Studio Polocies.
REGISTRATION
Current students wishing to reserve their time slot now for the upcoming fall may do so by submitting a non-refundable $35 registration fee for each student. This guarantees your time choice and makes the administrative scheduling aspects on our end flow much smoother.
New families may contact us by email to schedule a complimentary consultation. We value the opportunity to meet with potential students to discuss questions that you and your child may have concerning piano study. New students may register for lessons directly on our web page once they decide they would like to join Blue Note.
If you choose to study with us, you may reserve a time in our teaching schedule with postdated cheques for each month of the school year.
When you register for lessons you are making a commitment for the entire school year and you are agreeing to the following studio policies:
PIANO & METRONOME
All piano students are required to have a piano at home for daily practicing. We recommend a tuned acoustic piano, although a digital piano with 88 weighted and “touch sensitive” keys plus proper foot pedals is acceptable for early levels. All piano students will need a working metronome.
TUITION PAYMENTS
Tuition is based upon enrolment for 36 weeks of instruction from September to June of the current year. Lesson costs are as follows:
30 minute - $32.50
45 minute - $48.75
60 minute - $65.00
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30 minute with Christy - $35.00
45 minute with Christy - $52.50
60 minute with Christy - $70.00
Please refer to our rates for more information on monthly fees. Monthly payments are due on the first of each month, beginning September 1st. We charge a late fee of $20 for any payments made after the 1st.
PRACTICE EXPECTATIONS
Practicing isn't always easy - we work hard to help keep our students engaged and motivated. For this reason we use an App called Tonara to record practice instructions and share support materials such as recordings, video tutorials as well as pdfs. Students will need to have a smart device available in order to access this app for daily practice. This practice app rewards students for the work they do and helps to keep us connected.
In the case that a student cannot access a smart device, Lesson notes will be emailed or written in an assignment book.
Every student is different, but here is a guideline for the kind of practicing that achieves results:
Age 5-7: 20-30 minutes daily
Age 8-9: 30-40 minutes daily
Age 10-13: 45-60 minutes daily
Age 14 and up: 60+ minutes daily
AT THE STUDIO
Parents and students are expected to comply with the studio safety protocol found here.
*Students must arrive on time (not early) with their books each week.
*Students should wait to be admitted by their teacher to ensure cleaning procedures are finished prior to their entry.
*Please encourage your children to develop the habit of clipping nails and washing hands before lesson time. Students must wash hands or use hand sanitizer provided at the studio upon entry.
*mask wearing may be required.
*NOTE: there is no waiting room available at this time.
LESSON CANCELLATIONS
Our preference is to maintain consistent instruction with your children to keep progress and motivation on track. However, we run our studio at full capacity so if a lesson is cancelled, rescheduling is not always possible. These are my policies regarding lesson cancellations:
Rescheduling: Makeup lessons are not always guaranteed, as we run a very busy schedule. Through each parent/student profile(mymusicstaff) the studio calendar may be viewed clearly and lessons may be canceled and/or rescheduled with appropriate notice by either parent or student as needed. In these cases we are automatically notified of the change. In order to reschedule a canceled lesson, students need to have a make up credit(no credit will be issued if less than 24hrs notice is given) NOTE: Make up credits must be used within the current term of missed lesson only. These credits cannot be banked and carried over into the following term.
Written Notice for Cancellations: Parents should give written notice by email or text if a lesson is going to be cancelled. The more advance notice you give, the more you are helping other families find rescheduling solutions. As a guide: vacation should receive 3-4 weeks notice; sports, appointments and special events 1-2 weeks; illness 1-3 days. No refund will be given in such cases.
Storm Days: If school is cancelled for a storm day, you may assume that lessons will take place as usual since the roads are generally clear by afternoon. Please use your own judgment and email if you feel very uncomfortable with transportation and check the website for rescheduling options.
Holidays: Our studio closes during some holidays but not all. Important dates will be posted on this website. Holidays are unpaid therefore rescheduling is not offered.
Illness: Please do not send children to piano lessons if they are presenting cold and flu-like symptoms or a fever of any kind. Students have a fever will not be admitted into the studio. We can easily do an online class in place of in-person in these cases to ensure the learning continues in a way that is safe for all.
TERMINATING LESSONS
1. We reserve the right to dismiss a student from our studio based upon repeated cancellations, irregular attendance, inadequate preparation or late payment of fees.
2. If a situation arises in which a family must discontinue lessons midyear, we require written notice from the parent and one month of paid notice. The remaining tuition cheques will be returned. When you register for lessons, please be prepared to make the commitment from September through June as we are often unable to fill your reserved lesson time midyear.
All students stop taking lessons at some point. Ideally, this decision is made thoughtfully with plenty of discussion between the teacher, parent and student so we can complete the year with a positive sense of closure.
STAYING IN TOUCH
The best way to contact us is by email or text.
If you need to speak with us, we can reached on at 604.345.0885. Please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as possible.
We will be using email to send out information that you will need from time to time, please make sure that we have a current email address for you.
We recommend parents subscribe to our youtube channel in order to access recital performances, additional tutorials and music projects. Clients may also find us on Instagram and Facebook to stay in touch as well.
MULTIMEDIA
During lessons and performances the teacher may take photographs or video of students for use in the studio scrapbook, social media, advertising materials, lesson demonstration, and studio owned websites. Photos taken by the teacher or those shared with the teacher by other parents or students become the property of the studio and may be used at the discretion of the teacher. The studio follows online safety rules in this matter, and will never sell photographs of videos of students.