Studio Policies for Portland Piano Lessons

1. ATTENDANCE - Arrive on time and prepared for lessons with all materials needed.

A. CANCELLATIONS - Lessons can be canceled by the student through their MyMusicStaff account, or by emailing the teacher (texting is fine on the day-of). 
Payments will not be lowered or refunded for canceled lessons but the student is able to make up the lesson if we can find a time that works for us both.
If the teacher cancels the lesson, the lesson fee will be credited to the student's account for the following month.

B. STUDIO CLOSURE - The studio is closed for some holidays and other days during the year. No payment is due for closed dates.

C. MAKEUP LESSONS - A makeup lesson credit is added to a student's account any time they cancel a lesson. The student may then schedule their makeup lesson through their MyMusicStaff account. Any unused makeup lesson credits expire on the date of the last scheduled weekly lesson.

2. PAYMENTS & FEES -

A. All lesson fees are collected by the first of the month. This reserves the student’s weekly time for lessons. A 5% late fee is added if payment is not received by the 5th of the month.

B. Materials are billed separately as needed and will be included on the invoice, along with any other fees, for the following month.

C. Fees for Scheduling work: $5 per cancellation; $5 per makeup lesson (you can do your own scheduling for free)

D. Options for payments are: Venmo and checks made payable to “Sarah Collins”

3. MATERIALS

A. Acoustic piano or keyboard with 88 weighted keys plus pedal extender for folks who can’t reach the pedals
B. Well-lit, quiet and distraction-free space
C. Books (recommended by me based on age and skill level)
D. Notebook for ideas, questions, assignment notes
E. Pencil (musicians are very serious about our pencils lol)
F. Device for FaceTime/Google Meets plus adjustable stand (additional device for sheet music and apps is very helpful)
G. Water bottle
H. Plan for receiving assignments: printing or writing them into a notebook works well for kids; viewing digitally works well for adults
I. Plan for receiving sheet music: print or view digitally (same notes as above)
J. Apps: Faber and Faber Piano Adventures App and MuseScore
K. Metronome (analog or App)
L. Composition students also need: manuscript paper, laptop or desktop computer, subscription to Sibelius
M. Voice students also need: sheet music stand and a mirror

4. PRACTICE - Be sure to complete all assignments each week. If life gets busy and you're unable to complete your assignments, please let me know at the beginning of the lesson so I can adjust our lesson plan accordingly. If assignments go uncompleted multiple weeks in a row, we'll talk through new practice strategies.

5. COMMUNICATION - Students/Parents are responsible for knowing the information I send via email.

I check email each weekday and can be reached via text for time-sensitive issues. Phone conversations can be scheduled by emailing or texting a request. Communication and clarity are very important to me and I'm happy to make time to talk.

6. TERMINATION POLICY - Please give 30 days notice when you’re ready to discontinue lessons. Payment is due during this 30-day period whether or not lessons are taken.

7. REFERRALS - Students receive a $25 credit when they refer a student who takes lessons for one month or more.