Preparation & Communication

Piano lessons are provided in time intervals of 30, 45 and 60 minutes. Lessons are expected to be prepared each week and students are encouraged to ask any questions they may have during their scheduled lesson. Parents of school age students should establish guidelines for practice time and check with the teacher if they have questions or concerns about their child’s work and/or progress.

Attendance / Make-ups

  • Regular attendance is expected. In cases when a student must miss a lesson, 24 hours notice must be given in order to receive credit for a make-up. Exceptions will apply only in cases of family or medical emergency.
  • Students are offered one make-up lesson per 12-week session. Additional make-up lessons are possible but not guaranteed (subject to the teacher’s availability). Make-ups should be taken within 30 days of the missed lesson and will not be “carried over” into the summer season (make-up lessons not taken before June 30th will be forfeited.)

In addition to the “Make-Ups” day scheduled each 12-week session, students/parents may try to schedule a make-up lesson during any week (other than those with designated holidays) of the current session. Again, these make-up times are not guaranteed and subject to the teacher’s availability. 

Cancellations / Rescheduling

 Although there will be times when students need to cancel, students/parents are asked to plan their schedules carefully in order to minimize missed lessons.

  • When students/parents must miss a lesson, they are expected to cancel their scheduled lesson(s) by contacting the teacher as soon as possible. This will allow another student an opportunity to reserve a make-up lesson.  
  • Lessons will be rescheduled if the teacher is absent and in cases when the studio is closed due to poor weather conditions (check the studio website). If lessons cannot be rescheduled because of either situation, students will receive a credit or reimbursement for any missed lesson(s) at the end of the 12-week session.
  • There will be no make-up lessons scheduled for missed make-ups (again, exceptions will apply only in cases of family or medical emergencies).

Payment / Late Payment / Returned Checks

Note: The time scheduled for each student’s lesson is reserved for his or her exclusive use. For this reason, all lessons must be paid for – whether taken or missed.

Tuition payments are due, in advance, on the first lesson of each month and may be paid by cash or check. Tuition is based on a monthly flat rate – please consult the studio website for current rates. Tuition payments not made by the 10th day of the month will be charged a late fee of $15.00.  In cases when a student is absent for the first lesson of the month, the student/parent is still responsible for timely payment. Students/parents will be required to reimburse  the teacher for any overdraft bank fees.

Registration Fee:

To help cover the costs of administration and supplies, new students will be charged a non-refundable registration fee of $15.00. This fee will not exceed $25.00 per family.

Student Showcase Fee (School-age Students):

To help cover the costs of expenses for our performance events (venue rental, musician services, refreshments, etc.), parents of school-age students will be asked to contribute $15.00/student). Parents may also be asked, depending on the event, to purchase or prepare a food item that will be shared during the reception.

Withdrawals / Refunds

Advance notice of one month is requested upon termination of lessons. There will be no refunds for withdrawals (except in cases of unusual circumstance). In these instances, refunds will be subject to the teacher’s approval.

Student Showcase

School-age students will have the opportunity to participate in at least one public performance during the season. Although attendance will not be mandatory, students are strongly encouraged to participate in this event so that they may gain valuable performance experience while sharing their music skills with other musicians and invited audience members.

Summer Study

To insure that students retain the skills they gained during the academic year, they will be expected to register for at least four lessons in the summer (July/August). Should students choose not to participate in summer lessons, they will risk forfeiting their lesson time(s) for the fall. If students/parents know that summer study will not be possible, they may reserve their time slot(s) for September by paying in advance.

Drop-off / Pick-up

Parents/sitters are expected to drop-off and pick-up students on time to help minimize disruptions between lessons. Parents/family members who choose to be present during the lesson will be expected not to distract the student and teacher.