Studio Policy

Tuition/Schedule

~ Lesson tuition is to be received monthly, at the first lesson of every month. (For the 2024-25 school year we will be changing to a semester schedule.) Payment may be cash, check (made payable to Susan Kirchhausen), Venmo or Zelle. The current rates for in person studio lessons are:

30-minute lessons: $160/month ($200 for 5 wks) (beginners only)

45-minute lessons: $228/month ($285 for 5 wks)

60-minute lessons: $300/month ($375 for 5 wks)

~ Monthly tuition reserves your weekly time throughout the year.

~ Lesson rates for students who choose to have an occasional drop-in lesson (this is mostly for adult students) are:

30-minute lessons: $43/per lesson

45-minute lessons: $61/per lesson

60-minute lessons: $77/ per lesson

~ Lesson Cancellation must be made at least 24 hours in advance (excluding emergencies). Please contact me by phone or text. You may follow up with email if you need to give more details.

~ Students will be granted a make up lessons for one (E)xcused absence per semester. Any other missed lessons will be considered (U)nexcused and will not be refunded. (For emergency situations the teacher may at her discression grant a make up lesson.)

~If necessary, one credit will be issued per semester due to inclement weather. All other lessons need to be made up within the week and possibly via FaceTime or Zoom. We will plan to keep lessons at the regularly scheduled times; however, it is possible that these lessons can be moved to earlier in the day when school is cancelled. Email / text to coordinate a time.

~Students deciding to discontinue lessons mid-school year must give one month's (4 weeks) written notice and are expected to pay for those four weeks whether lessons are taken, or not.

~ Please be sure to leave extra travel time to ensure that your child's lesson starts promptly. The meter starts to run at the scheduled lesson time, not the arrival time. (That said, please drive safely if you are running a little bit late!)

~ In most cases, if a student has sustained an injury that prevents him/her from being able to use one hand for any reason or if the instrument is damaged or has a broken string, we can generally still have a lesson. We will take the time to focus on the technique for the uninjured arm and study other aspects of their musical education (including theory/ perhaps some time on the piano for string players) and will adapt practice strategies accordingly.

~ I am also a professional violist. In order to be a most effective teacher, I must fulfill that part of my musical life. There are times of the year that get very busy, and there are some performance opportunities that I cannot refuse. In the event that I need to cancel a lesson for a rehearsal or performance, a make up lesson will be scheduled at the earliest possible time. Teacher absences will be made up or reimbursed.

Lessons

~ Students are expected to come prepared to all lessons having practiced the assignment to the best of their abilities.

~ Parents are more than welcome to attend lessons or to enjoy some down time by the lake. I will be able to show you the best places to park at your first lesson.

~ Students who arrive late will end their lessons at the scheduled time. If I am running behind, the student will receive a full-length lesson.

~ Students are asked to bring a notebook to their lessons so that we can make notes as to what should be practiced throughout the week.

~ Please be sure to bring to my attention any special circumstances that may make it difficult to adhere to the above policies. I welcome your questions and concerns, and am glad to accommodate special requests as best I can.