, set reminders, and share events with others is definitely helping me to plan my days more effectively! I’ve been using Google Calendar, but iCloud Calendar or Any.do also look like good options.

4. Lesson Planning System

Finding a lesson planning system that works for you will improve your teaching life, guaranteed! Whether you’re a planner or a pantser, it’s possible to find the perfect approach that combines structure and flexibility. After some trial and error I’ve developed a lesson planning template (it’s available in the Free Resource Library if you’d like to try it out), and there are a lot of digital and paper options you can test out to find your best fit.

5. Resources Master List

Having an online list of all the lesson resources in your studio is guaranteed to improve your teaching life! I’m not going to lie, it does take a bit of work to set up initially, but it’s definitely worth it when it comes to planning lessons.

Follow these steps to finally keep track of all the music teaching resources you’ve been hoarding over the years:

1. Set up a new spreadsheet or database (in Notion, Google Sheets or Apple Numbers)
2. Suggested headings include Resource Name, Resource Type, Category, Concepts, Level, Lesson Type
3. Go through all your cupboards/drawers/filing cabinets etc and make a list of all the physical resources you have in your studio
4. Check your computer files/Pinterest etc and make a list of all your electronic resources
5. Make sure you’ve filled out the details for each resource in your spreadsheet
6. When planning lessons use the filter function to search resources that meet your needs (eg Game, Rhythm, Group etc)

6. Financial Software

This is absolutely essential for running a business of any size! There are lots of options available so it’s easy to find something that works for you. My requirements include:

• Dedicated financial software (rather than being part of a music studio management system)
• Able to create and send invoices
• Option to link to bank account transactions for easy data transfer
• Easy reporting options

I’ve recently started using Zoho Books and love it. It does everything I need, and one of the best features is the cost: free for small to medium sized studios!

Whatever option you choose, make sure to regularly review your finances (you can even be super organised and make it one of your weekly tasks!).

Do you have any organising tools for music teachers you swear by?