1. Lesson Payment: Starting August 1st, 2022, payment for private lessons is payable monthly and is due the first lesson of the month. Your lesson tuition holds your weekly time slot in my teaching schedule throughout the year and will now be required regardless of attendance. Monthly tuition fluctuates based on the number of lesson days each month, please be sure to check your e-mail, as I will send you an invoice the last week of the month prior for the following month. Payment can be made by check; cash; or person-to-person payment via Venmo, CashApp or PayPal (friends and family only). You may click the "pay now" button on your invoice to pay each month, there is an additional processing fee attached to that method. Please pay attention to the due date on your invoice (it will always be the date of your first lesson for that month). Late payments will incur at $10 late fee charged to your account for the next month's lessons. I will waive this fee once every 6 months.
2. Cancellations: Students/Parents must cancel lessons by text or e-mail with at least one hours notice. Cancellations are considered excused for illness, family emergency, or severe weather. Excused cancellations with sufficient notification will be given a make-up lesson within the week or lesson credit towards the following month. No-shows or cancellations without sufficient notification (at least one hour before your scheduled lesson time) will NOT be given make-up lessons or lesson credits. Please remember: You may also opt for a virtual lesson in place of an in person lesson. I may need to reschedule or cancel a lesson due to illness, family emergency, or work commitments. In this case, I will provide a make-up lesson within the week or lesson credit towards the following month.
3. Make-Up Lessons and Lesson Credits: Excused cancellations will be given make-up lessons within the week of the cancelled lesson or lesson credits towards the following month. If a student cannot attend a scheduled make-up lesson, the lesson will be considered forfeited with no lesson credit applied to the following month (i.e. No make up lessons for make up lesson). Make-up lessons are not guaranteed and are subject to availability. Make up lessons can be scheduled for in person or virtual. If a make-up lesson is not possible, a maximum of ONE lesson credit will be applied towards the following month. Please note: If the lesson was cancelled by me, and a make up is not possible, you will still get a lesson credit applied to the following month. Please understand that you are not just playing for lessons given, but for reserving a time slot.
4. Snow Days/Holidays: Unless you hear from me, please assume that lessons will be held on school-declared snow days. Often roads are cleared by early afternoon, but if driving conditions are hazardous, we will arrange to do an online lesson via Zoom. If an online lesson isn't possible, we will reschedule a make-up lesson. Any lesson that falls on a Holiday will be handled on a case-by-case basis with communication from me at least a week prior. All canceled lessons due to holidays not be charged to your invoice for that month.
5. Tardiness: The student/parent will contact the teacher by phone if they expect to be late for a scheduled lesson. Communication by text is preferred. If a student arrives after their scheduled lesson time, there is no guarantee for an extension of the lesson, especially if there are students after you. However, if I am late, the lesson will be held for their entire length. Students are allowed to arrive early if needed - please communicate with me if they need to be hear more than 10-15 minutes before their lesson time slot. Please check with me if a student can stay later. There are times when I will have to leave immediately after the lesson due to my own family commitments.
6. Equipment and Supplies: All students are responsible for bringing all materials with them to each lesson, which includes notebooks, all lesson books, and school music. For string students, this includes your instrument, bow, rosin and shoulder rests. Failure to bring all materials to lessons will impact the productiveness of the lesson.
7. Withdrawal and Termination:Students/Parents should consult with the teacher if they are ever considering discontinuing lessons to make sure there are not areas that can be resolved. If the student still decides to discontinue lessons, one month notice is required. The lessons remaining in that month will be finished out and this will allow for the student and teacher to build a sense of closure and plan for the future. The teacher reserves the right to terminate lessons with a notified problem after given chances to correct it. This may include, but not limited to: bad attitude (negative comments, talking back, etc.), lack of interest in lessons or during lessons, continually missing/cancelled lessons (more than 6 in a 6 month period), or missed payments.
8. Parent Involvement/Practicing: Although parents are not required to attend every lesson, I do encourage parents to sit in once in awhile to observe their child during their lesson. At home, it is normal for a child to not want to practice. Please encourage them to practice at least 5 times a week. Older students should aim to practice 30-45 minutes a day, while younger students should aim for 15-30 minutes. Practicing consistently makes a huge difference in how a student progresses. Without practice, it is impossible to teach new concepts and the student will lose interest. Practicing is easier when it becomes a habit. I encourage you to set a specific time in the time to practice and adhere to it as much as possible. Please make sure your student is practicing everything that I have assigned for the week as written in their lesson notebook and/or in the online lesson notes you can view in your portal and are e-mailed at each lesson. Reach out to me if you ever have any questions. Take a moment during the week to ask your student o play for you! When making comments, be encouraging and honest. The best thing parents can do is to help motivate their child to practice.