(209) 232-6500
LESSON AGREEMENT
PIANO LESSON AGREEMENT & POLICIES
ON THE PREMISE
1. Opus Piano Studio is designed to be a safe, comfortable and reasonably well organized learning environment. An understanding of the rules by all is essential to achieving this goal. Your cooperation is appreciated.
2. Your lesson time is exclusively yours. Each lesson begins and ends promptly. To get the best, and the most from your music lessons please be prepared to be on time. Lessons are scheduled back to back, with no spaces in between. Please be considerate of your fellow students by not interrupting the student before you or by delaying the student following you.
3. Parents are welcome and encouraged to attend and observe their children's lessons. Siblings are welcome to be present as well, but only if a parent is present. Toddler siblings may be present during the lesson, but is strongly discouraged as the studio and premises is not 'toddler-proof'. Siblings will be required to wait outside with their parent if the child is being disruptive during the lesson.
4. If there is something you need, example: a tissue or water, please ask. Please do not go looking through the house for a item. Doing so can result in being asked to wait outside and or canceled and lost lesson.
5. No child care services are offered. Additional kids may not be dropped off with a student and picked up later. No supervision is available for students dropped off early or picked up late from lessons. Please be prompt and timely with drop-offs and pick-ups of young students.
6. Lessons are by appointment only and lessons in session will not be interrupted for unexpected visitors. Please contact by phone or email first.
7. Aggressive, disorderly or unsafe behavior will not be tolerated and will result in dismissal with no refund or make up of lesson time.
8. There is absolutely a no food or drink policy. Please do not arrive with fast food or soft drinks to the lesson, you will be asked to toss the food and drinks before entering the house or to leave them in the car. It is your responsibility for you to see that your child has arrived well nourished. Due to a variety of food allergies, food and candy will not be provided to parents or students. Water is permitted as long as it is in a water bottle.
9. Parking in driveway is fine. Please no stopping and/or parking in front of any neighbor’s driveways. Please be respectful of my fellow neighbors. We are located on a corner house and there is plenty of parking on the side street, to the left of my house if there is not a spot open in front of my house.
10. Students will be required to wash their hands and/or use hand sanitizer before their lesson begins. Students will be required to wash their hands and use hand sanitizer after using the restroom. We require this rule as a safety measure for myself and family as well as other students who may be coming in for their lesson after you, to help ensure that bacteria, cold and flu viruses does not spread.
11. Students, along with parents and sibling will be required to remove shoes upon entering the house. We have provided an area for you to keep your shoes. We try and maintain a clean house with clean floors. Please be aware of anything on the bottom of your shoes before entering into the house.
12. No pets or animals are allowed in the house at any time. This includes service animals.
13. Please silence or turn off all cell phones. This includes parents or siblings. If you need to take a call, please step outside to the front of the house to take the call. If you as a student need to take a call, you may do so, but accepting a call during your lesson will result in lost time that will not be made up.
TUITION, PAYMENTS & LESSONS
1. Tuition is set to $80 per hour, per student. Tuition for all lessons for that month must be paid before the beginning of each month or at the first lesson of the month. If payments are not received at the beginning of each month or at the first lesson of the month, there will be a $20 late fee added on.
2. If paying annually, payments must be received by August 1st of that year in order for the 10% discount to be applied.
3. The prices for the lessons are non-negotiable. My prices are set to $80 per hour and must be paid in one month increments.
4. Tuition must be paid in cash or check only. Checks must be made out to Opus Piano Studio or Nicholas Haemker.
5. If a student wishes to cease lessons, please notify me one month in advance. You will be required and expected to provide a one month notice if you decide to discontinue lessons.
6. If you need to stop lessons immediately, you will still be required to pay for that month (or if notice to stop lessons is at the end of the month, next month’s payment will still be charged). There is no prorating, please plan accordingly. This will be an exit fee since that spot could have been filled by another student and why I require a 30 day notice when stopping lessons. However, if the notice to stop lessons is given at the beginning of the month, you will not be charged the following month.
7. If starting lessons in the middle of the month, pro-rating will apply to that month only. Going forward, all other payments must be paid in one month increments.
8. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that they arrive on time for their lesson. Time will not be added on for future lessons, nor will there be any prorating.
9. It is the responsibility of the student to bring their piano music binders, along with their theory books to the lesson. Parents please be sure that your child has all their books before leaving for your child's piano lesson.
10. All payments are non-refundable. Refunds are very rarely given and are up to the discretion of the teacher.
11. If you need to miss a lesson, please give well enough notice. Giving less than a weeks’ notice for missing a lesson can result in a non-make up without a refund. With proper notice, we can possibly work out a makeup on a later date at my discretion.
12. It is up to the discretion of the teacher to decide if the missed lesson is an excusable missed lesson or an inexcusable missed lesson. Excusable missed lessons can be made up. Inexcusable missed lessons cannot be made up.
13. If you are sick, coughing, sneezing, etc. Please notify me immediately and do not come to the lesson. We can work out a makeup lesson on a later date. If you are sick, but still able to play, I do offer and can conduct an online web lesson over video chat so the lesson does not have to be missed.
14. Online web lessons are available for adults only, although discouraged as in-person lessons are always the best way to learn. Children have the option of online web lesson only if they are sick, but are still able to play through a lesson. This is to help reduce the amount of make ups throughout the year.
15. Lessons are conducted in an organized manner touching on three areas of study. The areas of study are as follows: (1.) Technique and warm ups. (2.) Sight reading and musicianship skills. (3.) Repertoire. Thirty minute lessons allows ten minutes in each area of study. Forty-five minute lessons allows fifteen minutes in each area of study. Sixty minute lessons allows twenty minutes in each area of study. I as the teacher have the discretion to lengthen and shorten each area within the allotted time frame as needed to help ensure that the student develops their musical training equally across each area of study.