Studio Policy

Lessons

Lessons will take place at 602 Maple Ave, Suite 201.

Each student will receive 10 lessons per Term. Fall goes October - December, Winter goes January = March, Spring goes April - June, and Summer will be July and August. For Summer Term, students will receive 6 lessons and the price per month will reflect that change.

Lessons will consist of either 30, 45 or 60 minutes of teaching.

New students will go through a trial period to make sure that teacher, student, and parent work together well. This period will last for 4 lessons.

Tuition/Fees

Tuition and fees cover more than just your time slot in your teacher’s studio. This covers the time that they invest in making sure the student has the correct tools and plan to progress in their musical abilities.

Tuition is due at the first lesson of the month with no exceptions. The school accepts payment via cash, check, ACH via MyMusicStaff or credit/debit via MyMusicStaff.

30’: $155

45’: $205

60’: $255

Fees for recitals are included as well as an administration fee. After 14 days, there will be a $30 late fee charged automatically to your account and a new invoice will be sent out.

If for any reason a check is returned by the banking institution, there will be a $30 fee.

Cancellation/Re-scheduling

This is the policy no matter what the reason might be.

If you need to cancel, please let your teacher know immediately.
You will need to schedule a makeup lesson during the makeup day that your teacher offers.
If you are unable to make the makeup day that month or you end up canceling the makeup lesson, you will not be refunded for that lesson time.

Please think hard on the time and day you choose the lesson to be every week and commit to it 100%. This is not only time in your day that you are using but it is time in my day that I am giving to the student. Write it down and make sure you do not forget.

If a teacher must cancel a lesson, the teacher will make up the lesson within one month. If the teacher cannot make the lesson up in one month, the lesson will be made up at the teacher’s next available time for makeups or the following month’s tuition will be prorated.

Tardiness

Early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable. Being too early is impolite to the student already in a lesson. Please be a few minutes early to the lesson. If you are tardy to your lesson, there will not be time to make it up at the end of the lesson due to other students.

If a student is more than 15 minutes late, it is assumed you are not coming, and the lesson payment will be forfeited. The teacher will contact the student/parent to see if the lesson was just forgotten.

If the teacher is late for a lesson, the time will be made up either at the end of the lesson or at a different time.

Student Expectations

Students will be expected to bring all the materials to each lesson. Please double check before leaving to make sure that you have all the books and materials to bring to the lesson.

Materials include instrument, bow, rosin, cleaning cloth, pencil, shoulder rest/pad, lesson notebook (if one is used), and all books assigned.

Students will need to make sure that that their fingernails are cut short prior to each lesson. Not only is this keeping good hygiene but having long nails will not allow the student to play the violin or viola correctly.

Practice expectations are as follows:

If the student is a beginner, the goal is to practice 15-20 minutes, 5 days a week.
Once the student reaches a certain point in the first book, the student’s goal should be 30 minutes of practice, 5 days a week.
If the student is taking a 45-minute lesson or an hour lesson, 45-60 minutes, 5 days a week is what you should aim to achieve.

A note on practicing – practice does not always mean to play with the instrument. Sometimes practice means listening to a recording and observing movements and trying to apply that to your playing. Mental practice is also very important, and we will discuss this type of practice in lessons. If your student is just not wanting to practice a particular day, please don’t pull your own hair out and make the situation more frustrating. Some days will be like this, and it is best for everyone to keep the experience positive and do something musical that is not picking up the instrument.

Parental Involvement

Teachers at SnoCo Music School believe that parental involvement is vital for student success, especially during the beginning through intermediate years of learning to play a new instrument. Learning to read music is like learning a new language; it takes constant encouragement from the parent for the child to become excited about learning. Even if the parent is not musically inclined, showing support will only further the progress of the student.

For students under the age of 13, we highly recommend that the parent stays for the entire lesson for observation. When practicing at home, this will help the student start to make correct practice habits as the parent can guide them through observation of the lesson. If practicing with your student is not possible on a daily basis, have them play for you before the lesson as this will show them encouragement!

If the teacher feels that a parent is being too vocal during lessons, they can request for the parent to wait outside of the room for the lesson. There can be only one teacher in the room, and that needs to be the instructor.

Materials

Students will need to purchase music on their own time. It is preferred that the student come prepared with their new books at their next lesson. After the trial lesson and interview, I will write down the books required for the student. Almost all the books that I use can be purchased through Amazon or Shar Music.

Most students will need to rent a violin from the local music shop. Renting is recommended if the student is young and growing as the violin size will change quickly. Music shops should be able to give a student the correct size in violin the first time. Please bring an instrument with to the trial lesson and we will make sure it is the correct size. Check to make sure that the rented instrument comes with a bow that is in good shape, a rosin cake, and a shoulder rest.

Students looking to purchase an instrument should try many out before making a final decision. Please bring the instrument to the lesson so that your teacher may hear the student play and give an honest opinion on the quality of the instrument.

Recitals/Concerts

Each teacher sets their own recitals, however, some concerts/recitals will be held by the School and will be open for all students to participate.

Summer Lessons

We encourage students to attend a summer festival if they are able. Summer festivals, whether they are shorter or longer, are invaluable to a student as they are surrounded by other musicians who are passionate about the same things. Please consult with your teacher before signing up for a music festival so that they can gauge whether it is the correct festival for the student to attend based on level of playing.

Summer lessons should be discussed with your individual teacher

Withdrawals/Dismissals

If a student wishes to withdraw from the school for any reason, they must give a one-month notice and a written note stating they would like to no longer take private lessons. Students who withdraw in the middle of a month will forfeit the rest of the month’s tuition as they made a commitment and have taken up the time slot in my calendar.

Snohomish County Music School reserves the right to dismiss a student at any time for any of the following reasons:

No progress due to no practice
Disrespect towards myself and my property
Missing lessons on a consistent basis without proper notice
Multiple late payments

If for any of these reasons your teacher dismisses a student, the lesson will end immediately and there will be no refund of the month’s tuition. Teachers will speak plainly with a student and parent if any of these issues arise during the lesson.