We recommend that younger students begin with 30-minute lessons. As students become more advanced, lesson times may be extended to accommodate repertoire of greater lengths. Practice expectations increase with the longer lesson periods.

 

• 30-minute lessons -- practice 20 minutes/day, 4-5 days/week

• 45-minute lessons -- practice 20-30 minutes/day, 5-6 days/week

• 60-minute lessons -- practice 30-45 minutes/day, 5-6 days/week 
   

These expectations will help the student prepare for each lesson, as progress is made most quickly by those students who maintain the recommended practicing time. This also helps with each student’s physical and mental stamina, which will make each lesson more productive, thereby increasing the value of each lesson. 

 

Practice sessions should be no longer than 30 minutes in length for younger students. Older students should use breaks during longer practice sessions, usually taking 5 minutes of rest after every 30 minutes of practice. Fatigue and injuries due to overuse can eventually become a concern if the student does not utilize sufficient practice breaks.

 

We strive to make lessons accessible, enjoyable, and personalized for each student. This is not limited to our teaching styles but also our willingness to adjust the above expectations. It is important for parents and students to communicate if their schedules necessitate a different set of practice expectations. We are happy to help design a practice routine that will help keep students moving forward in their musical development.

 

Parent Expectations

Outside of lesson time, it is the student’s responsibility to do his or her own practicing. Parents are encouraged to be involved in their student’s practice, as all children/students need help with discipline. Expect to remind and encourage your children to practice, and supervision of practice may be required until a routine is established. Students and parents both need to be accountable for consistent, quality practice without distractions. Practice time should take place in a quiet, well lit, and comfortable area and should be interruption-free (i.e. no phone calls/texting, no TV, no computer, etc.). 

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Attendance

Students are expected to arrive on time and ready to begin at their scheduled lesson time. If you are running late for any reason, please call or text your teacher as soon as possible. Your lesson time will not be extended if you are late, and you will still be charged the full amount for that lesson. If your teacher is running late for any reason, we will notify you as soon as possible and make up the full lesson time for you. Unplanned absences will not be excused and you will be charged for missing a lesson without prior notice. If you have to miss a lesson for any reason, you are required to notify your teacher at least 24 hours in advance of your scheduled lesson time, or you will be charged for that lesson. If your teacher has to miss a lesson for any reason, we will notify you as soon as we know of the conflict. 

 

If you are ill or recovering from an illness, please let your teacher know as soon as possible and we will reschedule the lesson. We would rather everyone be healthy than risk exposing more people to illness. Also, if significant practice time has been missed during the week in between lessons due to illness, please notify your teacher, and we can postpone that lesson for a week for recovery or adjust plans and expectations. If school is cancelled for weather or any other reason, please let your teacher know if you are not comfortable traveling to your lesson. In many cases, we will still be teaching on days that school has been canceled and will plan to hold lessons as normal unless other notice is given.

 

If your student is old enough for the teacher to schedule lessons directly with them, please ensure the student’s contact information is up to date in the Online Portal.

 

It is often helpful to communicate with teachers about days off from school that could be used as make-up lesson times. Feel free to contact us with this information.