Policies

Tuition

Tuition is paid monthly and is always due by the first of each month. The studio registration fee is $50/new family per year or $35/returning family per year.

Tuition rates remain the same month to month as holidays and vacations have already been accounted for in the monthly tuition rates. Tuition is based on 41 lessons per calendar year (September 1 – August 31). Payment is strongly preferred through Zelle (many banks offer this online service), but checks made out to the studio name (Piano Passionato) are also acceptable.

If a check bounces, a $25 penalty will be charged.

Illness Considerations

Students may NOT come to in-person lessons should any of the following be true:

if they have a fever, cough, or sore throat
if they have any stomach bug symptoms
if they are currently contagious (for any illness, pink eye, lice, etc or on antibiotics less than 24 hrs)
if they stayed home from school due to being ill for any reason

Make-up and Rescheduled Lessons

Lessons missed by students will not be refunded nor credited.

Students who are ill and unable to come to their lesson in person may choose to either:

do a virtual lesson (preferably FaceTime) during their regular lesson time
video their weekly assignment(s) and email me those video links for feedback before their next lesson

If there are known conflicts (school event, vacation) that you make me aware of no less than two weeks’ prior, there is the possibility of swapping a lesson with another student IF they are able to do so. I will do my best to arrange a swap, but I cannot guarantee it. Otherwise, one of the same two options listed above can be chosen.

Should winter weather make driving to a lesson hazardous, then students will also have the same two options as listed above (virtual lesson or emailing me video links of their playing for feedback).

If I ever need to cancel lessons, then those lessons will be rescheduled or credited.

Practice

All students should practice on a regular basis at home. Parents and students should understand that “practice” is not simply sitting at the piano and playing for a set amount of time. Practice is focused repetition with a specific goal in mind and should continue until that goal is met. If it seems impossible to reach that goal – then the goal is too big and needs to be broken down into something manageable. Mindless or unfocused playing (even repetition of a piece) is NOT considered practice and is ineffective to long-term progress and improvement. A stopwatch is strongly preferred (time counts UP until they have completed their assignments) rather than a timer (which counts down whether or not students have met their goals).

Practice time guidelines will vary according to the student’s age and level, though all students should be practicing a minimum of five days per week (unless they are sick or on vacation). Students will be expected to maintain good practice habits both in regards to practice time and fulfilling practice assignments, with fulfilling practice assignments and meeting goals being the main priority. I encourage parents to sit down with their children and write out a daily calendar to be able to schedule set times to practice that can be consistent.

Theory & Functional Skills

Theory will be covered in lessons as theory is an integral part of music education. Having a solid understanding of theory will enhance each student’s musical experience, and will facilitate their efforts in preparing their repertoire. Students will have weekly theory homework in their theory books.

School-age students will also work through level-differentiated functional skills charts to learn and build these essential skills (scales, chords, arpeggios, improvisation). Functional skills should serve as a student’s “warm up” for practice and as such, be practiced every day before their lesson books/repertoire.

Summer Lessons

Piano Passionato is a year-round piano studio. Monthly tuition is based off of calculations including all twelve months. As best I can, I try to be flexible to accommodate vacation plans during summer. Summer lesson instructional time is usually a mixture of group classes (differentiated by age and level) and traditional private lessons, often with the majority of instructional time being group classes (not applicable to adult students). In order for a student to retain enrollment in the studio, summer lessons are required.

Performance Requirements

There are two studio recitals per school year, and recitals are required for all school-aged students.

I strongly encourage my students to be active in other performance opportunities such as festivals, competitions, school talent shows, or even informally playing for family and friends. Students in K – 8th grade should participate in a minimum of one judged event each year (non-competitive or competitive). I strongly encourage (but don’t require) high school students to also participate in one judged event each year. The experience gained in public performances and in the preparation for the event is invaluable, and the student’s confidence will grow as they publicly perform pieces that are well-prepared. It is also beneficial to receive insightful comments from other qualified musicians (judges).

Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance at lessons is expected. Should a student arrive late to a lesson, they will receive their remaining portion of lesson time only. Should a student miss a lesson without notice – no refund nor alternative lesson option will be given. Should a student miss more than once without notice, lessons will be discontinued.

Also, please make sure that you are punctual for lesson times. Students should walk in to the house at their designated lesson time (please not early) and be picked up promptly at the end of their lesson slot.

Materials for Lessons

Students are responsible for purchasing their own books and other materials. An assignment book is required (“Practice and Progress” by Faber being my favorite) though a notebook dedicated to piano lessons is also acceptable.

Instrument

All students must have access to a piano at home. Keyboards and digital pianos are acceptable if they have all 88 keys, the keys are fully weighted, pedals are attached, and a bench is included. These qualities are extremely important in order for the student to make consistent progress and learn correct technique.

Communication

All communication (regarding scheduling conflicts, termination of lessons, general questions, etc.) should be done via email. I use email as my main mode of communication with my studio families so it is important that I have a current email address on file that you frequently check.

If you need to reach me last minute due to illness or family emergency, then please text me!

Cancellation of Lessons

Lesson cancellation always needs to be done in writing, and refunds will not be given. Two lessons’ notice and payment is required.

Additionally, I reserve the right to discontinue lessons should a student not be maintaining policies (regarding tuition, attendance, practice, etc).