FAQ

How often are lessons?

Private Piano and Drum lessons are once a week, throughout the entire year. For a complete list of holidays please see the lessons contract here. Open Enrollment.

Where are you located?

Lessons are located just off of Shrewsbury Street in Holden, MA. We’re really easy to get to from Worcester, West Bolyston, Rutland, Paxton, Princeton and many towns in the Central Mass area. Here’s a map.

How much does this cost?

Private lessons are a flat rate of $100/month for weekly half hour lessons.

What is your cancellation policy?

For more detailed information about the lesson policies, read this PDF of the contract.

Are there any books you recommend about music education and learning?

Yes! These are several piano books that I have found helpful throughout the years.

Why are lessons charged by a flat monthly rate?

Simply put, it’s… well… simpler! When lessons are charged by the week, the cost ends up being different month to month, depending on how may weeks there are in each month… and some days within the month are different (ie. there could be 4 Mondays but 5 Tuesdays)! Then throw in Holidays, missed lessons, make ups, credits from prior months… you get the idea! I find that when the fee is the same each month this keeps things more manageable for both the parents and myself. And this means the more time and energy I can put into the lessons.

But to answer this more to the point. Lessons are really about $24 each, if you were to avereage them out across the year.

How many hours of practicing is my child expected to do each week?

I do not set a specific requirement in order for someone to sign up. The answer to this depends upon many factors;

* Age/Grade
* Experience
* Interest
* How many pieces they are working on and how long they are.

More important than how long they practice is frequency and environment.

* Frequency is how OFTEN. For example it is more effective to practice 20 times for 5 minutes than it is to practice 1 time for 100 minutes.
* Environment is the PLACE where you child has to practice. In short it should be clean, quiet and easily accessible. It should be easy for them to just sit right down and play without any “set-up” time.

Can we take the summer off? Will we lose our spot?

If you need to take the summer off from lessons, for whatever reason, I will hold your spot until the fall. In other words, the summer schedule is different than the school year schedule, which runs from September through the end of June. The summer schedule is for July and August.

It seems like my child is a little on the fence about taking lessons. What do you suggest?

I’d recommend trying a free trial lesson with no obligation. Often children are shy to begin lessons… and for many reasons. Sometimes these reasons have nothing to do with music! They could be nervous about not doing well. The could have a preconceived idea of what piano lessons are that they heard from a friend or saw on TV. They could be fearful that they’ll be stuck to a piano bench for 20 hours a week. Whatever the case, I have often found that it is rare that a child does not like SOMETHING about music. Sometimes you just have to try it and search for what inspires them. It has been rare that a child in this situation tries a few lessons and hates it. Many students have been unsure but after doing a trial lesson they become enthusiastic about starting.

What are “teaching skills” and “experience” anyway? What’s the difference from one teacher to the next?

A skilled music teacher can adapt to the specific needs of any individual student. A skilled teacher should have a knack for being able to “read” a student’s unique learning strengths and weaknesses, as well as their emotions. That teacher can then teach in a way that is appropriate for only that student not only in WHAT they teach (content) but HOW (delivery). They can sense a student’s pace for learning and slow down or speed up accordingly. They can create a custom lesson or game on the spot for that student.

Experience is really the amount of resources that teacher has to draw from. This may be in the form of intellectual knowledge (from formal/informal education), physical resources (such as books, equipment, recording and videos), abilities (playing multiple instruments or many styles of music) and of course the variety of teaching situations they have experienced (one on one, group, young, old and having had students of all learning styles)