FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Lessons are paid for at the beginning of each month for the whole month. A month of half hour lessons is $120 OR a month of 45-minute lessons is $180 OR a month of hour-long lessons is $240. I am open to the possibility, mostly for adults, of two hour-long lessons per month at $120 for the month. Twice a year, if there are five lessons (30 or 45 minute length) in the month, the fifth lesson will be at no extra charge. Hour-long students may receive one free lesson per year. If you refer a student to me, you will receive a $20 discount to one lesson after the referred student pays for their fourth month of lessons.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
At the first "lesson", I like to spend time getting to know the student, learn about their previous musical knowledge and experience, and find out what their goals are for their lessons. It is also a time to evaluate the student's instrument (violin, viola, or cello students) and assess their playing skills, if not a beginner. This "lesson" is at no charge to the student. With a beginning string player, I prefer to start them off with the basic skills of learning to hold the instrument and bow correctly and establish good habits before starting to read music. I have videos that teach the beginning skills, so that the student can watch them as many times as necessary. This also allows the student to move along quicker by watching a video of what might be taught in the next lesson, without having to wait for that lesson. They learn how to place all of their fingers properly from the beginning so that they learn to play in tune. And they learn how to produce a good sound with their bow. With these good habits developed first, then the student is able to proceed to learning to read music and play more songs. Piano students are also started with some basic skills of proper finger placement and position (no flat fingers) before proceeding to a book, but it is a much quicker process than with string players.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a music education degree from West Chester University in Pennsylvania. Violin was my major instrument, but I have also played viola since 10th grade (that was a long time ago) and I now play viola in a string quartet. I also took as much piano instruction as possible while at WCU.