Instructor Handbook 2018-2019

Overview

Music Lessons Express is the largest music studio in Tallahassee with

an active enrollment of 200+ students and a staff of 30+ instructors.
We accept students from 3 years old through adulthood. We offer:
• Private lessons (in-home and at the studio)
• Group Classes (Suzuki violin and guitar, Rock Band Classes)
• Summer Camps (offerings change annually)

All lessons and classes run year-round and have rolling

admission.

All lessons and classes are paid for on a month-by-month basis.

Students are free to drop out at any time. Students who unenroll
and choose to return must re-register as a new student.
 Instructor Responsibilities
• Coordinate your teaching schedule with the office and your
students, including makeups and substitutes.

• Invoice MLE promptly for your time at the end of the

month.

• Answer questions regarding the studio and our programs

to prospective students and parents to the best of your
ability.

• Order books and materials for your students through the

office.

• Alert the office to any problems that arise.

• Encourage students to participate in recitals, camps, and

other programs as appropriate.

• Provide quality, consistent music instruction to your

students.
 Conduct
Demeanor: Your attitude, actions and words should always be
excellent. Be mindful that you are representing Music Lessons
Express. Do your best to refrain from making statements that a child
might misunderstand and possibly communicate in a negative way to
his/her parent/guardian.

Dress Code: Please use good judgment about what to wear while
teaching. Attire should be comfortably fitting, clean, and neat
clothing, in good condition, which communicates a professional
attitude. The following items are inappropriate: apparel typically
worn to the beach or for work in the yard or gym; clothing that is
excessively revealing (transparent, or that overly exposes areas of the
body such as the midriff or chest); bedroom slippers or flip flops;
garments meant to be worn as underwear; T-shirts; or, attire with
graphics or text endorsing gang membership, obscenity, illegal
activities, violence, drugs, alcohol or tobacco. No hats, caps or head
coverings are to be worn.

Social Media: We strongly recommend that you do not friend or

follow students, students’ parents, or any other clients on social
media, particularly if they are minors. Any communication regarding
lessons (phone calls, texts) should be made with parents/guardians
if the student is a minor.

Music Lessons Express has zero tolerance for sexual abuse

perpetrated on children or other vulnerable persons that are in
the care of instructors.
 Coordinating Your Schedule

New students: New students will typically coordinate lesson times

and a start date through the office. Once you have agreed to take on
a new student and the office has confirmed a start date with them,
you will receive a confirmation email with the start date, time, and
location of the lesson. Please adhere to the agreed-upon time
unless the student asks for a time change. Please do not agree to
lesson times that you cannot commit to for at least several months.
If you do need to make schedule changes, make sure to
communicate with students as far in advance as possible.

Room assignments: Room assignments will be handled by the

office. We will do our best to schedule back-to-back lessons in the
same room for your convenience. Please adhere to the room
schedule and check with the office before making any changes.

Makeups and Substitutes: Keep missed classes to an absolute

minimum. If you find yourself having to cancel or reschedule
frequently, coordinate a new time with fewer conflicts or transfer
the student to a different instructor. You are responsible for
coordinating makeup dates with your students and securing a room
through the office for any makeup lessons held at the studio. If you
have a substitute teacher come in, you are responsible for
coordinating with the substitute and making sure he/she has all the
relevant information to teach in your place. Substitutes must be
current MLE instructors.
 Starting a New Student

• Arrive promptly. Make sure you know the name and general
age of the student and know the room where you will be
conducting lessons.

• Get to know the student. Take a few minutes to introduce

yourself and to talk to the parents and the student about
their goals.

• Give your student their materials. Each student should

have an assignment folder to keep track of their progress and
their weekly assignments. If you ordered new books for
them, make sure you send those home as well (write their
names on the books before they leave).

• Provide contact information. If you prefer that

students/parents contact the studio office directly for last-
minute cancellations or messages, make sure they leave with
a business card. If you prefer they reach out to you directly,
you may provide them with your personal phone number or
email address. MLE will not share your phone number
with clients. We will copy you on emails to clients, as
necessary.
 Student Supervision
Attendance: You are responsible for keeping track of your
students’ absences. Lessons missed by the student with less
than 24 hours notice are made up at your discretion. You can
either make up the lesson at a mutually-agreed-upon time or inform
the parent that you are not able to make up the lesson. You may
invoice for EITHER the original (missed) lesson OR the makeup
time, but not both. If a student misses two classes with no
communication, you must inform the office. If a student does
not show up to a lesson after fifteen minutes with no notice, call
the contact number (listed on Jackrabbit or provided to you by the
parent/guardian).
In-home Lessons with Minors: A parent or guardian must be
present in the home during all lessons. If a parent or guardian is
not present when you arrive, do not teach the lesson or remain
alone in the home with the child and notify the office.
At the Studio: Minor students must be supervised by a parent or
guardian while waiting for lessons. Parents must stay with their
children until the lesson begins and must pick their child up
promptly at the end. If the lesson ends and the student’s parent is
not there, you must stay with the student until they are picked up.
You may have them wait in your teaching room if you have back-
to-back lessons. If parents are chronically late picking up their
children, contact the office. Students should not go into empty
teaching rooms. They must be in a lesson room with an instructor
or supervised in the lobby: no wandering children!
 Lesson Materials
Private lessons are typically 30 or 60 minutes once a week with
some rare exceptions. You are expected to deliver thoughtful and
engaging learning material for the entire session. Games and
additional teaching materials can be found in the teaching cabinet in
the main studio- please return all items to their proper place as
soon as the lesson is ended.

A wireless printer/photocopier and paper is available for you to use

in the annex along with a paper cutter, markers, and other
miscellaneous crafting supplies. Please ask before using anything
other than the printer and paper- some items are reserved for
special projects. Please be judicious in the amount of copies printed
and adhere to any relevant copyright restrictions.
Student Materials: Students pay a materials fee and have all non-
instrument materials provided through MLE. To place an order for
the student, send the following information to
materials@musiclessonsexpress.com:
1. Book title/author
2. Name of student
3. Any other helpful information (i.e. “with CD,” publisher,
etc.”
Allow two weeks for materials to come in and be processed. Please
be mindful of the items you order for your students in terms
of quality, cost, and content. Students should never receive
materials with profanity or other offensive materials.
 Recitals
Formal Recitals: Music Lessons Express will hold two formal
recitals per year: one in the winter and one in the spring. Other
informal recitals will be announced throughout the year. Please
encourage your students to participate whenever possible and
help them select and prepare pieces well in advance. Students
preparing for a recital should be able to play through their selection
without stopping and should bow after their performance. Have
the student practice performing in their lessons prior to the recital
so that they feel comfortable on the day of the event.
Registration: Students need to register for most events, including
recitals, through Jackrabbit.
Recital Attendance: You are expected to attend a recital if you
have students performing in order to support your students and
help run the event smoothly. At the recital, check in with each of
your students, help them get tuned, and inform the recital
coordinator if a student is not present.
Small Recitals: You are encouraged to host your own studio
recitals or share a studio recital with another instructor. The studio
is free to use, but other innovative venues are also encouraged.
 Student Incentive Programs
100 Days Challenge: Students who practice 100 consecutive days
are awarded a $10 giftcard for use at Beethoven and Company. 25
and 50 consecutive days also have prizes. Practice charts and prizes
for 25 and 50 days are in the staff room. Students who complete
100 days must turn in their chart to the office with the dates of
completion, a parent’s signature, and their name written on the
chart.
Symphony Bar Swap: Students who attend a live performance
may trade a program of the performance for a Symphony chocolate
bar.

Scholarships
Apply online at www.MusicLessonsExpress.com
PlayOn Music Scholarship: Need-based scholarship providing
one year of lessons on any instrument at the studio to a student
under 18 years of age.
SociallyLoved Scholarship: Need-based scholarship providing
one year of lessons on any instrument at the studio.
Lois Hinners Memorial Scholarship: Need-based scholarship
for private guitar lessons at the studio.
Kent Hutchinson Memorial Scholarship: Need-based
scholarships for students to attend the Instrument Safari and
Rockstar Recording camps.
Gardiner Scholarship: Awarded through the non-profit Step up
for Students for minors with special needs. MLE is a registered
vendor and can coordinate with families regarding this scholarship.
 Current MLE Classes
All classes are $50/mo ($40/mo for students already taking private lessons at
MLE) unless otherwise noted.

Beginning Rock Band: For students ages 10+ with at least one
year experience on their instrument. Mondays 6pm-7pm with Keith
Klawinski.
Advanced Rock Band: For middle and high school students with
prior musical experience. Evaluation with the instructor is required
prior to registration. Mondays 7pm-8pm with Lyndon Thacker.
Adult Rock Band: For adults with prior musical experience.
Mondays 7pm-8pm with Keith Klawinski.

Suzuki Violin Classes: For students ages 4+ who are studying

violin using the Suzuki method. Wednesdays 5pm-6:30pm with
Natasha Marsalli.
Suzuki Guitar Classes: For students ages 4+ who are studying
guitar using the Suzuki method. Biweekly meetings on Saturdays
12:45pm-1:45pm with Ben Lougheed.
 Using the Studio

Room Schedule and Use: You must adhere to room assignments

made by the office. You are welcome to use unoccupied rooms for
private practice or study, but must relinquish the room to any
instructors who need the room for a lesson. You are free to use the
large space for small recitals or rehearsals: non-teaching related
rehearsals or recitals should be coordinated with the office.
The room schedule is now viewable on Jackrabbit through your
Staff Portal! Go to “Manage Classes” and use the filters to view all
classes.

Room Cleanliness: Return any materials to where you found

them, throw out trash, and move stands and chairs to their original
position before leaving the room. Liquids should never be
placed on the pianos or keyboards. Students are not allowed to
have food or drink, except bottled water, in the studio (including
the lobby). Please direct students to eat snacks outside. Instructors
should keep food consumption to the staff room. Help yourself to
the printer, the Keurig, and the microwave, but please clean up
your own messes.

First One In/Last One Out: Make sure you are comfortable
disarming and arming the security system with your code. Do not
share your code with anyone else. Call Natasha’s cell right away if
you set off the alarm. If you are the first one in for the day, you can
adjust the thermostat to 72. If you are the last one out, make sure
all the lights are turned off and turn the thermostat up to 79 in the
summer or 68 in the winter.
 Student Unenrollment
Unenrolling from Lessons: Students who want to unenroll from
lessons or classes must notify the office in writing before the 1st of
the month. If a student or parent expresses an intention to
unenroll, remind them to notify the office in writing AND notify
the office yourself so we can be on the lookout for their email.
Vacations: Students who are planning a vacation may do one of
the following:
1. Make up the missed lessons before or after the vacation.
2. Have slightly longer lessons before or after the vacation to
make up the missed classes.
3. Use the missed classes to try a new instrument.
4. Forfeit the classes.
5. Unenroll from MLE for the duration of the vacation. We
cannot guarantee spaces with the same instructor, or at the
same time and day if a student unenrolls. Additionally,
when they return, they must register as a new student and
repay the $35 registration fee.

Instructor Vacations
Music Lessons Express is a year-round music school with annual
winter and spring breaks in addition to civic holidays. Lessons that
fall during breaks or on holidays do not need to be made up.
Instructors who need to take an extended leave of absence
(more than a month) for vacations, performance
opportunities, etc. will not be guaranteed a teaching space
when they return and their students will be reassigned.
 Student Billing and Payment
Student Payment: All students are on automatic billing through
Jackrabbit. They can make changes to their account, view their
payment history, and register for events through their Client Portal
or they may contact the office for assistance. Instructors are not
authorized to collect payments from students or parents. We
do not accept cash or checks. All families must have a credit, debit,
eCheck, or prepaid cash card on file to begin lessons with us.
Charges are processed on the 1st of the month for that month’s
lessons.
Prorating: Aside from the initial month of lessons, we do not
prorate charges. Any lessons missed by the instructor or the student
must be made up.
Lesson Cost: Over the course of one calendar year, students
receive an average of four lessons per month. Some months will
have three or five lessons depending on holidays, scheduled breaks,
or the number of weeks in a given month. The cost for lessons
remains the same month-to-month.

2018-2019 Lesson Prices

30 minutes in-studio: $105/mo
30 minutes in-home: $120/mo
Group classes: $50/mo, $40/mo for students enrolled in private
lessons

New students pay a one-time fee of $35 per family.

New students enrolling in group classes pay a one-time fee of $10
 Invoicing
Timecard: Use your timecard on Jackrabbit to enter your hours
worked. Add a note for any hours that deviate from your
normal schedule (makeups, substituting, longer lesson times, etc.)
Hours must be submitted by the 1st of each month. Checks for
approved invoices will be available for pickup in the office on the
3rd. Unapproved invoices will be paid in a reasonably timely manner
after all issues are resolved and the invoice becomes approved.
Hours must be entered before the end of the next month.

Jackrabbit Staff Portal Cheat Sheet:

Select “Main” for Location when logging in.
News >> Any staff announcements will display here.
My Schedule>> Your classes, lesson times, and room assignments
will display here.
My Time Card>> Enter worked hours and hit SAVE to add to
your invoice. Use the Department menu to select the type of lesson
taught: in-home, MLE (studio), camp, etc.
Manage Classes>> View all classes, room assignments, and
student information. To view student information, click the
Attendance button. The student’s age, gender, and emergency
contact will display. Click “more” to view the student’s primary
contact (parent or guardian) and their contact information. You
may also use this tab to take attendance if you desire.