The Letter of Change

Dear everyone,

As you may or may not know, this month marks Skyline Music Studio being in business for two years!

As you most likely have seen, we have grown a tremendous amount over this period of time.  A letter with black and white words can never communicate how deeply grateful the team and I are to you for being a part of this journey.  You honor us with your patronage, and I want to honor you with transparency and with a significant improvement to the level of service you have been receiving.  We want to truly transform lives by helping students fall in love with music while making big progress, not just say we are.

To live up to this, I wanted to make you aware of the effort we put into this on a continual basis, and what is coming down the pipeline, which we are incredibly excited about.  A few of the upcoming improvements are as follows.

WHAT WE CURRENTLY DO

Hire and retain the best teachers: We have always strived to find and train the best musicians and teachers the region has to offer.  We look for folks who are sharp, have tremendous work ethic and warm hearts.  We strive to replace the traditional model of music education- forcing kids to take music lessons that leave them uninspired and stuck in their progress- with a friendly face that knows your name, using technique as a tool to learn your favorite songs.  This interest based learning has resulted in many students feeling motivated to continue on their musical journey and making massive progress in months rather than years.

1-on-1 private lessons: Up until you are reading this, Skyline Music Studio has mainly taught private lessons with just a few group classes to prepare students for private instruction.  Many people have said that they have enjoyed the connection they have with their teacher and feel that they have been making progress as they learn their favorite tunes.  

Help every student feel like a rockstar: We know the value performing, especially with other musicians, can have in a student’s music education.  This is why we hold our Student Showcases every quarter, with the goal of helping every student feel like a rockstar.  We have received an overwhelming amount of positive feedback from these events and plan on continuing them in the future.

WHY CHANGE IS NEEDED

In my evaluation of where we are at as a Studio, I have found several things that do not sit well with me.  While students enjoy music and their lessons (which is most important to us), I feel that, in general, our students have not been making the progress that their potential allows. Our wonderful teachers do their best in every lesson to help students progress, but progress can be challenging when it is not planned and organized.  Even the best teachers need a solid curriculum!

Candidly, I have spent my entire adult life investing in myself to become a great teacher.  However, something I have not been very good at is being a good business owner and understanding the financial realities of running a small business.

That being said, like you, I am working daily to grow and improve. And just like we recommend to everyone at our facility, I have recently invested in business coaches and top consultants to review our business, know our numbers, and improve the product we are putting out to you.

Now that they have forced us to look at the numbers, calculator in hand, it is simply impossible for us to grow and provide the level of service you deserve without change. 

More importantly, I have also noticed that our private lessons business model is cost prohibitive for many people, and even more so if I were to run it profitably.  

WHAT IS COMING

New Curriculum: The solution to helping our students make the progress they deserve lies in the new curriculum we will be rolling out, effective immediately on all instruments.  The general idea with each of these instruments is to focus on a specific skill set for 12 weeks before ascending to the next most difficult thing.  The first two courses (6 months) will be focused on general skills, the last two courses will specialize in a students’ interests.  For example, a brand new guitar student will take Campfire Strumming parts 1 and 2, then dive into either Human Spotify (learning songs by ear) and fingerstyle, or Scale Mastery and 12 Weeks to Shredding (learning guitar solos).  In just a year of music education, these students will play as well as others who have been playing for 4 years, and have all the skills they need to continue their education on their own.

Group Lessons for  Guitar and Piano Beginners: There are several reasons, benefiting you as our client, the business, and teachers alike for making this shift.  In the test classes I have taught over the past 6 months, I have noticed that my students in group classes following the new curriculum have made MORE progress and enjoyed class more than their private lesson counterparts.  I believe that they make more progress because of the curriculum and a dedicated learning environment, and that they have more fun because they make friends in class.  Additionally, these group lessons will be much more affordable than private lessons at $120/month.  Group lessons will be offered for the first two courses in guitar and piano starting next week, (May 19-23, 2025).  I’ll be reaching out if I haven’t already to recommend a specific course for your student to join if any of these courses would benefit them.

Private Lessons to Semi-Private Lessons: After witnessing the camaraderie and healthy competition that comes in a group setting, students who are past the first two courses on guitar and piano will be transitioning to semi-private lessons.  These smaller classes (max 5 students) will work on the more advanced concepts of their instruments, and the price point for these will be equivalent to our current private lesson price ($170/month in the Sanpete Valley).  By the end of these two courses, students will be able to learn and play anything they are interested in without the help of a teacher!

Changes in Program Policy: With these new changes, it will become especially important for us to get and stay organized and respect each others’ time, so I have laid out what you can expect of your teacher, and what will be expected for each student in our new Program Policy.  Each student/parent/guardian will be required to sign and keep a copy of this for their records as we transition into these new classes, here’s the link so you know what to expect: https://www.skylinemusicstudio.com/our-new-program-policy

Now, let’s be super real.  Human beings HATE change.  But we also understand on some level that change is a part of growth.  As we grow together, it’s very important to me that we have an open line of communication.  Please feel free to contact me any time with your questions or concerns.  I hope I have your support in allowing us to continue to serve you in the best way we know how.  

Respectfully yours,

Kayden Thomas

Owner, Skyline Music Studio

P.S. I love you all, seriously.