Studio Policy

RaeAnna Goss Piano Studio Policy

Thank you so much for encouraging your child to further their music education through piano lessons!  I am forever thankful to my parents for investing the time and money all through my childhood to give me such a wonderful gift of music!  The ability to play an instrument and understand music theory is a great accomplishment that your child will not regret when they are old!  I have written out my studio policy below and ask that you please sign a statement that you have read and understand the expectations – please let me know if you have any questions!!!

Equipment

Students are encouraged to practice on a full sized key keyboard or piano.  Touch sensitive keys are needed on a keyboard in order for students to play loud and soft.  If you have questions about a certain model I would be happy to look up reviews and give you my opinion!  88 keys is the standard amount of keys on a piano.  If your keyboard only has 76 but allows for touch sensitive playing and standard sized keys then your child should be in good shape!

Students will practice out of method books.  The usual books that I use are a theory book and a lesson book.  I prefer the “Faber and Faber” method books but if your child has come from a previous teacher I will be happy to continue using that series.  Fees for books are usually around $15 and students are traditionally in one level for 6 months.  I encourage children to progress through their books faster if they are spending more time in practice!  With my piano teacher I usually practiced an additional 2 to 3 pages in my lesson book before my next lesson and I was able to progress through each level a little faster.   Also, if you’re interested to know, the method books are sequenced like this:

Primer	Level 1	Level 2A	Level 2B
Level 3A	Level 3B	Level 4	Level 5

Once a child has completed all levels we spend our time working through music from various sources such as the International Library of Piano Music and other books.

Every lesson your child will be given a weekly assignment in a notebook/practice record.  Please encourage your children to go over their assignment at the beginning of practicing each day so they are sure to complete each task!  One of my college professors would always say – “Practice doesn’t make perfect……PERFECT practice makes perfect!”  Meaning, if you aren’t practicing the way you should, you could end up making the same mistakes each time.  Checking the assignment in your notebook could help you keep from making the same mistakes.

I encourage parents to attend the piano lesson with their child so they can be a source of encouragement and help at home!!!  Practicing isn’t always fun and your positive encouragement each day can make a huge difference on your child’s outlook on practicing! 

Performances

I love showcasing your children in recitals and performances!!! Performing a selection of music is a great accomplishment for a student!  I schedule a recital for all students once a semester.  If your child has an opportunity to perform in their school (talent show, etc.) I will be happy to help them polish a song for performance purposes!

Festivals and Competitions

As a member of the American College of Musicians, my students are invited to participate in a piano guild each year!  This is the description from their website:

Yearly auditions are held in over 850 US cities and several foreign countries. Students are adjudicated by an international panel of judges and receive report cards, certificates, and fraternity pins. Programs are diversified to meet the needs of both students and teachers. Programs are flexible and include repertoire as well as technical goals (musicianship phases)

I am so proud of my students that participated last year and I hope to enroll more students this year!

Parking

Please park in the driveway as long as there are spots available!

Studio Procedures

Please remove your shoes (check them before entering) during rainy weather or if they are dirty/muddy/gross underneath.

I do my best to adhere to each scheduled time for lessons but there may be a few occurrences where I am running a few minutes late with a student due to extra time needed in their lesson.  If you arrive early, please wait outside.  I will be sure to give your child 30 minutes in their lesson!

Extracurricular Activities

Private piano lessons should be regarded as an educational institution and be given the same importance as other scholastic and extracurricular activities.  I understand wanting to give your child every opportunity to pursue activities of interest but please keep in mind your child’s time. It is my position that sporting events and other extracurricular activities are not valid excuses for not practicing during the week.  Please value my commitment to your child’s music education by respecting the time for their weekly lessons and practice!

Tuition:

Lessons are $15 for 30 minutes.  I prefer to have lessons paid at the beginning of the month.  If you prefer to pay twice monthly or at each lesson please let me know.  I will send you an e-mail reminder if your child has a lesson without payment. 

Cancellations:

Lessons will be made up or rescheduled ONLY for illnesses/emergencies that are given 24 hour prior notice.  Or, if your child is staying home from school due to illness on the same day as piano lessons, please let me know that morning and we will reschedule.

There will be no rescheduling for lessons missed because of conflicts with vacations, sports, cheerleading, school activities, social activities, problems with transportation or church activities.
Lessons missed due to the teacher’s absence will be made up by the teacher.
In the event of an unexpected conflict, students are strongly encouraged to swap lesson times with other students. I will provide a list of lesson times and contact information to each parent.

 “No-show” dates will not be made up or rescheduled.

The time for your scheduled lesson will not be changed mid-semester unless you work it out privately with another family.  For example, if a sport practice conflicts with the piano lesson time only for 3 weeks in September you will need to work out changing times with another family.  I cannot afford to miss lessons on a frequent basis when I have a waiting list of students willing to commit to a weekly schedule.  If you cannot work out rescheduling in a situation like this you will need to pay for the missed lessons to reserve your slot or risk losing your time slot to a new family.

Thank you for reading through the policy!  Feel free to contact me with anything of concern or questions!!! raeannag@gmail.com 615-582-2389