Studio Policies

Attendance

  • Weekly attendance is required.

  • Cancellations are accepted in the case of illness, family vacations, school events, and extenuating circumstances.

  • Please let me know as soon as possible if you need to cancel: the lesson will be made up so that your child’s progress will not suffer.

  • You can have up to 2 cancellation/make-ups per academic year.

  • Please do not take undue advantage of the cancellation policy!

  • The cancellation policy is subject to your instructor’s discretion.

  • A school assignment due the next day is not grounds for cancellation: please help your child learn to budget their time!

    • Punctuality

  • Be on time! Lessons are fairly short and our time together is precious!

  • Latecomers will have only the remainder of their own lesson time.

  • Persistent latecomers will be terminated.

Regarding Make-up Lessons

  • You are entitled to up to 3 make up lessons per academic term.

  • Make-up lessons must be used within 2 weeks of the cancellation.

  • Lessons missed by the teacher (rare!) will be made up OR you can opt for a credit for your fees.

  • Make-up lessons will be held on Fridays at 5pm at the 8 Templar Drive location.

Regarding No-Shows

  • If a lesson is missed without notice, your contract may be terminated at your instructor’s discretion:

  • 75% of the remaining fees will be refunded.

Regarding Equipment

  • Before lessons commence, you must have a good quality acoustic piano (there are a lot of great pianos available for resale on various websites and at piano stores) or a very high quality digital keyboard IN YOUR HOME.

  • If you have an acoustic piano, it must be tuned and serviced regularly—twice yearly, as a rule.

  • The piano should be situated in a common area of the home—not in a bedroom—with excellent lighting and with an appropriate bench. A chair is not acceptable. Children whose feet dangle from the bench must be provided with an adequate foot support, and preferably, a pedal extender.

  • Your child must not practice with headphones on. You need to be able to hear what your child is playing while you go about your household tasks and leisure activities. Your child needs to be accountable for their time at the piano: wearing headphones leads to mindless noodling in most cases.

  • Do not apply stickers with letter names to your piano keys!!!! This is a needless crutch! There are only 7 different letter names for the keys and most students learn these quickly and easily.

Effective Practice

Learning an instrument is a physical discipline and requires daily practice.

6 year olds will practice only a few short minutes daily.

Students 7- 8 years old are to practice 15 to 20 minutes daily, 5 to 7 days a week.

Children 8 to 10 years old need do a minimum of 30 minutes daily.

10 years and older should be doing a minimum of one hour daily.

Please note, these are minimum amounts! The practice can and should be broken into smaller chunks of 5, 10, or 15 minutes duration.

Regarding Materials

  • Lesson books and workbooks, etc., are purchased by the families and must be brought to every lesson.

  • If you lose or forget your books, you will be charged for a new set.

  • Please bring a ½ inch binder (the kind with a plastic slot on the cover) for handouts.

  • Sight reading material will be loaned out by the instructor.

Being Interested

You will help your child to thrive if you show interest in what they are learning, regardless of your own musical background. But let it be their journey! If a child is stuck on an issue during the practice time, use questions and prompts to lead them to a desirable answer or outcome. Giving children the answers prevents them from experiencing the necessary thought processes; guiding them towards a solution helps them to feel empowered and safe.