FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
I charge $25.00/half an hour lessons for beginning students. Generally, I prefer to keep instruction time to no more than 30 minutes with all beginning students. This is because new students are at times overwhelmed by the new material and skills they are learning. Also, very young beginning students have a shorter attention span than older ones, making it more difficult to sit down (piano students) in one place for longer periods of time. However, parents should be aware that students who have completed at least 2 years of instruction should switch to 45 minute lessons. I charge $30 for a 45 minute lesson. As continuing students get older, and get familiar/comfortable with what they are doing, sitting at the piano or standing (voice students) for longer periods will no longer be an issue. Naturally, the need for longer instruction time increases, as they make progress by mastering techniques and learning more difficult material.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
After the initial contact, I prefer to have a free consultation with the parents of the prospective students (if they are minors), or adult students. During the meeting, I will briefly discuss with parents /adult students studio policies, method books/materials, scheduling, and any other activities I need to be aware of that students are involved in. Also, I will need to know beforehand if the student/adult student has any ongoing health issues that I would need to be aware of and if special accommodations are needed. I might ask the student/adult student about his preferences: classical, popular, video game music or other. Once the days and times are established, the student/adult student will be ready for his/her piano/voice lesson! Lessons will start the following week. Meanwhile, parents/adult students will have music lesson registration and media release forms to complete and must also buy the method books recommended by the teacher. All beginning piano students start their first new lesson with basic piano fundamentals: learning to sit at the piano with good posture and at the right distance, exploring the keyboard, creating soft/loud, short/long sounds, learning finger numbers, and learning basic techniques like rounded hand shape, firm fingertips, and a relaxed wrist. The student's age, lesson length, and the degree of the ability to grasp concepts, will be taken into consideration. Demonstration is key in piano playing, and the student will learn by watching first and then trying it out themselves. All beginning voice students will start with singing fundamentals: learning how to prepare their bodies for singing by introducing them to a few stretching and breathing exercises, the proper singing posture, finding the low and high voice, and teaching the solfège scale and singing vocal exercises. Again, student's age, lesson length, and the degree of the ability to grasp concepts will be taken into consideration. Demonstration is the key in singing too: the student will learn by watching first and then trying it themselves.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I hold a BA in Music from the Arizona State University and studied piano with professor Robert Hamilton, an American concert pianist. I trained for piano competitions and won 3rd place in the inter-collegiate MCCD Piano Performance Competition. While working on my music degree, I studied voice as well and was a member of the ASU Women's Choir.