Studio FAQ's
Congratulations on your interest in beginning your journey in music! Below you’ll find FAQ’s about registration and tuition fees, how lessons are conducted, and much more.
If you have a question about something not mentioned here, please fill out the simple form at the bottom of the page.
Getting Started
I’m Ready to Go For It!
What Should I Do Next?
Thank you for your interest in piano lessons! I look forward to working with you soon.
If you have a question about something not mentioned here, please fill out the simple form at the bottom of the page.
Getting Started
- What age range do you accept for lessons? Students as young as 3 years old, and as mature as senior citizens, have successfully taken lessons with me.
- I’m really interested in piano lessons, but I’m not sure if the style you teach will be the right fit for me, or if I’ll even like the piano enough to continue. Schedule your free introductory lesson at your earliest convenience. You’ll get a 30-minute lesson to make successful progress on your first song, discuss your goals and create an achievement plan.
- I’ve already taken some piano lessons, and I’m not sure the style you teach will be beneficial to me. Schedule your free introductory lesson. It will cost you only 30 minutes of your time to evaluate whether I can help you develop your piano skills and knowledge in the direction you want. We’ll assess your level of playing, make successful progress on something new to practice at home, discuss your goals and create an achievement plan.
- Do I need an actual piano at home, or is an electric keyboard just as good? A piano is definitely preferable to the keyboard, because a keyboard is a recorded sound. There are many variations of sound you can create on an acoustic piano just by touching the keys a little differently. We start learning the basics of these techniques within the first few lessons. Some students feel their only option is a keyboard, due to the cost, and they are able to learn the same techniques -- it just takes a little longer and more patience. A good rule of thumb is to purchase the best instrument you can reasonably afford, whether that's a keyboard, small upright piano, or a full-size grand piano.
- Ok, I’ve scheduled my free intro lesson. Do I need to bring anything with me?
- If you’re just beginning piano lessons, you don’t need to bring anything except your questions.
- If you have taken lessons previously, or are self-taught, bring any music books, theory books, etc., which you’ve recently studied. Have any pieces you know ready to play, whether memorized or with music. This will help us get started at the right level, not repeating too much that you already know, and not skipping ahead to something unfamiliar. And bring all of your questions, too!
- How many lessons do I get per 6-week session? You’ll receive one private lesson each week, 30 or 60 minutes each. Occasionally additional classes, performance opportunities and master workshops will be scheduled. Some will have a fee and others will be free.
- What other kinds of student support will I have?
- A student account will be set up for you so you can login and see all of your information, such as tuition paid and owed, your scheduled lessons and classes, requested makeup lessons, student paperwork, and much more.
- If you’re ever stuck or confused about a practice assignment, I’m only an email away, and I’ll help you figure out the challenge so you can keep making great progress between lessons.
- You'll receive student access to a series of mini-lessons via YouTube. These will reinforce technique and concepts introduced at your lessons, and you'll have a virtual teacher on-call 24/7 if you need help remembering how or what to practice. Additional lessons will become available as you progress in the studio.
- I only want to play the piano for my own enjoyment. The thought of performing makes me nervous. Is participating in performance classes required? Performance Classes are very informal get-togethers where students learn to enjoy playing with their peers, receive encouragement and celebrate their achievements. Attendance is required even if you don't intend to perform, to support your fellow studio-mates.
- A studio calendar is regularly distributed to keep students updated about available lesson times, enrichment classes and community music events.
I’m Ready to Go For It!
- What does it cost to get started?
- Registration Fee: $40 Tuition Deposit per student per year, at time of registration. This reserves your chosen lesson time and activates your online student account. Includes your initial student supplies. (Non-refundable)
- Tuition: Payable one annual installment, two semester installments ($427/$855), or monthly installments ($90/$180) for 30min/60min lesson length. If you choose to pay in annual or semester installments, you’ll receive a pre-payment incentive of 10% or 5%, respectively, taken off each installment. (Semester discount is reflected in above pricing.) Family (multi-student), military and homeschooling incentives are also available.
- Are there any additional costs to get started? The materials you receive from your registration fee will normally be sufficient for your first year of lessons. After this, additional materials will be added as needed, such as the next level of lesson books, flashcards, learning aids, CDs, etc. Most items cost $8-$12.
What Should I Do Next?
- Download or request a registration form. Click here to download and print a pdf form. Or submit your request in the comment box below, call me at 509-936-2099, or email me at [email protected]. You can also make an appointment to stop by and complete a registration form.
- Pay your registration fee to lock in your preferred lesson time. Cash, Visa and Mastercard are accepted.
Thank you for your interest in piano lessons! I look forward to working with you soon.