Polices:
1. There will be no lessons on these dates (your teacher may offer optional lessons during holiday breaks):
Friday December 22nd through Tuesday January 2nd (teacher will be offering optional lessons during these dates)
Monday January 15th (MLK Day)- optional
Monday February 19th (President’s Day)- optional
Thursday March 28th through Monday April 1st (Spring Break)- optional
Monday May 27th (Memorial Day)
You are not responsible for payment if your lesson falls on any of the above dates or if your teacher needs to cancel your lesson.
2. If you need to miss a lesson for any reason, please give us at least 24 hour notice whenever possible. Payment is required for all missed lessons because the time slot is being reserved for you. We provide one excused lesson without payment per school year and one excused lesson without payment per summer session (with 24 hour notice). You are also entitled to one personalized recorded lesson video per month if you need to miss a lesson (with 24 hour notice).
3. If you are signed up for in-person lessons and for whatever reason need to do a virtual lesson, you are still responsible for payment. If you or the teacher is sick or there is inclement weather, lessons can completed virtually.
4. If you are not on time for your lesson, your teacher will send you a message/call you and wait 10 minutes. If you still don’t show up or your teacher doesn’t hear from you within the 10 minutes, the lesson will be canceled and you will still be charged.
5. Lessons must be paid for a 4 week session at a time (this is not based on the month). Payment is made through Venmo (please don’t select “turn on for purchases”) or Zelle (if you are paying through Zelle, please use this email address- daylemusic11@gmail.com, or this phone number- 215-917-9933 to make payment). Payment is due the day before your next lesson. You will be notified by email or text when payment is due again. If payment is late there will be a $10 late fee.
5. If you decide to discontinue lessons, 2 weeks notice is required. There are no refunds on paid lessons (just credits).
Group Class Policies:
1. Payment will be refunded within 48 hour notice of the start of the class.
2. If cancelation is made with 24 hours or less notice, payment will be credited towards another class.
3. Payment must be made at the time of registration or your spot in the class will not be reserved.
Here are some tips to get the most out of your music lessons:
Always be prepared (remember books, instruments, etc.)
Practice- We will give you a music assignment each week. Try and practice your assignment at least ten-fifteen minutes a day. Parents, help make practice fun!
Make suggestions- if there is a certain type of music or a specific song you want to play, please let us know.
Ask questions- if you are confused about any music concept just let us know and we will find a way for you to understand it. Feel free to send us an e-mail if you have any questions and we will get right back to you.
Let us know your goals- if you are interested in entering competitions, want become a professional musician, or just want to play for fun, we are happy to help you get there.
How to Get Your Child to Practice:
Your child only spends a short time with us each week, so practice is the key to making progress on their instrument. Here are some helpful tips for practice…
-Make practice part of your child’s daily routine. Children understand that they are responsible for doing their homework each night (with occasional prodding from parents). Just like with homework, children must be told that music practice is also something they must do on a regular basis. Having your child do their practice the same time each day is helpful because it becomes routine (like brushing their teeth before bed).
-Give them a quiet, well-lit practice space. Practice should be done where and when there will be minimal noise and interruption. It also helps to have all your child’s practice materials (instrument, books, flashcards, folder, etc.) handy in the practice space.
-Sit with your child during their practice time (especially young children). Practice only needs to be 10-15 minutes each day (increasing slowly as your child gets older). Your child is more likely to complete practice if you sit in with them while they are playing.
-Show your enthusiasm. When you are sitting in during practice, be sure to show your child that you appreciate their hard work by praising them and clapping when they do something that sound good.
-Turn practice time into concert time. Have your child pretend they are a famous musician performing at Carnegie Hall and that their practice is really a concert. At the end of their performance have them take a bow and be sure to give standing ovations for a “concert” that is well done. Occasionally, invite others (grandparents, siblings, and friends) to practice time and have them be the audience. Children love playing pretend so the more creative you are the more fun practice will become.
-Games and Rewards. Learning to play an instrument proficiently takes a long time and requires lots of repetition. Therefore, we try to make things fun by turning tedious activities into games. You can do the same at home by creating your own music games and occasionally rewarding your child with stickers/toys, small treats, or even an extra story at bedtime when they do a good job with practice.
-Make it to your weekly lesson. Having a weekly lesson is important because it will ensure that your child is moving along with music. Children quickly forget what they learn if there is too much space between lessons
Giving your child music lessons is one of the greatest gifts you can give them. More and more research has come out proving that learning to play an instrument provides children with wonderful benefits such as better grades/test scores, greater attention span and success overall. If you make learning and practicing music an important priority, your child will too.
For more information about lessons or classes, please fill out this form