The biggest reason is not only to make sure your students are where they need to be, but to check yourself as the teacher.  I realized, even after our very first Acheivement Test, that I teach every student differently. At first thought, I panicked. I was like on my gosh, I'm not teaching every student the same or equally.  But when I really thought about it, I realized that every student is, in fact, different and respond to teaching in many different ways.  With this one test, I was able to check my myself to help modify and improve how I teach per student!

​My second reason is that not all testing has to scream anxiety. The goal is to remember that you aren't testing for perfection; you're testing for what is known and what may need to be reviewed. In my case, I found that there was A LOT I wasn't reviewing with my students on a day to day basis, and that's okay; it will only make our lessons hereon out more beneficial!

Lastly, testing helps you and your students move forward. Maybe a student missed a lot of the questions, maybe they got every single one correct.  Either way, testing provides a basis for where your student is and provides a system to help further their knowledge of music.  For example, your student could be in Lesson Book: Level 3, but maybe they didn't understand the content as well as you had thought. It let's you know that they may need to review Leeson Book: Level 2.  

**One factor of review that I want to point out is that it's okay to not understand something or not know the correct answer. It is highly important that your students know it's okay to make mistakes, to fail sometimes, fear the unknown, and that going back a book or two to refresh their memory is actually a good thing for brain development. What we don't want is for our students to feel like they can't figure something out on their own, ask questions, or become dependent on others to provide them with the answer. Our goal for each of our students is to provide them with an effective music education that helps them develop the independent skills necessary for every day life!

Our owner, Susan Flinn, started her own business teaching piano from inside her home in 1989. How she maintained a household, worked, and took care of me and my sister while my dad was at work, I have no idea. Well, I do have some idea as I do remember the many students who came in and out of the house every day and the many recitals we helped with and participated in! 

It wasn't until 2005 that my mother, Susan, expanded her business to what we now know as, "The Music Studio". Pretty soon, The Music Studio was offering Piano, Strings, Voice, Band, and other instruments. We moved many times, from 2 places on Garrisonville Road and then finally settled on our current location on Bells Hill Road. 

Now, here is where I, the daughter, come in! For those of you who don't know, teaching music lessons was, what I thought, the last thing I wanted to do when I grew up. Of course, music was always a passion of mine, but teaching/helping run a small business had never crossed my mind. I even went in my first year of college to earn a degree in Music Therapy! 

Long story short, my sophomore year of college, I decided teaching was definitely for me; however I changed my major to Elementary Education.  Once I graduated and was in need of a summer job before continuing in the Public School system, I started teaching with who I am fortunately able to call my mother! AKA one of  the most influential people in my life. Don't worry, Dad, you're in there to (;

That summer, I found my true calling and decided teaching music was something I could not pass up and I am forever grateful for this opportunity!

Because of my mother's passion and an amazing staff, we now have the highest number of students we have ever seen---and counting! We have expanded our business not only by number but by number of teachers, student progress/advancement, AND teaching possibilities. This is just the beginning of our new business plan and we cannot wait for the small victories to come!

So...thank you, Mom, for making a business like this possible. For giving music teachers a chance to dream AND make a living. AND for enhancing the lives of children EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. 

Hoping our minds will continue to move forward and make the business even more than we had ever dreamed...TOGETHER...with all of the amazing teachers, students, parents, family, and friends who make this all possible! <3