Why I’m Starting Over (Again) and What 60 Days Away Taught Me
In case you didn’t know, I recently took a 60-day sabbatical from all things online business. No blogging, no posting, no building. Just space.
And this blog post is the very first thing I’m choosing to write after that break.
Why?
Because what I discovered during my sabbatical — about teaching, about growth, and most importantly, about community— is the exact lesson I’ve been championing through Not Your Mother’s Piano Studio since the very beginning.
If you’ve ever felt the weight of burnout, wrestled with students quitting, or wondered whether group lessons are worth the leap… this post is for you.
Table of Contents
How Not Your Mother’s Piano Studio Began
The Rise (and Strain) of Group Lessons
What Rebuilding in Arizona Taught Me
Why Community Matters in Teaching
A Hard Reality Check
Final Thoughts
How Not Your Mother’s Piano Studio Began
When I started Not Your Mother’s Piano Studio in 2022, it actually started as a blog — and ONLY a blog.
At the time, I was two years into building my third studio from the ground up, this time in Youngstown, Ohio. Things were growing faster than ever, and I felt drawn to share my teaching experiences and success online with the hope that it might help at least one teacher succeed in the business of running a full-time private home piano studio.
The Rise (and Strain) of Group Lessons
Within a year, I took a huge leap of faith and added group lessons — with HUGE success.
I was excited, passionate, and knew this new teaching format could help so many teachers who were experiencing the same struggles I had:
A fast-growing studio
Schedule burnout
The practice problem
And I was right. It DID help so many teachers.
But here’s the catch: all that time I was saving through group lessons, I was now filling with a different kind of work.
| And the same problems I thought I had solved began creeping back in:
A fast-growing audience
Schedule burnout
Scalability problems
So I stepped away.
What Rebuilding in Arizona Taught Me
The irony of my sabbatical is that it taught me exactly what I had been advocating in my online business the entire time:
| The importance of community.
During my 60 days away, we made a huge move: OH ➝ AZ.
My kids started new schools
I tried to find a new church family
I worked on making new friends
And in the middle of all of it, I felt so homesick for my Ohio studio family.
I missed my relationships. I missed my community.
So I set out on a mission to build a new one — not to replace my old one, but to find belonging again. In just 60 days, I…
Hosted my first neighborhood block party
Started a neighborhood Facebook group
Joined a weekly Bible study group
Connected with my local MTNA
And little by little, this cute town of Queen Creek is starting to feel like home.
Why Community Matters in Teaching
So why am I sharing all of this with you?
Because just as I realized I need in-person connections to feel grounded in a new and unfamiliar place, our students also crave friendships and belonging.
That sense of community is what will anchor them in their pursuit of music and growth.
Whether we’re a 45-year-old teacher or an 8-year-old student, we all share the same innate desire:
To be fully known, understood, and loved by those around us.
So let’s not underestimate the power that community and connection holds.
If you’ve ever been on the fence about group lessons and you just need that one reason to try it out for yourself…
| Make community your reason.
If you’re struggling with your studio and your students just won’t practice, are dropping like flies, and parents are being difficult…make community your priority.
Or even if you’ve started a group lesson or two and you just haven’t found your rhythm yet and feel like something is missing still…make community its foundation.
A Hard Reality Check
Here’s a reality check that hit me hard:
When I moved, I left my 60+ studio in the hands of very qualified, accomplished teachers. But in just three months…
82% of my students quit piano.
That’s 49 students who walked away from lessons entirely.
And while I’d love to say it’s because I was just that cool of a teacher — I know the truth:
They stayed because of how they felt in our studio family.
| Students don’t just quit lessons. They quit the feeling of belonging.
Final Thoughts
So friends, let’s not just teach piano.
Let’s create a community worth being a part of — one that makes students stick around not just for the music, but for the family they find in it. 💛
