Outside The Bachs with Kelly Riordan

About Outside The Bachs with Kelly Riordan

We talk to musicians, artists, and creative entrepreneurs about their careers and the lessons they learned along their journey. Hosted by Kelly Riordan, co-founder of OutsideTheBachs.com OutsideTheBachs.com is a business accelerator program for musicians that are soloing or scaling in creating their own private music studios and delivering the highest quality education to their students. Scaling full-time private music studios with: - Profitable lesson packages - Predictable sources of students - Repeatable enrollment processes

Publisher

Kelly Riordan

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

1 Dec 2022

Latest episode

15 Jul 2026

Latest episodes

33 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Jul 2026

   Running a Piano Studio on Your Own Terms

   In this special episode, Kelly shares highlights from five conversations with alumni of the Outside The Bachs: Scale Program. You'll hear from Claire, Olivia, Katie, Natasha, and Alexandra, five piano instructors who each built a music lesson business on their own terms. If you are a private music teacher looking to grow your studio, raise your rates, or design a teaching schedule that fits your life, this episode offers real stories, practical insight, and proven results. Claire shares how she built a studio of 21 students from zero in just 6-8 months, left her job, and now earns more while taking 8 weeks off each year. She explains why specificity in marketing matters, especially listing adult students first, and how focusing on adult learners brought in more leads than she ever expected. Her studio now supports her other creative projects, and she's confident in her ability to build (and rebuild) a business she fully owns. Olivia walks through how personal development laid the foundation for 3x revenue growth. In 10 months, she grew her oboe and piano studio from 6 to 19 students, left her dance studio job, and now gigs in the same building as her new studio. She shares how mindset shifts like resilience, decisiveness, knowing when to say "no," and letting go of people-pleasing became the catalyst for her refined business. Katie shares how she rebuilt her studio by rebuilding her confidence. Starting from zero, she added 8 students in 6-8 months. She talks about having the language to communicate her ideas with structure and clarity, defining her ideal student without desperation, and feeling empowered to try new offerings like asynchronous lessons and a homeschool choir. Natasha explains how she created a thriving studio in just 90 days. After an uncertain path to growth, she implemented a clear strategy, grew from a few private students to 25, and now has a waitlist for the summer. Alexandra shares how a move to a new neighborhood became a fresh start. With a solid studio policy, confident pricing, and a strong business foundation, she's built real authority and legitimacy outside of higher education or someone else's studio. While all five guests are piano teachers, the takeaways apply to any private studio, regardless of specialty or instrument. This episode is ideal for private music teachers, piano teachers, oboe teachers, studio owners, and anyone who wants to grow their music lesson business, attract adult students, increase monthly income, and build a sustainable teaching career.

2. 

   24 Feb 2026

   Building a Sustainable Private Strings Studio

   In this special episode, Kelly sits down with three successful private music studio owners to share real stories of studio growth, increased income, and sustainable teaching schedules. If you are a private music teacher looking to grow your studio, raise your rates, or transition from side income to full-time teaching, this episode offers practical insight and proven results.Jessica shares how building a strong Suzuki program became the foundation of her portfolio music career. By committing to a clear teaching philosophy and long-term vision, she transformed her private lessons from a side offering into a stable, intentional business. She explains how specializing in Suzuki instruction helped her attract aligned families, improve student retention, and create consistent revenue in her music studio.Ainur walks through her six-month studio transformation. After leaving her previous job to focus fully on studio growth, she implemented strategic marketing efforts and built relationships with local schools. She secured a school teaching position, added ideal students, and increased her enrollment.Lydia shares how she scaled her cello studio steadily and sustainably. She explains how transitioning to flat rate tuition created predictable income, reduced stress, and improved communication with families. Although raising prices and restructuring her studio felt intimidating at first, the shift gave her the clarity and confidence to grow. Lydia ultimately added 18 students, left her orchestra job, and built a private music studio that supports creative fulfillment, wedding gigs, and meaningful time off.This episode is ideal for private music teachers, Suzuki instructors, violin teachers, viola teachers, cello teachers, and studio owners who want to grow their music lesson business, increase monthly income, implement flat rate tuition, and build a sustainable teaching career.

3. 

   17 Feb 2026

   The Mindset Behind a Growing Music Studio | Chelsea Tanner & Kelly Riordan

   In this episode, Kelly sits down with Chelsea Tanner (https://www.chelseatanner.com/) - flute coach, mindset expert, and college audition coach, to explore how shifting from artist mindset to a true business owner can transform a private teaching studio. Chelsea shares how clarifying her lesson offer, refining her pricing, and getting clear on who she actually wanted to serve led to major growth in studio revenue and sustainability. They discuss the role of flat-rate tuition, stronger organization and communication, and the confidence that comes from treating students as clients (and not just filling spots on a schedule). Chelsea also shares how coaching and mindset work helped her raise prices, say no to misaligned opportunities, and build a studio that supports both her teaching and her work coaching flutists through college auditions. This episode is a must-listen for private music teachers who want to build a focused, aligned studio and for educators ready to step into the role of business owner. ⁠⁠⁠Outside The Bachs- ⁠⁠⁠Listen on Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/outside-the-bachs-with-kelly-riordan/id1657471223) Resources For Your Private Music Studio: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://outsidethebachs.com/)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠OutsideTheBachs.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (http://outsidethebachs.com/)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://outsidethebachs.com/)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/kellyriordanmusician/) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Kelly on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.instagram.com/kellyriordanmusician/)⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.tiktok.com/@kellyriordanmusician) ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Kelly on TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ (https://www.tiktok.com/@kellyriordanmusician) Facebook Group: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Private Music Instructors, Piano Lesson Teachers, and Music Studio Owners (https://www.facebook.com/groups/privatemusicinstructors)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

14,983

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

4 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 44 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

13

Social presence

97

YouTube

76

Engagement

60