Piano Studio of Mike Springer studio policy
Responsibility of the Teacher: It is my responsibility to impart knowledge to the absolute best of my ability to my students and to conduct lessons in a professional manner according to the Music Teacher's National Association guidelines. I am personally committed to all of my students and will strive for excellence in performance and practice of the art of piano study.
Responsibility of the Student: Students are expected to actively participate in two of the events listed on the event calendar. Students are expected to be prompt for their lessons. If a student is late to a lesson, the time is lost. If I am late beginning a lesson, the time will be added to the end of that lesson or made up at another time. Students are expected to be courteous, hard-working and forthright. Also, unless you currently pay rent or have a mortgage, please address me as Mr. Springer. :)
Responsibility of the Parent: Parents are responsible for bringing their children to lessons on time, and paying tuition at the end of the month for the next month's lessons. If you are dropping off your child at my house, please wait until the child is inside prior to driving off, and please arrive back at my house prior to the end of the scheduled lesson. In addition, parents are responsible for insuring that the student is practicing each day as prescribed by me. Parents must enforce practicing and should consider themselves to be a vital part of the student's musical development.
Philosophy
Musical study is a discipline. As in any discipline (karate, ballet, etc), hard work is required to achieve expected results. I will strive to make learning as fun and enjoyable as possible. It should be noted, however, that practicing is not always fun or easy, but it is a task which must be performed routinely and correctly. My studio holds the philosophy that practice does not make perfect,perfect practice makes perfect. A student's style of practice is at least as important as the amount of time they spend at the piano. Quality will always prevail over quantity. I cannot guarantee the same degree of success with each student any more than a coach can with a group of athletes. I can only guarantee that if the student and parent will strive with me to achieve success, a certain degree of success and enormous satisfaction will result!
Discipline Policy
I make every effort within my studio to keep a loving, positive, and encouraging demeanor with my students. There are times, however, that corrective measures might be necessary for certain behaviors such as habitual lying, rudeness, or not practicing or doing other assignments over many weeks. If such behavior warrants action of this nature, the parent will be contacted, and the student might be subject to one of the following progressive corrective measures:
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1. Conference with the student and parent(s) to discuss the issue.
2. A specified number of assigned written lines designed to remind the student of an issue.
3. Probation for a specified length of time.
4. Dismissal from my studio (last resort only).
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Required events:
All students are required to participate in two recitals per year, one close to Christmas, and the other in early May. Exact days and times will be posted on the student events page. In addition, all students are required to participate in two additional festivals or competitions throughout the school year. I will be guiding each student to help this process.
Makeup Lessons (please read carefully)
There will be no makeup lessons for ANY reason other than for illness or other family emergency. Please don't call or email me asking for a makeup lesson due to conflicts created by band, orchestra, sporting events of any type, or any other after-school activity. There will be absolutely no exceptions to this policy.
Monday students: Please note that I do teach on all Monday holidays including Martin Luther King Day,Labor Day,Memorial Day,Columbus Day, and any in-service day. Please understand that if I took off all the Mondays that the kids are out of school, you would not be getting your money's worth for the lessons. You may request a different time or even different day if you plan to be out of town. Please provide me with several weeks notice in order for me to make changes to the schedule.
Personal day/Sick day: In lieu of a tuition increase for the 2015-2016 school year, I added one personal/sick day per school year (September - May) to be used only if necessary, and without the need of a makeup lesson.
Tuition: $80/hour
Lessons during the school year
Tuition is a flat fee per month based on four lessons per month during the months of September through May. I do not charge more for months with five lessons, but instead take various holidays throughout the school year which match school holidays. Every student in my studio will receive the same number of lessons averaged throughout the course of the school year
Summer lessons
Summer lessons (June through August) are encouraged and are payable on a per lesson basis. The summer is an excellent time for students to make enormous progress since they don't have the worries of everyday life during the school year.
All students are required to take a minimum of six lessons over the course of the summer. If you desire to take an extended leave during the summer months which results in fewer than six lessons taken during the summer, tuition will be required for the missed lessons to hold your spot within my studio. I appreciate your understanding in this matter.
Signing up for lessons = agreeing with the above policies.
Please feel free to email or call if you have any questions about my policies.
