Studio Policies
Welcome! I want you to have the very best cello learning experience. These policies are designed to help you do that.
Required Materials
For your lesson each week: Cello, bow, rosin, rock stop or strap, cleaning cloth, blank notebook (for assignments and practice notes), music books, music binder (you can either hole-punch your music and put it right in the binder or use plastic sleeves, but all loose pages should be organized in some way.)
For home practice: A chair of appropriate height (knees should be at a 90 degree angle), metronome, tuner (or metronome/tuner hybrid!), pencils, music stand, Suzuki CDs (now available to download on Apple Music or Amazon Music!)
Optional but very useful: Mirror, recording device (phone works fine!)
Scheduling and Attendance
Consistency is integral to progress on an instrument. Your child will make the most progress when we meet at a regular time each week. Because my schedule is full with regularly scheduled lessons, makeup lessons are not guaranteed. If you must miss a lesson, here are your options:
If you let me know in advance, we can meet on FaceTime or Zoom instead of in-person.
Check the calendar for open times. If anyone cancels in advance, I will make their lesson time public as a makeup slot, and you can sign up online.
If you are unable to come in person or virtually, I am more than happy to use your lesson time in another way: making a practice plan for the week, conferencing with a parent, making a recording of your piece if you don’t have one or would like a slow tempo.
You may swap lesson times with another student, let me know if you need anyone's contact information.
If I must miss a lesson for any reason, you will receive a makeup credit and we will reschedule your lesson at a mutually convenient time. I will notify you of any planned absences for performances or travel well in advance.
Timeliness is one of the most important things about being a musician. Please be on time for your lesson. There is often another student after you, so I can’t extend your lesson if you are late.
Health and Safety
Students who are ill or have had a fever within 24 hours should not attend their lesson in person. If you stayed home sick from school, you should not come to your lesson after school. If you are feeling well enough to take your lesson online, a virtual lesson can be a good alternative. I will make every effort to reschedule lessons for students who must miss due to illness. Please do your part to keep us all healthy! Students who come to their lesson sick may be asked to leave and will not be offered a makeup.
Group Class
Group class is an important opportunity to develop musical skills, build motivation to improve, and foster community within our studio. Group class is included in your tuition, and all students are encouraged to attend group class. Class will meet at First Baptist Church of Decatur on the following Saturday mornings:
September 9, October 7, February 3, March 9, April 13, and May 4.
Class times:
Pre-Twinkle 9-9:45am
Book 1-3 10-11am
Book 4+ 11:15am-12:15pm
Parents are welcome to sit in on any level of group class, but Pre-Twinkle students must have a parent in class.
Tuition
Tuition includes 34 lessons from August to May, 6 group classes, and 2 recitals. All important dates are on the calendar. Tuition is due on the first of the month, and invoices will go out 7 days before the due date. Payments made more than 7 days after the due date will incur a 5% late fee. Please inquire for current rates.
Monthly rates include PayPal fees. Families who prefer to pay by check for the semester can avoid these fees.
Need-based scholarships are available for dedicated students, please contact me for information about scholarships.
Summer Lessons
Nearly all of my students continue with lessons over the summer. I recommend taking at least 6 lessons during the summer to keep up your progress and maximize retention. Think of it as protecting your investment! The summer schedule is much more flexible than the school year schedule, and I typically offer a variety of times for you to sign up for in my online portal, rather than keeping the same time each week. During the summer I keep a 48-hour cancellation policy. You may change or cancel your lesson at any time up to 48 hours before.
Performances
We have two recitals a year, one in the fall, and one in the spring. Performance is a great learning experience, as is watching your peers perform. Attendance at recitals is expected, regardless of whether your child is ready to play a piece. If you aren’t ready to perform, you are still expected to come and support the other students. Please plan to stay for the entire performance out of respect to the other students on the program.
We also have several optional group performances throughout the year that are very fun! This year we will have Celloween in October, Cellists for Cheer in December, and Spring Strings in March.