Studio Policies

Please keep these policies in mind as we make our plans and go through our years together. Policies may be updated.

Payment Policy

Payments are due before the first lesson of a semester. If a payment plan is needed, please do discuss that with me ahead of time.

There are no refunds on tuition for the semester and participation is expected for the year. If you decide you’d rather not continue lessons, you must tell me one month in advance.

You will not be refunded for the semester should you stop in the middle and you will be expected to pay for the first month of the next semester if you should stop at the turn of a semester.

Attendance Policy

I will make up one lesson per semester due to student illness. If you know of an absence in advance, please do let me know. I can offer a switch list with my other students in my home studio.

Recital participation is expected. I will announce events as far in advance as possible and expect you to mark your calendars. Plan to attend the entire recital and appreciate the achievement of every student.

As my studio grows, I am striving to offer group classes. If these classes are offered, your participation is strongly encouraged.

Lesson Tips

Please be ready for your lesson on time. If I am running late, I will be sure to offer you a full lesson and will end your lesson late (unless you are not able to do so). However, I strive to run on time and your timeliness will aid that end.

Always bring all of your materials to your lesson. It can be helpful to have a “music bag” which includes: a pencil, your music books, a notebook, foot chart (if you use one) any other violin-related items that do not fit in your case.

My job is to help you understand how to best help your student practice at home. The easiest way to achieve that is your participation through note taking and attendance the entire lesson so that I can highlight teaching points to take home with you.

Please be sure that cell phones are switched to off or silent during lessons. I know that some parents prefer to take notes on their phones and they are useful for recording myriad of lesson pieces that might be helpful at home. That being said, a notebook is more easily accessed by your student on their time and as they transition to taking charge of their own practice, having that system already in place can be very helpful.

To the best of your ability, please do trim your students nails and make sure hair is pulled out of the way. It is difficult to play in tune without trimmed nails and hair can be slippery on your shoulder.

Practice Tips

Practice daily. Students who practice every day are less likely to complain about their practice because it is a natural part of their routine. Students who practice every day will progress at their fastest possible rate.

Reviewing repertoire is expected. We can create a plan to review all your pieces every week. This will help strengthen previously learned skills to create space for new ones. Additionally, it builds confidence, repertoire, and promotes musicality.

Once we have begun reading sheet music, you must spend time every day on it during practice. It is a skill to build and needs nurturing.

Listen daily. Please make time in your day to listen to your recording of your current Suzuki book. Listen ahead! If you are at the end of a book, start listening to the next book ahead of time. They more frequently you listen, the better. It will make learning these complex pieces easier.