This article walks you through creating your public Forte profile to find new students.
Forte makes connecting music teachers to new prospective students easy. Complete these three steps to ensure you are visible to new students: (1) set up your public profile, (2) enter your billing information, and (3) enter times when you are available to meet new prospective students. This guide tells you how to complete each step and offers some useful tips.
If you are reading this article but haven’t yet created an account, you need to sign up here first before continuing on.
Upon logging in to Forte, you will be prompted to complete any one of these three steps if you have not already done so.
Step 1: Your profile
Students will search for teachers based on the instrument that they want to learn, so you need to have a separate profile for each instrument you teach. This also allows you to show varying credentials or teaching methods amongst the different instruments you teach.
To create a new instrument profile, click on Profile in the left-hand navigation menu and look for the “Add an Instrument” button.
Personal Introduction:
Upload a professional photo or headshot.
Next, add a profile picture of yourself. Your profile picture is a chance to create a great first impression with prospective students. A professional headshot is best, but even if you are taking the photo yourself, follow these guidelines.
A good portrait…
- is a clear, high-resolution photo.
- captures you looking directly at the camera.
- has good lighting on your face (beware of weird shadowing).
- showcases the personality and aura you want to project.
- is easy to see and notice, even when small.
- is of only you (no other people in the photo).
- includes your instrument (if applicable).
You can see a few examples of good headshots and professional photos below.
Tell students about yourself.
The next step is to write both a Brief Introduction statement and a Full Introduction.
The Brief Introduction needs to capture the attention of prospective new students and set you apart as they consider a variety of teachers. It’s one of the first aspects of your profile they’ll see, along with your photo. In your Brief Introduction, tell students about yourself in a concise paragraph that draws them in and convinces them that you’re a great teacher for them.
Your Brief Introduction could include…
- key facts about you.
- a snapshot of your teaching methods and style.
- something unique that highlights your personality.
Prospective students will have the ability to click on the Brief Introduction and see an expanded version, called a Full Introduction.
The Full Introduction is where you can write as much as you want and go into as much detail as you need to set yourself apart from all the other Forte teachers and let students know why you're their best choice.
In your Full Introduction, you can include information about...
- Your performance and teaching experience.
- Professional achievements as both a musician and a teacher.
- Your education and certifications, including details about your studies and/or musical development that might resonate with potential students.
- Particular methods or schools of playing or singing you employ (Suzuki, Dalcroze, Kodaly, Orff, etc.).
- What your students can expect in lessons with you.
- Your personal music interests.
- Your typical lesson format (i.e., warmup, playing, discussion, etc.).
Note:
- Brief and Full Introductions must be written in first person (using the pronoun 'I') rather than 3rd person ('he/she/they').
- Introductions cannot include websites or external links.
- Introductions must be written in English, in complete sentences.
- Brief and Full Introductions cannot include your last name (surname).
- Introductions must be free of typos and grammatical errors.
- Emojis can be included, if desired.
Save and Submit:
Video Introduction:
You can also add a short video to your teacher profile.
Craft an engaging video introduction, under two minutes, to showcase the essence of your Forte studio, welcome potential learners, and help them connect with you on a personal level.
Your Video Introduction will also be reviewed by the Forte team.
- Share only your first name, not your last name (surname).
- Do not share external websites, either verbally or in captions.
- Keep your video to under two minutes.
- Shoot your video in landscape mode (horizontal, instead of vertical).
- Be professional! Present yourself in a respectable, professional manner.
- Ensure that your video is focused, steady, and well-lit.
- Upload your video in MP4, MOV, or WMV file format (you cannot upload links)
Click here for additional details about crafting a great Video Introduction.
Now, you’ll complete the rest of your Profile preferences to ensure you’re finding students that best fit your studio.
Trial Lesson Preferences:
Next, enter your preferred fee and duration for an introductory session with a prospective student. The minimum fee is $10, but you can charge more if you’d like.
Pricing your lessons:
Enter the amount you want to get paid for the lesson durations that you want to offer as lesson options. You must enter at least one. When you type in your rate, the rate that students will see in your profile will appear to the right. You’ll notice that the student rate is higher – the difference is the fee Forte charges to operate the platform and market to new students.
Teaching Preferences:
Forte will only recommend you to the type of students you like to teach. In order to do so, we ask that you answer five separate questions about your teaching preferences.
Teaching preferences will default to equal parts of all options; change them to indicate what works best for you.
That’s it for your profile! Make sure you save any updates. If you’d like to see a preview of what a prospective student will see, click on the preview link in the upper left corner.
Step 2: Billing
Forte handles all billing and collecting for your lessons. No more following up with students for payment!
In the left-hand navigation menu, click on Billing, and you will be prompted to enter your information. Choose whether you are billing as an individual or a company, and then register through Stripe, our secure payment partner. Follow the simple prompts to complete the registration, and leave the rest to us!
Step 3: Trial Lesson availability
Now enter the times that you are available to meet with potential new students. Click on Schedule in the left-hand navigation menu, then click on Schedule Configuration, and finally click on Trial Lesson Availability.
Here you can customize your calendar in the Display Hours, Preferences, and Terms sections.
Enter your available times to meet with prospective students by clicking on a time block to select it; click again to de-select. You must have at least three 30-minute time slots of availability per week in order to complete this part. The more availability you provide, the more likely a student will be able to find a time that works to connect!
After you’ve completed these three steps (Profile, Billing, and Trial Lesson availability), your Forte teacher profile will be ready to go live as soon as the Forte team approves it.
You will then be able to receive Trial Lesson reservations from students who are interested in working with you.
Thank you for being a part of the Forte teaching community. If you have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us.