Studio Information and Policies 2023

1. ATTENDANCE - Arrive on time and prepared for lesson with all materials needed. A well-fitting N95 or KN95 mask is required for all in-person lessons.

A. CANCELLATIONS - If you have to cancel a lesson, please email me (texting is fine on the day-of). 

Payments will not be lowered or refunded for missed lessons but the student is able to makeup the lesson if we can find a time that works for us both.

Online lessons can be arranged with the teacher to take place during the student's lesson time if the student would like to meet while traveling.

If the teacher cancels the lesson, the lesson fee will be credited to the student's account for the following month.

B. STUDIO CLOSURE - The studio is closed for some holidays and other days during the year. No payment is due for closed dates.

C. INCLEMENT WEATHER CLOSURE - The studio follows PPS for all inclement weather closures. FaceTime/Zoom lessons are available when the studio is closed due to weather.

D. MAKEUP LESSONS - A makeup lesson credit is added to a student's account any time they cancel a lesson. The student may then schedule their makeup lesson through their Music Teacher's Helper account. Any unused makeup credits expire on the date of the last scheduled weekly lesson.

2. PAYMENTS & FEES - All lesson payments for the month are collected by the first of the month. This reserves the student's weekly time for lessons. A 5% late fee is added for payments not received by the 5th of the month.

Materials are billed separately as necessary and will be included on the invoice for the following month.

Options for payments are: Venmo, PayPal Friends and Family and checks made payable to “Sarah Collins".

3. PRACTICE - There are many skills required to play the piano well, and practicing is key among them. If you come to lessons consistently and practice regularly (4 days each week) you will make excellent progress. Consistency is more important than absolute time spent. Music cannot be “crammed.”

I use assignment books with all of my students, so there are guidelines about which exercises and songs should be played each week. Assignments should be played 4 days each week, playing each item 3 times. New and ongoing lesson materials, songs the students know and love, compositions and improvisations are also all great choices for practice time.

I prefer that the impulse to practice come from the student, but it is normal to need reminders (especially for 4-8 year old students). If practicing becomes a family battle please notify me.

4. MATERIALS

A. Keyboard or piano (preferably 88 weighted keys)
B. Well-lit, quiet and distraction-free space
C. Books (Faber and Faber method, recommended by me based on age and skill level)
D. Assignment book
E. Binder
F. Pencil

I work to find songs students are interested in playing in the form of arrangements that fit their skill level. I can often do that at no cost to the student, but occasionally there will be charges for sheet music. 

5. IN-PERSON LESSONS: PARKING & ARRIVAL - Please arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before your lesson.

We’ll meet at my home for all in-person lessons. Street parking is available on NE Wasco, NE 22nd, and other neighboring streets. 

The parking lot is reserved for residents but can be used in a rare pinch. My home is on the ground floor and the front entrance is right next to the mailboxes.

Parents, if you drove your kiddo to their lesson, please walk them to the door rather than drop them off. Stay while we do a quick temperature check and mask fit check and then feel free to leave until time to pick up.

6. IN-PERSON LESSONS: COVID & OTHER ILLNESS 

1. All students and people in waiting room, regardless of vaccination status, should stay at home if they have any primary symptom of COVID-19 (fever, chills, shortness of breath, new cough, or new loss of taste of smell) or go home if these symptoms develop while at lesson. We will then meet online or schedule a makeup lesson.
2. We’ll do a forehead temp reading at the door (accounting for the forehead thermometer to be .5 - 1 degree lower than actual temperature). Any person who’s temperature is at or above 100.4 will need to return home.
3. All individuals should wear a well-fitting face-covering (preferably an N95 or similar) indoors regardless of vaccination status.
4. Students, be sure to wash hands with soap at the studio right before lesson.
5. The teacher will take time after the lesson to disinfect the keyboard plus any other items the student contacts during the lesson.

7. WAITING AREA - Parents are welcome to wait in my dining room (2 people max) during lesson. Any person under age 18 in the waiting area must be accompanied by an adult.

All COVID protocols apply to any person using the waiting area. Additionally, it’s important to use soft voices and quiet devices so that no disruption occurs for the lesson or for my neighbors.

Any person in the waiting area will be able to hear the majority of the lesson. Please save anything you’d like to say to the student or to me (includes comments, questions or disciplinary statements) until after the lesson is over. The fewer distractions there are during the lesson, the better the lesson will be.

8. COMMUNICATION - I check email each weekday and can be reached by phone during non-teaching weekday hours. I can also be reached via text for time-sensitive issues.

9. TERMINATION POLICY - Please give 30 days notice when you're ready to discontinue lessons. Payment is due during this 30-day period whether or not lessons are taken.

10. REFERRALS - You will receive a $25 credit if you refer a student to me that registers to take lessons for at least 1 month.

11. WAIVER OF LIABILITY - Sarah Collins Music and Sarah Collins are not responsible for any personal injury, accident or damage to personal property of any person occurring while at my home.