Lessons
The school year consists of weekly lessons (excluding Holidays and school breaks) from the beginning of September through the end of June. We also offer lessons and course plans throughout the summer.
Scheduling
We schedule most lessons for 45-minutes in length. (Some 4-5 yr olds are at 1/2 hour, while some students over 10yrs old study for the full hour each lesson.) We see most of our students weekdays after-school, between 3-8pm. We find that by scheduling lessons on weekdays, it allows for more consistency and fewer cancellations (due to sports games, birthday parties, etc.).
Location
We find it most effective for our teachers to travel to your residence for lessons. However, if another location is desired, we can arrange a studio (generally $18-25/hour depending on the time of day).
Music/Lesson Books
Separate from the lesson tuition, students may often be required to purchase a lesson book, theory book, or other books and sheet music as needed. Books are usually about $8-10 each. Students will also use music from the private instructor’s library, which provides a large resource of material without having to purchase books.
Practice
Without regular practice at home (5 days/week), students will end up practicing during their lessons rather than refining and learning new skills. Individual practice should focus on playing through songs, and also developing the patience and persistence to fix problems and work on exercises. Efficient practice techniques are discussed during lessons, and likewise should be employed at home. Younger students (4 - 8yr. olds) need parental help in finding time to practice and learning how to practice. As a student matures, they learn the ability to manage their practice time individually.
We suggest the following daily practice amounts (these times can be split into two shorter sessions each day):
• 4-6 years old: 15 minutes
• 7-9 years old: 20 minutes
• 10 and up: 30 - 45 minutes