Nova Music

Nova Music is a studio management platform for music teachers, bringing lesson scheduling, billing, student management, family messaging, and practice tracking together. Teachers can set recurring lessons, view calendars in multiple ways, detect conflicts, and manage availability. Pro adds makeup credit tracking, Stripe online payments, automated invoicing, and iCal and Google Calendar sync. Students use a PIN-based portal to see upcoming lessons, submit assignments, track progress, access shared resources, and message teachers. Practice tools include daily logs, streaks, goals, points, levels, and achievement milestones. The Free plan costs nothing and supports up to 10 students, with scheduling, group lessons, basic attendance, direct messaging, a student portal, and 100 MB of storage. Pro costs $10 a month and includes unlimited students and 5 GB of storage. The features page also lists cash, check, card, and Venmo among supported payment methods. Nova is available on iOS and the web; its iPhone app requires iOS 17.0 or later.

Nova combines lesson administration with student-facing tools for assignments, progress, messaging, and practice. The Free plan covers core scheduling and studio needs for up to 10 students; Pro adds unlimited students, payments, invoicing, and calendar sync.

Nova Music is aimed at piano teachers, guitar instructors, voice coaches, and private studios. The Free plan suits teachers managing up to 10 students, while Pro supports unlimited students and adds payments, invoicing, and calendar sync.

Nova Music is a studio-management app for private music teachers, especially piano, guitar, and voice instructors. It is a strong fit for teachers who want to bring lesson logistics and student practice into one service, though its free plan is capped at 10 students.

Overview

Nova combines teacher-facing scheduling, records, and billing with a student portal that learners enter using a PIN. Students can check upcoming lessons, submit assignments, follow their progress, open shared resources, and message their teacher. Practice logs, goals, streaks, points, levels, and achievement milestones extend that structure between lessons.

The combination should appeal to independent teachers who are tired of coordinating calendars, payment processors, and messages across separate tools. The free roster cap is the main constraint: it works for a small practice, but a growing studio will need Pro for unlimited students.

Key features

Scheduling and studio administration

Recurring lessons, multiple calendar views, availability management, and conflict detection cover the everyday work of organizing a teaching schedule. Student records and attendance tracking keep basic studio administration alongside it. Pro adds makeup credit tracking, a meaningful upgrade for teachers who frequently arrange replacement lessons.

Student portal and practice

The PIN-based portal gives students a direct place to handle assignments, resources, messages, and progress. Practice tools add daily logs and motivational markers such as streaks and points. Together these features give teachers a way to connect studio administration with students’ work between lessons, rather than treating practice as a separate process.

Payments, invoicing, and privacy

Pro includes Stripe online payments and automated invoicing. Nova also supports cash, check, card, and Venmo among its payment methods, giving teachers options beyond online checkout. Nova says it does not receive or store full card numbers, full bank account numbers, or security codes; online lesson payments are handled through Stripe or another teacher-selected method. It says it does not sell personal information for money and uses service providers for hosting, payments, analytics, reliability, and support. Its stated safeguards include access controls, encrypted network connections, restricted service credentials, and security monitoring.

Pricing

Nova has a free tier and one priced paid plan; Studio is marked as coming soon with custom pricing.

Free covers core scheduling and portal tools for a small roster, but its 10-student ceiling and 100 MB storage limit can become restrictive as a studio grows. Pro costs $10 a month and removes the student cap while adding calendar sync, makeup credits, payment and invoicing tools, and 5 GB storage. It is the practical choice for teachers who need those capabilities or have more than 10 students. Studio is aimed at multi-teacher operations that need shared administration and branding, but has no published price.

Platforms

Nova is available on the web and iOS. The iPhone app requires iOS 17.0 or later.

Who it's for

Nova is most compelling for independent piano teachers, guitar instructors, voice coaches, and private studios that want lesson scheduling, student communication, practice tracking, and billing in one system. Teachers with up to 10 students can start with the free plan. Larger rosters, or teachers who need online payments, invoicing, or calendar sync, have a clear reason to move to Pro. Multi-teacher studios may prefer to wait for Studio’s forthcoming plan if they need its shared calendar and multiple accounts.

Teachers who need support can consult Nova’s help center, which has 33 articles across seven categories, or contact support by email at [email protected].

Pros and cons

Pros

• Student-facing tools sit alongside studio administration: the portal combines assignments, messages, progress, and resources, while practice logs and goals address work between lessons.
• A usable free starting point: the free plan includes scheduling, attendance, messaging, and the portal for up to 10 students.
• Pro adds practical growth tools: unlimited students, 5 GB storage, calendar sync, makeup credits, and invoicing with Stripe payments address common needs as a practice expands.
• Multiple payment methods: teachers can use cash, check, card, or Venmo in addition to Pro’s Stripe payment and invoicing features.

Cons

• The free tier is tightly capped: 10 students and 100 MB storage may be limiting for a growing roster or resource library.
• Key administration features are paid: calendar sync, makeup credits, and invoicing with Stripe payments require Pro at $10 a month.
• Studio has no published price: multi-teacher studios cannot weigh its cost against its shared calendar, branding, and unlimited storage before committing.

Alternatives

Music Lesson Scheduling Software is a useful place to compare more tools for organizing music lessons.

Consider Adagio if Android availability matters; it also offers a free plan and runs on Android, iOS, and the web.

Clefwise is another free option on iOS and web, but its free tier is limited to three students; its Pro plan is A$200 a year.

AMES may suit teachers who prefer a transaction-fee model, with a free option and a Standard starting rate of 1.25 % per contact on successful payments collected through AMES.

Duet Partner is worth comparing if a flat monthly price regardless of studio size is preferable: its Monthly Plan is $9 a month, with a 1% transaction fee on family digital payments.

Legato is a paid alternative at $19.99 a month, with unlimited students, automated Stripe billing, and unlimited Legato AI chat and voice.

LessonLoop is a paid option at £15 a month for one teacher and unlimited pupils; it is available on iOS and the web, as well as through an API.

MusicDesk costs $14.99 a month for one team member, with each additional team member costing $4.99 a month.

My Music Staff costs $14.95 a month for a single teacher account, with additional teachers or administrators at $4.95 a month.

Verdict

Nova Music is a sensible choice for private music teachers who want scheduling and student engagement tools in one place, with a free entry point for a roster of up to 10. Its strongest reason to choose it is the combination of a student portal and practice tracking with studio administration; its main reason to look elsewhere is that larger rosters and essential payment or calendar features require a paid plan, while the multi-teacher Studio price remains custom.