Software for music teachers: tuition, studio policy and recitals

A piano or violin studio runs on a weekly rhythm: the same student at the same time every Tuesday, tuition due on the 1st, and a policy that says what happens when a lesson is missed. The admin pain is concentrated in three places: chasing tuition, arguing about make-ups, and organizing the spring recital.

A new student, from trial lesson to monthly tuition

1. A parent finds your studio page and books a 30-minute "Trial lesson" on your Scheduling page. Booking questions ask the student's age, instrument, and whether there's an instrument at home.
2. After the trial, email your studio policy for E-Signatures: monthly tuition, how many make-ups a semester, 30 days' notice to withdraw (your numbers, as examples), and recital fees. The parent signs on their phone.
3. Create the first tuition invoice, for example $180 for four 30-minute lessons, and set it to repeat every month on the 1st. SoloWOS emails each one with the pay link, and optional payment reminders go out 3 days before and 3 and 7 days after the due date.
4. Weekly lessons stay on your own calendar. Connect it, and those standing times block your booking page so trial and make-up lessons never land on them.
5. When a student misses a lesson your policy allows to make up, send a single-use link to a "Make-up lesson" meeting type. They book exactly one slot.
6. For the recital, a form collects the piece, composer and length. You build the program and share it as a PDF; the recital fee goes on the next tuition invoice as a line.

A typical month in a studio

• The 1st: 22 tuition invoices go out on their own. By the 5th, 19 are paid by card.
• The 8th: the reminder goes to the three families who haven't paid; one pays that night.
• Mid-month: two students use make-up links; one trial lesson books itself from your bio link.
• Week three: recital sign-ups close. You share the program PDF and see which families opened it.
• End of month: sheet music, a piano tuning and the recital hall deposit go into Expenses with receipts.

All 13 tools, one by one

How a private music teacher uses each tool across a school year.

• Link in Bio: your studio page link for Instagram and the local parents' group: trial lesson, studio policy summary, recital date and a signup for studio news.
• Short Links: a QR code on the recital program that opens your trial-lesson page, so a grandparent in the audience can book a sibling's first lesson.
• Forms: the recital sign-up (piece, composer, length, accompanist needed) and a summer schedule survey asking which weeks families are away.
• Scheduling: trial lessons and make-up lessons as meeting types, with single-use links for make-ups so each missed lesson is replaced once.
• Proposals: a summer camp or an intensive audition-prep block with a deposit; for regular lessons the studio policy and monthly invoice do the job.
• E-Signatures: the studio policy signed by the parent every school year, with the date and audit trail, so a dispute about make-ups has an answer.
• Document Tracking: the recital program, the practice log template and audition repertoire lists as PDFs, with a view count per family.
• Screen Recording: a 5-minute screen walkthrough of a marked-up score or a theory worksheet, which the student can replay before practicing.
• Notes & Boards: a page per student with repertoire, technique goals and exam dates, and a board for recital prep: hall, programs, accompanist, reception.
• Time Tracking: rarely needed for weekly lessons. Useful if you also accompany auditions or teach at a school by the hour and bill those hours separately.
• Invoicing: monthly tuition that repeats on the 1st with a card pay link, plus one-off invoices for recital fees, books or summer camp.
• Expenses: sheet music, method books, piano tuning, studio rent and the recital hall, each with a receipt, so tuition covers real costs.
• Automations: when a trial lesson is booked, the parent gets a note on what to bring; when the policy is signed, a task to create the tuition invoice lands on your board.

Tuition income and Form 1099-K

If parents pay tuition by card or through a payment app, the processor sends you a Form 1099-K only when your payments are over $20,000 and over 200 transactions in the year (a 2025 federal law restored that threshold). The tuition is income either way. Your net earnings from teaching are also subject to self-employment tax once they reach $400.

This is general information, not tax advice. Your accountant can tell you how it applies to you.

SoloWOS or My Music Staff: which fits

My Music Staff is built for music studios: a weekly lesson calendar with attendance, family accounts and automatic invoicing. SoloWOS is broader and lighter on the studio side. The honest question is whether you need attendance-based billing and card-on-file charging.

Choose My Music Staff if:

• You want cards charged automatically each month and tuition calculated from attendance.
• You have several teachers and want one shared studio calendar with make-up credits.

Choose SoloWOS if:

• Your tuition is a flat monthly fee and an emailed invoice with a pay link is enough.
• You also run summer camps, audition coaching or gigs and want proposals, contracts and invoices for those in the same account.

Prices and features checked between October 17 and 23, 2026 on each company's site.

Start with these three

Invoicing with recurring tuition, because getting paid on the 1st is the biggest win. E-Signatures for your studio policy. Then Scheduling for trial and make-up lessons. Leave Forms for when the recital sign-ups start.

Free tools that help

• Freelance rate calculator to set tuition from the income you need over 10 teaching months.
• Subscription cost calculator to add up your studio software and streaming licenses.
• Invoice late fee calculator if your policy charges a late fee on tuition.
• QR code generator for the recital program.

What SoloWOS won't do for a music teacher

• No recurring weekly bookings and no attendance tracking; your standing lessons live on your own calendar.
• Nothing charges a saved card: each monthly invoice is paid by the family from the link.
• No group classes, so a group theory class or ensemble needs another tool.
• No make-up credit balance. Your policy and single-use links do that job.
• Reminders go by email only, not text.
• SoloWOS doesn't file taxes, issue 1099s or collect sales tax for you. Invoicing sends the invoice with a pay link (card through your Stripe account) and your other payment details; your accountant or tax software handles the rest.