The problem
Pupils who don't practice make slow progress, get bored and stop lessons, and the teacher only finds out at the next lesson. Losing one pupil a term who could have been kept costs $27£20€24A$38C$38 a week, $114£86€102A$165C$162 a month in fees, for as long as they'd have stayed.
What the AI does
My Music Staff's portal has a Practice Log: pupils record practice time with a built-in timer or by hand, add notes and questions, and can upload a video of their practice for you to watch. You assign repertoire pieces when taking attendance and email lesson notes to pupils and parents after each lesson. Parents can log in to see what needs practicing, so the week between lessons isn't a blank.
A worked example
A piano teacher in Harrogate has 30 pupils aged 7 to 16 and loses about one pupil a term to slow progress and lack of practice.
Before
Practice unknown until the lesson; about 1 pupil a term stops, $114£86€102A$165C$162 a month in fees lost each time
After
Parents and pupils see the week's pieces and log practice; if it keeps that 1 pupil a term, $114£86€102A$165C$162 a month kept
What it's worth
About $92£69€82A$132C$130 a month in profit for each pupil kept, at an assumed 80% margin on $114£86€102A$165C$162 of monthly fees ($27£20€24A$38C$38 x 4.3), against $19£14€17A$27C$26 for My Music Staff. Keeping one pupil a term is an assumption.
How to set it up
- Assign each pupil's pieces in My Music Staff when you take attendance.
- Show pupils and parents the Practice Log and timer in the first lesson of term.
- Ask for one short practice video a fortnight for pieces that need checking.
- Look at logs the day before each lesson and plan from them.
- Praise logged practice in the lesson; it's what keeps pupils using it.
What goes wrong
- Videos of children are personal data. Get the parent's agreement, keep videos in the portal, and don't share them anywhere else.
- Logs measure minutes, not quality; keep judging progress in the lesson.
- Younger pupils need a parent to log for them, or the log stays empty.