Payment
Payment for lessons is due on the first of each month and can be mailed to:
Jennifer Higgins Wheatley, 1332 Fort Thomas Ave #3, Fort Thomas, KY 41075
Of course, if the first of a particular month is on the day of the lesson, payment can be sent with the student to be given to me at the lesson.
Prompt payment of tuition is very important. In order to ensure this policy is carried out, a charge of $5 will be added to the month's tuition if payment is not received by the 5th of each month.
Attendance/Absences:
When The Student cancels a lesson:
Each student, with 24 hours notice, will be allowed to make up one missed lesson per academic quarter (please see schedule). The date of the make up lesson will be predetermined and all missed lessons for that quarter will be made up on that day. Unfortuntely, I cannot five extra make-ups or credits for lessons missed due to exams, concerts, rehearsals or sports actvities. Everybodyt gets one make-up lesson a quarter, and it's up to each family how to use it.
When The Instructor cancels a lesson:
In the event that the teacher must cancel a lesson, each family has the option to either credit the lesson to the next month's bill or reschedule the lesson.
Lesson Punctuality:
Each studen should plan on arriving 5 minutes early for their lesson so they can unpack their instruments and be ready to start at their lesson time. In order to facilitate smooth transitions from sturdent to student, the last 5 minutes of each lesson will be used for packing up, as well as for handing out various materials such as recital information, changes in Studio Plicy, new sheet music or equipment that needs to be purchased, etc.
If a student is more than half of their lesson time late, it will be considered an unexcused absence, and will not be elibible for a make-up.
Observation of the Lesson by Family Members:
Attendance of the lesson by those other than the Student and the INstructor will be determined largely on a case-by-case basis. It depends largely on what the student is comfortable with. A good rule of thumb is that students are generally ready to take lessons without a parent presten at the age of 8 or 9 years. Children younger than 7 years old tend to progress better with a parent there to observe and take notes, so that they can practice together at home.
Lesson Structure:
I generally divide the lesson into 3 parts: Scales, Etudes/Technical Drills and Repertoire. This is a flexible plan that I use to promote efficient use of the lesson time, but I am not ruled by it. If a particular student needs a different structure on any given day, then the plan is adapted. My first concern is the student's needs.
Practice Time:
In order to make noticeable progress on their instrument, students should practice a minimum of 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. It is not necessary to do this block of time all at once, in fact, it's often beneficial to break it up into smaller sessions throughout the day. For example: 10 minutes before school, 10 minutes after dinner, 10 minutes before bed. Of course, stuents can arrange the time in a way that works best for them. My recommendation for strudents is that they plan their practice time to match the Lesson Stucture so that they spend equal amounts of time on Scales, Etudes/Technical Drills and Repertoire.
Recitals:
There will be two recitals scheduled per school year: a Fall Recital and a Spring Recital. Past experience has indicated that the best times for Recitals is an evening during the week. Times for the recital will be announced in early September.
Communication:
Communication between Student/Parents and Instructor is a vital part of the learning process. Most communication between Student/Parents and INstructor is carried out by e-mail and seems to be ther most efficient way to announce changes in policy, send reminders of the month's tuirion, and other subfects that can be covered in bulk mailings. However, e-mail can be a little impersonal and doesn't always meet the need fo a partiular studen's situation. Therefore, I want to encourage Student/Parents to feel free to call me for any reason they fell is pertinent. IF it's important to you, it's important to me.
Moving Students to the Next Sized Instrument:
As I'm sure most students and parents realize, students of Violin, Viola or Cello will not stay with the same instrument for the entire time they study. For children, as they grow, the size of the instrument needs to be changed to accommodate the studens' changing sizes.
Usually the Private INstructor will notice when the instrument is no longer a good fit for the student and will inform the parents.
Should a parent not feel that a particular instrument is working for their child, I strongly encourage them to consult me before going to the violin shop to get another one. I cannot emphasize this enough. Changing instruments is never easy for a young string player and often sets them back-even if the instrument is the same size. Every Violin, Viola or Cello is different and there is a period of adjustment that usually lasts a couple weeks.
Purchasing Instruments
Once a student is of the right size to play a full-sized instrument, the next step would be to purchase a higher quality Violin, Viola, or Cello.
I stronly encourage students to consult me when they feel it is rime to purchase an instrument. Part of the job description for a private teacher is tho help their students select the best instument for their ability and price range. Buying and instrument is a very involved, often confusing process. I have pruchased several instruments myuelf in Cincinnati, Chicago and Philadelphia and I ahve helped many students pruchase an instrument they love a the very best price for them. I have worked with all of the voilin shops in the area and I understand how the process works. Believe me, buying a Violin Viola or Cello is no small thing. Please use me as a resource and guide when it is time to go through the process yourself.