My mission at Guitar Lessons with Dr. Ben is to provide a fun and nurturing music education experience for those families who are committed to the basic tenants of the Suzuki philosophy. This document, as amended intermittently, describes the studio policies that apply to such families. Issues discussed include group class attendance and timeliness; make-up lessons; cancellations due to weather, teacher illness and other emergencies; recital attire; and expectations for behavior during lessons and throughout the week.
Guitar Lessons with Dr. Ben Studio Policies
CANCELATION AND MAKEUP POLICY
24-hour notice is required for all cancellations. If a scheduled lesson is canceled with proper notice, a makeup lesson will be scheduled as the teacher’s schedule allows. Individual lessons canceled by the studio due to weather, teacher illness, or other similar event, will be made up at a mutually agreeable time.
If students arrive late to a lesson, instructor is not required to extend the lesson past the regular end time.
Instructor reserves the right to end a lesson early for behavioral issues.
Changing The Time Of Your Weekly Private Lesson
Rather than canceling your lesson, it may be possible to switch lesson times occasionally with another student. A current student phone/email list will be issued to all parents within the first week of the start of each quarter. It is strongly recommended that, if you know you have to miss a lesson, you try to arrange to swap with another student, and if successful, notify the teacher of the scheduling change ahead of time.
Student Illness:
In the interests of keeping a safe and healthy environment for everyone in the studio, please do not bring your student to their lesson or group class under any of the following circumstances:
- if the student was or, on a Saturday or vacation day, would have been kept or brought home from school due to illness,
- if the student has a fever, or
- if the student was up sick the night before the lesson or group class.
We all get colds, and if we take the proper precautions, the risk of spreading them can be significantly reduced. So, students who have colds are welcome to come to lessons or group classes, as long as the cold is not accompanied by symptoms such as a fever, chills, or nausea, which may suggest a more serious illness. Please notify your teacher, upon arrival, if either you or your student have a cold.
If a student does have symptoms such as those described above, please contact Dr. Ben and we can work to move the lesson to Zoom for that day.
ATTENDANCE AND TIMELINESS AT WEEKLY GROUP LESSONS
Consistent attendance in group class goes hand in hand with consistent progress and consistent enjoyment! Please make every effort to attend each weekly group class with your child. Your child’s attendance is important, not only to his or her own musical development, but also to the other children in the group. If you and your child will be unable to attend a group class for any reason, please let me know as far in advance as possible.
All group classes will begin promptly at the scheduled time. Please be respectful of the schedules of everyone involved and be as punctual as possible. I love having families there early to warm up to the space.
Group Attendance After Three Years in the Program:
The only exception to the above policy is for families who have demonstrated the commitment necessary to have stayed with the program for 3 or more years. Such families may, at the discretion of Dr. Ben, be given a limited amount of additional flexibility with respect to group class attendance. If you fall into this category and think an upcoming quarter’s group class commitment may be impossible to meet, please let me know well in advance of the start of the quarter so we can discuss what impact your child’s planned absences might have on their group class’s roster and curriculum.
INSTRUMENT AND MATERIALS
Students are expected to bring an appropriate instrument from a studio-recommended shop along with all other materials (a footstool, nail file, music, etc.) to each lesson and group class.
PRACTICE AND LISTENING
Daily practice and listening to the reference recordings is required of all students. Progress is made by practice both inside and outside the studio, and lessons are not designed to be your only playing time each week. As Dr. Suzuki said, “only practice on the days you eat.”
LESSON NOTES
Parents are to take notes and practice videos during lessons. Please bring a notebook and a suitable smartphone to lessons for recording and note taking. If a child is practicing alone, please set him/her up with necessary tools to take notes and videos in lessons or provide access to them at home.
PERFORMANCES
Performance opportunities are scheduled throughout the year as a chance to share your hard work with family and friends, as well as to hear your studio mates play. As performing is a vital part of a guitarist’s education, recital/rehearsal attendance & involvement is required for all major studio recitals. Smaller informal performance opportunities, play-ins, and Greater Philadelphia Suzuki Association (GPSA) events may be offered and are optional.
Performance Attire:
Unless otherwise specified, students will be required to wear a dark gray or black skirt or slacks, and a white dress shirt or blouse to all public performances and recitals. Usually the “call” time for all recitals and public performances is 30 minutes before the scheduled start time, which gives plenty of time to warm-up, tune, and be ready to go.