Please do follow my blog, and Instagram / Facebook posts! I share lots of free music, too; just click on News in the menu above. Often I address topics brought to me in class, so I don’t have to spend too much lesson time answering complex questions from which many students will benefit!
Fees & Schedule
Top question, what is cost? $150/mo for 30 min weekly lessons; $187.50 for 45 mins; $250/mo for 1 hour. This includes all resources (music, recordings, summaries, practice logs, videos) and also…flexibility! Unlike a bigger studio, I will work with your schedule rather than forfeiting fees. I open to my wait list in July, so contact me soon to get a spot for autumn. I have more space weekdays, daytime.
Registration
Here is my registration form. Please complete & bring to our meet & greet.
Practice Support & Logs
Please download the appropriate log each month, to guide and support your practice. Parents, please assist your child to ensure that the log tasks are completed in a quality manner and checked off. Completed logs get a reward at month end! Part of our work as musicians is developing the discipline to grind through repetition until something gets better–that’s one reason music is really awesome for children. Don’t expect your kids to HAVE the discipline to practice; that’s something we learn together, and put the reward/consequence system in place to make happen.
Practice Habits & Organization
Practice habits – what you put in you get out, and for younger children: well, parents must supervise practice. Yelling at your kid to practice is not helpful. Please follow my guidelines for creating the practice container to set this up as an automatic activity. Beginners and children under 10 must be supervised following the practice log, only for about 2 months. If you can’t make this time, ask your student to practice beside you while you’re doing your paperwork or housework and talk about each activity. Please attend lessons and participate actively for the first two months to understand the nature of our work and study.
Youtube Video Playlists for Practice Support
Here’s my channel; if you subscribe you’ll get all the new videos and this is really the easiest way to find the one likely recorded for your latest works.
- Vocalizes
- Ukulele technical exercises
- Guitar technical exercises
- Piano basic technical exercises
- Guitar arrangements – basic songs – practice along videos
- Ukulele arrangements – basic songs – practice along videos
- Custom karaoke practice tracks for vocalists
Royal Conservatory of Music – examination information
Here is where piano and voice students can get background and preparatory information on RCM exams. Do they qualify for some high school credits (yes!) and how? Dates, fees, what to expect. Sample videos of exam candidates in action so you can really see what happens and not be so nervous!
I really encourage students to not be in such a panic about this scary WORD “exam”. The examiners and the RCM are so happy to have you and really want you to succeed; this organization dedicates itself to preparing quality musicians and is incredibly supportive. Remember, they are on your side! They want you to participate in the RCM. They will do everything they can to help you be comfortable. Your job is to practice properly and diligently during the year, be prepared, and to just keep going when you make a mistake; most of us do flub up a bit or a bunch under pressure and it doesn’t mean you’re a bad student or a failure! Growing up is about learning to roll with the punches, not about being perfect.
Voice / Dramatic Speech Resources
Tongue Twisters Articulation – Typical tongue twisters for articulation and projection exercises.
Three Principles of Good Singing – Summary of my singing approach.
Rescheduling, Cancellations, Discounts
This info appears in the fine print on your monthly invoice and on my registration form also:
- 30 days notice required for cancellations. Why? Because I have blocked that spot for you and need some time to fill it with another student. Honestly, music is the long game, and if you’re planning to study a month or two hoping for a quick fix, well, you will be disappointed! There is no instant gratification in music study, and the payoff of your hard work and perseverance is immense, unlike anything else you have known.
- Rescheduling permitted twice per term (Sept-Dec, Jan-June), and you must make up the lesson during the same week; they don’t hold over indefinitely.
- Discounts – some parents tell me I am more expensive than the guy down the street and want a deal. That’s because I’m not a newbie teenager making gas money or a housewife who was good a piano as a kid. I am a master with a big pedigree and more than 25 years actual performance experience. Your payment to me is an investment in you or your child’s life; I am very efficient, productive, supportive and dedicated. However, I never turn anyone away for cost, and am happy to work out a good price for your family.
