studio policy
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lessons and instruction
Lessons are offered in-studio and online. In-home lessons are also available.*
in studio lessons
If you live in the greater NYC area you can take lessons from me at my studio in Manhattan.
Online lessons
via Zoom are an option in leu of meeting in person. Online lessons offer more flexibility than in person lessons with the same level and attention to detail.
in home lessons
If you live in the Manhattan area you can take lessons from me from the comfort of your own home.
*for in home lessons a travel fee will apply.
All lessons
are purchased in monthly packages according to age, skill level and desired frequency.
Students 7 years old and younger are encouraged to take a 30 min lesson.
Beginning students 8 years and older are encouraged to take a 45 min lesson.
Intermediate — advanced, and students 15 years and older, are strongly encouraged to take a 60 or 90 minute lesson.
Lesson frequency: for young students, it is highly recommended to take a 30 min lesson twice per week. For all other students, twice per week is ideal but weekly lessons are sufficient.
health
For any in-person lesson it is important that if a student feels sick/has the sniffles/belly ache/etc. that they opt for an online lesson or reschedule.
The student may choose to wear a mask and/or ask the teacher to wear one for in-person lessons.
Make-ups and Rescheduling
If the student needs to cancel or reschedule their lesson due to unforeseen illness or circumstances, they must communicate this with the teacher immediately.
Barring extreme medical emergencies, the following policy applies.
This policy is in place as a courtesy to the student and as a safeguard for the teacher:
A lesson is excused and is eligible for makeup if:
24-hour notice is given, and confirmation is received by the teacher.
The teacher needs to reschedule your lesson.
All students will be allowed a maximum of one cancellation/reschedule each month with advance notice.
All makeup lessons must be completed by the end of the month.
A lesson is unexcused and is NOT eligible for makeup if:
The student does not show up for their lesson or is late for their lesson.
24 hours advance notice was not given.
The student has had more than one previous cancellation.
A makeup lesson was not completed within the month.
All missed lessons that are not eligible for makeup will be forfeited.
If a lesson is eligible for make-up, it may be redeemed in one of the following ways:
Extra time added in 15 – 30 min increments to an already scheduled lessons, until all time has been made up.
A make-up lesson will be scheduled either online or in person.
All makeups are schedule permitting between the student and teacher.
Scheduling
Lessons are paid for in advance on a monthly basis in packages. *See lesson packages
Due to limited time and availability, students are asked to commit to a lesson time slot and remain in the studio for the duration of one academic year.
If a student anticipates being on vacation or otherwise unable to attend lessons during a given month, those lessons can be skipped if notice is given before the beginning of the month. Otherwise, lessons can be rescheduled and made-up according to policy.
Materials
Students are required to have the following items:
Each student will have a shared folder in the cloud to access their materials which they will download each week and view in the “Kami App” (https://www.kamiapp.com/)
Classical (nylon string) guitar that fits the student properly and is approved by the teacher.
Protective instrument case (a must, if traveling for in-person lessons, but strongly recommended for all)
Classical guitar footstool or equivalent guitar support (dynarette, ergoplay, murata, etc.)
Music stand for books and paper sheet music
Guitar tuning application or stand-alone tuner and a metronome application or stand-alone metronome.
For advanced students: metal diamond nail file, nail buffing block and 2000 grit sandpaper
Check out Guitars and Guitar Accessories for products that I recommend.
Optional materials for online lessons:
An external USB or studio quality microphone (for advanced students)
Headphones
Best Practices
Online Lessons:
It is important the student is sitting in a well-lit room with a light source (i.e. window) facing them, to avoid backlighting.
Make sure both hands are visible, and the camera is facing head on.
In some circumstances, an external microphone and headphones may be necessary to achieve acceptable audio quality.
General:
Daily self-practice is a vital part of the learning process and expected of every student.
Tune and warm up 5-10 minutes before your lesson time
Record your lesson for easy review during your self-practice
PaymenT
Lessons must be paid for in advance at the beginning of each month.
Absolutely NO pay per lesson.
Payment can be made by Zelle, Venmo, cash or check.
₿ BTC and Ξ ETH cryptocurrencies are also accepted.
Agreement
Please sign and return this studio policy before the first scheduled lesson.
NO LESSONS WILL BE TAUGHT IF THIS SIGNED DOCUMENT IS NOT RECEIVED.