My Piano Studio Policies

These policies are in place to make clear my terms of payment and to ensure fairness to you and to me in our relationship. These policies are in force for remote lessons via videoconference, just as they are for in-person lessons. If you have any questions about my policies, please feel free to call or e-mail me.

1. Behavior during lessons
Students who are not engaged during lessons and lack serious commitment to improving their skills will very often find themselves stuck on basic-level pieces for a long time. You should be prepared to be focused for the duration of each lesson. I treat my students with respect and I expect the same behavior in return.

2. Students must practice and prepare for lessons
Your piano lessons with me are only one part of building your musical skills. The other equally important part is practice. I expect all my students to practice their assigned pieces for 10 minutes on at least 3 days between lessons. This also means keeping track of all your books and piano lesson-related materials. I may recommend to students who fail to practice, or who fail to prepare for lessons in general, that another teacher may suit them better.

3. 24 hours' notice for cancelled lessons
Please give 24 hours’ notice for all cancellations, except in cases of unexpected illness. The full fee for the missed lesson will be due if the lesson is not cancelled with the proper advance notice. You will not be charged for a lesson if you let me know ahead of time that you will be missing it. However, I will only hold a timeslot for four (4) weeks of cancellations in a row before reassigning the time to another student. Make-up lessons will be scheduled at my discretion.

4. Fees for tardiness and/or absences
If you arrive late for a scheduled lesson, the lesson will be conducted only until the time it was originally scheduled to end. (Example: If you arrive at 3:12 for a half-hour lesson that was scheduled to begin at 3 o'clock, your lesson will last only until 3:30, or 18 minutes.) I realize that there are times when scheduling can get confusing, especially if lessons are switched around at the last minute, but please try to be conscientious about calling or texting me ahead of time if you know you or your child will be more than 15 minutes late or unable to attend a lesson.

5. Payment due within two weeks of e-mailed invoice
Payments are assessed on the 15th of every month and are due within two weeks. A 10% late fee will be added for every week your payment is past due. For example, if your amount due is $140, I will add $14 for each week your payment is past due. I accept cash, Venmo, Facebook Messenger money transfers, bank wire transfers, or PayPal Friends-and-Family. I do not accept personal checks.

6. Cost of teaching materials
You are responsible for the cost of all books required for your child's lessons, as well as all other necessary teaching materials. If I purchase a book for your child, the cost will be listed on your monthly invoice.

7. Make sure you have a quality, stable Internet connection
For remote lessons via video conference, please make sure you've done everything you can to have a high-quality Internet connection to your device. It's a good idea to ask other people in your household to refrain from big downloads (watching Netflix, streaming music) while you're having your lesson so that there's enough bandwidth for your lesson to go smoothly. Interruptions to the lesson because of poor signal or a slow connection hinders your progress.

8. Termination of Lessons
If I need to terminate lessons for any reason, I will give you at least two weeks’ notice. I require the same from you. If you decide to terminate lessons without giving me two weeks’ notice, you will be charged for two remaining lessons.