Studio Policies and FAQ's
How much does it cost?
It is $15 per lesson - preferably paid by the first lesson day of the month, or as arranged.
You are also responsible for the price of your student's books and a $15 materials fee (paid once a year)
How long are the lessons:
They are 30 minutes.
(Longer lessons are available upon request and contingent upon me being able to fit them into my schedule)
What if I miss?
I will work with you to make up your lesson. My schedule doesn't always allow for make up lessons, but I may provide a group lesson on occasion as an alternative. Occasionally two students may be able to switch lesson times, so there are options.
If you know you will be gone, please let me know so that I can adjust as necessary. I may be able to provide a make up lesson for another student or change my schedule around if necessary.
What do I expect/require?
1. A piano or keyboard for your student to practice on...
While it may technically be possible for a student to progress through their levels without a piano, they will progress more quickly and be much more musically sound if they have a way to practice at home. Around the middle of the Celebrate Piano! 1B, your student's progress will slow dramatically if they are only playing during their lesson time.
2. Practice!
The standard rule of thumb is that daily practice should be equal to the length of your lesson (i.e. a 30 minute lesson = 30 minutes of practice each day). For some students, especially younger ones, this time can be broken up or even shortened if necessary. I want them to practice, but not to hate playing the piano. For any challenges each day's practice time must be at least 15 minutes to count toward the weekly goal.
3. Participation in our Christmas and Spring Recitals
I will do my best to have them scheduled early enough that you can plan around them. If your student will be unable to attend, please let me know as soon as possible.
Choosing a piano:
If you choose to purchase an acoustic (regular) piano, you will want to try the key action and ensure there aren't any loose or clicking keys. If you can get a piano tuner to check it out, that's even better. Try to find out how long it's been since it was tuned. Some pianos will stay in tune with themselves, so they will sound ok even though they may not be on pitch. If the piano hasn't been tuned in awhile, it may take multiple tunings to bring it to true pitch. This isn't necessarily a reason not to buy it, just something to be aware of. Some well known and trusted piano brands are Yamaha, Steinway, Kawai, Bosendorfer, Boston and Baldwin. German made pianos are typically good quality, but many piano brands sound like a German name, but are made elsewhere. You will find good and bad ones in every brand, however, so you really want to try it out first. I am happy to come with you to look at a piano, but please understand that I can really only evaluate the tone and touch. For information's sake, my acoustic piano at home is a Chickering and Sons. It is decent quality and since I have under $400 in it, it is a good choice for me right now.
I understand the issue of cost and sometimes space as well. If you are looking at keyboards or digital pianos, I do not require a full keyboard, but I recommend purchasing the longest one that fits into your budget. Look for one that has full size, weighted keys and as close to a full keyboard as possible. Yamaha, Kawai, Roland and Casio are some of the major players right now in the digital piano market. (I currently own a Yamaha Clavinova CLP330 and have been happy with it, but there have, understandably, been a lot of technological advancements since I bought it). Tim Praskins at www.azpianonews.com has a wealth of information on his website on digital pianos in all price ranges and has always been very helpful. He has many reviews and recommendations on his site and if you contact him, he can also help you to get the best price on your piano. If you prefer to purchase locally, he can help you with that as well.
It is $15 per lesson - preferably paid by the first lesson day of the month, or as arranged.
You are also responsible for the price of your student's books and a $15 materials fee (paid once a year)
How long are the lessons:
They are 30 minutes.
(Longer lessons are available upon request and contingent upon me being able to fit them into my schedule)
What if I miss?
I will work with you to make up your lesson. My schedule doesn't always allow for make up lessons, but I may provide a group lesson on occasion as an alternative. Occasionally two students may be able to switch lesson times, so there are options.
If you know you will be gone, please let me know so that I can adjust as necessary. I may be able to provide a make up lesson for another student or change my schedule around if necessary.
What do I expect/require?
1. A piano or keyboard for your student to practice on...
While it may technically be possible for a student to progress through their levels without a piano, they will progress more quickly and be much more musically sound if they have a way to practice at home. Around the middle of the Celebrate Piano! 1B, your student's progress will slow dramatically if they are only playing during their lesson time.
2. Practice!
The standard rule of thumb is that daily practice should be equal to the length of your lesson (i.e. a 30 minute lesson = 30 minutes of practice each day). For some students, especially younger ones, this time can be broken up or even shortened if necessary. I want them to practice, but not to hate playing the piano. For any challenges each day's practice time must be at least 15 minutes to count toward the weekly goal.
3. Participation in our Christmas and Spring Recitals
I will do my best to have them scheduled early enough that you can plan around them. If your student will be unable to attend, please let me know as soon as possible.
Choosing a piano:
If you choose to purchase an acoustic (regular) piano, you will want to try the key action and ensure there aren't any loose or clicking keys. If you can get a piano tuner to check it out, that's even better. Try to find out how long it's been since it was tuned. Some pianos will stay in tune with themselves, so they will sound ok even though they may not be on pitch. If the piano hasn't been tuned in awhile, it may take multiple tunings to bring it to true pitch. This isn't necessarily a reason not to buy it, just something to be aware of. Some well known and trusted piano brands are Yamaha, Steinway, Kawai, Bosendorfer, Boston and Baldwin. German made pianos are typically good quality, but many piano brands sound like a German name, but are made elsewhere. You will find good and bad ones in every brand, however, so you really want to try it out first. I am happy to come with you to look at a piano, but please understand that I can really only evaluate the tone and touch. For information's sake, my acoustic piano at home is a Chickering and Sons. It is decent quality and since I have under $400 in it, it is a good choice for me right now.
I understand the issue of cost and sometimes space as well. If you are looking at keyboards or digital pianos, I do not require a full keyboard, but I recommend purchasing the longest one that fits into your budget. Look for one that has full size, weighted keys and as close to a full keyboard as possible. Yamaha, Kawai, Roland and Casio are some of the major players right now in the digital piano market. (I currently own a Yamaha Clavinova CLP330 and have been happy with it, but there have, understandably, been a lot of technological advancements since I bought it). Tim Praskins at www.azpianonews.com has a wealth of information on his website on digital pianos in all price ranges and has always been very helpful. He has many reviews and recommendations on his site and if you contact him, he can also help you to get the best price on your piano. If you prefer to purchase locally, he can help you with that as well.