2024-25 Studio Policy

Every studio has a policy, some are unspoken, but many are written. It is important to have a studio policy so every student and family knows what is expected of them while taking piano lessons, and it gives everyone clarity on things that may have otherwise, not been brought up until needed.

Student Expectations

Ask questions and try their best!
Practice five days a week so they make notable progress in their pieces/assignments.*
Be prepared for lessons (with all books and completed theory or other projects).
Treat the teacher and studio equipment respectfully.
Keep fingernails trimmed short (should not extend past the end of the finger).

I will suggest a practice time to you based on your child's level.

*I am always willing to understand busy weeks, as I have them too, but if a student shows up to their lesson with no progress made or practice done, there is little to work with at the lesson and they will not move forward.

Parent Expectations

Set aside a scheduled practice time for your child. It is important to budget time for practicing and to make it happen as a part of his or her daily routine.
Please supervise home practice sessions, making sure your child completes each assignment; many children are not disciplined enough yet to manage practicing without your support.
Communicate with the teacher about concerns or questions you may have

While most students are initially excited to begin piano lessons, please be aware that they will face challenges and sometimes frustrations. Discipline and commitment is required to attain skills; your encouragement and praise will be essential to your child's success!

Church-Based Lessons

DROP-OFF LOCATION

To find my studio, you will need to enter in through the doors on the right, or south, side of Mosaic Church. It is a bit lower in elevation than the main, or west, doors. There is parking right by the music studio entrance. I will send a picture to help first-time students locate the entrance.

CLEANLINESS

To maintain a clean teaching and learning environment for all, students should arrive with clean hands and short fingernails. During their lesson, students are permitted to use the restroom if they ask, however, please try your best to have them use the restroom beforehand to maximize lesson time.

WAITING & PICK-UP LOCATION

Parents are welcome to wait inside the lesson room, in the waiting area outside of the lesson room, or in their car during each lesson. If you are planning to be inside of the lesson room, I ask that only parents/guardians sit inside lessons, no additional children/others, please. This is to avoid distractions. Exceptions will be made on a case by case basis. If you are leaving, please be back to pick up your student on time. I will not supervise and am not responsible for students after their scheduled lesson time.

AFTER THE LESSON

I may not have time to discuss your student’s progress immediately after their lesson, as I may need to prepare for another student, however, I am available to answer your questions and discuss any concerns you have via email. If I have any concerns or matters that we need to discuss, I will be sure to reach out to you.

Missed Lessons & Cancellations

MAKE-UP LESSON

A lesson time is reserved for the student each week whether or not they attend. Your tuition pays for this scheduled time, planning time, and studio costs. There are three scheduled make-up lesson weeks throughout the year that you can benefit from for a previous missed lesson. In order to be scheduled during the make-up week, you must cancel at least 24 hours in advance. If you do not cancel any lessons before a scheduled make-up week, you will not need to receive a lesson during the make-up week. This ensures your child will have a total of 31 scheduled lessons throughout the year.

There will be no refunds or credits given for missed/cancelled lessons, and there will be no rescheduled lessons outside of the designated make-up weeks throughout the year. Please make your scheduled lesson time a priority in your schedule.

SICKNESS

Students who are ill or have been within the last 24 hours should not come to lessons. The teacher reserves the right to send a student home if they arrive and appear ill, even if they state they are not.

You are welcome to use one of the following "Sick Lesson Formats" instead of just having to cancel the lesson altogether:

Apple's FaceTime or Zoom Lesson: if a student is ill/contagious but feels well enough to play, this is a viable alternative to a missed lesson. Please allow a shorter lesson (by 5-10 minutes) for set up.
Parent/Teacher Conference: if the student is not feeling well enough to play, a parent may use the lesson time to discuss their child’s progress, goals, practice, and more over FaceTime, Zoom, or in-person.

TEACHER CANCELLATION

The teacher can take a maximum of 5 "flex weeks" throughout the academic year. A flex week means that your scheduled lesson for that week will be cancelled due to the unforeseen circumstances of the teacher. (Many times this will be used for sickness or emergency.) Notices will be sent out as soon as possible out of consideration for the students and their families. Pricing has already been modified to accommodate this.

If all 5 flex weeks have been used already, any lesson that the teacher has to cancel will be made-up on a mutually agreeable day and time, or the student's lesson time will be increased until the lesson time is made-up. By the teacher's choice, teacher make-up lessons can be held in-person, with Apple's FaceTime, or Zoom.

Tuition

Invoices will be sent by email one week before each due date. Payments should be made by an automatic ACH bank transfer which will be set up once enrolled. You will need to provide your routing number and account number.

For the trial package, payments may be made by cash, check, or Venmo. A surcharge of 1.9% plus 10 cents will be added to all Venmo payments to cover their merchant fee.

Tuition is based on enrollment, not attendance, and reserves your student’s exclusive lesson time throughout the year. Please reserve and prioritize this time in your family’s schedule. Enrolling is your financial commitment for the academic year.

ENROLLMENT FEE

Payment may be made by cash, check, ACH bank transfer, or Venmo. A surcharge of 1.9% plus 10 cents will be added to all Venmo payments to cover their merchant fee. Your spot in my studio is ONLY confirmed once the enrollment fee is received. You will receive a confirmation email from ashley@sunriseprelude.com.

Discontinuing Lessons

Regrettably, I will have to discontinue lessons if a student has an uncooperative attitude, persistently misses lessons, does not progress due to insufficient practice, or fails to pay tuition on time. Other causes include, but are not limited to, any violation of this studio policy. No partial or full refunds will be provided.

If a student drops out at any point during the year, the remaining balance of tuition will be charged at that time.

This studio policy may be updated or changed without notice at any point. Last revised on Tuesday, July 2, 2024.