Fees: Rates are $30.00 for a 30-minute lessons and $60.00 for a 60-minute lesson. Lessons are year round

Trial Lesson: $30.00

Coaching Audition: $60.00.

Payments: Payment must be received before the first lesson of the month for the entire month of lessons. Payments can be made by cash, check, Venmo or Zelle. A $20 service charge will be applied for checks returned. If this happens more than once, then you will be asked to find another form of payment. If you use Venmo, please do not pay for the lessons as “goods and services”

Cancellation Policy: Conflicts should be kept to a minimum as I have specifically reserved this time for your student. If the student has an unavoidable conflict, make-up lessons will be handled on a case by case basis. Cancellations by the teacher which cannot be rescheduled will be credited.

In the event of an absence (no show, no call) no credit will be given.

At the Studio: Students are expected to arrive in a timely manner, with all required materials and music. Parents and siblings may wait in Suite H, or in the common area outside. To discuss student progress, parents are welcome to talk with the teacher during the first five minutes of the student’s lesson, not afterwards, to respect the next student’s lesson time. Please feel free to text or call and leave a message and they will be returned as soon as possible. Please do not bring food or drinks into Suite H, bottled water is allowed in Suite I.

Holidays: Lessons are not held on Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Years Day. School holidays do not necessarily mean that music lessons will be cancelled that day. I do not follow the local school district calendars.

Weather Related Issues: Unless you hear that the studio is closed lessons will still be held during inclement weather. A credit will not be issued if the studio remains open.

Practice: Consistent practice is the key to success in the study of music. We are working on muscle memory not only of hand, wrist and vocal chords but building a successful connection of muscle memory in the brain.

Vocal students need to spend some time working on learning the words to their songs and a few vocal warm ups. Each day should be spent working on breathing, practicing posture and stance to ready them for programs.

Discontinuing Lessons: Every student discontinues lessons at some point. I respect the student’s right to end lessons at any time but ask for one month’s notice. Note: at my discretion, students may be asked to discontinue lessons at any time if they have unpaid fees or an excess amount of absences. While this decision will be difficult for me to make, it is necessary for the survival of this facility.

Photo and Video Release Form: I will occasionally take photos and videos of student lessons and performances for archival and promotional use. Students will be identified by first name only or not at all. If you do not wish your child’s image(s) to be used please ask for a release form.

Materials and Equipment: Music may be purchased through me or any of these retailers:

Sheet Music Plus: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com

MusicNotes.com: https://www.musicnotes.com

Players Bench: 87 N. Williams Street, Crystal Lake, Illinois (815) 459-8614

Piano Trends: 35 Berkshire Drive, Crystal Lake, Illinois (815) 477-4266

Amazon may also be used for purchasing necessary equipment

Keyboards may be used and if possible, should have weighted keys. Pianos can be purchased through Piano Trends or through private sales.

Vocal students: I will help you strengthen your vocal cords, stretch your range, use your breath properly, sing without tension, as well as unlock your potential as a performer and vocalist, helping you to build your musical skills and gain confidence. You may be asked to purchase a copy of 24 Italian Songs & Arias (G. Schirmer Edition) with the accompaniment CD in either the Medium High or Medium Low range. (Ask if you are unsure of which range to purchase.) Additionally, I ask that you purchase an Italian dictionary (Webster’s New World Italian Dictionary is very comprehensive) to assist with the translation of any Italian repertoire. This is a need for the continuing education vocalist. I also strongly suggest the use of a digital voice recorder (i.e.: an app on your smartphone) to record your lessons, warm-up exercises and accompaniment to practice with at home. Being able to playback your lessons and any other important material (such as pronunciations, etc.) will help accelerate your understanding of various concepts and techniques, plus you’ll continue to improve with each lesson rather than regress by forgetting what you learned the week before.

Private Lessons: Private Lessons help you to become accountable to yourself, to me and others. As a rule, we always work harder when we know someone else is counting on us. There are so many options, self-study courses, books, DVD’s, YouTube and across the internet where you can find an overabundance of information on how to play the piano or sing. But, when you learn with a private instructor you get the added benefits that simply cannot be attained through the do-it-yourself method.

First Month Hump: Starting with the first lesson and continuing through the month, everything is a little overwhelming and may feel somewhat odd. With good communication we can make the overwhelming/odd feeling better. Some things are going to make sense, and some are not, but staying motivated and understanding that this is a stepwise process, like learning to crawl, stand, walk, and run. It takes time to understand the fundamentals and understand how and why notes and chords sound good together. Who knows, among you there may be a future Hoagy Carmichael, Frank Sinatra, Beethoven, Elton John or Paul McCartney?