Lesson Policies for Parents and Students
Practice makes...
It is important to practice. Practicing not only makes you a better musician, but teaches you the life lesson that you can attain a goal if you work towards it. There is no such thing as a set amount of time to practice. At a bare minimum, you should practice until you play your assignments with minimal errors when you are in your lessons. Students are encouraged to log their practice time with this application in the student portal.
Ready to Play
Always bring a pencil to your lesson. Please put your instrument together and warm-up before your lesson starts. So that I can maximize time with each student, you should swab and put away your instrument after leaving the room at the end of your lesson.
Purchase of Supplies
You may be asked to purchase specific accessories like étude books, lesson materials, reeds, ligatures, swabs, etc. I have been buying supplies for 40 years and though local music stores are fun to visit, typically their prices are about 40% higher than Amazon. If you plan to buy an instrument, purchase new reeds, get a new book, etc – my
supplies page is an excellent way to make sure you get the best price available by ordering online. Some of these things make very nice surprise Holiday / Birthday gifts but check with me before making big purchases. I can not tell you how many times students have come in with a piece of equipment that is not right for them!
Working Equipment
Broken instruments should be repaired asap. Check out the links page for suggested repair shops.
Attendance / Cancellation Policies*
Regular attendance at lessons is key to student success. Once a schedule is in place, it is the parent's responsibility to notify me of any necessary changes or updates to contact information. Please read the policies carefully.
• Cancellations or Reschedules (> 24 hours notice)
No problem and your account will not be charged. However, excessive cancellations may result in being assigned a lesson slot at the end of the day only.
• Cancellations (< 24 hours notice)
Your account will be charged for the lesson. If the reason for cancellation is documented for extreme reasons (e.g. - family emergencies, serious illness, etc.), then you will possibly be given a makeup credit. However, "I didn't have time to practice" or "I'm too busy right now" type excuses do not count, and your account will be charged without the option of makeup.
• Reschedules (< 24 hours notice)
If I am left sitting in a room waiting for a student, your account will be charged without benefit of a makeup credit. However, if you coordinate the swap with another student, that is fine, and your account will not be charged. I ask that you please coordinate those changes yourself and simply make me aware of the swap in advance so I know who will be there.
• No–Shows (no notice or notice after missing lesson)
Your account will be charged without the benefit of a makeup credit. In the past, I have dropped students for doing this – even once.
• Teacher Cancellations (all)
I will always do my best to honor any schedule I set in place, but as a freelance musician, my schedule often changes. Most often, I know at least a week in advance. I will never charge for lessons that I am unable to attend and I will always notify the parent and student via the contact information in your account. When I cancel, the charge is deleted. I may attempt to add another lesson in day or so following, but you are under no obligation to make that work if it does not fit. Once you do agree to a new time, however, the preceding policies would go back into effect.
Account Payment
It is the parent or adult student's responsibility to keep their account current. Your monthly invoice will show upcoming and previous transactions and is due on the 1st of the month for upcoming lessons in that month. I understand that things happen and if you are having problems paying your account, please talk to me. I am usually very accommodating, but please don't just skip paying me and think that is ok. The main reason I bill in advance is that I can stop teaching students before they potentially accrue large balances. This is a protection for all involved.
Scholarships
If you receive a scholarship, you must pay your balance due on the account - even if the scholarship check has not been received. When I receive the scholarship funds, I credit your account. Waiting for scholarship funds is not an acceptable reason for late payments.
Check Payments
Your check is welcome, though PayPal is appreciated. Checks returned by your bank for any reason will require payment of bank fees.Repeated problems with this will require cash or credit only payments.
PayPal Payments
PayPal payments are a trusted and secure way of paying your invoice.
Privacy
While I always strive to make others aware of significant achievements via emails, Facebook posts, or Blog entries, I will never share contact information with others without prior consent.
