Studio Policies
Attendance
"Showing up is 80 percent of life."
Students are expected to be on time for lessons, and lessons will not be extended to accommodate tardiness. NOTE: My normal practice is to end lessons at :27 at :57 to allow time for the student to pack up and for me to briefly chat with parents after each lesson.
I also welcome students to observe others students’ lessons. Students are always welcome in the room, as long as they are observing quietly. At some locations the room isn’t very big, but we’ll make space if we can.Materials
"Always have your tools."
Students need the following for each and every lesson:
- Instrument, in good working order
- Valve oil and slide grease
- Manuscript book
- All method books, etude books, and solos
- Metronome and tuner
- Pencils
Practice
"A lack of progress indicates a lack of practice."
Students are expected to practice daily. Use the following as a guide:
- Beginners: 30 minutes daily
- Intermediate School : 45 minutes daily
- High School: 60 minutes daily
If the student is considering music in college or as a profession, double those numbers. :)
Tuition
For my Music and Arts Center students, simply follow your M&A agreement. For my other students, tuition for the month is due at, or before, the first lesson of the month.
Cancellations/Makeups
I do not offer makeups for missed lessons, unless the student can fit into an existing opening in my schedule. The simple reason for this is that a makeup lesson is essentially a free lesson(the original spot almost always being left unfilled), and I can’t afford to do that.(Note: Some years ago I had a more relaxed policy in this area. But, I became aware that with everyone’s schedules being so tight, my flexibility became part of my students’ thought process, and in May of 2009 I had a week where I lost $300 to missed lessons.)
Make-up Lessons from an Economist’s Point of View .
Solo Contests
All students will be expected to compete in their district’s solo contest, and more information will be given when that time gets closer.
All students are required because of copyright reasons to own a hard copy of their solo. No copies of solos will be lent to students.
In addition to obtaining a copy of the solo, students will perform their solo with a professional pianist accompanying them. No recorded accompaniment is allowed in my studio. There will be an extra fee for the pianist, and more information will be available as we get closer to the event.