Maestro Music Dashboard Guide for Teachers

This guide serves as your primer for teaching on the Maestro Dashboard. It covers how to set up your account, how to set your availability, tips for using your dashboard, need-to-know policies, and common questions you might get from parents.

Please reach out to info@maestromusic.online if your question is not addressed here or if you have any feedback or suggestions on how we can improve. We take your feedback seriously and will update the dashboard as we can to make this the best possible experience for you and your students.

1. Setting Up Your Account

Once your onboarding paperwork has been completed, getting set up on the Maestro dashboard should take about 10 minutes. Be sure to follow these steps in order: 

1.1. Check Your Email Inbox for Two Invites

Once we’ve received your paperwork, you'll get two separate emails. You need to act on both. They usually arrive within a few minutes of each other, so if you only see one, wait a bit before assuming something's missing: 

Email 1 of 2: Zoom Invite

You’ll receive a Zoom invite to the email address you shared with us.

Click "Activate Your Zoom Account"

Email 2 of 2: Maestro Invite

Click 'Set your password' to start. 

Click the link to set your password and create your Maestro Teacher Dashboard.

1.2. Choosing Your Maestro Dashboard Password and Adding Text Notifications

Enter a password, then click 'Save password.'

Once you set your password, you’ll be prompted to add a phone number. 

① Add your phone number, ② check the box, ③ click 'Agree and continue.'

You must add a phone number because we’ll send you critical lesson information: 

1. When a new trial student books a lesson with you.
2. You'll get a text the evening before any teaching day with a “lesson digest.”

However, if at any time you decide you no longer want to receive texts from Maestro, you can reply STOP to unsubscribe.

1.3. Setting Your Availability

The first thing you need to do is set your availability, otherwise your account will default to you being available from 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday for your time zone. 

How to get to the "Set Availability" page: After setting your password, adding a phone number, and confirming your email, you'll arrive at your dashboard. When you first join the dashboard, your dashboard page will be practically empty.

Look for the tab to "Set Availability" at the top right-hand corner of your dashboard. Click on "Set Availability."

When you first join the Maestro Dashboard, your dashboard will be empty. 

Choosing your lesson lengths

You can select whether you want to teach 30-minute lessons, 60-minute lessons, or both. We strongly recommend checking 30-minute lessons.

Once you’ve made your choice, be sure to select “save lesson length.”

Check the lengths you'll teach, then click ① 'Save lesson length.'

Setting your max students

Your max students is the most students you're willing to take on at once. Once you hit this number, we stop sending you new families. Both enrolled active students and trial students count towards this number.

 Set your number, then click 'Save max students.' The box below shows where you currently stand, including your trial count.

Setting your weekly recurring availability

Scroll further down on the “Set Availability” page and you'll find your weekly schedule grid:

• Select every time block you're open to teach on a recurring basis.
• Families can only book inside the blocks you've selected, and you can come back and adjust this anytime.
• At the bottom of this page, you’ll be able to block off unavailable time. You can block off anywhere from a few hours, to a full day, to several weeks at a time. 

When you’re happy with your changes, be sure to scroll down and save your changes.

2. Using Your Dashboard

Once you've set up your account, this is where you'll do everything from joining each lesson, checking your schedule, adjusting your availability, messaging families, and logging lesson notes. 

Here is everything you need to know about your dashboard and how it works: 

2.1. Quick Dashboard Overview

When you log in, you'll land here. 

Your dashboard home: ① You're currently on the "Dashboard" page, ② go to "Set Availability" page to modify your availability, ③ view and add lesson notes for each student.

At the top you'll see three numbers: 

• Your active students
• Your lessons booked in the next 30 days
• How many lessons you've completed this month
• Note, for payment purposes: a 30-minute lesson counts as 1 lesson and a 60-minute lesson counts as 2

Below that is a running feed of any news for bookings, reschedules, and makeup lessons. For recent activity, you can "mark all read" to clear your recent notifications.

2.2. Updating Availability

You’ll need to set your availability the first time you enter the dashboard. After that, you can return to the “Set Availability” page to update it at any time.

If you are planning to take time off for holidays, a new baby, or whatever else you may need to take time off for, we ask that you mark that time as unavailable at the bottom of the “Set Availability” page as soon as those dates are confirmed.

If you need to schedule time off at times when you have lessons scheduled, you'll be prompted to request a reschedule when you mark that time off. You can also communicate with your current families ahead of time and request that they reschedule those lessons to another time you're available.

2.3. Joining a Lesson

Each lesson has its own Zoom link, right on your dashboard. When it's time to teach, find the lesson and click "Start lesson" (this is how we track lessons, so it’s critical that you join from this “Start Lesson” link so we can ensure you get paid). 

The Zoom lessons are time-sensitive: 

• If you don’t join through the “Start Lesson” button within 8 minutes of the lesson starting, it will be counted as a “teacher no-show” and the parent will be prompted to reschedule that lesson.
• If you stop the lesson before 75% of the lesson has been completed, the lesson will count as a “teacher no-show” and the parent will be prompted to reschedule the lesson.

① Click "Start lesson" to join Zoom for this lesson, ② You can request by clicking "Reschedule".

2.4. Messaging Families

You can message your families directly. From the top of the dashboard, you’ll find a “Messages” tab where you can read and send messages with enrolled families. From here, you can add files (click the paperclip icon next to the message icon) as needed. 

Note, messages should primarily be used to answer parent questions regarding scheduling, the platform, or any practice questions the student might have.

2.5. Your Students List

Go to the “Dashboard” tab at the top of your screen. Scroll down to the bottom and you'll find all of your active students. From here, you can view and add lesson notes, reschedule lessons, or message families.

2.6. Logging Lesson Notes

After every lesson, you'll need to log your notes. Lesson notes are mandatory (more on this in the Policies section). 

To do so: Click "Lesson notes" next to a student and you'll see three fields to fill in:

1. What you covered
2. What's next
3. Homework  

Lesson notes are only available for you to fill in when the lesson is scheduled to end (e.g. for a 30-minute lesson starting at 11:00 am, you’ll be able to add your notes starting at 11:30 am). 

We strongly recommend filling in your lesson notes immediately after your lesson, but notes aren’t technically “due” for 2 days after lesson completion.

3. Policies You Need to Know

Here are some of the most important dashboard policies you should be aware of:

3.1. How Lessons are Counted

Every lesson is built from 30-minute blocks:

• A 30-minute lesson counts as 1 lesson
• A 60-minute lesson counts as 2 lessons 

This is the number you'll see in your "Completed" count on the dashboard.

3.2. Free Trials

New families start with a free trial, either a single lesson or a full free month, depending on how they signed up. 

You just know two things:

1. You're paid for trial lesson time exactly like a regular lesson.
2. After a family's last free lesson, they have 6 days to enroll and keep their spot and lesson time with you. If they don’t book within 6 days, that time will revert to available on your calendar, and other students will be able to book that time.  

3.3. How a Lesson Counts as Attended

To count as attended: 

1. Join deadline: you and the family each need to join the lesson within 8 minutes of the scheduled start. If someone doesn't, they're an automatic no-show, and the other person isn't expected to keep waiting.
1. As a teacher, you’ll join from the “Start Lesson” button, whereas parents will click “Join Zoom”
2. Stay threshold: if you both join in time, you each need to stay for at least 75% of the remaining lesson time for that lesson to count as an attended lesson. 

A few things to keep in mind: 

• If a family no-shows, you're still paid as usual.
• If you no-show, the system automatically turns that lesson into a reschedule rather than just cancelling it.
• If neither of you ever joins, the system defaults to marking it a teacher no-show.
• If you both join but both fall short of attending 75% of the lesson, whoever left first is the one marked no-show.

Think a call was wrong? Email info@maestromusic.online and we can manually correct it, including your pay.

3.4. Lesson Notes Deadlines

Notes are required after every lesson. See section 2.6 (Logging lesson notes) above information on how to fill them in. Please plan on filling these in right after each lesson so it’s easier to remember. 

3.5. Rescheduling 

Families can:

• Move a lesson (both single lessons and recurring lessons) to another time slot based on the availability you set, so long as it's 48 hours or more before your scheduled lesson time.
• Cancel a lesson, so long as it's 48 hours before your lesson time. If they cancel with 48 hours or more notice, you will not be paid for that lesson. If they cancel with less than 48 hours' notice, it's considered a student no-show, and you will be paid. 

Note: Our default cancellation and reschedule policy is 48 hours, however, there is a workaround you can use if you'd prefer to let families reschedule with less than 48 hours' notice. To do this, you'll need to communicate with the family and ensure that neither party logs on to the scheduled Zoom lesson. When neither you nor the parent log on within 8 minutes of the lesson start time, it's considered a "teacher no-show," which will prompt the family to reschedule any time within the next 28 days without losing that lesson. Reach out if you have any questions!

If you need to move a lesson, you can request a reschedule, which the family will need to approve. Alternatively, you can message the family and request that they reschedule a specific lesson. 

① Start lesson: you must press this to start the correct Zoom lesson. 

3.6. Cancelling a Lesson Yourself

If you need to cancel a lesson, the family will be able to rebook that lesson at another time you have available, so long as it’s within 28 days.

If you're leaving Maestro Music altogether, give us as much notice as you can (we aim for 2–4 weeks) so we can help match your students with a new teacher.

3.7. How Families Take Time Off

Families can pause their own enrollment for up to 21 days directly from their account. This holds their spot with you and pauses their billing.

3.8. Respect, safety, and reporting concerns

Maestro Music has zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, or bullying from any party, including parents/guardians, teachers, and students. This applies to every interaction on the platform, including lessons and messages.

If something happens during a lesson that concerns you, don't wait and don't try to handle it on your own. Email info@maestromusic.online and let us know what happened. We take these seriously and will follow up directly. 

Important: If you’ve been instructed to complete Mandatory Reporter training for Charter students, you’ll need to abide by those rules and report any concerns as required by law.

4. Answering Parent/Guardian Questions

Most of what parents ask you day-to-day is already answered elsewhere in this guide, but the most important thing is just knowing where to direct them should they bring questions to you. 

4.1. Where to Send Them For Most Questions

Before troubleshooting anything yourself that you’re not confident you can easily answer, point families to the Parent Guide. It covers how to join a lesson, reschedule, cancel, pause, add a second child, and more.

Most questions you'll get are already answered there.

4.2. If a Parent Wants to Take Lessons Off-Platform

Some families will ask to just message you directly, use a personal Zoom, or otherwise skip the app altogether. When this happens, politely decline and explain that lessons need to stay on Maestro so they're tracked and so you get paid for them. 

If they’re experiencing a scheduling conflict, point them to the reschedule or pause options in their own account rather than arranging something outside the platform.

If they have any concerns or questions you don’t know how to answer, provide them with the link to the Parent Guide and the Maestro support email (info@maestromusic.online). 

4.3. If a Parent Asks About Their Billing

Please direct any billing questions to info@maestromusic.online. 

4.4. When to Suggest They Contact Maestro (or Contact Maestro Yourself) 

For anything about billing, tech issues, or account administration, please direct parents to email info@maestromusic.online and we’ll reply as soon as possible.

If it's urgent (a lesson starting soon and something's broken, or a safety concern), email us and put "URGENT" in the subject line.