Private Studio Policy

Effective July 1, 2011, Updated April 21, 2017 507 Willamette St.
Eugene, Oregon 97401

Thank you for choosing the Eugene Piano Academy for your musical goals! In order to ensure that you
or your child get the most effective and creative teaching possible, we have established this policy:

MISSION:
It is our mission to create a learning environment that instills the joy of learning music, playing music,
and making music to any person, at any age, while establishing a foundation for life-long growth and
enhancing the quality of our community's musical life. 

LESSONS:
Lessons are offered on a weekly basis during the Private Studio Calendar Year. Before registering for
lessons, our school administrator will set up an interview so that they may assess the student’s ability,
discuss lesson length, scheduling availability, and get you started with one of our qualified instructors.
Lessons may be scheduled for 30 minutes, 45 minute, or 60 minutes.


PRACTICE: A Family Responsibility
Our aim is to provide comprehensive musical instruction. Students are given practice assignments at
each lesson and will be expected to read through these assignments and work on them consistently
until the next lesson. A few minutes of daily practice obtains MUCH better results than a few hours
over one or two days. Please remind your students that there IS a difference between practicing piano
and playing piano. Please respect the student’s practice by eliminating all distracting elements, such as
TV, stereos, and friends. The emphasis needs to be on mind spent, not only time spent. The amount of
time that should be spent practicing varies between age groups and levels but we never ask that
students practice for a set amount of time, only practice what is in their assignment notebook.
Parents, praise and encouragement are the greatest tools in helping a young musician learn the routine
of practice. Sit down and listen to your child practice after their lesson; then listen again just before
the next lesson. Comment upon the improvement you hear. This kind of encouragement, coupled with
efficient practice routines, will help your child get the most out of lessons.


YOUR PIANO
Be certain your piano is tuned and in good condition. It is difficult to enjoy playing on an out-of-tune
instrument. It is also difficult to develop strong listening or pedaling skills on a poor instrument.
Delaying the tuning of your instrument is not cost effective as a piano which is has been neglected will
most likely require several tunings over a period of weeks or months to bring it back to pitch. Parents,
send a strong message to your student about the importance of your musical efforts by supplying a
satisfactory instrument. Digital pianos are a good alternative. Please speak with the Academy before
purchasing one a piano so that we can help you find a quality instrument that’s right for you.

E-MAIL COMMUNICATION
The Eugene Piano Academy uses email to communicate information regarding scheduling, billing,
special events, recitals, and other news directly related to you or your student. Please make sure the
Academy’s email do not go to your spam folder by adding us to your contacts/safe sender list.
Students will be sent a link to our online newsletter five times a year. The newsletters will include
reminders about upcoming dates and the latest news. The Academy assumes that parents or students
will be current on the newsletter that is sent out via email. The newsletter will always be posted on
the “Current Students” section of our website, for easy reference. We appreciate your time in staying
current with the Academy and reading these newsletters within a reasonable amount of time.
 Private Studio Policy (page 2)
MATERIALS:
Appropriate materials are chosen by the Academy to fit the needs of each individual student. It will be
the student’s or parent’s responsibility to purchase materials after your initial interview with the
Academy Administrator. A small resource fee is applied each year that will cover paper, copies, and a
lesson notebook. This resource fee will be calculated into your monthly payment (see p. 3).

ON LESSON DAY
Students should have washed hands before they sit at the piano. No candy or gum is allowed in the
studio. Long fingernails preclude the development of proper piano technique so please be sure that
nails are trimmed short -- no longer than the end of the finger. This is necessary preparation for every
lesson. If they are too long, we may use the lesson time to study theory.
Please be on time. Anything more than 10 minutes early is too early unless there is a special need.
Students may sit quietly in the waiting area and read or do homework until it is their lesson time.
Students should have their lesson materials prepared, including assignment notebook out and open to
the right pages ahead of time. Students should have a carrier for their music and be sure to pack up all
music, workbooks, and any other materials that will be needed during lesson time.

RECITALS:
Performance is a big part of piano instruction and we like to offer as many performance opportunities
as we can. The Academy organizes two recitals per year. In December we participate in the Oregon
Music Teacher’s Association (OMTA) winter fundraising recital at Barnes & Noble as well as the
annual Spring Recital held at the Academy. Spring Recitals at the Academy are a week long event and
there will be no lessons during this week. The removal of this lesson in the calendar year and recital
participation fee are calculated into your monthly payments (see p. 3). Students that choose not to
participate are encouraged to attend as these are wonderful educational opportunities. Please note,that
the recital fee is calculated into your even monthly payments and there are no refunds issued for not
participating.

SYLLABUS:
In addition to these recitals, students will also have the opportunity to participate in extra-curricular
OMTA recitals (scheduled monthly), as well as the annual Syllabus, a music curriculum that covers
technique, music theory, sight reading, rhythm reading, and repertoire. The ten levels of Syllabus are
graduated in difficulty and challenge students to achieve musical goals. After completion of a level,
students can opt to be assessed by a master teacher who provides a helpful critique. Participation in
these extra-curricular OMTA events are encouraged but not required. If you are interested in learning
more about these events, please talk to your teacher.

MASTER CLASSES: A master class is essentially a public lesson; the actual definition (according to
the Oxford Dictionary) is “a class, especially in music, given by an expert to highly talented
students”.  Classes such as these can be very useful; you don’t have to participate to learn, in fact,
those who observe can often absorb more, purely because they don’t have to worry about performing.

One of the great aspects of classes such as these, is the performance practice instilled in all
participants. Most students combat performance nerves and we feel that the act of ‘getting up and
doing it’ cannot be underestimated. Students who participate invariably come away with greater
knowledge and an added sense inner confidence. These are just a few reasons why we feel that master
classes are crucial to a student’s development.
 Private Studio Policy (page 3)
MASTER CLASSES (CONTINUED):
Three master classes will be scheduled during the Private Studio Calendar Year and will take the place
of a regularly scheduled lesson for the week. Any lessons that need to be rescheduled may be
scheduled during the week of master classes (Students are entitled to three rescheduled lesson per
calendar year). There will be two to three different levels; the first consisting of younger players, the
second, of intermediate players, and the third will feature more experienced pianists, many of whom
are preparing for upper division Syllabus. Students will have the opportunity to play and receive
feedback from faculty and graduate students from the University of Oregon in an intimate setting, that
is open for students and families to attend. Adult students in the private studio will not be required to
participate in Master Classes but encouraged to attend.

SCHEDULED and RESCHEDULED LESSONS:

Because there is limited space students or parents must carefully choose lesson times that can be
attended on a year-round basis. Lessons may be rescheduled up to three times throughout the Private
Studio Calendar Year when a 24-hour notice has been given. Rescheduled lessons without a 24-hour
notice will only be granted in the event of illness or other emergencies and at the instructor’s
discretion.

Missed lessons may be rescheduled any time during the Private Studio Calendar Year and the Academy
will keep track of lessons that need to be rescheduled. Lessons that fall on a holiday may be
rescheduled. Missed lessons must be rescheduled within the Private Studio Calendar Year and cannot
“roll over” into the summer session. Tuition will not be adjusted and refunds will not be given for
missed lessons, as tuition is evenly calculated throughout the year. Please remember that your
instructor has reserved a day and time especially for you and these reserved lesson times are what is
calculated into your tuition, not your attendance. Please call your instructor to cancel your lesson as
soon as you are aware that you will not be attending. Rescheduled lessons will not be granted for no-
shows, under any circumstances.

FEES AND TUITION:

The Private Studio Calendar Year is from first full week of September to the last week of June for a
total of 43 weeks. The Academy will provide 40 lessons during the Private Studio Calendar Year and
payments will be evenly spread out over ten months. Students will be electronically sent invoices on
the 1st day of each month and but tuition will always be the same, unless the student changes the
length of their lesson time. The breakdown of lesson fees are as follows:

Breakdown of Fees and Tuition:

43 Lessons in Private Studio Calendar Year
- 2 lessons (Winter Break)
-1 lesson (Spring Break)
-1 lesson (Recital Week)
+ 1 lesson (Planning fee, Resources fee, and Recital fee)

40 Lessons Total for the Private Studio Calendar Year

÷ 10 monthly Payments

$120/mo. for 30-minute lessons

$180/mo. for 45 minute lessons
$240/mo. for 60-minute lessons
 Private Studio Policy (page 4)
SUMMER LESSONS: During the summer months of July and August the Academy encourages
students to stay musically active. Lessons can be reserved in advance and planned around summer
schedules for greatest flexibility. Your teacher will discuss summer options with you toward the end of
the Private Studio Calendar Year.

SPORTS SEASONS:
There may be times when young students become involved in recreational sports. We understand that
these sports teams have rigorous practice schedules that may conflict with your regularly scheduled
lesson time. If you need to change your lesson time because of a conflict with sports, please keep in
mind that the Academy can not reserve your original lesson time if you switch to another fixed day
and/or time. If this situation arises, students have the option of rescheduling lessons while reserving
their preferred lesson time by scheduling around the studio ’s availability, on a week-to-week basis.
This means that your lesson times during sports seasons may be different every week and subject to
availability. Please talk to your instructor if you have any questions.

PAYMENTS & PAST DUE PAYMENTS:

Payment for lessons is to be paid monthly by the first lesson of the month. Students may also choose
to pay quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Payments may be made online, by check or cash. Checks
or cash may be left in the payment dropbox in the waiting area. If paying by cash, please enclose the
payment in a sealed envelope with the student’s name clearly labeled. Please make checks payable to
the Eugene Piano Academy, LLC. Visa, MasterCard and Discover are also accepted by phone or online.
If the first lesson of the month is missed for any reason, payment for that month should be mailed to
the Academy or made online. If you are interested in setting up automatic payments, please contact
the Academy.

Invoices that have not been paid by the 15th of the month in which lessons are being taken will be
considered past-due. Invoices that have not been paid by the 15th of each month will incur a $10.00
late fee and again every fifteen (15) days until payment has been received. Late-payment reminders
will be emailed for each late fee incurred. Weekly lessons will be paused for payments that are 60 days
past-due.

LESSON TERMINATION:
If a student no longer wishes to receive lessons he or she must submit a written two-week notice.
Students who wish to withdraw immediately will be billed for a withdrawal fee that is equivalent to
two weeks of lessons or refunded any amount paid that is remaining after the two-weeks notice.

Thank you for your commitment to music lessons and taking the time to learn about the
Academy. If you have any questions about any of the information above, please contact us
before initialing, signing, and returning the agreement on the following page. Don’t forget to
keep this policy for future reference. Thank you!

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 Private Studio Policy
Agreement
Please initial each paragraph and sign the bottom of this page,
stating that you have read and fully understand our Private Studio lesson policy.

I understand that it is my responsibility to attend, or have my student attend lessons regularly and practice
at home. I will encourage a positive attitude toward practice by providing myself with a satisfactory
instrument and learning environment at home.

I understand that three master classes are to be scheduled throughout the Private Studio Calendar year and
will take the place of my student’s regularly scheduled lessons. (Optional for adults)

I will discuss changes in my child’s behavior in class or at home with my instructor, as this will be helpful
information in giving my child useful instruction during lesson time time.

I understand the importance of reading the emails sent to me as they include pertinent information to my
lessons, upcoming events, and tuition. I will make sure I that emails from the Eugene Piano Academy are
not being sent to my spam box by correcting the issue in my email settings if I notice I am not receiving
the Academy’s monthly emails. I understand that I am responsible late fees incurred or missed
opportunities due to not checking my email.

I understand that my 40 reserved lessons time is what’s calculated into my tuition and that I am entitled to
three rescheduled lessons a year. It is my responsibility to notify my instructor within 24-hours of the
lesson time to be granted a rescheduled lesson.

I will do my best to not schedule other appointments or sports practices during my scheduled lesson time.

I understand that my fixed payments for lessons are spread out over the course of the year and are due at
the beginning of each month and no later than the 15th. I understand that late fees will accrue every 15
days and that my lesson time may be forfeited for payments that are 60 days past due.

I will discuss changes in my child’s behavior in class or at home with my instructor, as this will be helpful
information in giving my child useful instruction during lesson time time.

I will do my best to keep open communication with the Academy or my instructor about any concerns
that arise during lessons. In the event that I must prematurely withdraw from class, I will send the
Academy a written two-week notice and understand that I will be charged a withdrawal fee that is .

I have read the above and accept the terms set forth by the Eugene Piano Academy.
I understand that the policy can be updated and changed at any time and I am responsible for
staying current with the Academy’s policy changes.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
Parent/Student Signature Print Date

(Please return this page to the Academy by your first lesson)