The base rate for all lessons and consulting is $36/hr.




All lessons are billed monthly, in advance through PayPal.




All payments are due on or before the first lesson of the month.




Webcam students: Studio invoicing is managed through PayPal. Invoices are sent to the principal e-mail address listed on your registration form. Please keep me advised of email changes.




Local students: Lessons may be paid for via PayPal, cash or personal check. Returned checks will result in an additional charge.




All new students must confirm their scheduled lesson time with an advance deposit of one half the monthly lesson fee. The amount will be invoiced via PayPal and must be paid no later than 7 days prior to the first lesson. The remaining balance must be paid at or before the second lesson. Rescheduling the first lesson is not permitted unless the deposit has been paid. (This paragraph does not apply to public/private school accounts.)




All new webcam students must arrange a short "meet-n-greet" on Skype between deposit payment and first lesson. There is no charge for this.




There are no refunds for lessons missed by the student, regardless of the reason.




Lessons missed due to illness or internet failure may be rescheduled.




Lessons missed by the instructor will be credited to the next billing cycle.

Prepared attendance at every scheduled lesson is expected. If you did not practice, please tell me at the beginning of the lesson.




If you will be late, please call (locals) or email (webcammers). If lateness becomes a habit or problem, please consider changing to a different time slot.




I normally let the answering machine take calls while I am teaching. Please leave a message; I will hear it.




Absences due to illness or internet failure may be rescheduled.




Twenty-four hours notice for an absence due to illness is appreciated, if possible.




In the very rare event that I have to miss a lesson, I will email or phone as far in advance as possible.




Summer lessons are available and encouraged. Custom schedules can be created.




Studio vacation weeks: TBD Spring Break week (may be more than one), and the calendar weeks that contain Independence Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Check the calendar link above for exact dates.

Students should bring the following to each lesson:

Instrument (should go without saying, but I've had students forget)

Shoulder pad or sponge (if required)

Foot chart (if required)

Current Suzuki book and other assigned music.

A pencil

A music stand (webcammers only)

A three-ring binder for use as a practice notebook. Set-up instructions will be emailed and/or discussed at the first lesson.

Lessons are in English.




Students generally stand for lessons, unless asked to sit or have a disability that requires accomodation.




Lessons start and end on time, as much as possible. However, I do not hesitate to go over time when needed; in those cases, the lesson ends when I'm convinced the student (and/or parent) understands and can do the assignment.




I have lots of resources to help students develop excellent practice habits, motivation and new skills. Just ask. (I may send help unrequested, if I see issues.)




Adequate preparation outside of lessons is expected. Generally (and at a minimum) this includes: daily quality time spent physically playing the instrument, listening to the piece(s) being studied, attending musical events (when/where possible) in your community, and cultivating a mindset of excellence. Just showing up for your lesson is not enough. Specific recommendations are made individually.




Minors and Webcam Lessons



To protect your child's safety and mine, all webcam lessons for minors (and some local lessons) will utilize multiple age-appropriate levels of security. These are in addition to any regulations imposed by your local school district. Webcam parents must agree to this policy during the initial registration process.




For students through sixth grade, a parent, school teacher, guardian or aide must be present and in camera range for the lesson. The lesson cannot begin until the adult is present.




Parents, grandparents or guardians of students seventh grade and above are encouraged and welcome to attend lessons at any time.




The lesson may be recorded on my end for quality control or training purposes, with permission of student and/or parent.




Local students may record or request recording to help with practicing.




Performances



There will be at least one formal studio recital per school year, where practical. The date(s) will be posted well in advance and all students are expected to prepare and participate to the best of their ability.




Performance pieces are chosen from review pieces and must be approved by me before the performance. A checklist may be used to check for quality. Pieces not meeting the checklist criteria will not be approved (i.e., the student will not be able to perform on the recital). Students are encouraged to choose pieces that are comfortable, excellent and ones they really enjoy playing.




All recital selections will be performed from memory, with appropriate accompaniment.




Other performances may be scheduled when opportunities arise.




Recital attire: church clothes are fine. Students are welcome to go as dressy as they like.




It is highly recommended that you practice your recital piece several times wearing your performance attire, including shoes.