Scheduling Software for Music Teachers, Term by Term
Parents book 30 and 45-minute lessons into your afternoon timetable, holidays stay off the booking page, and reminders go out without a WhatsApp message.
Updated 22 October 2026
Why do music teachers spend so much time on timetable admin?
Many private music teachers teach 30 and 45-minute lessons back to back from the end of the school day into the evening. The teaching is the easy part. The admin is the WhatsApp message at 10pm, the timetable that no longer matches reality, and the parent who needs to move Thursday again because of a school concert. Tymeslot lets parents book open slots themselves, keeps your holidays off the booking page and sends the reminders, so the timetable holds without the message thread.
Why music timetables don't fit generic scheduling tools
A music timetable runs to the minute. A 4pm lesson goes straight into the next one with no gap, and lessons should start on clean times, not at ten past because that is when the last one happened to end. Terms have a set number of teaching weeks, a half-term break and a concert week where nothing else fits. Generic tools leave odd gaps or take bookings in weeks you planned to be away. Music school software handles all of that along with invoicing and attendance, for a monthly fee.
Tymeslot does the timetable part. Set a 15-minute slot interval and lessons start on the quarter hour. Leave the buffer at zero and they run back to back. Add holidays as time off before term begins and those weeks never appear. On Pro, parents settle each lesson as they reserve it. Each lesson is booked and paid on its own; Tymeslot does not take a single term fee for a block of lessons.
Everything music teachers need. Nothing they don't.
Lessons That Run Back to Back
Offer 30 and 45-minute lesson types with no buffer and a 15-minute slot interval, so a 30-minute lesson can start the moment a 45-minute one ends.
Holidays and Concert Weeks Blocked in Advance
Add school holidays and concert weeks as time off before term starts, and set a booking horizon so parents cannot book past the end of term.
Parent Books, Student Named
On Pro, ask for the student's first name and instrument on the booking form, so you know who is coming and not only who paid. Add the student as a guest and they get the reminders too.
Online Lessons With a Video Link
One lesson type can offer your studio or online. Families who choose online get a Zoom or Google Meet link in the confirmation; studio lessons show your address.
Reminders Before Each Lesson
Each lesson type can send up to three reminders, timed as you like, say the day before and an hour before, to the parent and to a student added as a guest.
Lesson Fees Paid at Booking
On Pro, a 30-minute and a 45-minute lesson can carry different prices, and the parent pays by card while booking. An unpaid lesson never reaches your timetable, so there is nothing to collect at the studio door.
See the difference
Without Tymeslot
With Tymeslot
Common scheduling scenarios
How do music teachers fill a back-to-back afternoon timetable?
Music lessons run in tight blocks, one after another. A booking that starts at an odd time leaves a gap too short to sell.
- Create a 30-minute and a 45-minute lesson type on one availability schedule with no buffer, so lessons can follow each other directly.
- Set the slot interval to 15 minutes on both, so lessons only start on the quarter hour and a 30-minute lesson can follow a 45-minute one.
- Open the schedule from 3pm to 7pm on weekdays, and parents see only times inside it.
- As each time is booked it leaves the page, and the next parent picks from what is left.
How do music teachers manage holidays and concert weeks without confusing parents?
School holidays, exam weeks and concert preparation all interrupt the normal timetable. Telling every family separately takes an evening.
- Add school holidays and concert weeks as time off before the term begins.
- Set a booking horizon of ten weeks, so parents cannot book past the end of the term you have planned.
- Parents see only the weeks you intend to teach, with no need to double-check by message.
- When the holiday ends, your usual times are back on the booking page and families book their regular slot again.
How do music teachers handle makeup lessons after a cancellation?
Cancellations happen: a cold, a school trip, a clash with a match. Arranging the makeup lesson by message often takes longer than the lesson itself.
- Parents cancel from the link in their confirmation email, and that slot goes back on your booking page at once.
- Create a "Makeup lesson" meeting type and make it private, so it stays off your public page and only a family holding the link can book it.
- Put it on a separate availability schedule with a 14-day horizon, so makeups happen while the missed lesson is still fresh.
- Leave the makeup unpaid if your policy covers it, or set a price if it does not.
See Tymeslot in action
A starter setup for music teachers
| Meeting type | Duration | Buffer | Minimum notice | Bookable ahead | Payment at booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30-minute lesson | 30 min | None | 1 day | 10 weeks | Full fee at booking |
| 45-minute lesson | 45 min | None | 1 day | 10 weeks | Full fee at booking |
| Makeup lesson | 30 min | None | 12 hours | 2 weeks | None |
Intake questions
- Student's first name
- Instrument and current level or grade
- Is the student preparing for an exam or performance? If so, when?
- Is there an instrument to practise on at home?
Leave the buffer at zero and set a 15-minute slot interval so lessons fit back to back. The makeup lesson is a private meeting type you share by link, and its shorter notice and horizon mean it needs its own availability schedule.
Tymeslot compared with TutorBird and TidyCal
Tymeslot is a lesson timetable, TutorBird a studio management system with billing, and TidyCal a low-cost booking link. A private music teacher usually weighs cost against control: the monthly price, whether parents can pay lesson by lesson, and whether the software and families' details can live on a server you run. TutorBird is the stronger choice if you want term invoices, attendance and lesson notes in one place; TidyCal is cheap and takes payments on its free plan. Only Tymeslot can be installed and run yourself.
| Feature | Tymeslot | TutorBird | TidyCal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free timetable; Pro is one flat fee | $16.95/month, plus $4.95 per extra tutor | Pro $12/month or $99/year; lifetime from $29 |
| Deposit or payment at booking | Pro: each 30 or 45-minute lesson paid upfront | Yes: deposit or registration fee charged at sign-up | Yes: Stripe or PayPal; 1% fee on Free and lifetime plans |
| Open source | Yes, AGPLv3: the code behind your timetable | No: hosted service only | No: hosted service only |
| Self-hosting | Yes: a music school can run its own | No: hosted service only | No: hosted service only |
Sources checked 5 October 2026.
How much time could you save?
A rough estimate, not a promise.
200
minutes saved per week
173.3
hours saved per year
€6,932
annual value of saved time
Which calendars and video apps do music teachers use with Tymeslot?
Start free, upgrade when you're ready
A teacher who bills by the term, outside the booking, needs nothing beyond Free: back-to-back lessons, holiday time off and the private makeup link all work there. Pro (€9/month) suits pay-as-you-go studios where each lesson is paid as the parent books it. A music school with its own server can self-host and pay nothing.
Free
€0 / month
Pro
€9 / month