Tuition for Individual Lessons
Students are scheduled at a regular weekly lesson time. Most lessons are 30 minutes per week. Tuition is due monthly, by the first day of each month. During the months from September to May, my monthly tuition rate is semester-based. Fall semester includes September through December, and Spring semester includes January through May. Your monthly tuition rate, listed below, remains the same, no matter how many lessons you attend. I have set my rates in a way that the number of lessons I offer to teach in a semester is always about three or four more than the lessons you are paying for throughout that semester. If you attend lessons regularly, some months, you may get as many as five lessons, and some months, you may only get two. The monthly payment amount is an average amount, and even if you or I need to cancel a lesson or two, you'll still be getting more lessons than you pay for over the course of the semester.
For new students who join me in March or April 2025: I’m offering a discounted rate of $120 per month for 30 min lessons.
Tuition rates are based on $45 per half hour lesson. Monthly rates are as follows:
30 minute lessons: $135 per month
45 minute lessons: $203 per month
60 minute lessons (or two 30 minute siblings): $270 per month
For the summer months, June through August, your base monthly payment remains the same. Summer lessons are not semester-based, because sometimes we take vacations that weren't planned a month before. If I take a week or two off lessons for the summer, I will let you know as far in advance as possible, and depending on how many lessons you will still receive that month, I may give you a discounted monthly rate for that month. If you plan to take vacations during the summer, please let me know as soon as possible so that we may arrange scheduling and tuition accordingly. In the absence of significant summer vacations, your summer monthly rate will remain the same as it is throughout the year.
You may choose to set up online credit card payments and auto pay by logging in at the link below. The first time you log in, you'll need a password from me. Please contact me for your first-time password.
melaniesmelodies.mymusicstaff.com
I also use Venmo and Zelle.
Prorating: If you begin your very first lesson in the middle of a month, I will prorate your first monthly amount. After the first month, your monthly payment will always be my monthly rate as listed above, no matter how many lessons you attend. If you continue attending lessons regularly and paying the monthly amount for the remainder of the semester, you will still receive more lessons than your monthly payment covers.
Make-up lessons
Because of my full schedule, I have set up my tuition rates in a way that you should not need make-up lessons. However, if you have missed enough lessons that you feel you are falling behind what you expect, please feel free to use a video lesson as a make-up lesson any time. These do not need to be scheduled with me. Simply take a video of the student playing any scales, exercises, or pieces and send to me. I will send you back a response video. If the student needs help with anything, I'll explain this in the video. If the student is actually ready to pass off something in a video lesson, I'll let you know in my response that it was completed.
Recitals
I hold recitals usually three times per year: October, December, and a spring recital. Rather than add an extra recital fee, I have decided to include recitals as a lesson in terms of tuition. Most of the time, recitals will replace regular lessons for that week. Recitals are a very important part of learning to play an instrument, so I expect all students to participate in recitals. Even new beginners will be able to prepare and perform something for a recital. This should be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience for all students. Just as with private lessons, for all recitals there will be an option to participate virtually.
Staying Healthy
I have implemented safety and cleaning policies for my home studio. If you are still at all concerned about the spread of germs, you may continue online lessons indefinitely. If you are enrolled in lessons in my studio, and anyone in your home or mine gets sick, please consider online lessons as an alternative to canceling a lesson altogether, if health permits. I intend to keep my studio a safe and healthy place. Please wash your hands before your lesson. If any student is showing signs of sickness that is not from allergies, please cancel your lesson, or switch to an online lesson for that week, giving me as much notice as possible. If a student arrives for a lesson showing signs of sickness, I will end the lesson early to prevent the spread of germs in my studio. I will also cancel lessons when I am sick.
Arriving Late
If you are late for your lesson, I greatly appreciate a heads-up. I will always teach a student who arrives late, up until the time the lesson is scheduled to end. Unfortunately, I will still have to end the lesson on time, so as not to cut into the next student's lesson time.
Waiting during lessons
If you arrive early and need to wait your turn, please wait outside my studio until it is time for your lesson. Please knock or ring if I don't open the door for you on time. If your child has siblings not enrolled in lessons with me, please have them wait outside my studio. Siblings who both have a private lesson and wait for each other can use the other sibling's lesson time to work on theory assignments or play note reading apps to strengthen note reading skills.
