Music learning is mainly provided as an enrichment programme in Malaysia. What is known as music academies or schools elsewhere is known as music centres here in Malaysia. Since the pandemic, the music teaching business is badly impacted and the industry is going through some growing pains as business owners accept, adapt and adopt new ways of running the business.  In this video podcast episode, I'm joined by Amanda Ong, the owner of Fusion Music Studio Puchong and a member of my online learning community, Music Teacher Meets Technology. Amanda shared some of the progressive decisions she made for her studio. Tune in to find out more!  

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View video Podcast

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Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

00:52 Guest intro and education background

04:45 How Amanda started her own music centre

10:15 The norms of managing the business (i.e. staffing)

12:32 A brief explanation of the Malaysian music teaching business

13:20 The integrity of music teachers and how Amanda overcome staffing problems  

14:50 The service offered to parents and students

17:55 Other services provided by music centres

19:40 Teachers as entrepreneurs

21:40 Teacher branding

24:56 How Amanda started to see the importance of branding

26:26 Cher's aspiration & niche in her own career

29:05 Don't focus on competition and just move forward

31:31 Amanda's success stories and trusting staff

33:47 The initial difficulties

36:27 Shared experience but different coping mechanisms

39:52 How Amanda get her teachers to ease into the new norm

42:40 Training tech to senior teachers

43:55 Zoom fatigue

44:34 Handling large class size online, class management and handling lesson objectives

48:10 Preparing materials for online lessons

49:30 Teaching older students

52:44 Feedback from teachers, parents & students

54:30 Online toddler music class

56:12 Amanda's game plan -"Start local, go global" and advertising the school's programme

59:12 Social media marketing

01:01:26 Mindset reset

01:02:47 Amanda's hope for the industry

01:07:01 How you can contact Amanda [Check podcast show notes]

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Amanda Ong, Fusion Music Studio Puchong  

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Podcast music from bensound.com