162 - Business Travel and Conference Deductions for Music Teachers with Charles Harris, CPA
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
Release Date: 03/05/2025
176 - Building a Flexible Music Career Through Recessions, COVID, and Beyond with Barbara Siesel and Keith Torgan
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
Today's episode is a rebroadcast of a super fun conversation I had a few years ago. I'm talking to two musicians about how they've made a career in music over the last 15 years. I think their story illustrates what it means to be not just an entrepreneurial musician, but an entrepreneur in general. You'll hear about how they've made plans and pursued ideas, while keeping an open ear to what's going on in the market and the world around them, so they can respond with products and services that meet real needs and opportunities. At points this has led them to make pivots. COVID has been one...
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175 - How Guitars 4 Vets Scaled to 100+ Chapters to Bring the Healing Power of Music to Veterans with Bernie Kampf
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
This week, as we observe Veteran’s Day in the US, I’m honored to be talking to a Vietnam Veteran and guitar teacher for a non-profit organization that aims to brighten the lives of veterans who suffer from physical and mental wounds from their times of service. You’ll hear about how their mission is shaped by those they serve, how they raise funds for the program, and how they address some unique considerations when matching teachers with veterans and finding creative ways to make the guitar accessible. Here’s my conversation with Bernie. Full transcript available at...
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174 - The Power of Steady Creativity: Growing a Second Income Stream Through Self-Publishing with James Michael Stevens
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
If you’ve ever wondered whether the music you compose or arrange for your students could become more than a creative outlet—maybe even a second income stream—this episode is for you. My guest, James Michael Stevens, is a composer and college music dean who has steadily built something quite remarkable: a catalog of thousands of piano and organ pieces, all self-published online, that reaches players around the world. What I love most about his story isn’t just the scale of what he’s created—it’s how he’s done it. His process is simple, consistent, and completely self-driven, and...
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173 -Rethinking Lessons, Branding, and Belonging in Your Studio with Leischen Moore
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
Today I’m talking to the owner of a boutique voice studio about how she rebranded her studio to make it more about her students and less about her. You’ll hear all about how she introduced the new brand, how it was received by studio parents, and how her students have taken ownership of the studio community, to the point where they’ve even developed their own gang sign. There’s a lot of food for thought in the episode with Leischen Moore. Full transcript available at
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172 - How to Plan Recitals That Showcase More Than Just Skill with Janna Williamson
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
In this episode, I'm talking with pianist and educator Janna Williamson about how she prepares her students and studio for recital season. I wanted to talk with Janna specifically because she's a teacher who models both excellence and perspective. Her students perform beautifully, but her focus isn't on perfection. For Janna, performing isn't about proving skill or passing a test. It's about sharing music. We talk about the practical side of recital prep, things like timelines, scheduling and rep, but also about how Janna's studio vision guides every decision she makes about those...
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171 - Negotiating a Studio Lease and the Real Numbers Behind It with Leah Drake
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
Today I’m back with Leah Drake of Vibrant Valley Music Studio for part two. In part one we talked about her transition to group lessons through the chaos of COVID and losing her teaching space. It’s quite the story! In today’s episode we zoom in on her move to a commercial space—and the very real finances behind it. Leah is based in San Jose, so none of this is cheap. She walks us through how she chose square footage with room to grow, why she prioritized a storefront for visibility, and how she financed the whole thing. If you like numbers, this episode will not disappoint. Leah is...
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170 - How One Teacher Built and Managed a 100-Student Program with Leah Drake
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
Today I’m talking with Leah Drake of Vibrant Valley Music Studio—a solo teacher running a 100-student group program in San Jose. Leah walks us through the messy middle of a major model shift: how she transitioned from private to groups over a year, navigated COVID, survived multiple space moves, and ultimately signed a long-term lease that forced clearer systems and smarter decisions. We get into Leah’s why behind group teaching, the structure of her classes, and the operations that make a 100-student studio work—onboarding/offboarding, a VA, and digital tools that help families...
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169 - Turning a Rate Increase into Stronger Parent Partnerships with Carissa Pitkin-Cox
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
As a new school year begins, it’s natural to step back and think about where our studios are headed. Maybe you’re updating policies, setting fresh goals, or just imagining what you want this year to look like for your students and yourself. This is such a good moment to pause, get clear on your vision, and make sure the choices you’re making now are leading you toward the studio you really want to build. In today’s episode, you’ll hear from Carissa, a piano teacher who walked through this process in one of our early cohorts of the Business Building 101 course. She talks about how...
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168 - Daniel Matthews on Functional Fitness for Music Teachers
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
In this episode, fitness professional Daniel Matthews shares how functional fitness can help musicians and teachers prevent injury, improve posture, and build sustainable careers. He reminds us that just like music, health doesn’t have to be about elite performance—small, consistent habits matter most. As we head into a new school year, Daniel’s insights are the perfect reminder to care for the body that makes music possible. A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at .
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000 - September 2025 Announcement
Music Studio Startup: Helping music teachers thrive as entrepreneurs
Hey everyone, it's Andrea with Music Studio Startup and I'm excited to share what we've got coming up this school year. We are back to our regular interview format. And I've got some great episodes lined up, including chats with fitness experts for musicians, group studio owners, and more amazing teachers and entrepreneurs. Over in The Hub, our members are continuing to get their studios more organized and streamlined. This fall, we're diving into sales and marketing systems to help teachers bring in new students and keep their studios running smoothly. I'm also teaming up with our CPA Charles...
info_outlineWith the MTNA conference right around the corner, we got Charles Harris, CPA back on the podcast to discuss tax deductions for business travel and attending conferences. We talk about common expenses associated with business travel, which ones are deductible and which ones aren’t.
We answer questions like:
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Are meals 100% deductible when I’m traveling?
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Can I deduct my plane ticket it I pay for it with points?
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If my family is traveling with me, can I deduct their travel expenses?
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If I book a local hotel for a staycation and teach a virtual lesson while I’m there, can I count it as a business trip?
A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode162.
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