Studio Policy
Tuition:
1. Tuition for the 2015-2016 school year includes 40 weeks of instruction. Tuition is an hourly rate that reserves your lesson time for the entire year. Thirty minute and forty-five minute lessons are available. Please contact the teacher for the current rates.
2. Ten post-dated cheques for September to June are required. The cheques should be made payable for the first of every month to Victoria Barker. Invoices will be given at the beginning of September for the lessons of that year.
Rescheduling Lessons:
The teacher and parent/student have a contract for a specific time and date for a lesson which should be considered permanent. Other events such as doctor, dentist, specialist appointments, and sports practices should be scheduled around the lesson time.
The teacher will do her best to reschedule lessons that are cancelled no later than 10:00am the day of the lesson. Lessons cancelled after the time, will unfortunately be considered forfeited and still be charged for. If the student needs to cancel a lesson due to a family emergency, then a make-up lesson will be arranged at an agreeable time to both the student and the teacher.
Any lessons that the teacher misses due to illness or emergency, as well as any lessons that fall on holidays where the studio is closed, will be rescheduled by the teacher at an agreeable time to both the student and the teacher.
Ending Lessons:
Students who wish to end lessons must give 30 days’ notice before doing so. Students who give less than 30 days’ notice will still be required to pay for any lessons that would have occurred during those 30 days. The teacher holds the right to end lessons at any time for any reason.
Piano:
All students are required to have an acoustic or digital piano to practice with at home. An acoustic piano must be tuned at least twice a year and kept in working order. If a student wishes to use a digital piano, it must have eighty-eight weighted, touch-sensitive keys and pedals. If you have any questions about purchasing a digital piano, or would like some advice on one, please feel free to contact me either through email, phone, or at the beginning of your child’s lesson and I would be happy to help you out. If you also need a piano tuner, I have a great one I’d be happy to recommend for you.
Practicing:
Students should aim to practice for at least five days a week. Parental involvement in home practice is crucial for student success. Please help your student to establish and stick to a practice routine, and see that practice time is free of distractions. If you are the parent of an elementary age student, please plan to sit with your child for at least a portion of their daily practice time.
Exams:
Exam preparation is available for the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory A – Grade 2 exams and the Preparatory Rudiments Theory Exam. It is also available for Conservatory Canada’s Grade 1 – 2 exams, and the British Columbia Conservatory of Music’s Grade 1 – 2 exams.
Communication:
I encourage parents to attend lessons or to come in at the beginning when dropping off a student so that the lines of communication are always open between the parent, student, and teacher. The student’s success depends on this partnership and the teacher does not know what goes on at home during practice time. If there are any arguments, lack of progress, or worries about performances/exams, I need to know about any issues as soon as possible so that we can deal with the situation.
The best way to contact the teacher is by email or text/iMessage. You may also phone and leave the teacher a voicemail and she will respond with either an email or a phone call at her earliest convenience. Students are encouraged to contact the teacher if they have any problems while they are practicing at home.
There are many ways to stay up to date with what happens in the studio:
1. Reading the studio newsletters that are sent out a couple times a year
2. Checking the studio blog on the teacher’s website
3. Liking the studio Facebook page (facebook.com/eightyeightkeyspiano)
1. Tuition for the 2015-2016 school year includes 40 weeks of instruction. Tuition is an hourly rate that reserves your lesson time for the entire year. Thirty minute and forty-five minute lessons are available. Please contact the teacher for the current rates.
2. Ten post-dated cheques for September to June are required. The cheques should be made payable for the first of every month to Victoria Barker. Invoices will be given at the beginning of September for the lessons of that year.
Rescheduling Lessons:
The teacher and parent/student have a contract for a specific time and date for a lesson which should be considered permanent. Other events such as doctor, dentist, specialist appointments, and sports practices should be scheduled around the lesson time.
The teacher will do her best to reschedule lessons that are cancelled no later than 10:00am the day of the lesson. Lessons cancelled after the time, will unfortunately be considered forfeited and still be charged for. If the student needs to cancel a lesson due to a family emergency, then a make-up lesson will be arranged at an agreeable time to both the student and the teacher.
Any lessons that the teacher misses due to illness or emergency, as well as any lessons that fall on holidays where the studio is closed, will be rescheduled by the teacher at an agreeable time to both the student and the teacher.
Ending Lessons:
Students who wish to end lessons must give 30 days’ notice before doing so. Students who give less than 30 days’ notice will still be required to pay for any lessons that would have occurred during those 30 days. The teacher holds the right to end lessons at any time for any reason.
Piano:
All students are required to have an acoustic or digital piano to practice with at home. An acoustic piano must be tuned at least twice a year and kept in working order. If a student wishes to use a digital piano, it must have eighty-eight weighted, touch-sensitive keys and pedals. If you have any questions about purchasing a digital piano, or would like some advice on one, please feel free to contact me either through email, phone, or at the beginning of your child’s lesson and I would be happy to help you out. If you also need a piano tuner, I have a great one I’d be happy to recommend for you.
Practicing:
Students should aim to practice for at least five days a week. Parental involvement in home practice is crucial for student success. Please help your student to establish and stick to a practice routine, and see that practice time is free of distractions. If you are the parent of an elementary age student, please plan to sit with your child for at least a portion of their daily practice time.
Exams:
Exam preparation is available for the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Preparatory A – Grade 2 exams and the Preparatory Rudiments Theory Exam. It is also available for Conservatory Canada’s Grade 1 – 2 exams, and the British Columbia Conservatory of Music’s Grade 1 – 2 exams.
Communication:
I encourage parents to attend lessons or to come in at the beginning when dropping off a student so that the lines of communication are always open between the parent, student, and teacher. The student’s success depends on this partnership and the teacher does not know what goes on at home during practice time. If there are any arguments, lack of progress, or worries about performances/exams, I need to know about any issues as soon as possible so that we can deal with the situation.
The best way to contact the teacher is by email or text/iMessage. You may also phone and leave the teacher a voicemail and she will respond with either an email or a phone call at her earliest convenience. Students are encouraged to contact the teacher if they have any problems while they are practicing at home.
There are many ways to stay up to date with what happens in the studio:
1. Reading the studio newsletters that are sent out a couple times a year
2. Checking the studio blog on the teacher’s website
3. Liking the studio Facebook page (facebook.com/eightyeightkeyspiano)