MusicStudioPianoLessonPolicy

ContactInformation
Lars
Email:wipiano365@gmail.com

I.TuitionandBilling
(effectiveSeptember1,2015)
1.Yearlytuitionfor30minuteprivatelessonsis$720.Atthisprice,thestudentis
guaranteedthatIwillbepreparedandpresenttoteach42weeksperyear.Paymentoptionsarelisted
below.
2.Tuitionreservesyourpersonallessonperiod.Regardlessofattendance,tuitioninstallments
mustbereceivedbytheduedatesinordertoholdyourtimeslot.
3.Tuitionpaidlate(morethan5days)willreceivea$10latefee.Studentswhopaytuitionlate
regularly(3ormoretimes)willbeindangeroflosingtheirtimeslot.
Lessonswillnotresumeuntil
tuitionispaid.
4.Norefundscanbeissuedifastudentdiscontinueslessonsearlyregardlessofpaymentoption.
Tuitionisnotrefundableandwillnotbeadjustedordiscountedforanyreason.
5.Paymentscanbemadewithcash,checkorcredit
6.Notificationwillbegivenpriortothepaymentperiodiffeeincreases.

Paymentoptions
30minuteprivatelessons
st
Paybytheyear:$720(DueSeptember1
orJanuary1st)
st
st
st
st
Payquarterly:$180(DueMarch1
,June1
,September1
,December1
)

Paymonthly:$60/mo.(Duebythefirstweekofthatmonth.)

WhereDoesMyTuitionGo?
Allindependentmusicteachers(IMTs)differinmethodsofoperation.However,thetuitionofnearlyall
teacherscoversthefollowing:
1.Timespentwiththestudent:PrivateLessons,performanceclasses,musicparties
2.Timespentinpreparationforthestudent:lessonplanning,bookkeeping,developmentof
curriculum,etc.Ithasbeencitedbyprofessionalmusicjournalsthatforeveryhourenrolledinpiano
lessons,youareinvestinginatleast2hoursoftheteacherstime!
3.Yourteacherstrainingandexperience
4.Recitalcostsandpreparations:Timespentorganizingrecital,printingprograms,etc.
5.Studioexpenses:Studiorent,copying,computersoftware,incentiveprograms,instruments,
repairs
6.Technologyexpenses:yourteachermayusetechnology(smartphone,tablet,laptop,etc.)in
thelessonasatooltoenhancethelearningexperience.
7.MusicbooksandCDs:Materialspurchasedbytheteachertouseinlessons.
8.Continuingeducation:books,seminarsandclassesthatkeeptheteachercurrentonmethods
andtechniques.

II.AttendancePolicyandMakeupsPolicy
1.
MakeupPolicy:Makeuplessonsarenotguaranteedandshouldnotbeexpectedevery
timeastudentdecidesnottocometoalesson.
Becauseyourmoneyandmytimeareimportant

commodities,Ihavethreeoptionsforstudentstotryandscheduleamakeuplesson.Ifyouanticipateon
missingseverallessons,pleasereconsidertakingpianolessons.
*
Website:
Thefollowingwebsitecanbeusedtoscheduleamakeuplesson
:
www.calendly.com/wipiano365/pianolesson
.Ifyouareunabletocometoyourscheduledtime,

pleaseletmeknowviaemail,textorcallandIwillpostthattimeonthewebsiteforsomeone
elsetouseasamakeuptime.

*
LessonSwap
:Familiesofprivatestudentsmaytradetheirlessontimewithanother
studenttohelpavoidabsences.Usetheserulestomakesureswapsgosmoothly:
Imustbeinformedpriortoandafterarrangingaswap.
Nomakeuplessonswillbegivenifanyconfusionfromthisarises.
Should2peoplearriveatonce,Iwillteachtheonewhoselessonis
normallyatthattime.
Iwilllistparentsnamesandemailaddresses(orphonenumberif
preferred)ontheswaplist.Pleaseinformmeifyoudonotwishtohave
yournameincludedontheswaplist.
4.
Teachercancellations
:IfIcancellessonsforanyreason(suchasillness,inclementweather,
personalorprofessionalobligations),Iwillnotifyyoubyemailortext.Ihavebuiltsomeflexibilityinto
myscheduletoallowforacertainnumberofsuchcancellations.Therewillbenorefunds,discounts,or
makeupsunlessIamunabletoteachthepromisednumberoflessonsfortheyear(42lessons).
5.
StudentIllness:
Studentswhoareillshouldnotcometopianolessons.Theextraperformance
classofferedcanbeconsideredmakeupsforabsencesduetoillness.Ireservetherighttosendastudent
homeiftheyarrivesick.
6.
StudentAbsences:
Asacourtesy,pleasenotifymebyphone,emailortextmessageifyouare
unabletoattendalessonforwhateverreason.Thisallowsmetobetterplanmyteachingscheduleforthe
day.
7.
Noshow:
Ifastudentis15minuteslatetolessons,theinstructorwillassumethelessontobea
"noshow"andreservestherighttoleavethestudio.Ifnocontactismadewithin24hoursafteranoshow
fromthestudent,thatstudentisthendismissedfromthestudioandthattimeslotifmadeavailablefor
someoneelse.

SummerLessonPolicy
1.Participation:
Learninganinstrumenttakestimeandperseveranceandisayearroundcommitmentof
timetherefore,Idonotapproachsummerlessonsasoptionallessons.Takingoffentirelyforthe
summerseverelyhampersastudentsprogress,thereforeIstronglydiscourageitasstudentsoftenhaveto
relearnthingsagaininthefall.Instead,Iviewsummerlessonsasachancetodiscoverextratopicsof
interestthatwillfireupstudentsforthecomingschoolyear.Topicscanbeasindividualasthestudent,
suchas
exploreexcitingnewrepertoire(i.e.movieorpopularmusic),techniquechallenges,musicgames,
divingdeeperintomusictheoryorhistory,tryingyourhandatcompositionorarranging,orlearning
musicbyear.
2.Scheduling:
ForthemonthsofJune,July,andAugust,lessonswillstaythesame.
3.
Vacation:
Ialsorealizethatstudents(andteachers)needabreakandfamiliesoftentravelinthe
summer.
Therewillbeafewweeksofsummervacationoff,andIwillemailstudentswithmysummer
teachingdates.Forthosewithtoughsummerschedules:inlieuofweekly30minuteprivatelessons,I
mayalsooffera45minutelessonoptionatthesameprice(lessnumberofweeks,sameamountoftime
giventothestudent.),oracombinationofprivateandgrouplessons.Ifstudentsmustmissascheduled

lessonduetovacation,pleaserememberthatyourtuitionisstillworkingforyou(seewheredoesmy
tuitiongo

)
4.Optingoutofsummerlessons:
Inordertokeepplacement(secureaspot)inmystudioforfallandnot
participateinsummer,Irequirepaymentinfullforfall(firstmonthlyorquarterlyinstallment),dueprior
tosummerbreak.Itisnonrefundableshouldtheychoosenottocontinue.

IV.LessonContent
Musicisalanguage,andlikeanylanguagetherearemanybasics,whichmustbemasteredbefore
advancingtomorecomplexpiecesofmusic.Itisimportanttounderstandthatnotwostudentswilllearn
themusicallanguageatthesamerateofspeed.Evenbrothersandsisterswithinfamiliesvaryin
motivationandtemperament.Therefore,eachstudentisapproachedasanindividualandchallengedto
theiruniquepotential.Throughteachingelementsofmusictheory,eartraining,sightreading,and
techniqueandprovidingmanyperformanceopportunities,itismygoalthateachstudentwilltrulyenjoy
playingthepianoandappreciatethegiftofmusic!

V.ExpectationsofStudents
1.Cometoeachlessonwithapositiveattitudeandbereadytoworkhardandhavefunaswell!
2.Besuretohavetrimmedfingernailsforeachpianolesson.Ifyournailsaretoolongitwillbe
difficulttoplaywithaproperhandposition.
3.Practiceregularlytoensuresuccessforeachpianolesson.Yourgrowthandprogressonthe
instrumentdirectlyrelatestotheamountoftimeandeffortyouputintopracticing.
4.
Bepreparedforeachlessonbringallofyourbooksandcompletedassignments.

VI.ThePiano
Istronglyrecommendhavingarealpianoinyourhome,asnothingcantaketheplaceofitstouch
andsound.
Ifarealpianoisnotpossible,Irecommendafullsizedkeyboard(88keys)withweightedkeys
(hasthefeelofarealpiano).
Itisacceptableifastudentusesapartialkeyboardatthebeginning,butanupgradetoafullsize
keyboardorpianoshouldbeseriouslyconsideredasthestudentadvances.
Thepianoshouldbelocatedinawelllitplacethatallowsforpracticingtobedonewithasfew
distractionsaspossible.
Apianoshouldbetunedatleastonceayear.Recommendationsforpianotunerscanbeprovided
uponrequest.

VII.Booksandothernecessarysupplies
PianoBooks:Eachstudentwillneednewbooks($6$10each)approximatelyeverysixmonths,
dependingontheirprogress.Theymayalsoneedsupplementalbooksatvarioustimesthroughout
theyear.Ideally,Iwouldlikeallstudentstohave:
Minimum:Lesson,Recital/Performance,Theorybooks
Additionalbook/sorsheetmusicofyourchoice(anystyleofmusic),Techniquebook(Junior
HanonorHanon),Scales,Chords,andArpeggiosbook(JamesBastien),Binder

VIII.ParentalInvolvement
Whilemoststudentsareinitiallyexcitedtobeginpianolessons,pleasebeawarethattheywillface
challengesandsometimesfrustrations.Asinitialenthusiasmisreplacedbyawarenessofthediscipline
andcommitmentrequiredtoexcelattheinstrument,yourencouragementandpraisewillbeessentialto
yourchildssuccess.Regardlessofmusicalbackground,everyparentcandosomespecificthingstomake
eachpianolessonapositiveandrewardingexperience.Herearesomeideas:
Establishascheduledtimeforpracticing.Unlesspracticetimeisgivenahighpriority,ittoooften
doesnotgetdone.Helpyourchildremembertorecordtheirpracticetimeintheirpractice
journal.
Expressenthusiasmforyourchildsaccomplishments.Thisprovidesastrongincentivefor
him/hertocontinuemakingprogress.
Beanaudienceatleastonceaweektoshowyourcontinuousinterestinhis/herimprovement.
Yourinterestintheirplayingtrulymotivatesthemtopracticeregularly.
Supervisepracticesessions.Thisdoesnotmeanyouhavetositwiththemeverydayduring
practicetime.Itsimplymeansthatsometimesitisnecessarytomakesureyourchildcompletes
alloftheassignmentsthatIgivetohim/hereachweek(thesewillbewrittendowninthepractice
journal).
Makesureyourchildhasalloftheirmusicforeachpianolesson.
Makesureyourchildhasaproperlytunedinstrument.
Providefeedbackandsuggestionsformethatwillincreasetheeffectivenessofeachlesson.

IX.Practicing
Ittakesdiscipline,commitment,andtimetolearnanynewskill.Theprocessoflearningtoplaythepiano
andadvancingintomorecomplexmusicrequiresanenormousamountofpatience,concentrationand
practice.Aquietpracticeenvironmentwithasfewdistractionsaspossibleisessentialforlearning.
Practicetimeistoberecordedeachdayonthepracticejournal.Scheduledpracticetimeonadailybasis
isthesurestguaranteethatyourchild(oryourself)willexperienceoptimalprogressatthepiano.A
beginningpianistwillneedtopractice1015minutesperday.
PracticeExpectations
Age6andunder:1020min/day
Age78:1525min/day
Age910:2030min/day
Age1112:3045min/day
Overage12:4560min/day
PracticeJournal
Recordtotalpracticetimeforeachday,andtotalfortheweek
Haveaparentorguardiansignorinitialyourpracticejournaleachweek
PracticeTips
Setgoals
Chunking:Workinsmallsectionsrepeatimmediately
Memorizeasyouwork
Correcterrorsrightawaydontpracticemistakes
Plan,tryout,andwriteinfingerings
Practicehandsseparatefirst,thenhandstogether
Useyourmetronomestartslow,increasetempogradually

Singphrases(onebreathperphrase)

PracticeChecklist:
Areyouplayingtherightnotes/pitches?
Areyouobservingallrestscorrectly?Istherhythmcorrect(notevalues)?
Areyouobservingalldynamics?
Areyoupracticingwithasteadytempo?(checkwithmetronome)
Areyouusingcorrectfingering?

Warmups
Studentsshouldbegindailypracticewiththeirassignedwarmups(scales,arpeggios,5finger
pattern,Hanon),whichshouldtakenomorethan25%oftheirdailypracticetime.

X.PerformanceOpportunities
Havingagoalsuchasanupcomingperformancegreatlyincreasesastudentsleveloffocus,
masteryofandexcitementfortheirinstrument.Performinggivesstudentsasenseofachievement
andincreasesselfesteemaswellasmusicianship.Recitalsandperformanceclassesincrease
studentsawarenessofothermusic,provideasenseoffellowshipwithpeers,andencourage
studentstoperseverewhenhearingmoreadvancedstudents.
Studentsarestronglyencouragedtoparticipateinoneormoreofthefollowingperformance
opportunities.
1.
Recitals:
2recitalswillbeofferedeachyear:winterandspring.Iliketoseemyentire
studioparticipateinrecitals,asperformingmusicisanimportantexperienceinyourgrowthasa
musician,andit'salsofunforfriendsandfamilymemberstohearandcelebrateyourprogressand
success.
2.
Soloandensembleorothercompetitions:
informationwillbeemailedinmoredetail
whentheseopportunitiesarise.
3.
Performanceclass:
Throughouttheyear,wewillhaveafewperformanceclasses.
Theyareanopportunityforstudentstoplayforeachotherandparticipateinmusicgames.Itis
consideredamakeupifyouhavemissedalesson.

XI.Dismissal
1.Becausemytimeandyourmoneyareimportantcommodities,IregretthatIwillhavetodismissthe
studentifanyofthefollowingsituationspersistafterIhavenotifiedyouandprovidedtimetocorrect:
Persistentabsences(threeormorepersemester)
Tuitionischronicallypaidlate.(threeormoretimes)
Thestudentdemonstratesalackofenthusiasmandwillingnesstoparticipateduringlessontime.
Thestudentconsistentlyfailstoshowdiligenceanddeterminationinhomepractice.
Noshow:
Ifastudentis15minuteslatetolessons,theinstructorwillassumethelessontobea
"noshow"andreservestherighttoleavethestudio.Ifnocontactismadewithin24hoursaftera
noshowfromthestudent,thatstudentisthendismissedfromthestudioandthattimeslotifmade
availableforsomeoneelse.
2.Ifyouchoose,forwhateverreason,todiscontinuelessons,pleasegiveonemonthsnotice,andIwill
dothesame.Norefundscanbeissuedifastudentdiscontinueshalfwaythroughthesemesteroryear.

XII.AFinalNote


Thankyouforconsideringmeasapianoteacher!Mygoalistoserveyouandstrivetorecognizeand
meettheindividualneedsofeachstudent.Pleasefeelfreetocommunicateopenlywithmeifyouever
haveanyquestions,comments,orconcerns.

***Pleasesignandreturnthispagetomebyyournextlesson***

Studentsname___________________________________

Parent/sname/s___________________________________

Homephone_____________________________________

Cellphone_______________________________________

Email/s__________________________________________
_________________________________________________
(ifmorethanone,pleaseindicate(*)mainemailandmainphone)

PaymentOptions
(Pleasecheckone)
_____Yearly
st
st
st
st
_____Quarterly(DueMarch1
,June1
,September1
,December1
)
st
_____Monthly(Duebythe1
ofthemonth.)

LessonSwap
(Pleasecheckone)
________IwanttobeincludedintheLessonSwaplist.
________IdonotwishtobeincludedintheLessonSwaplist

IhavereadthroughLarsHoltzspianolessonpolicyandagreetoitsprovisions.

Signature:________________________________________Date:____________________