Studio Policies

___Philosophy and Mission

To nurture the artistic spirit and lifelong love of music in each musician.
To guide pianists to achieve their highest musical potential.
To inspire joy while learning.

___Location and Parking

10935 E. Rembrandt Ave, Mesa AZ 85212. Please park across the street in front of the common area.

___Teacher Responsibilities

Provide a positive and enthusiastic atmosphere for learning.
Encourage a feeling of success at each student’s rate of learning.
Offer multiple performance opportunities and enriching activities with a balanced program of theory, technic, ear-training, and sight-reading.
Continue to further skills and knowledge with professional development, music conferences, reading industry publications, and engaging in activities leading to professional growth.

___Parental Responsibilities

Be helpful, interested, and supportive! BE THEIR BIGGEST CHEERLEADER!
Provide an acoustic PIANO in the best possible condition, tuned yearly. Digital keyboards are acceptable, provided they are equipped with 88 weighted keys.
Set aside a regular practice time each day to develop self-discipline and good practice habits (this can be done all at once or divided into two or more daily sessions). Young children require DAILY help from parents.
Encourage progress! Many small steps throughout the year yield great results. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend lessons at any time.
Provide a practice environment that is free from interruptions - family, friends, and screens. (Phones have useful music apps, but should be on "Do Not Disturb or Airplane Mode" during practice time.)
Be financially responsible. Pay tuition on time.
Check your child's notebook, CLUB PIANO website , or Facebook page weekly for pertinent information.
Provide a metronome and repertoire/method books. Photo-copied music is illegal and is not permitted unless the original music is no longer in print or we have permission from the copyright owner. Some music provided by CLUB PIANO is purchased through a studio license with multiple-use copy permission.
Drop off/pick up promptly. Ms. Charlene does not supervise children before or after lessons.
Communicate any questions or concerns promptly - texting is fastest!

___Youth Student Responsibilities

Arrive at each lesson punctually, well-prepared, and with all necessary materials. If the arrival is five minutes late, the lesson is five minutes shorter. Students reserve a time slot, NOT the number of minutes.
Practice - To progress satisfactorily, daily quality practice is necessary and required.
All 7th-12th Grade Students are REQUIRED to COMPLETE at least one 100-day Practice Streak (100 days of consecutive practice) each school year to maintain their place in CLUB PIANO. If a practice streak is incomplete, students will participate in the next term’s streak, participating in two streaks per year.
Participate in a minimum of two performances and four Keyboard Gymnastics Events per year. Additional performance opportunities are available through the Phoenix Music Teachers Association (PMTA) if desired.

___Adult Students

Adult students purchase A la Carte Lessons, scheduling a week at a time at $75 for a 45-60 min lesson (depending on what is needed). Adult students may choose to participate in any of the activities the youth students are offered, if desired. These are not required.

___Commitment

Enrollment in CLUB PIANO, is a firm commitment and guarantees placement for the entire year. Tuition is charged by the term for the student’s whole course of music study, payable in advance in August and January.

___Registration Fee

Each youth student pays a yearly registration fee of $200 in July, which includes:

Practice Rebates (possible value $100)
Lending Library fee (minimum value $30)
TCW Theory book (value $20-25)
Keyboard Gymnastics Registration fees (value $70)
Ensemble Registration fees (value $25)
Halloween Composition Books (value $8)
Silent Film (value $12)
Full Practice Pizza Party for qualifying students (value $15)
Incentives/Prizes (value $40-$50)
Office Hours ($50)
Recitals (value $75+)

If students participate fully in CLUB PIANO, they could receive up to $460 worth of services for the $200 fee.

___Tuition

Tuition for CLUB PIANO students is $1,500 per student per semester, due at the beginning of each term (PayPal, Venmo, check, or Cash). Tuition is non-refundable. As with University tuition, CLUB PIANO tuition is payable whether the student attends or not.

Tuition includes 34 lessons for the school year - 28 private and 6 group lessons. Early morning students will receive 45-minute private lessons, while afternoon lessons are 40 minutes. All group lessons are one hour.

Group lessons enhance private lessons and are held instead of the private lesson on group weeks. All Group Lessons will be held at the CLUB PIANO JR location: 7100 E Caballo Circle, Paradise Valley, AZ 85253

At group class, students perform for each other, practice listening skills, discuss composition techniques, study composers/music history, and play music games which reinforce music theory concepts. Group lessons are one of the highlights of the CLUB PIANO experience, creating camaraderie as well as a unique way to learn a myriad of concepts that are challenging one-on-one. See the calendar for dates at www.clubpiano.com

___What Tuition Covers

Tuition is based on a comprehensive year of study, not just individual lessons. Tuition covers not only the actual time spent with the student, but the hours spent in preparation as well as:

An individualized plan for the student’s course of study
Selection of repertoire, specific for each student
Development of teaching materials
Tuning and repairs of the piano
The teacher's training and years of experience
Professional organization dues, which provide students with opportunities for the Ensemble, competitions, exams, and festivals
Studio expenses
Office hours
Recital preparation
Video/Marco Polo support
Continuing education
Hundreds of hours annually are dedicated to volunteering at Keyboard Gymnastics and Ensemble events to ensure student success

___Tuition Rebates and 100-Day Practice Streak Challenge

Students who complete Full Practice for the week will earn $50 in music money and a practice rebate of a $2.00 bill, given to the student in cold hard cash after their lesson. This is a rebate TO THE STUDENT, not the parent. To receive the rebate monies, the parent must verify that the student has completed an honest week's practice by signing their notebook and practice chart. Students must have ALL assignments current to qualify; this includes all theory and listening pages completed.

7th-12th Grade Students are REQUIRED to COMPLETE the Fall semester 100-day Practice Streak. Completion requires 100 days of consecutive practice. If the Fall semester streak is incomplete, the student is required to participate again during the Spring semester.

Students are invited to attend an annual Top Golf party AND earn the weekly $2 practice rebate.

___Awards and Incentive Programs

All students have a place to record weekly practice in their piano notebook and may earn music money for practicing, which can be spent on prizes or cash available at every lesson. Students must spend all their music $ by the end of the year. Students who get full practice for the school year are invited to attend the FULL PRACTICE PIZZA PARTY.

Every other year, CLUB PIANO hosts a Disney Challenge for students in 8th to 12^th grades. All students are expected to participate in a minimum of 4 of the 7 events in the Keyboard Gymnastics Program, which rewards students who excel in the following areas: theory, ear-training, sight-reading, technic, performance, ensemble, and creative project. To learn more about Keyboard Gymnastics of Phoenix, visit the website at Keyboard Gymnastics

___Cancelled Lessons and Makeup Lessons

Please understand that the tuition you pay reserves an exclusive weekly time in the schedule for your child, similar to purchasing a ticket to a concert. Once the time is past, it is not available again. I cannot resell that time, nor will I create extra teaching time to give lessons due to limited availability.

No payment credit will be provided for missed lessons.
No makeup lessons will be offered for any reason. Be sure to choose a lesson time that is one in which you feel confident that you will have no other conflicts. In the unusual event of Ms. Charlene canceling a lesson, she will gladly reschedule at the earliest possible time.
FaceTime lessons or swapping with another family are great solutions for not missing lessons. Also, creating videos of prepared material for Ms. Charlene to evaluate and respond to during your lesson time is another option.

___Unavoidable Conflicts and Swap List

Please use the Swap List (found in the front of each student’s piano notebook) for any unavoidable conflict; i.e., your student has a sporting event, doctor's appointment, or birthday party; use the Swap List if you don't want to miss that lesson. The family who is exchanging the lesson needs to let Ms. Charlene know the exchange information. If you do not want your phone number released on the swap list, please notify me. Remember, no credits are given for missed lessons. See the swap list for specific rules.

___Practicing

Students are expected to get six days of FULL practice each week. In the event of vacations, illness, etc., students can practice extra to make up for missed practice sessions. Please, no more than one double session per week.
Full Practice will be defined as completing each assignment perfectly a specified number of times each day. For example, practice the E scale five times perfectly each day, review measures 10-18 seven times perfectly each day, etc. There will be specific directions outlined in each student’s notebook. This may mean your child's practice time may fluctuate depending on the length of time it takes to perfect certain passages.
Every 30 minutes spent on music theory can count as one day of practice.
The piano lesson DOES NOT count as a day of practice. (Sorry, not sorry 😁 )
Practice Free holidays include: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, New Year's, Independence Day, and the student's Birthday. Those students participating in the 100-day streak still need to practice their streak on those days.
To qualify for the $10 practice rebate, students MUST complete and parents MUST sign practice logs.

___Music Lending Library

The lending library adds variety to the student repertoire. The music available is supplementary only. All students are required to provide their own method books. Advanced students (those out of method books) will need to purchase music to build their music libraries. The Lending Library gives students access to a wide selection of music without the added expense of acquiring music for one-time events. Students may check music out as often as necessary, but must agree not to photocopy copyrighted material. Music must be returned in good condition. Damaged music will be replaced by the student.

___Performance Opportunities

There are several opportunities for performance during the year. All youth students are expected to perform on at least two of these dates. Out of courtesy to all performers, plan to stay for the entire recital. It teaches respect toward the efforts of all performers to listen to the achievements of others and to expand and broaden their knowledge of repertoire. Students/Families leaving early will not receive credit for having attended. Recitals will not exceed one hour in duration. Please leave children ages 4 and younger at home to ensure the best performance environment.

___Terminating Lessons

Ms. Charlene will reevaluate each student in May to determine if the student is still a good fit for CLUB PIANO. Ms. Charlene may terminate lessons due to negative behavior, failure to practice, failure to attend committed events, or failure to comply with studio etiquette. Terminating lessons before the end of the year (August through May) must be by mutual agreement between the teacher and parent. Any termination initiated by the parent or student requires a month's WRITTEN and PAID TUITION notice.

___Video/Photo Release

During lessons and performances, Ms. Charlene reserves the right to use video recordings or take photographs of students for use in lesson demonstration, advertising materials, with CLUB PIANO owned websites and social media. Photos taken by Ms. Charlene or photos shared with her by others become the property of CLUB PIANO and may be used at the discretion of Ms. Charlene. CLUB PIANO follows online safety rules in this matter. CLUB PIANO has a closed group on Facebook as well as an open Instagram page to share video performances and activities. Please join us to see what we are doing! Club Piano Facebook

STUDENT/PARENT/AGREEMENT

We have read and agree to adhere to these policies. We recognize that failing to follow these policies will limit our success and could end our association with Ms. Charlene and CLUB PIANO

Student Signature:______________________________________________Date: ________________

Please note: CLUB PIANO policies are in accord with recommended professional policies of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), the Arizona State Music Teachers Association (ASMTA), and the Phoenix Music Teachers Association (PMTA)