Lesson and studio policies
You are never too old to play the cello!
Adults are some of my favorite learners. You are never “too old” or too much of a “absolute beginner” to learn the cello! Learning a musical instrument has been shown to be very beneficial to our minds and bodies. Why not give it a try?!
Let’s play the cello!
Here is an overview of my private lesson and studio policies:
Adults and kids are busy! Sports obligations are often particularly difficult to work around, but I would like to encourage that regular attendance of and preparation for private lessons also be a priority in order to be a part of my studio.
- Bring your cello to every lesson: Every cello is built and set up differently. To build and maintain good intonation (playing “in tune”) and good technique, our finger and arm muscles must have consistency. Switching cellos can lead to poor muscle memory and difficulty with intonation and bow technique.
- Bring your private-lesson music to every lesson: We constantly make notes, technique reminders and fingerings in the music. Practicing without these notes and coming to lessons without them is counterproductive and slows down learning and progress. An easy way to organize your music is to encourage the students to keep it all in one binder with their orchestra music (lesson books can be tucked into binder pockets), and pack it in their backpacks or into their cello case pocket. Students who routinely come to lessons without their own instrument and/or without their own music may be asked to forfeit their lesson that day and will be charged for the missed lesson.
- Payments: I charge on a “per-lesson” basis. Please pay after each lesson or I can send you a monthly reminder of your balance. Because of my performing engagements, there may be times when we need to reschedule a lesson. For that reason, I do not charge set a “monthly rate” and instead prefer to work on a “per-lesson” basis.
- I accept Venmo, PayPal, checks or cash. Please ask for the link at your next lesson. It rarely comes to this, but I do reserve the right to charge a late fee for non-payment of lesson balances.
- Cancellation policy: Things come up, for all of us. Because of my performance schedule, there may be some weeks where we won’t hold lessons or I will need to shuffle the schedule around. And I know that things come up for you, too! I will always do my best to give you as much notice of a cancellation as I can. I hope that you will do the same for me. Text messages or emails are fine!
Note:
- If a student forgets a lesson or otherwise does not show up to a scheduled lesson, I may charge for the missed lesson.
- I require at least 1 hour’s notice of a scheduling conflict before a missed lesson, otherwise I may charge for the missed lesson.
- Practicing Requirements: I discuss the unique practice goals for each student at their lessons. Dr. Suzuki (of the Suzuki Method) is famous for saying “You don’t have to practice every day, only the days that you eat.” While I would LOVE IT if every student practiced every day, I know that’s not always possible. I suggest a minimum of practicing 5 – 6 days a week, the amount of time is dependent on the age and level of the student, usually between 20 minutes (young beginners) up to an hour or more a day. Consistency and regularity is more useful than cramming when it comes to learning an instrument.
- Repertoire: The books and pieces I choose for our lessons are designed to build the techniques and skills needed to play solo repertoire, and can be applied to orchestral music as well. While our time together is focused on scales, methods, etudes and solos, I am happy to spend a few minutes per lesson working on any outside orchestra or chamber music. The primary focus of our lessons should be on building techniques and learning the solo repertoire. If your student needs more help with orchestra or chamber music repertoire, let me know and we can make adjustments to our lesson plans. If a tutor is preferred to help solely with orchestra pieces, I’m happy to help make those arrangements.
- Get a metronome and a tuner: There are some great combination metro-tuners (I like the KORG TM-60 or similar) or there are a number of metronome and tuner “apps” for iPhone and android, etc.
- Participation in the group lessons and the spring recital will be mandatory. Please plan ahead to make arrangements for the student to be released from any work obligations and sports obligations, where possible, on the day of the recital.
And lastly (and I hope you made it this far!):
- Support Live Music! And be inspired by great recordings. I encourage every student to listen to recordings of the great cellists, and also to attend live classical music performances as often as possible. We are fortunate to have the Utah Symphony & Opera here in Salt Lake City (one of only a handful of full-time orchestras left in the country), along with a number of other high-caliber organizations like Sinfonia Salt Lake, Ballet West, the Utah Chamber Artists, the Cathedral of the Madeleine Choir and Orchestra, the Orchestra at Temple Square, and the Intermezzo and Nova Chamber Music Series just to name a few. There is no substitute for hearing and watching a professional orchestra or chamber group live and in-person. It is so inspiring, and classical music needs our support in order to survive. Please see the “Go to a Concert!!” and “Resources and Links” pages for links to some of these fantastic organizations.
- Seek out music that you love. In addition to our classical repertoire, I love to work on other genres with my students – things like Jazz, Celtic, Rock, etc. The internet is a great resource for things like that. I hope you will encourage them to be proactive and seek out sheet music to buy or print, and encourage them to bring it to our lessons. My goal is to make playing the cello fun!
Thank you so much for being a part of my studio. I am truly grateful for your support and for your dedication to music and to the cello!
Please feel free to contact me at any time!
-Cassie