§1. CANCELLATIONS: Please think and plan ahead, and remember your lesson time. If you need to cancel a lesson, make every effort to give teacher as much notice as possible, at least 24 hours. It's fine to trade lesson times with another student, but not counting that, changes in lesson time are limited to two (2) per semester. NO EXCEPTIONS.

§2. DISMISSALS and DISCIPLINARY CONCERNS: Parents must be at the lesson of all students under the age of twelve (12) years; parents are the supervisors of the home practice, and must stay informed of what is expected. Students who are consistently discourteous may find that the lesson is stopped, without refund.

§3. ILLNESS: Teacher recognizes that—especially with small children—it is not always possible to know in advance if your child is going to be feeling ill. Please do not bring children to lessons if they are running a fever or ill.

§4. INSTRUMENTS: Students are by no means required to purchase an instrument from me, but reasonably priced instruments are available for students who want them. Please click here for description and price of instruments. My policy is that a student instrument may be upgraded to a larger size at no additional costs, except that if the instrument needs strings, bow rehaired or other costs, that cost will be covered by the student (not the teacher).

§5. FEES: Lesson fees are due on or by the sixth of every month, with a $5.00 late fee. If new students start during the month, fees may be prorated for that month.

§6. LESSON TIME: Please be on time, neither early nor late. Parents must accompany all students under age 12, and please pick up older ones on time.

§7. MAKEUPS: With a waiting list and fully booked schedule, make-up lessons are not always possible. You are paying for the teacher's time, not the lesson, per se. Schedule changes are limited to two (2) per semester.

§8. PARENTS: Please observe carefully and have a clear idea of what your student is expected to work on during the week. Please wait until the end of the lesson, however, to ask questions; it is too confusing for a child to take direction from two adults at the same time. Also, help me by picking up any toys your child may have left on the floor. Teacher is not responsible for any items left in studio.

§9. PARKING: Please park on the street and not in anyone's driveway.

§10. RECITALS: Recitals will occur regularly, usually twice a year. Format is informal, and free to the public.

§11. RETAINERS: The flat monthly fee covers four lessons, and occasionally five, per month—except for November and December, when it covers three lessons. Regardless of the number of lessons you receive in a month, the fee remains the same. No monthly refund will be given, once lessons are started.

§12. TIME-OUT:

1. The studio runs on a year-around basis, with only one week off in December and one week off in November.
2. It is normal, however, for students to request one or two weeks or even a month off in the summer, for vacation. No fees will be requested during these times if teacher is given a month's notice in advance.

This is often, for parents, a very serious and sometimes troubling issue in music study. They should be told that it is normal for students to not want to practice, and home practice should be supervised by the parents until the child is older and has developed more independence. There is an excellent book about this: How to get your child to practice without resorting to violence. In general, the recommendations in the book include:

1. Remain calm but firm; don't nag, threaten, get angry, or give up. Brushing teeth is not optional, and neither is practicing. 10 minutes a day is fine at the beginning.

2. Create a musical environment: this will include listening to the Suzuki CD's, other CD's of classical music or other musics, going to concerts, and listening to NPR (National Public Radio) programs with classical music. Have music on all the time, or at least during meals and before bedtime.

3. Make it fun and enjoyable. Let the child be happy and loved at all times. Never make being loved contingent on whether they practice, or whether they do well.

4. Use lots of praise, even for the smallest thing, and even if it sounds awful. There is always something positive to say: "You really worked hard" "That sounded pretty good" "That was much better than last time." No negative or derogatory remarks!!

Wilson, Frank: Tone Deaf and All Thumbs?: An Invitation to Music-Making

To pay for lesson fees via PayPal: Log into your account at PayPal.com Click on the "Send Money" tab in the top menu Put teacher's email address in the "To" field Put the amount in the "Amount" field Underneath the "Amount" field there are two tabs, "Purchase" and "Personal": please click on "Personal" Click on "Payment Owed" button Click the yellow "Continue" button Review your payment and send Thanks!

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