Hey folks,
August is here. Summer lessons have just about wrapped up and fall lessons are just around the corner. I want to make sure everyone is ready for when lessons resume.
1. Lessons resume August 20. Kids will be back in school by then and we can establish a good routine. Please please please help your kids establish a routine of practicing piano early on. Focus on August and September and the rest of the year will be easier. If you as the parent don't help them include piano in their daily routine, you'll notice the struggle later.
2. I will e-mail you individually to let you know what books your child need to bring.
3. Payments are handled through MyMusicStaff. You should have received an invoice from them by now. Please look it over and make sure everything is correct. If you didn't receive the invoice, please check your spam folder and set it to accept e-mails from the sender. Please be sure payments are received by the 5th of the month, as MMS automatically charges a late fee after the 5th of the month. You should be able to use the link on the invoice to pay.
4. The calendar for the year has been posted. Please go ahead and reserve those dates now.
5. There are two extra weeks added to the calendar for this year, compared to last year. If your child is sick and can't miss a lesson, don't worry and feel like he will be behind. I add these extra weeks to give everyone breathing room in case of absences. It also provides me with some flexibility in case I get called for jury duty, am sick, or have a lecture/conference to attend. If you haven't read over the studio policies in a while, I would recommend reading it to brush up.
6. Please plan on taking your student to a piano recital/concert at least once a school year. I will make you aware of some as they come up. The colleges in town (UWF, PSC, PCC) all have free recitals their seniors put on. UWF has a free Steinway showcase each January. PMTA will put on another Teacher Recital in early February. To improve in any skill, whether in music or sports, etc, the student needs to see where his skill can take him. Please plan on a piano concert this year.
7. Note that the policies and calendar now include summer lessons. You will receive an invoice in June, but you have all summer long to schedule four lessons.
Let me know if you have any questions.
