Studio Policies

Studio Policies 2019-2020

Welcome to the piano studio of Kathryn Desjardine. I’m looking forward to teaching your children and sharing my love of music with them throughout the year. Please read the following information carefully before registering for piano lessons.

General

  • Lessons are 20, 30 or 45 minutes in length, depending on the age and level of the student.
  • 20 minute lessons are only available to four and five year olds.

Schedule

  • Lessons begin the second week after labour day and continue through to the end of May for a total of 34 private lessons.
  • Group lessons may be offered from time to time.
  • There will be no lessons during the Christmas school break, or during March break.
  • A year end recital will take place in mid-May.
  • Other performance opportunities may be offered.

Tuition & Payment

  • Tuition is to be paid monthly and is due on or before the first day of the month for lessons that month.
  • Invoices for tuition will not be provided; the student is responsible for calculating the number of lessons in a given month and delivering payment on or prior to the 1st day of the next month.
  • Tuition may be paid by post-dated cheque, cash or e-transfer. Late payments will incur a late fee of $1 for each day late. A reminder email will be sent to those opting to pay by cash or e-transfer.
  • The student will be given an assignment notebook at their first lesson which will be used to track practice assignments/suggestions. Additional books will be obtain by the teacher and will be invoiced to the student.
  • The teacher reserves the right to raise fees at the beginning of each new teaching year.

Practice Expectations

  • A consistent, daily practice routine is the key to success and progress with music. It is the student’s responsibility to be prepared for every lesson. Students need to prepare for every lesson by making progress on all parts of the weekly assignment. If the student is not adequately prepared for a few consecutive lessons, we will discuss what can be done about the issue.

Missed Lessons

  • From time to time, situations will come up that interfer with the lesson schedule. In these cases the following will apply:
    • If you know you cannot make all the lessons at the beginning of the month, fees for that month will be adjusted accordingly.
    • If a student is ill or there is an emergency, let me know as soon as possible. Make-up lessons are not guaranteed.
    • When a snow day falls on a lesson day at Bluewater Coast, lessons will be rescheduled. Some weeks, I may be able to shift lessons to Friday, and will let you know by email the morning of the snow day. Otherwise, I will make up these lesson days in June.
    • If I miss a lesson for illness or personal reasons, I will refund or make-up the lesson at a mutually agreeable time.

Discontinuing Lessons

  • Everyone stops taking lessons at some point. Ideally, this decision should be made with plenty of discussion between teacher, student and parent in order to finish with a good sense of closure. For this reason, the teacher asks for two weeks notice prior to discontinuing lessons, however, the teacher respects the right of the student to end lessons at any time.
  • At the discretion of the teacher, students may be dismissed at any time for any of the following reasons: continuous late payment of tuition fees, excess amounts of absences, lack of interest or consistent lack of practice.

Communication

  • Students are always welcome to contact the teacher during the week with questions about the practice assignment.
  • Visit piano.desjardine.ca to find these studio policies.