Lesson Policies & Procedures
“Everything we endeavor to do in life begins with an idea, and I believe that studying music is one of the best ideas we can have for ourselves and/or for our children.”
- Steve Tedesco
Lesson Preparations
Please be on time and ready for your lesson to begin. It is important to have all books and necessary materials, including at least one sharpened pencil with a good eraser available at every lesson. For online lessons, please be prepared for the lesson to begin on time with your device securely set up and all materials ready at your fingertips. The most important weekly preparation is that you have practiced and prepared the lesson assignment each week. Students are expected to invest daily time and effort into assigned music to achieve success. Beginners should be practicing at least 15-20 minutes 5-7 days a week. More advanced students should increase that time to 30-60 minutes. Click on Steve’s Blog for more suggestions on practicing.
Lesson Fees and Payment
The instructional fee is $30 per lesson, preferably paid in monthly installments of $120. Monthly payments are easier to manage over time and are due the first week of each month with a grace period of no later than the 15th of the month. When a lesson day falls on a holiday, or a day in which you know in advance you cannot attend, the lesson fee is pro-rated down for that month. Lesson payments may be made by personal check, Venmo, or Zelle. Cash is accepted, but not preferred, as it is more difficult to manage for tax purposes.
Lesson for Free
A few times a year, there may be five lesson days during the month. In this event, this fifth lesson is free under two conditions: the other four lessons must be paid for at the regular $120 fee, and none of the other four lessons fall on a holiday. This extra fifth “free” lesson can also compensate for times when lessons have to be unexpectedly cancelled or postponed with short notice. Free lesson days missed or cancelled cannot be rescheduled as a free lesson.
Lesson Cancellation
A 24-hour notice is required for all cancellations. When possible, lessons cancelled due to an emergency will be rescheduled; however, payment is expected for any lessons cancelled within 24-hours of the lesson time. Cancellations made prior to 24 hours will be either pro-rated in the following month, rescheduled for a different time, or made up with a fifth week “free” lesson at the discretion of the parent/student. Refunds are not an option in any situation. In the event of a cancellation by the teacher, the lesson will be either rescheduled or pro-rated in the next month.
Lesson Breaks
Notify the instructor in advance of any scheduled vacations or temporary discontinuing of lessons. You can take up to a month off at a time, but with longer breaks your time slot cannot be guaranteed. Extended breaks over the summer will require scheduling a new time in the Fall. This can be done as early as August 1st. Tedesco Piano Instruction does not use contracts, so you are not under any obligation to continue taking lessons. Once your monthly fee is paid, however, those lessons must be either used, rescheduled, or forfeited.
Lesson Books & Materials
Necessary books and materials are usually chosen and purchased by the teacher, and then later reimbursed, or product links can be provided if you prefer to purchase the books online. This saves the parent/student from the burden of looking for books in the music store and/or dealing with possible ordering delays. A finder’s fee of $1 or $2 is typically added to the reimbursed cost of each book to compensate the teacher for added expenses such as sales tax, shipping charges, or fuel expenses. All students should keep a good supply of pencils handy and be prepared to take notes on assignments for the following week. These notes can mostly be written in the pages and back or front cover of the book, but a separate assignment notebook is also a good idea for better organization. There is also an app called “Tonara” that is useful for keeping up with assignments.
Lessons Online
Online lessons are a great option with many advantages such as the elimination of travel time, weather concerns, convenience of being at home, etc. Online lessons can be scheduled on most any day on a regular basis or for a one-time make up lesson. For online lessons, the student will need a reliable internet connection, and a device such as a cell phone, tablet, laptop, or chromebook. Lesson platforms used are FaceTime (for iphone, ipad, and Mac users), and Google Duo (for android, and PC users). Lesson fees for online lessons are the same as for in-person instruction. When taking lessons online, it is equally important, as with in-person instruction, that the student be at the keyboard/piano at the appointed lesson time, and be prepared with all necessary books and a pencil handy and ready to go. Students should have a private and quiet place for their online lesson that is free from distractions and noise.
Lesson Motivation
Two of the greatest motivators to continue lessons at Tedesco Piano Instruction are the music itself and student performances. As students progress at the piano and learn more tunes and pieces to play, their interest and enthusiasm will grow. This does not come without hard work and practice, but the results become their own reward. Students will play a variety of musical styles including classical, folk songs, children’s songs, popular songs, hymns, praise songs, movie themes, jazz and blues, and whatever else they may want to play. Musical material can be supplemented to the regular assignments according to the musical tastes and interest of the student.
Tedesco Piano Instruction also offers two performance opportunities per year for students to showcase and share their efforts with others. The Spring Recital is held toward the end of May, and the Christmas Recital around the first or second week of December. Recitals are performed at various venues including area churches and concert halls. Students are never required but always strongly encouraged to participate in the recitals, as these are a vital part of the student’s musical experience and education.