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Studio Policies and General Information
In this outline you will find information about the procedures and policies of Miller Music Studios (henceforth referred to as "the Studio") and related topics. Please take the necessary time to carefully review the contents of this section in order to avoid misunderstandings, hurt feelings, late fees, etc. Please note: as a member in good standing with various professional organizations, I cannot change this policy for anyone. These guidelines are consistently maintained and cannot be altered as they allow the business portion of piano lessons to flow smoothly and equitably. MISSION STATEMENT I truly feel that a well-rounded music education helps students define for themselves what music means to them. Music is a language and like any language there are many basics which must be mastered prior to advancing to more complex applications. During a course of study I endeavor to cover all areas of musicianship, music appreciation, music history, the rudiments of scales, chords, cadences, & arpeggios in all keys, theory, technique, formal analysis, harmony, ear-training, solfeggio, sight-reading, performance, improvisation, and a comprehensive study of music literature in a progressive fashion. Weekly attendance of lessons in addition to daily practice is expected. It is up to the student to fully comprehend and incorporate what I am teaching. Each student must give me his or her full attention during the lesson time and try their best in order to progress and ultimately reach full potential. For example, if a student misses lessons and/or is not committed to daily, consistent practice, the student will not learn the language as well as he or she might have otherwise been able to. Plus, valuable lesson time which would have been spent on the new lesson plan must be spent again on reviewing and re-teaching what the student should have mastered with home practice. A student needs to immerse himself or herself in a language to acquire mastery which in the case of music study requires total commitment to the program. No two students are exactly alike, and children (as well as adults) learn at different rates of speed. Even brothers and sisters within the same family differ radically in motivation, temperament and ability. Therefore, I approach students as individuals and attempt to challenge each according to their unique potential. Music is not easy, and may not always be "fun". However, given sufficient time and structured practice, it does become enjoyable and satisfying to master the many different aspects of this art. 1. BILLING POLICY A) Private Lesson Fees: As a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) there are certain guidelines to which I must strictly adhere regarding missed lessons, the billing process and late fees: Currently, my rates for private piano and voice lessons are as follows:
Tuition is billed monthly for however many lessons fall in that month. For new students, payment is expected at the first lesson for that lesson & the remainder of the month; thereafter payment is expected by the first day of each month. If your lesson falls on a holiday, you will not be billed for that lesson. There are nine holidays I will observe per year: Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day and the 4th of the July. These are the only holidays in which lessons will not be billed. Usually there are four lessons that fall in a calendar month, sometimes there will be five and rarely there will be three. The monthly fees reserve a time slot whether you choose to attend or miss and are not lowered nor refunded for missed lessons. You may schedule extra single lessons which are paid at the beginning of that lesson. You are entitled to two make-up lessons per school year from September 1st through June 31st. These must be taken while you are a student and within the September through June time range. Thus, if you quit for any length of time, and did not use the make-up lessons, you lose them. We will start the new school calendar year every September 1st with a clean slate. During the summer months of July & August, I will offer two make-up lessons in order to accommodate vacations. This policy is for full-time students who pay by the first of the month; no make-up lessons will be given in any month that payment was received after the first of that month. Lessons can be taken on a per diem basis but cannot be reserved under those conditions. Please see me for details. C) Other Fees: 1. Late Fee: A $10.00 late fee shall be assessed for any payments received after the 1st of each month. This late charge would best be paid at the time that the month's fee is remitted, or it will appear on the following month's statement. After the 15th of that month, additional late charges at the rate of $2 per day shall be added to the original fees. Consistently paying after the first of the month unfortunately may result in termination of lessons. 2. Registration Fee: There is a $40.00 per family registration fee at the time a student signs up for lessons and each September thereafter. 3. Recital Fee: Recital Fee: The participation fee is $35 per student & $10 for each additional student within the same family. General admission tickets cost $5.00 each. 4. Adjudications: The National Federation of Music Clubs, Piano Guild, MTNA auditions, and other competitions of this nature charge a participation fee. Students who qualify and want to participate will pay the Studio the fee charged by the organization and the Studio will pay the organization one lump sum. 5. Materials: All necessary materials for study are available for purchase at the studio. Students will receive them at lesson & charges will be included in the following month’s bill. 2. MISSED LESSONS AND "MAKE-UPS" The Studio shall not assume any financial responsibility for a student's absence(s). Monthly tuition shall not be lowered or reduced due to missed lessons or absences. There are no refunds. You are entitled to two make-up lessons per year from September 1st through June 30th. These must be taken while you are a full-time student in good standing and within the September through June time frame. Thus, if you quit for any length of time and did not use the make-up lessons, you lose them. We will start the new calendar year every September 1st with a clean slate. This policy is for full-time students who pay by the first of the month; no make-up lessons will be given in any month that payment was received after the first of that month. As a courtesy, if for some reason a lesson must be missed, please notify me at least one week (or not less than 24 hours if possible) in advance so that I can schedule another student in your time slot. 3. ATTENDANCE : Regular attendance of lessons is an issue of responsibility and choice on the part of parents and students. Again, the Studio shall not assume any financial responsibility for student's absence(s) due to illness, weather, sports, etc. The Studio shall, however, assume financial responsibility should I (Diane L. Miller) become ill, be out of town, or cancel for any reason. The lesson(s) that I miss will be rescheduled; if I cannot reschedule then the following month's regular tuition bill will be reduced by that particular amount. If your lesson falls on a performance date, you will not be billed for a lesson. If you would like a lesson that week, you may pay for it separately and we will find a suitable day and time. 4. HOLIDAYS There are nine holidays the Studio observes during which there will be no regularly scheduled lessons and for which you will not be billed: Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Memorial Day and the 4th of July. The Studio will be open for lessons on all other holidays. There will be no rate reduction for those choosing to be absent on additional holidays. 5. SUMMER MONTHS Piano lessons continue as usual during the summer months. If a student will be taking time off in the summer, please let me know well in advance; such student's time slot may be reserved by paying for the missed lessons in full and in advance as usual. Up to two make-ups are offered for missed lessons which occur from July through August. I do not recommend taking an extended time off since the student will lose so much progress during the hiatus. If the time slot is not reserved it may be given to another student. 6. RECITALS AND PERFORMANCES During the year, several performance opportunities are made available to qualified students. These events provide pupils with further incentive to practice and excel, and can have a positive effect on a student's sense of accomplishment. Recitals build confidence and reinforce the concept that good practice habits result in success. A list of these accomplishments also looks impressive on college applications. When students reach an appropriate level of adequacy, they will be eligible to participate in the Studio’s various adjudication and performance opportunities. We suggest that students who take part in these programs commit to the event at least four months in advance, thereby giving ample time to prepare their respective piece(s). All music - except duets - is to be memorized. Deadlines for preparation are imposed and strictly adhered to in order to ensure that all participating students are secure with their piece(s). Those students whose piece(s) is/are not performance-ready by the deadline shall be withdrawn from the program and fees are not refunded. 7. ADJUDICATIONS, SYLLABUS, FESTIVALS AND COMPETITIONS Each year, the various organizations of which I am a member provide educational and competitive opportunities for qualified students. Such events may be offered by me to those students who seem to possess the necessary maturity, discipline, talent and temperament to participate in such events. If a student/family is interested in participating or attending any event, please let me know and I will provide you with pertinent information. Bear in mind that these opportunities require a high level of determination, more serious practice habits, and the ability to perform in a competitive arena with a high level of confidence and intensity. As is the case with recitals, deadlines shall be imposed and strictly adhered to. Students who commit to such events must be performance-ready by the deadline or must be withdrawn. 8. PARKING All Studio parking shall be along the street only, either side is acceptable, as long as you park in the direction of traffic and allow enough room at the mail box for a mail truck to pull in and drive through for their delivery between 11:00 AM and 3:00 PM Monday through Saturday. The driveways on our street are off limits to all vehicles, and are not to be used as location to head in/back out for turnaround purposes. Please drive down Commonwealth Avenue and turn right at the end of the street and right again to get back onto North Street. At no time is parking in our driveway or blocking our driveway permitted. Always remember to put your emergency brake on since some cars have rolled and hit the neighbor's fence and mail box. Please do not use any of our neighbors' driveways for any reason.
9. GROUNDS The Studio is part of my private residence and must always be regarded and respected as such. Please do your part to maintain the premises for the sanctity of my home. Please! No playing on the lawn, ripping up grass and throwing it, throwing stones, etc.. I cannot supervise other children when I am teaching lessons in my Studio nor can I be held liable if they get hurt. It is difficult for me to concentrate on teaching a lesson when I am worrying about children whom I am not teaching who are on our premises. 10. FOOD Neither students nor parents are permitted to bring food or drink into the Studio. Students should not chew gum during lessons. 11. STUDIO AND STUDIO PROCEDURES Do not ring the front/rear door bells of the house when it is your lesson time. Please drop off your student five minutes before the scheduled lesson; wait in the front hall until the lesson time, then come in to the Studio so that I can see you are here as I am saying good-bye to the prior student. Parents please be prompt in picking up your child as soon as their lesson is over. 12. TERMINATION OF LESSONS A) Termination by Student: If you should decide to terminate lessons at any time during the year, please give me two-week’s notice if possible. Regardless of when notice is given, such student shall be financially responsible for the rest of that month, whether the student chooses to attend or not. There can be no refunds or exceptions. B) Termination by Teacher: As a piano instructor, I support and care for all of my students and their families in a very special way. One-to-one education is very concentrated, and the bond between teacher and student can grow quite strong. Nevertheless, the Studio reserves the right to terminate a student's lessons for the following infractions: 1. Inappropriate behavior toward me on the part of the student. This includes violent outlashings, hitting me or the piano, swearing, defamation of character, unacceptable advances or any other displays which fall outside the realm of common respect and decency. 2. Inappropriate behavior or verbal abuse directed toward me, my husband, or my children on the part of a student's parent(s). This includes all of the above. 3. Attendance at lessons in any type of intoxicated state. 4. Failure to pay monthly lessons in full by the due date. 20. CODA (In Conclusion) Lesson time must remain as focused as possible--siblings and friends cannot attend the lessons. On my part, some interruptions are inevitable, however I will always endeavor to focus all my attention and energy on the student and lesson at hand and consistently try to have no distractions. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to call me at 845-342-2206 or email me at: dianemiller@frontiernet.net. Sincerely, |