Lesson duration & frequency

Younger children tend to do better with shorter and more frequent lessons.  For children under twelve, I recommend weekly 30-minute lessons.  For teens, I recommend 45-minute lessons, either every week or every other week.

Most adults are comfortable with one-hour lessons -- and, most adults schedule lessons every other week.  An adult could handle a one-hour lesson every week if his or her schedule allows at least an hour a day of practice -- otherwise, I would probably be teaching more material than the student can assimilate each week.  The exception to this is if the student is dealing with short-term memory loss.  Then, weekly lessons are usually best.

Sometimes, finances or schedules don't allow lessons to occur at the recommended durations and frequencies.  I understand these constraints and am willing to work within them.  I would rather a student have access to lessons, even if they are shorter and/or less often than recommended, than for that student to totally miss out on the opportunity to learn how to play a musical instrument.

I teach year-round and am available for lessons 50 of the 52 weeks each year.

Lesson fees

The fee structure is on a per-lesson basis.  If there is no lesson in a given week, then there is no fee for that week.  I do not utilize monthly contracts and I do not require students to commit to taking lessons for a certain number of months.

The fees per lesson are as follows:

     30 minutes - $29

     45 minutes - $37

     60 minutes - $45

Included in your lesson fee is phone and email support in between lessons for when you have a question about the material we are covering in the lessons.  There is no extra charge for this supplementary support.

Keep in mind that I expect students to show up for at least 80% of the scheduled lessons over any given period of time.  For example, if a student has committed to weekly lessons and has been taking lessons for one year, when we look back at his or her attendance record, I would expect to see that the student showed up for at least 40 of the 50 weeks that I was available for lessons in that one-year period.

That allows for 10 lessons to be missed for holidays, vacation, illness, blizzards, etc.  There is usually no tangible penalty for falling below that 80% threshold; it is simply something I ask my students to do out of respect for my schedule and to help keep my finances stabilized.

However, if a student's attendance falls significantly below the 80% standard over a number of months and there is an indication it will be an ongoing issue, I reserve the right to require a periodic pre-payment equal to that 80% standard which would entitle the student to attend a number of lessons equal to that 80% standard.  If the student does not attend that number of lessons during that period of time, the unused portion of the payment will not carry over to the next period.

If multiple students (siblings, for example) are taking lessons back-to-back, there is a $5 discount per each additional student.  For example, two independent students would pay $29 each for 30-minute lessons ($29 x 2 lessons = $58).  However, if they had lessons back-to-back in the same location, the fee would be $53 for the pair of lessons.  If three siblings had lessons back-to-back in the same location, the fee would be $77 instead of $87 for the set of three lessons.

If I am traveling to your home for the lessons, an additional travel fee will be assessed for each trip.  (More info on travel fees: In Your Home)

Most studios charge a $20-25 registration or initial set-up fee -- I do not charge a registration or set-up fee.

If you decide after a few lessons that you do not want to continue, I do not charge an early cancellation fee.  If you want to stop the lessons, just tell me -- and that will be the end of your obligation.  It is that simple.  This is ideal if you are not sure you can stay committed to the process -- this allows a "trial" period with no penalty for backing out after only a couple of months.

Payment methods & refunds

Payment is due for a given lesson on the day of the lesson, and I accept cash and checks.   Checks can be made out to either "Nancy Frase" or "Frase Consulting Group, Inc."  They can be mailed to 629 Cedar Street, Windsor, CO  80550.

Some people find it easier to pay for a block of lessons at a time -- for example, they find it easier to pay for a month's worth of lessons on the first of the month.  You may pay for each lesson at the time of the lesson, or you may pay for a block of lessons in advance -- it doesn't matter to me.  I keep track of which lessons are covered and I can alert you when a payment is due.  If, for some reason, you stop taking lessons before "using up" advanced payments, I will refund those payments within one business day of receiving a request for a refund.

If your check bounces, you will be required to cover any related bank fees that go against my bank account.

If you are not satisfied with any particular lesson, just tell me and I'll refund your money.  You don't need to justify your dissatisfaction (although it would be helpful to me to know what didn't work for you so I can do better) -- just tell me you would like your money back and you'll get it back within one business day.  If you want to continue lessons after that point, we will find a way to ensure your dissatisfaction does not continue.

Cancellation - Reschedule - Late show - No show

Clients will be charged for lessons that are cancelled within 24-hours of the lesson or if the student does not show up for the lesson.

If you show up late, I reserve the right to end the lesson at the scheduled end time, even if that means you don't receive the full amount of scheduled time.  The full lesson fee will still be assessed in that event.

If you are unable to keep your scheduled time and you would like to reschedule, I will make every effort to find an opening in my schedule to accommodate your request to reschedule.

Scheduling of lessons

The most desired slots are those immediately after school -- and they stay pretty much filled up.  New students often have to "settle" for times later in the evening or on weekends.  However, if and when a more desired slot opens up, I will offer that slot first to the students with the greatest seniority (based upon longevity of relationship and attendance rate), then the offer will work its way down the line to the newest students.

I pad the schedule with 5-10 minutes between lessons.  This allows me time to say "hello" and "good-bye" to the students and parents, and to hear the exciting stories children always need to share from their day's adventures, and to visit with the parents about how the practicing is going -- and all this extra activity can happen outside of the lesson's time parameters.  Therefore, a "30-minute lesson" really means a full 30-minute lesson, not 30 minutes minus eight minutes for the extras.

If you would like to sign up your child for lessons for a time in the future -- for example, you will be transferring from another teacher in three months from now but you want to reserve a particular time slot that is currently open -- I will require a good faith deposit of one month's worth of lesson and travel fees to hold that time slot for up to three months.  The deposit will go towards the first month of lessons.  If you stop taking lessons before the first month of lessons are completed, you forfeit the unused portion of that deposit.

I will reserve a particular time slot for a new student for up to two weeks on a verbal agreement alone (no monetary deposit required).

Getting signed up and getting started

Before we make any agreements, I would like to meet with you and your child (if applicable) for a no charge, no obligation initial consultation.  The consultation usually lasts about 30 minutes and is best held at the location the lessons will occur.  This will help both parties determine if this partnership can be successful before we make any commitments.  If we do decide to move forward, we can figure out the details like lesson day/time, duration and frequency during this consultation.

Miscellaneous

Because the studio is not child-proofed, please do not bring younger siblings with you to the studio unless they are old enough to sit quietly and entertain themselves, or unless they are infants who will remain in a carrier seat.

Please turn your cell phone off during the lesson.  If you must have it on for emergency purposes, please turn it to the "vibrate" setting and answer it only for true emergencies.  Text messaging is fine unless you are the parent of a younger student and you are supposed to be fully involved in the lesson -- in that case, I expect your attention to be fully on the lesson.

I ask all my clients to read and sign a studio policy document that reflects much of what is on this page. That way, we know what to expect from each other.