Studio Policy
Lessons meet weekly except on major holidays and during specified breaks (see Calendar.) Students are expected to attend each week of the school year, except when a holiday coincides with their regular lesson day. There will be no makeup lessons provided for missed lessons, however, you may have access to the contact information for other participating families through a Swap List. If you need to miss a lesson for any reason, you may arrange with another family to swap lesson times that week.
A few swapping guidelines:
Teachers must be informed if a swap is made. This helps us ensure that a 45 minute lesson (for instance) is being swapped for a lesson of equal time. This also helps us make sure that any back-to-back lessons that need to be preserved will indeed be preserved.
No make-up lessons will be given should confusion from this arise.
Should 2 students arrive at once, we will teach the one whose lesson is normally at that time.
If your child is not well enough to attend a lesson in person but feels good enough to have it online during their regularly scheduled time, that is also an option. If a lesson must be missed, kindly notify us as soon as you can so we might be able to offer that space to someone else if a trade hasn’t been made. We truly want everyone to have as many lessons as possible and hope this solution will work in everyone’s favor. To cancel, please text our cell phones or email. If we cancel a lesson due to our own illness, that lesson will be made up at a mutually agreed upon time.
Tuition is divided equally across 10 months and includes 34 weekly private lessons, monthly group lessons and at least two recitals. Please click here see what else your tuition pays for! This is due in total at the beginning of each month. A courtesy invoice will be sent automatically on the 1st of the month. Since the monthly tuition remains the same, setting up an automatic payment at the beginning of the year might just be the easiest way! We accept online bank transfers.
We believe that parents should be actively involved in their children’s learning process at the beginning to help them become independent learners later. Parents are welcome and encouraged to observe the lessons, and should plan to be part of Suzuki lessons during the formative first year or so. A young child cannot learn and master the complexities of the piano without parents’ consistent time and devotion to encouraging them at the instrument. Success at an instrument can only come with daily practice. While lesson time is important, the major part of the work has to be done during practice time.
Students should have a regular, uninterrupted daily practice time on a well-tuned instrument in a well-lit environment. A metronome is also a required and invaluable tool to have for more advanced students.
The more regular the practice routine, the more successful the student will be at the piano. The more successful the student is at the instrument, the more the student will want to play.
Parents attending lessons are encouraged to take notes in the first year so they can replicate the lesson during their practice time at home. For older students, parents should be aware of current assignments (check assignment notes) and monitor practice sessions each week.
Listening to your Suzuki cd/music is a key part of learning to play well. This is easy to do, and cuts down dramatically on learning each new piece. Make sure you have a regular time to play the cd/music each day in the background.
We understand that we all have rough weeks of practice due to heavy schoolwork or other extracurricular activities. Please come regardless! We may use that lesson to work on sight reading or play some fun duets. Consistency is the key!
Suggested Practice Time
Beginner (year 1) - 30 minutes per day (two 15-minute sessions)
Intermediate (year 2-4) - 30-45 minutes per day (two 20-minute sessions)
Late Intermediate (year 4-6) - 60 minutes per day
Advanced - 60-120 minutes per day
Performance at Recitals & Group Classes
Throughout the year we will host group classes and studio recitals for the students to perform for their families and each other the pieces they have learned. These events are mandatory as they provide musical growth and motivation to continue working toward a goal. We encourage every student to perform as much as possible, for family members, for friends, at church and at school.