170 - How One Teacher Built and Managed a 100-Student Program with Leah Drake cover art

170 - How One Teacher Built and Managed a 100-Student Program with Leah Drake

170 - How One Teacher Built and Managed a 100-Student Program with Leah Drake

Listen for free

View show details

About this listen

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 actually practice between lessons.

We had so much to cover that we actually split our conversation into two parts. Today’s episode focuses on Leah’s transition and systems, and in our next episode we’ll delve into the realities of space rental.

A full transcript and resources from this episode can be found at MusicStudioStartup.com/episode170.

MSS Entrepreneurs Hub + Mastermind

MSS Studio Launch Grant Competition

Music Studio Business Building 101

Business Finance for Music Teachers

No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.