Lesson fees and payment
- Lessons are $40 for 30 minutes, $50 for 45 minutes, and $65 for an hour. Add $10 per person up to two extra people per lesson. Add $10 if I come to you.
- Private lesson fees may be paid monthly by either cash, check, or by clicking the button in your invoice to pay online. Online payments are processed via PayPal or Stripe and require a convenience fee. Checks can be brought to the lesson or mailed. A third option is to make a direct deposit through Zelle using the Bellingham Fiddle Lessons email address.
- Invoices are sent out on the 1st of every month for that month and are due by the 15th. After the 15th, there will be a $1 per day late fee.
- If it is your first lesson with me, please pay for the lesson in advance using one of the online options. Subsequent payments can be made with cash or check.
Cancellation Policy
- Because I am unable to schedule another student in your spot without sufficient notice, 48 hour notification is required for all missed lessons. Notification well in advance of any known upcoming absences is very much appreciated.
- You should use the online calendar in the Student Portal to cancel or reschedule lessons. You can notify me by text or email, but only if you are unable to access the calendar for some reason.
- In the case of cold/flu/covid or other temporary scheduling issues, it is my expectation that you will arrange for an online lesson by contacting me via text at least an hour before your lesson time. In the event of an emergency, notify me as soon as possible.
- If you fail to give notification of absence, you will be charged for the lesson.
- If notification is given, you can attempt to make up the lesson by using the online calendar to register for an available lesson.
- If the teacher cancels a lesson for any reason, a) the teacher will reschedule the lesson, or b) the student will be credited the next month for the missed lesson.
- If the client cancels a lesson, the teacher will reschedule it upon request if it can be scheduled during normal teaching hours (i.e. taking the time slot of another student who cancelled).
Online Lessons
In the event of inclement weather, illness, or other temporary scheduling issues, lessons will be conducted via Zoom, Skype, or Google Meet. Having an online lesson is an excellent option for an otherwise missed lesson if a student is contagiously ill but feels well enough to play, or if the student is on an extended vacation. I will send the student a link before their lesson time to access the online meeting. The student is expected to have one or more of the above listed platforms downloaded and know how to configure the audio settings so the student’s instrument can be heard. Instructions can be found here.
Pausing Lessons
When a student wishes to take more than 2 weeks off in a row, they have three options: 1) pay 100% for their time slot and make up all lessons when they get back (requires having more than one lesson per week on multiple weeks), 2) pay 50% to reserve the time slot (no make-up lessons), or 3) pay nothing but risk someone else taking the time slot.
Discontinuing Lessons
Every student stops taking lessons at some point. Ideally, this decision is made thoughtfully with plenty of discussion between the teacher, parent, and student so that lessons can cease with a positive sense of closure. For this reason, I ask that you give one month’s notice prior to discontinuing lessons. However, I respect the student’s right to end lessons at any time. Note: At the discretion of the teacher, students may be dismissed at any time if they have unpaid tuition, an excess amount of absences/unprepared lessons, or if they show a lack of interest.
Required Materials
All students should have an instrument and bow that are in good working order, rosin, a shoulder rest, a tuner (an app is ok), a metronome (an app is ok), a spiral notebook, a pencil, and assigned lesson materials. You can expect to spend $0-20 per year on music books. A music stand and extra set of strings are highly recommended.
Practice Expectations
Students are expected to practice outside of their private lesson each week. Regular practice is critical to developing musicianship skills. The first stage of learning a musical instrument is physical and regular practice helps to build the strength, flexibility, and muscle memory required to make progress. The goal is to set a sustainable level of regular music practice that you can commit to. Ten minutes of focused practice each day is better than three hours once a week.
Parent Participation
Parents are encouraged to be supportive and active participants in practice at home and may attend and quietly observe one lesson a month or more to be better able to support and encourage home practicing. However, some children and teens do better in lessons when family members are not in the lesson room. If this is the case, I ask that parents or caregivers wait in their vehicle during the lesson or drop the student off. If parents or caregivers would like to come in for the last 2-3 minutes of the lesson for a quick recap of what was covered, I'll be happy to go over what we worked on.
Miscellaneous
- All students should keep short fingernails – shorter than the end of finger. Students arriving for a lesson with long fingernails will use the lesson time to cut their nails.
- If you arrive early to your lesson, please wait outside until your lesson start time (Hint: this is a great time to cut your fingernails!)
- Bellingham Fiddle Lessons/Colleen Freeman shall not be liable for any injuries, damages, or loss that may have resulted by reason of voluntary participation in lesson activities.
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