Light Motifs Music Studio
By
Irene Light
1. Lesson
Fees: Lessons fees are paid
for in advance and are due the first lesson of the month. Promptness is appreciated. If the first lesson of the month is inconvenient,
I will be happy to work with you to find a more convenient payment date. A billing reminder will be written in your
child's lesson book at the end of each month.
The cost of any books will be included at that time.
2. Teaching hours: Please see my teaching schedule for daily
lesson times. To be fair to all, I must start and end lessons promptly
therefore I cannot extend lesson time for late arrivals. Lessons on school holidays will be addressed
on a case by case basis. You may call
my home. An answering machine will be
on if I am not available. I may also be
contacted by e-mailed at teacher@lightmotifs.com. Additionally, please do not phone during lesson times so as not
to interrupt someone’s lesson.
3. Student illness: Please do not send your child to piano
lessons with an active cold or other symptoms of potentially contagious
disease. I request this courtesy to
minimize health risks to other students and myself. I personally must be extremely cautious about exposure to
infection as a result of my recent surgery. Students who, in my opinion, have
such symptoms will not be
given their lesson. I will ask them to
sit apart and I will immediately call their parents to pick them up.
4. Missed lesson makeup: I will not schedule make-up lessons. Students are expected to attend every
scheduled lesson. This is consistent
with the Northern Virginia Music Teacher's Association which "does not
support the offering of make-up lessons."
Since I will be unable to provide cash credit for missed lessons, it is
in everyone's best interest if lessons are not missed. If a cancellation is
unavoidable, please provide as much notice as possible.
5. Lesson time Changes: The complexity of my teaching schedule does
not allow me to coordinate lesson time exchanges on either a temporary or
permanent basis. You may personally
arrange exchanges with other students.
I will be providing you a copy of my teaching schedule, which will show
all of my student’s lesson times and their phone number. Please
advise me if a lesson time is exchanged
so that I may be prepared for the student who will be coming.
6. Inclement weather: In the event that Fairfax County Schools are
closed or close early for weather, I will assume that your child will not be coming for his/her
lesson and you will be credited for the missed lesson on the next month's
bill. Please call first if you feel
that your child can make his/her lesson in spite of weather conditions. I am usually available.
7. How students should approach music study: Music is fun but the study of music should
not be taken lightly. Accordingly, any
students with excessive lesson cancellations or who otherwise demonstrate that
they are unwilling to approach their lessons seriously will be asked to find
another teacher. Students should
practice their entire lesson everyday rather than part of the lesson one day
and the rest the next. At least thirty
minutes a day for beginning students should be enough time to practice each
piece well. The thirty minutes may be
divided into two fifteen minute sessions such as before and after school. Please call me if you have any questions
about how or how much your child should practice.
8. Timeliness of student arrival and departure: Please arrange to drop off and pick up your
children promptly both before and after their lessons. Children can get bored while waiting and may
occasionally become unintentionally disruptive. This is unfair to me and the current student. Your child’s piano lesson should not be
looked upon as a baby-sitting service.
Regrettably, this has occurred frequently enough to require my taking
corrective measures.
TAKE NOTE: At my discretion, a minimum fee of $10 will be imposed
for any student dropped off or picked up more than 10 minutes before or after
the scheduled time of their lesson.
9. Piano
Festival and Music Recitals:
I anticipate that Northern Virginia Piano Festival will be in April
2005. Exact dates will be provided when
announced. It is non-competitive and a good
focal point for students. If your child
has not participated and you are interested, please call me for more
information. Additionally, an adult
music festival is also held in March.
If any adult students are interested in participating, please let me
know as soon as possible.
I
will host two recitals, one in December in my home for students only. This event is called the Music Marathon
©. Students start preparing for it many
weeks in advance. It is a fun,
semi-competitive musical gathering at which all entrants receive awards! The second recital will be in June at a
facility to be selected. Family and
friends are invited to the June recital.
These three events help to keep the student motivated throughout the
year.
10. College bound students interested in music:
I will be happy to assist college bound students who are interested in pursuing
a major or minor in music or are considering applying for a Music
Scholarship. Music was my major and minor in college; my graduate
courses are in Music Education as is my New York State Teacher’s License. For students interested in composing, the
Northern Virginia Music Teachers Association has some special opportunities
coming up this year. Please let me know
as soon as possible if your child would like to participate.
11. Discontinuing Lesson: I require two weeks notice if the
student decides to stop taking lessons during the year. I would prefer, of course, to be part of the
decision process. I wish to be able to help
you explore alternative ways of keeping involved with the study of music.
Sincerely,