Melodia Music Studio Policy
Hello! I am so excited for the opportunity to teach you and/or your child. Music has been a beautiful part of my life for many years, and it is a privilege to be able to pass this gift on. The following are the studio rules and regulations to keep lessons running smoothly and efficiently.
Materials
For online students, books are purchased by the student. For in-person students, books are purchased by me and added to that month's invoice for reimbursement. Effective August 2021, all students must have an instrument that meets the following requirements:
Online students are required to have the following materials:
Payment
Tuition is billed by autopay each month on the 1st (or any day prior to the 1st as requested by the student). Tuition accounts for weeks off which can be found on the studio calendar.
Monthly tuition
45-minute lessons $150 a month
60-minute lessons $200 a month
A deposit of an extra month's tuition is due at the time of enrollment to ensure my 30 day cancellation policy. If a student gives 30 days' notice for discontinuation of lessons, they will not pay for the last month of lessons. If no notice is given, this deposit is not refunded.
If tuition is not paid, lessons will be discontinued until it is received. Payments made online carry a 1% convenience charge. There is a $10 late fee if tuition is not successfully processed on or before the 1st of the month without prior notice of other arrangements. Tuition is prorated for new students beginning after the first week of the month.
Online Platform
In the studio the My Music Staff student portal is used for:
Scheduling and Absences
Like sports practices or a university course, tuition reserves a student’s given lesson time on that day every week whether they can attend a certain week or not. If the student is unable to attend a lesson, they are invited to have an asynchronous class. To do this, I need to receive a video of the student playing their songs before the start of the scheduled lesson time. Then during that time I will watch the video and send a response with commentary and demonstration of the song(s). Self-grading flashcards will also be sent that correspond to the theory activity or game that would have been played which the student can complete on their own.
If the student cannot record their songs beforehand, I can still make a video demonstrating the songs last being worked on with some reminders of notes, rhythm, and other areas to watch out for in their continued practice until the next class. All that is needed for this is advance notice and a request for a review video. Your lesson time is your lesson time alone, so I can use that time regardless of whether a student is present to review songs and go over music theory.
There are two flex weeks built into the tuition rate - one for the student and one for the teacher - which means that the student may take off any week during the year (between August to July of the following year) as may I. If this week is not taken off before the July break, the lesson before the July break will be taken off instead.
If the student arrives late, I am unable to account for the time missed. Any “no show” lessons are forfeit. If I do not hear from a student within 15 minutes of not showing for a lesson, that lesson is considered canceled. If I have to cancel lessons for any reason after using my teacher flex week, that month's tuition will be prorated and the balance discounted from the next month's tuition for those who pay by month or the value of that lesson refunded to students who pay by semester. There is no refund of tuition due to student cancellation or dropping out. Notice of discontinuation of lessons is required 30 days in advance.
Illness
For in-person students: if the student has been throwing up, is symptomatic, or stayed home from work or school for any illness related reason within the past 24 hours, I must be notified beforehand. If an in-person student arrives to a class and I find that the student has been sick, I reserve the right to end that lesson. Mildly sick students are invited to have an online lesson. Students who are sick can request an asynchronous lesson if notice is given by their lesson time.
Lessons
Lessons are weekly with weeks off as indicated on the studio calendar. Standard lesson length is 45 minutes for children ages 4 and up at the beginning to early intermediate level and 60 minutes for children at the intermediate to advanced level and adults. Online lessons are given through Musicology. In-person lessons occur in my in-home studio but are subject to being given online instead in the event of travel or illness.
Practice
My expectation is that students practice a minimum of five days a week for a duration appropriate to their age level, which I will indicate to the student and parent where applicable. The general standard, though, is to play through each assigned song five times five days a week. For students who consistently do not practice their pieces and are not prepared for the lesson, I will speak with them or their parent/guardian(s) where applicable to discuss bringing their practice to an acceptable level. If practice remains subpar for an extended period of times (ie. several months), lessons will be discontinued as it is impossible to progress in piano without practice.
Incentive program: students of all ages can earn tickets for the monthly practice drawing. For each day the student enters on the student portal or plays on Piano Maestro, they earn one ticket. On the last day of the month I will draw a name and that student will receive a $10 gift certificate through email to SheetMusicPlus.com and be featured on the studio Facebook page if they consent.
Parental Presence
Provided that their presence is not disruptive, I welcome parents sitting in on lessons (either in-person or online) and actually prefer that they do! When the parent hears the lesson, they are able to get a sense for what their student is working on and what things we cover in a lesson. A parent or guardian is required to be present for online lessons with students age 4 to 6 to assist them.
Media Release
Photos of students and video and audio recordings of student projects and performances may be posted online and used by the instructor for promotional and workshop materials. Identifying information will be excluded or limited to first names only. Parents wishing to exempt their students from any published media may do so simply by giving me written notice.
Recital
There are two performance opportunities a year - one around May and one around December. As most of my students are online, these are in the form of an online submission which I will upload to a recital playlist on the studio YouTube channel. In-person students may be invited to perform in my in-home studio. Such performances will be filmed and also uploaded to the recital playlist.
Materials
For online students, books are purchased by the student. For in-person students, books are purchased by me and added to that month's invoice for reimbursement. Effective August 2021, all students must have an instrument that meets the following requirements:
- has 88 weighted keys
- has a damper pedal
- has an adjustable piano bench
- has a stand for a digital piano that is not an x-stand and leaves space for feet and knees
- has a footstool if student's feet can't reach the floor
Online students are required to have the following materials:
- tablet/computer (not phone)
- Google Chrome browser on PC
- Musicology app for tablet
- stable internet
- a pencil (not pen!) and colored pencils or crayons
- page markers (ie. Post-It notes/sticky tabs)
- access to a printer (ideally with the ability to print during the lesson but if not then at least before the next lesson)
Payment
Tuition is billed by autopay each month on the 1st (or any day prior to the 1st as requested by the student). Tuition accounts for weeks off which can be found on the studio calendar.
Monthly tuition
45-minute lessons $150 a month
60-minute lessons $200 a month
A deposit of an extra month's tuition is due at the time of enrollment to ensure my 30 day cancellation policy. If a student gives 30 days' notice for discontinuation of lessons, they will not pay for the last month of lessons. If no notice is given, this deposit is not refunded.
If tuition is not paid, lessons will be discontinued until it is received. Payments made online carry a 1% convenience charge. There is a $10 late fee if tuition is not successfully processed on or before the 1st of the month without prior notice of other arrangements. Tuition is prorated for new students beginning after the first week of the month.
Online Platform
In the studio the My Music Staff student portal is used for:
- viewing assigned songs and lesson notes
- viewing invoices and adjusting payment methods
- logging practice
- viewing scheduled lessons and studio announcements
Scheduling and Absences
Like sports practices or a university course, tuition reserves a student’s given lesson time on that day every week whether they can attend a certain week or not. If the student is unable to attend a lesson, they are invited to have an asynchronous class. To do this, I need to receive a video of the student playing their songs before the start of the scheduled lesson time. Then during that time I will watch the video and send a response with commentary and demonstration of the song(s). Self-grading flashcards will also be sent that correspond to the theory activity or game that would have been played which the student can complete on their own.
If the student cannot record their songs beforehand, I can still make a video demonstrating the songs last being worked on with some reminders of notes, rhythm, and other areas to watch out for in their continued practice until the next class. All that is needed for this is advance notice and a request for a review video. Your lesson time is your lesson time alone, so I can use that time regardless of whether a student is present to review songs and go over music theory.
There are two flex weeks built into the tuition rate - one for the student and one for the teacher - which means that the student may take off any week during the year (between August to July of the following year) as may I. If this week is not taken off before the July break, the lesson before the July break will be taken off instead.
If the student arrives late, I am unable to account for the time missed. Any “no show” lessons are forfeit. If I do not hear from a student within 15 minutes of not showing for a lesson, that lesson is considered canceled. If I have to cancel lessons for any reason after using my teacher flex week, that month's tuition will be prorated and the balance discounted from the next month's tuition for those who pay by month or the value of that lesson refunded to students who pay by semester. There is no refund of tuition due to student cancellation or dropping out. Notice of discontinuation of lessons is required 30 days in advance.
Illness
For in-person students: if the student has been throwing up, is symptomatic, or stayed home from work or school for any illness related reason within the past 24 hours, I must be notified beforehand. If an in-person student arrives to a class and I find that the student has been sick, I reserve the right to end that lesson. Mildly sick students are invited to have an online lesson. Students who are sick can request an asynchronous lesson if notice is given by their lesson time.
Lessons
Lessons are weekly with weeks off as indicated on the studio calendar. Standard lesson length is 45 minutes for children ages 4 and up at the beginning to early intermediate level and 60 minutes for children at the intermediate to advanced level and adults. Online lessons are given through Musicology. In-person lessons occur in my in-home studio but are subject to being given online instead in the event of travel or illness.
Practice
My expectation is that students practice a minimum of five days a week for a duration appropriate to their age level, which I will indicate to the student and parent where applicable. The general standard, though, is to play through each assigned song five times five days a week. For students who consistently do not practice their pieces and are not prepared for the lesson, I will speak with them or their parent/guardian(s) where applicable to discuss bringing their practice to an acceptable level. If practice remains subpar for an extended period of times (ie. several months), lessons will be discontinued as it is impossible to progress in piano without practice.
Incentive program: students of all ages can earn tickets for the monthly practice drawing. For each day the student enters on the student portal or plays on Piano Maestro, they earn one ticket. On the last day of the month I will draw a name and that student will receive a $10 gift certificate through email to SheetMusicPlus.com and be featured on the studio Facebook page if they consent.
Parental Presence
Provided that their presence is not disruptive, I welcome parents sitting in on lessons (either in-person or online) and actually prefer that they do! When the parent hears the lesson, they are able to get a sense for what their student is working on and what things we cover in a lesson. A parent or guardian is required to be present for online lessons with students age 4 to 6 to assist them.
Media Release
Photos of students and video and audio recordings of student projects and performances may be posted online and used by the instructor for promotional and workshop materials. Identifying information will be excluded or limited to first names only. Parents wishing to exempt their students from any published media may do so simply by giving me written notice.
Recital
There are two performance opportunities a year - one around May and one around December. As most of my students are online, these are in the form of an online submission which I will upload to a recital playlist on the studio YouTube channel. In-person students may be invited to perform in my in-home studio. Such performances will be filmed and also uploaded to the recital playlist.