2023-24 Studio Policy

Price List 2023-24
Calendar 2023-24

Please sign and agree to the 2023-24 policy by September 10th, 2023.

Jump To:

Expectations
Scheduling, Cancelations & Breaks
Wellness Policy
Billing
Group Class, Evaluations, and Recitals
Parent Support
Lesson Necessities & Etiquette
If we say “goodbye”…
Practice Commitment
Suggested Reading & Resources
Sign Policy

Expectations: Practice every day you eat!

I believe that every child can become a talented musician. The key emphasis is on become–because talent for the violin is not innate–it is established through a nurturing environment that sets a long-term commitment to learning and prioritizes daily practice. I see the teacher, parent, and student as equal roles in the process: the teacher is the expert, the parent establishes the home learning environment, and the student is there to learn. By learning how to play the violin beautifully children become adults with beautiful hearts and minds–they develop patience, grit, intelligence, and become a member of a greater artistic community.

Scheduling, Cancelations & Breaks

There are 32 private lessons and 20 group classes during the school year (Labor Day to Memorial Day) that have fixed meeting dates and cannot be rescheduled. No lessons are scheduled over the week of Thanksgiving (1 week), Winter Break (2 weeks), and Spring Break (2 weeks). See Calendar for exact dates. Monday lessons that fall on MLK Day & Presidents’ Day will still have lessons.

During the school year students are expected to attend their private lesson the same day and time every week. Your lesson time is reserved for you on a weekly basis during my planned teaching days and hours and cannot be moved. There are no makeups, credits, or refunds. Lessons do not roll over to the following semester. Please notify me if you must miss one of our scheduled lessons. Before asking for a “makeup” read this article, then notify me, and you may choose from one of the following options:

Meet over Zoom if the student is sick or traveling. We can either have a productive, online lesson or do a Parent-Teacher conference.
Join a waitlist to see if a spot opens up during the same week as your lesson. Requests to have two lessons in one week or longer lessons will be denied as they are typically unproductive.
Swap lessons with another family if you can give ample notice. DO NOT ask to swap if your child is sick. Lesson swapping is a community privilege, families requesting to swap too often will lose this privilege. Agreeing to this policy means your contact information will be given to other families in this studio for swapping purposes. If you would like to be removed from this list please notify me.
Create a practice video, with any specific questions, shared before your regular lesson time. I will use our regular lesson time to watch and respond with a video of my own.
Miss the lesson. As much as I will miss our time together, missing a couple lessons a year is expected and built into tuition.

During the summer session students are expected to have a minimum of 8 lessons that may be used as a punch card to accommodate family and teacher vacation/travel plans. Students who have more than 8 lessons in the summer will be billed for additional lessons in the Fall invoice. Group class does not meet in the summer, but students are encouraged to attend Suzuki Institutes across the country over the summer, including the Los Angeles Suzuki Institute which is held annually at Pitzer College.

Wellness Policy

Lessons will be canceled, with no refund, if you or your child appear sick, so please opt to skip the lesson in advance or schedule an online lesson, if possible. Please see Scheduling, Cancelations & Breaks for cancelation policy. If I am sick all lessons will be moved online. To keep everyone healthy, parents and students must adhere to the following requests:

Notify me in advance if you or child are unwell and we will have an online lesson, if possible. I will also exhibit the same courtesy, so please be prepared that some lessons may be online.
Please stay home from group classes or recitals if you are unwell and exhibiting any of the symptoms above, you will be asked to leave if you or your child appear sick.
Wash hands before and after lessons.
All parties should wear masks if you answer yes to one of the following questions: Have you or your child been sick in the last 48 hours? Is anyone in your family sick? Have you been around anyone that you know has been sick? If you are sick please stay home.
I am happy to continue wearing a mask in lessons for families who prefer this.

Billing

All invoices will be for the full session (16 lessons/10 group classes in Fall, 16 lessons/10 group classes in Spring, 8 lessons minimum in Summer with flexible scheduling). Invoices are sent via email through QuickBooks Online. You will either have 15 days to pay or pay by the first lesson, whichever comes first. Check, Zelle, or cash are accepted. Invoices may also include extra lessons, additional piano accompaniment rehearsals, books and other materials, if applicable. If the invoice is unpaid by the due date a $10 late fee will be added every 7 days. A $20 fee will be added to the invoice if the bank transfer/check bounces. There are no refunds or credits for tuition already paid. Please be aware that tuition may increase annually. There will be at least 30 days notice of any tuition changes, typically rate increases will happen before the Fall semester begins.

Group Class, Evaluations & Recitals

Students are required to enroll in Group Class, which is included in tuition. Group Class is a mixed-level class that meets for 20 classes a year (see Calendar); the final class is a public performance sometime in May. Group class is an essential part of the Suzuki Method–children learn from one another and they learn how to play music together in a group. Older students can practice being leaders, while younger students learn from them–this role will ebb and flow throughout their musical upbringing.

Students must participate in Suzuki Graduations and other evaluations when recommended. These opportunities provide an excellent goal for students to work toward and result in a graded assessment of their performance and musicianship. Attendance at the Los Angeles Suzuki Institute is highly recommended. This is an annual event held in mid-June at Pitzer College where students, parents and teachers gather to strengthen their skills.

Performance Class (Recitals). There are typically two recitals per year: Fall and Spring; and a Group Class performance at the end of the school year (see Calendar). All students must play with piano accompaniment (unless the piece is unaccompanied) and memorized. Plan to perform review pieces, not a current piece. Review repertoire always results in a more confident performance and we are aiming for comfort on the stage. My aim with recitals is to help students become successful performers and public speakers. Students must perform in at least one recital per year to be considered for enrollment in lessons for the following year.

Parent Support

A key aspect of Suzuki method is parent involvement throughout a child’s entire musical upbringing. Parents are vital in establishing the home practice environment, and as the child grows up, you will need to continue helping with follow-through, setting up practice schedules, and being your child’s biggest fan! Below are some ways I am continually supporting parents within the studio:

Back-To-School Parent Talks: At the start of the school year we will have a parent talk over Zoom to help make the best of the school year. Often times I will invite a guest speaker. If you cannot attend we will spend the first lesson discussing what was covered. These talks are designed to help parents develop the best learning environment for their children.

Parent-Teacher Conferences: Families can have up to two 30-minute Parent-Teacher conferences per year, to be completed before the next school year starts. These PTCs are scheduled a time that works for both parent and teacher. Families requiring more time may be billed at the current hourly lesson rate or may opt to swap lesson time for Parent-Teacher time.

Respect of Teacher’s Personal Time: Any issues that cannot be resolved during lesson time or need more time than the complimentary PTCs will be billed at the current hourly lesson rate. This includes text messages, emails, and phone calls that go beyond the scope of scheduling, billing, and other basic administrative duties. Any emails or text messages that I receive that do not pertain to these basic administrative tasks will not be answered via email but will be discussed at the next lesson or saved for a PTC.

Lesson Necessities & Etiquette

It is essential to come to lessons prepared with the following:

A notebook (Please keep phones away unless taking video/photos)
Instrument & bow
Shoulder pad
Assigned books/materials.
A weekly Practice Chart will be shared over Google Drive, as well as other materials.

Lessons are held at my home studio–be reminded that you are guests at my home and I am not a child care provider. It is the parents’ responsibility for their child’s safety. Please follow these house rules:

Keep your child(ren) under your watchful eye at all times.
If there is another lesson before you, please wait outside for the prior lesson to end. Once the lesson is over I will open the door. Do not knock, it is disruptive. Please wait to unpack until in the studio.
Please wash hands prior to the start of the lesson.
At this time there is no bathroom for studio use, so please use the bathroom prior to leaving your home for lessons.
Expect a 5 minute turn-over time between lessons. If you are having a 30 minute lesson, expect 25 minutes of instruction, and so on.

Online Lessons

Online lessons are a wonderful substitute for in person. Music lessons need a lot of bandwidth to sync audio and video, so I recommend either increasing your current bandwidth or scheduling lessons when no one else will be streaming content. Please be sure that you meet all of the following requirements to make online lessons worthwhile. Internet connection failure on the student’s end will not be made up, please see Scheduling, Cancelations & Breaks for more information.

Reliable internet connection
Download the most recent update of Zoom
Check System & Bandwidth Requirements for Zoom
Have access to Google Drive
Back-up device (recommended)
External Mic (recommended)
Use lighting from the front, not the back. (i.e. do not stand in front of a window)

If we say goodbye…

Please schedule a PTC before quitting lessons. Often times if you or your child want to quit we can discuss why and see if there is a better alternative. If you decide to quit I request we have a final lesson to say goodbye. If you want to continue lessons elsewhere I recognize I may not be the right fit for everyone and I may have recommendations for another teacher, so please ask first. The music world is small and we are bound to run into each other again! If you have lessons with another teacher without my knowledge I may ask you to leave my studio. Please be reminded that there are no refunds for tuition, so I advise students to stick with lessons until the end of the semester.

Practice Commitment

“Practice every day that you eat!”

It is essential to practice daily between lessons. I ask all of my students and parents to pledge a practice commitment that adheres to the guidelines below. It is obvious when a student is not practicing and we will use lesson time to discuss how to improve the routine rather than moving on to new concepts or pieces. Parents are expected to attend all lessons until a child is 12 years old. For older beginners, parents should plan on attending until they are past Book 2. After that, it is up to the teacher, child and parent to decide whether or not the parent continues to attend. I recommend all students follow this format for practice, as recommended in their Practice Charts:

Listening —> Review —> Current Repertoire —> Previews & Technique —> Reading

Pre-Twinkle & Twinkle Phase

Lesson Length: 30-minutes
Suggested Practice Length: 15-30 minutes
The same parent must attend all lessons and participate along with their child.
Practice is with the parent who attends lessons.
These two phases may take 1-3 years depending on practice/age.

Suzuki Book 1

Lesson Length: 30-minutes, 45 minutes recommended
Suggested Practice Length: 30-45 minutes.
The same parent must attend all lessons and participate along with their child.
Practice is with the parent who attends lessons

Suzuki Book 2-3

Lesson Length: 45-minutes mandatory, 60 minutes recommended
Suggested Practice Length: 45 minutes or more
Parents may still be involved with home practice depending on age.

Suzuki Book 4-5

Lesson Length: 60-minutes mandatory
Suggested Practice Length: 60 minutes or more
Parents may not be involved in details of practice but should expect to set daily practice habits.

Suzuki Book 6-8

Lesson Length: 60-minutes mandatory, 75-90 minutes recommended
Suggested Practice Length: 60 minutes or more
Parents may not be involved in details of practice but should expect to set daily practice habits.

Suzuki Book 9-10, Post-Suzuki Literature

Lesson Length: 90-minutes mandatory
Suggested Practice Length: 90 minutes or more
May be taking an additional lesson with a college level teacher.

Policy Agreement 2023-24

Please read this article before signing.

Parent Name

First Name

Last Name

Child(ren)'s Name(s)

Parent Email

Media Waiver

Consent & Release Agreement

By initialing below, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this Term and Condition. By initialing and signing below, you acknowledge you are the parent or legal guardian of the child participant indicated below (“Minor”). I hereby unconditionally release and discharge J and M Strings, LLC. (J&M Strings), J&M Strings agencies, departments, directors, officers, employees, volunteers, agents, J&M Strings host or collaborating partners, and all other persons and entities involved with J&M Strings from any and all claims, demands, liabilities, damages, costs, and all other expenses that may arise in connection with the Minor’s participation in J&M Strings. I understand that J&M Strings have a physical element to it. I agree and understand that by signing this Waiver, the Minor is physically fit enough to participate as a volunteer or participant in J&M Strings. I hereby certify that the Minor is in good physical condition and that the Minor is able to participate in J&M Strings without harm to the Minor or others. I agree to voluntarily assume all risks, known or unknown, of injuries, however caused to the Minor, even if caused in whole or in part by the action, inaction or negligence of the host or collaborating partners, sponsor, individual and groups involved in J&M Strings, and to hold J&M Strings host or collaborating partners, sponsor, individual and groups involved in J&M Strings free and harmless from any liability or damages for any injuries that the Minor may sustain.

Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)

By initialing below, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to this Term and Condition. By initialing and signing below, you acknowledge you are the parent or legal guardian of the child participant indicated below (“Minor(s)”). The Minor’s information is only used in connection with J and M Strings, LLC. (J&M Strings) and is limited to the information requested below. It is our practice to only obtain information regarding children under the age of 13 from the child’s parent or guardian and not from the child directly. The Minor’s parent or legal guardian must consent for the collection, use or disclosure of the information requested below. J&M Strings will not share identifiable information of a child with any third party. J&M Strings will only send our promotional communications or newsletters to the parent or the legal guardian who provided the child’s information to us, and J&M Strings will not link, sell, trade, or otherwise transfer to outside parties’ personally identifiable information for any child under the age of 13. If the parent or guardian does not give their consent within a reasonable time, J&M Strings will delete the parent or guardian’s online contact information from our records. At any time you can review, change or delete your child's personal information, or revoke your parental consent by sending us an e-mail at jandmstrings@gmail.com. To protect your privacy and security, we may require you to speak with a representative or take additional steps or provide additional information to verify your identity before we provide any information, make corrections, or disable your child’s registration.

COVID-19 Release

I am aware of the covid-19 pandemic and related governmental orders, directives and guidelines (collectively “directives”), including directives for frequent hand washing, social distancing and use of face masks in public locations. I am aware that these activities are occurring in a public location during the covid-19 pandemic and are therefore hazardous activities. I am aware that myself and my child could be infected, seriously injured or even die due to covid-19. I am voluntarily participating in these activities with knowledge of the danger involved and agree to assume any and all risks of bodily injury, death or property damage, whether those risks are known or unknown.

Policy Agreement

Parents and students are expected to abide by this 2023-24 Studio Policy. By signing all parties agree to the above terms.