On Forte Connect, it easy for music teachers to connect with new prospective students.
Complete these three steps to ensure you are visible to new students:
2. Enter your billing information
3. Enter times when you are available to meet new prospective students in Trial Lessons
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, create a Forte account 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
On Forte Connect, students 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, and 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 more info about crafting a great Video Introduction and video requirements.
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 Trial Lessons, 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. 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!
Click on your profile picture in the top right of the Teaching Hub. Click on Billing History.
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 in Trial Lessons.
In the bottom left of the Teaching Hub, locate the Teaching Profiles section. Click Manage Connect Availability.
Here you can customize your calendar in the Display Hours and Preferences section.
Enter your available times to meet with prospective students in Trial Lessons by clicking on a time block to select it:
- Click anywhere on the calendar to add 30-minute time slots.
- Click again on a created time slot to delete it.
You must have at least 90 minutes (three 30-minute blocks) worth of available time slots per week.
These available Trial Lesson slots repeat weekly. Prospective students will select times that are based on your selected availability, minus any lessons already scheduled on your calendar. If you have lessons on your Forte Schedule that conflict with a selected Trial Lesson time slot, that Trial Lesson time slot will not be shown as available for that specific date and time.Tip: The more availability you provide, the more likely a student will be able to find a time that works to connect, and you'll be booked for more Trial Lessons!
If a student books you for a Trial Lesson at a time/day that you happen to not be available, you can reach out to them via Forte Chat to reschedule.
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.
Read how the process works once you receive a Trial Lesson.
Thank you for being a part of the Forte teaching community. If you have questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to contact us. 😊