In March 2020, six weeks before our Spring recital, we migrated from in-person lessons to online lessons over Zoom due to Covid, and did our first live-performance Zoom recital in April, with friends and family attending from all over the country. That was exciting! Many of those individuals would not have been close enough to attend had it been a traditional format - such an outpouring of support. Since then, lessons continued to be virtual each week, with students reaching their goals, completing leveled method books, sitting for exams, participating in other recitals, and enjoying the journey. The learning curve required by us all to keep music in our lives during those uncertain times was well worth it! Lessons remained online through summer 2021, with a watch on school policies to determine if/how we go back to in-person lessons in September 2021.
September 2021 update: To have the wonderful face-to-face time of in-person lessons occasionally, with the caution and buffer of Zoom lessons mostly, we implemented a rolling schedule for those students interested. Monday students could come in-person the 1st full week of the month, Tuesday students in-person the 2nd full week of the month, etc. That worked well.
Summer 2022 and 2022-2023 School year update: We are back to in-person lessons for any and all students interested in the option - Hooray! (Please plan a virtual lesson if you have been exposed to covid, or are feeling poorly in general. Thank you.)
To facilitate communication between families when a schedule conflict arises, all student families receive the studio's Swap List. This shows my teaching schedule for the week, with one parent's first name and phone number noted for each lesson time. (Trading lesson times is the only approved use for this information.) When a swap is successfully arranged, please notify me so I can be prepared for each student’s arrival.
Attendance, Trades, & Cancellations
All lessons are one-on-one, which permits individualized pacing. We are able to build immediately upon quickly-grasped ideas, and on other occasions, allow a concept to further solidify before progressing. Tuition rates are in effect for one year, and are set each Fall to coordinate with the start of school. The lesson rate for the 2022-2023 school year and the summer following, is $27 per weekly half-hour lesson. Longer lessons of 45 and 60 minutes may be available, with tuition adjusted accordingly.
Lessons are paid for one month at a time, based on how many lessons are offered that month. (See Attendance policy.) Cash, checks, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle are accepted, with payment due at each month's first lesson. Those individuals who meet the state's requirements may have the option to claim lesson tuition as an educational expense on their taxes. Your cancelled checks or electronic payment transaction records are your receipts.
Rates
Though the year is visually divided into quarters at the calendar page, lessons may begin at any point. Tuition pays for your student’s exclusive lesson time and instruction, as well as preparation and educational investments of my time outside of lessons. Should you be unable to come to lessons on a given week, please keep in mind that, similar to other activities, no refunds or credits are offered for missed lessons. For schedule conflicts you are aware of in advance, you may use our studio Swap List to help arrange a trade in lesson times with another student, allowing your lesson to still occur.
Should it be needed, one paid cancellation for family conflict or illness (per September to August school year plus summer time) is permitted to me. Any lesson I cancel for another reason, where a make-up lesson is not possible, will result in you receiving equivalent credit toward the next month’s tuition. Should you need to stop lessons, one month’s notice or equivalent tuition is required.
To see a list of dates and planned vacation dates, visit our Events page.