Lesson fees for each student are due and payable on or before the first lesson of the month. When you pay on the first lesson of the month, you will pay for the number of lessons that will occur on your scheduled lesson time for that month. Usually this is 4 lessons, but sometimes 5 lessons will occur in a month. As you all know, attendance at and payment for weekly lessons are required from September through June (except December where the holidays interfere). During the summer months, I can be more flexible and charge only for the weeks you are able to attend, taking into account vacations and family commitments.

 

There are additional charges for workshops from December to March in preparation for Certificate of Merit testing (“CM”). These are typically held on Saturday mornings. Also, my students who are CM level 8 and above take 90-minute lessons beginning in January in order to prepare the repertoire necessary for performance testing at those levels. This is optional and I usually do this from January through March only. When my students are preparing for recitals or competitions I conduct rehearsals in order to give students opportunities to play their pieces in front of a group and to evaluate their performance readiness. There are additional charges for these rehearsals. And of course any competition entry fees and CM fees are extra.

 

As a general rule, students should practice daily for a period of time equal to their lesson time (1 hour of practice daily for students who take a 1 hour lesson, and so on). I provide each student with a composition notebook and I write assignments in their notebook at each lesson. One good way that parents may participate in their student’s learning experience is to check this notebook daily and ask them daily if they have done their assignments.

 

I will let you know if I have any concerns about your student’s progress toward passing CM well in advance of the testing. Your students will receive assignments from me that will help them prepare for all parts of the exam and they will take practice tests at my workshops. I love teaching your children and I look forward to continuing my relationship with each of you. And remember: please encourage your child or children to practice daily. It takes all three of us—student, parent and teacher—working together in order to be successful.