CLASSES

Student Lessons

  • Students as young as 4 ½ may be accepted (we will set up an interview) Parents would have to be actively involved for children as young as 4 to succeed.
  • Beginners through advanced
  • Private, one-on-one lessons for 30, 45, or 60 minutes each week
  • Performance opportunities include a Fall and Spring recital, the Gold Cup Festival, State and local Competitions, and Concerto Spring Recital for the advanced students complete with a chamber orchestra.
  • Duet, Duo and Chamber Ensemble Performances for the Intermediate to Advanced students
  • Incentive charts and awards help motivate the students. Students work to achieve a specific goal each week and, if achieved, get to mark their charts. Monetary awards are given out at the recitals to those students. In the summer, I have a musical store where the students earn musical bucks to spend in the store. All these incentives excite the younger student and encourage practice which leads to musical success.
  • Competitive rates
  • Flexible schedule to allow children who are home-schooled as well as those who have busy school schedules

Catherine Bobbs Piano Studio Statement of Policy

Lesson Attendance

It is very important that a student attend each and every lesson regularly. When a lesson is missed, the stimulation of the lesson and the musical experience to be had at the lesson is lost. Continuity is broken and interest slides downward. The opportunity of clarification of concepts is lost. Regular attendance of the lesson is of utmost importance for successful piano study. In order to encourage this practice, I have the following policy:

 

  1. Lessons are only to be missed in the event of illness or an unavoidable conflict.

  2. Notification of any missed or canceled lesson must be made 24 hours in advance in order to receive a makeup. No exceptions.

  3. If a lesson is given without the 24-hour notification, there will be an additional lesson charge added to the following month’s tuition.

  4. Makeup lessons do not replace the regularly scheduled lesson.

  5. Makeup lessons must be within the month of the missed lesson, with the exception of June and July lessons missed due to vacation with 24 hour notificaion. See #6.

  6. Each student is allowed a short 2-week seasonal break in December. The month of August will be used as month to makeup up any lessons missed during June and July. Lessons taken in August that are not makeup lessons will be charged on an individual lesson basis. During these two breaks, the lesson space and enrollment will be secured. Any other break will not secure the student’s lesson space or enrollment.

Festival and Recital Attendance

A primary reason for a student to study piano is to develop performance techniques and poise needed in most professions. Therefore, I do require the students to perform in my 3 seasonal studio recitals and all relevant workshops. There are many other festivals and competitions designed for all age levels which come up during the year. The parents will be notified of these events through monthly newsletters. These are all optional and require various fees

Piano Practice Requirements

All other students should practice at least the length of their lessons. Each student should practice at least 5 days each week with one exception being the day of your lesson and one other “free” day of your choice. I encourage each student to have a fixed time each day to practice. Practice insures success and strengths skills learned at lesson.

Tuition

A monthly tuition will cover all lessons within the month, studio workshops and recitals and is to be paid on the 1st lesson of each month in full. Books, festival events and competition application fees are not included in the tuition. These additional expenses will be added to your monthly statement. There will be an adjustment made for December and August during which the student may take a break. Tuition varies according to the length of the student’s lessons. Fifteen minute lessons are only available to very young siblings of enrolled students. Thirty-minute lessons are available only to the very young, ages 5-7. Most students will succeed with a 45-minute lesson. The very advanced and highly motivated students will receive an hour lesson. I determine the lesson length. Extra lessons given preceding competition are added to the succeeding month.

Lessons lengths are determined by age and level as follows
15 minute lessons are for the youngest beginners of ages 3-4 who are siblings of older students.
30 minute lessons are for the young beginner of ages 4-6
45 minute lessons are for the advanced beginner to intermediate student of ages 7-12
60 minute lessons are for the late intermediate to advanced student of any age, mostly from 12 years old through high school

Rates are monthly, and include the lessons within that month, the different theory classes and performance workshops within that month, rehearsals for upcoming recitals as well as the seasonal recitals. There additional charges would include the music books, festival and competition fees.