General Information and Policies
additional policies that apply to online lessons are available upon request
Piano: Lessons are given weekly at the student’s home. The piano must be in a well-lit area free from noises and distractions.
The piano must preferably be an acoustic piano, in good working condition and in tune (electronic pianos are acceptable for the first year of study).
Communication
The best way to communicate with me for non urgent matters is by email. I check my emails at least twice a day.
For urgent matters please leave a voice mail or text on my cell phone.
Sometimes text messages do not go through, if I do not acknowledge your text or email, please consider that I did not receive it and try again.
Communication between parents, teacher, student is essential to ensure that there is a common understanding and agreement on expectations and long and short term goals. I will talk to you if a problem arises during the course of the year. Please call me right away for any question or problem.
Billing: Tuition is calculated on a per lesson basis.
A statement is emailed to you before the last lesson of the month. Payment is due at that lesson.
Included in tuition: Weekly private piano lesson, including instruction in performance skills, technique and theory.
Not covered by tuition: Books and material; recital fees; registration fees to evaluations and competitions (if applicable).
Lesson length:
A 30 minutes-long lesson is appropriate for young beginners age 6-8. Lessons should be increased to 45 minutes when the child has progressed through elementary material. Hour-long lessons are recommended for the advancing students. I request that students participating in the Certificate of Merit evaluations have lessons 45 minutes-long for levels 2-5, and one-hour-long for levels 6 through advanced.
Parent’s presence during lessons:
Parents are always welcome to watch lessons.
I strongly recommend parents of beginners to watch their child’s lesson, especially if the parent is not musical.
In-home lessons for children under 12 years old: I require a parent or responsible adult to be present in the house.
Recommended minimum daily practice time (theory homework not included):
Students are expected to practice a minimum of 5 days a week with a minimum daily practice of:
Beginning/Elementary level students (levels P-2): 15-30 minutes/day
Intermediate level students (levels 3-5): 45 minutes/day
Upper intermediate and early advanced level students (levels 6-9): 1 hour/day
Practicing less than the recommended amount of time will result in slower and unsatisfactory progress and may lead to the child losing interest in music and losing confidence in his/her abilities.
It is the parent’s responsibility to make sure that the student has time reserved for meaningful daily practices. Parents are responsible to supervise daily practices of younger students.
Most young students do not understand what constitutes a meaningful practice. A parent will need to sit at/near the piano with younger children during the daily practice. Even if the parent is not musical, having watched the lesson should give him/her a good appreciation of what should be accomplished during practice time.
Certificate of Merit (CM): Students school grades 3 through 12 who demonstrate high commitment to their piano studies are encouraged to participate in the Certificate of Merit annual evaluations administered by the Music Teacher’s Association of California.
Illnesses: I do not teach when I am sick and I do not teach your children when they are sick.
If your child wakes up with an illness or is sent home from school due to illness, please call me immediately to reschedule or cancel that day’s lesson. Your child must be fever-free, vomit-free for 24 hours before attending a lesson.
Cancellations: If a student needs to cancel a lesson for reasons other than illness or major family emergencies, please notify me at least 24 hours in advance or you will be charged for that lesson. If you know in advance that you need to cancel a lesson, please let me know as soon as possible - Do not wait until the day before, as I am usually not able to fill in empty spots on such short notice.
Please keep in mind that my schedule is full and that rescheduling a lesson on a different day may be difficult.
Regular attendance to a weekly lesson is expected. Excessive cancellations (2 or more per trimester) for reasons other than illnesses may result in the student’s dismissal.
Please do not cancel a lesson if your child has not practiced. Your child will need the lesson time to keep progressing and to maintain a positive relationship with the teacher.
Please remember that your lesson time slot is reserved for you only. Excessive cancellations result not only in loss of income, but also delay students’ progress.
I may need to cancel a lesson occasionally. If so, I will do my best to reschedule your lesson.
Vacation: Lessons can be arranged during school breaks at student’s and teacher’s convenience. I may occasionally take breaks during the year. If student’s and teacher’s schedules permit, some lessons should be taken during the summer break.
Scheduling: Your lesson time slot is reserved for one academic year only (2019-2020). I will reorganize my schedule in May 2020 for the next school year, taking into account students’ wishes and locations of students’ homes. I cannot guarantee that you will keep the same time slot for the next school year.
Neatness: Hands should be clean. Nails should be clipped short. Gum chewing is not allowed.
Dismissal: Students may be dismissed from lessons for any of the following reasons: inadequate practice in quality or quantity resulting in lack of progress; excessive cancellations or rescheduling of lessons; rude, disrespectful, or uncooperative attitude towards the teacher or other students; failure to pay tuition; excessive late payments.
Termination: Both the student and teacher may terminate lessons at any time and for any reason.
(Revised July 22nd, 2020)