Transcript: Snapshot 032 – Ivan Kolar
Transcript for Snapshot 032 – Ivan Kolar
[00:00:00] Andrea: Hey, it’s Andrea with Music Studio Startup, the podcast about the business of teaching music. Learn from the startup stories of music teachers who are doing incredible things with their studios. Be inspired by creating musicians who are branching out and thriving as entrepreneurs. Be empowered by the insights of experts who will help you grow your own studio.
Let’s get started.
Welcome back. We’re doing a special series on the podcast this summer called Studio Snapshots. Rather than the in-depth process-oriented interviews you’re used to hearing, These rapid fire interviews give us a glimpse into a guest studio at a moment in time. They’re part reflection, part anticipation of the future, and fully a celebration of where these teachers are today.
Today I’m talking to Ivan Kolar. Here’s Ivan’s Snapshot.
Hi, Ivan. Welcome to the podcast. Thank you for being here today. Can you introduce yourself and tell us briefly about your studio?
[00:01:10] Ivan Kolar: Hello, Andrea. Thank you for having me. My name is Ivan Kolar and I began my teaching career in Croatia, where I earned my master’s degree in 2008.
And after working for 10 years at one of the best Croatian music schools, Bargen School of Music, I felt the need for a change and I moved to Vancouver, Canada. Also once I moved here, I took a break from music to focus on, on obtaining my permanent residency and actually ensuring my stay in Canada. This January I launched my music studio with zero students, and now just a few months later, I can proudly say I already have 20.
[00:01:48] Andrea: That’s awesome. Thank you so much. And yeah, this is gonna be a fun snapshot because you are so new to teaching. We are recording this here in July 2024, and you started in January, 2024 in a new country, all those things. Excited to hear briefly today in this studio snapshot, what you’ve learned in the past year.
So to kick us off, what do you celebrate from the last school year?
[00:02:10] Ivan Kolar: Actually, a year ago, I started working as a piano teacher here in Vancouver at, uh, one music school. After spending time there, my all accomplishments were attributed to the owners. So this experience made me realize the importance of valuing my professional identity.
So that was actual reason I decided to start things on my own.
[00:02:32] Andrea: Hmm. And how were you challenged in the last year?
[00:02:35] Ivan Kolar: Well, definitely once I decided the hardest part was finding a space, because everywhere I reached out, they had issues with sound. But meanwhile, I worked on my website, flyers, all kind of advertising strategies.
So once I found the right space I was ready to go.
[00:02:53] Andrea: Alright. Did you take any risks or go outside your comfort zone?
[00:02:57] Ivan Kolar: I mean, I, I already took a big risk by quitting my position in Croatia, but, uh, I’m very persistent when it comes to things I believe are possible. I must have decided to start my own piano studio.
I did everything I could to make it happen. In my head, there is no turning back. And I really have to mention there, uh, like in figuring things out, I had the huge help from Amazing Lauren Kelly with the Teach Me to Teach the Society where I learned how things work here in Canada and how to actually advertise myself.
And also like, just to mention, uh, in Croatia, the system is quite different. All schools are government funded and music education is free. And even though I had well established career back there moving here, nobody knew who I was. So I had to learn everything from the beginning. In the new environment.
[00:03:48] Andrea: When you decided to go out on your own, did you have another job that you were working at the time or did you just cut that off and jump folding into teaching piano?
[00:03:56] Ivan Kolar: I worked in a school and then once I stopped there, I, since I moved to Canada, I started working as a chef, actually in a restaurant. So that was my morning job. And then after I quit school, I even now working as a chef in the morning while reducing days and moving only to teaching.
[00:04:15] Andrea: Okay. So this is the first summer you’ve had in your studio, but in this first summer, what does it look like for you and for your students?
[00:04:22] Ivan Kolar: Well, I actually decided to be working all year long so I’m not taking summers off, and this one ended up being quite busy for me. I actually recently prepared six of my students for our first piano festival and we won six golds. And now I’m just like, keep working and trying to get all my students ready for some upcoming competitions this fall, and also start slowly preparing them for my first studio recital at the end of the year.
[00:04:50] Andrea: How fun. What are you doing this summer to prepare for the next school year?
[00:04:54] Ivan Kolar: I already started considering moving my studio to a bigger space and also if the number of students continues to grow, I will probably have to hire someone soon. So that is going to be big project for the next year. Also, doing a collab with, uh, already mentioned Lauren and a few other teachers.
We are gonna organize piano Olympics. This is really kind of fun and casual event where students will showcase their technique skills and at the same time it’s all promotion.
[00:05:24] Andrea: Alright. What app or tool has made the biggest impact in your studio or life management this year?
[00:05:31] Ivan Kolar: Probably the most useful tool was CapCut for editing videos.
Because when I started, I didn’t have any videos or photos that I can showcase my teaching style. So even during COVID I started playing around with video editing, which came in handy for creating content for my Instagram profile.
[00:05:49] Andrea: Okay. Can you say the name of that again?
[00:05:50] Ivan Kolar: It’s called Cap Cut.
[00:05:52] Andrea: Alright. A link to that in the show notes.
And where can listeners get in touch with you and follow along with what you’re up to?
[00:05:58] Ivan Kolar: They can find me on Instagram. My studio’s called MuseSync Studio. And see how I actually work my videos and everything.
[00:06:08] Andrea: Alright, we’ll direct ’em that way. Thank you so much.
[00:06:11] Ivan Kolar: Thank you so much, Andrea.
[00:06:18] Andrea: Thank you for taking the time to be with us, Ivan. We’ll include a transcript and all the links mentioned in this episode at musicstudiostartup.com/snapshot032. The Music Studio Startup website is also filled with lots of other resources for music teachers just like you who wanna set up their studios for success this summer, including our popular self-paced Business Building 101 course, and our hub and mastermind for studio owners who want to be supported and challenged to grow as entrepreneurs.
That’s all for today. Thanks for listening. I’ll be back next week.