Resolve To Plan Ahead

By Charlotte Klein

Give yourself a happy new year with a smoothly running business.  

The older I get and the longer I am in the dance studio business (I am entering my 54th year), the more I realize the advantages of planning ahead. Here’s a quick look at how I structure my year organizationally so that my clients, staff, and I can enjoy a season that’s as hassle free as possible.

Each June I send out a fall schedule that highlights the classes I recommend for each student, and consequently I enjoy a smooth registration period and transition to the fall. Once all students are in their correct classes and costume catalogs have arrived, I start working on the next recital season. All of the students have been measured for costumes by November (with allowances made for growth in the next six months).

Each year, after the holiday break in December, I send a letter to students and their parents wishing them a happy, healthy new year and announcing the dates of Parents Observation weeks in January. (I stagger the dates for each studio room to alleviate parking and seating capacity problems.) This is also a good time to revise the studio calendar with holiday closings, upcoming events, competition dates, and a snow-day cancellation policy if needed.

I start the new year off by evaluating potential changes and anticipating problems. We don’t expect many new students to enroll in January, though we do take a few preschool-age children if there is room. Since our classes are typically full in the fall, it can be difficult to filter new students in with others who have been dancing since September. Potential problems in the classroom can be staved off when studio owners visit each one to observe the class dynamic and any teaching or behavioral concerns. That way they will know firsthand what is happening in the classrooms and can help with any problem that may arise or take any necessary corrective action.

January is also the time to finalize plans for the remainder of the season. Most recital costumes should have been ordered by then. Cute, basic costumes for the younger children can be selected before the music is chosen; however, we wait until the music has been finalized before ordering the costumes for older students. Ordering most costumes before the holiday break gives us time to make any necessary exchanges and allows us to take advantage of early-ordering incentive discounts, which save a considerable amount of money. One teacher may teach duplicate classes in both of our school locations, in which case we use the same music, choreography, and costumes for each class. If there are two of the same classes in different recitals, even with different teachers, I try to use the same costumes and music.

After the costumes have been ordered, it’s time to plan which students will be in each of our four recitals. Whenever possible I try to schedule all of one family’s children in the same recital [see “Simple Solutions for Multiple Recitals,” November 2006]. We mail a list of the classes that will perform in each recital to each family, along with all dates for rehearsals and performances (and a 2007 competition schedule for involved students) in early January so that parents may plan early to avoid conflicts. I recommend spending the postage for a mailing rather than relying on handouts, which usually end up in the bottom of the students’ dance bags and never reach their parents. It is most important to inform parents in writing.

Also in January, I make a rough draft of each recital program. Because many of our students are in multiple classes, it takes many revisions before the lineup allows each student enough time (usually about two numbers) to change costumes. I ask my teachers to submit their music choices to me in December or early January. That way, even though I haven’t finalized the song titles I can still work on the program order and drop the song titles in once I have approved the choices. Even though my recitals are not until June, getting an early start on the planning minimizes stress later on.

By starting the season off right with good communication and early planning in September and again in January, school owners will enjoy a productive faculty, satisfied customers, and a smoother, easier transition into the new year.