PIANO AND GUITAR LESSON INFORMATION
COVID-19 Information/Updates to my studio:
Please note that due to COVID-19, I have converted to a virtual online studio, using Zoom (primarily) or Google Meet. All lessons and piano parties (song sharing sessions) will continue to take place via Zoom. Please keep this in mind as you read below.
As a special additional note, 3 1/2 months into this, I can honestly say that while I miss seeing my students in person, Zoom is the next best thing to being there! We had a fantastic Song Sharing Session for the entire studio which included friends and relatives that would otherwise NOT have been able to attend in person due to venue space and living distance. While I long for the day we are all able to roam freely, commune in small spaces with many friends and family and not have to worry about face masks, I am thankful that at least as far as my piano teaching studio goes, life is continuing on as close to normal as possible.
Please note that due to COVID-19, I have converted to a virtual online studio, using Zoom (primarily) or Google Meet. All lessons and piano parties (song sharing sessions) will continue to take place via Zoom. Please keep this in mind as you read below.
As a special additional note, 3 1/2 months into this, I can honestly say that while I miss seeing my students in person, Zoom is the next best thing to being there! We had a fantastic Song Sharing Session for the entire studio which included friends and relatives that would otherwise NOT have been able to attend in person due to venue space and living distance. While I long for the day we are all able to roam freely, commune in small spaces with many friends and family and not have to worry about face masks, I am thankful that at least as far as my piano teaching studio goes, life is continuing on as close to normal as possible.
MY PHILOSOPHY...
(For those of you who do not already know me….)
I offer music lessons to students interested in learning music in a fun and un-stressful environment. I offer lessons in piano and guitar. I give students a good, solid foundation in music which will enable them to continue to enjoy making music, hopefully throughout their lives. My strength is in getting and keeping kids interested and enthused in music long enough for them to either carry the skill of playing an instrument into adulthood as a hobby, or long enough to reach an age/stage in which they are ready to pursue a more serious course of study. Guitar students will have a strong focus on reading musical notation (treble cleff), which will give them a nice solid base for pursuing any other band or orchestra instrument. Both piano and guitar students will have a strong emphasis on music theory and composition (in a fun way!) - students will be composing and playing their own original pieces!
SUNDAY SONG SHARING SESSIONS (Piano Parties!)
In addition to the monthly small group lessons, I will be hosting 4 informal song sharing sessions. These song sharing sessions are for all students in my studio. Three of these sessions are for students only and will typically meet on Sunday afternoons. This is a fun, informal way for students to gain experience with performance without all of the pressure of a big recital. It also adds a nice social camaraderie - a chance for them to meet other kids with an interest in music! There is no additional cost for the Song Sharing sessions. The Family and Friends Song Sharing Session will be for family and friends and will be sometime in March or April. It will likely take place at The Massry Residence at Daughters of Sarah. This is an assisted living facility and last year we were a big hit! The seniors LOVED seeing the students perform and the students got a kick out of having a very engaged and enthusiastic audience. A win-win for all! It is desirable, but not required, to come to all 4 sessions. Hopefully, with 4 scheduled sessions, most students could make at least 2 of them. See below for the schedule of Song Sharing Sessions.
LOTS MORE FUN IN STORE!!!
As if that is not enough - I run various fun "competitions/incentives" for every level. Students will earn points for participation in various contests/activities, for example, for listening to a classical or jazz piece on the radio or internet (or CD, MP3, etc…). I will select a composer of the month in which we will listen in class/lessons and hopefully will play a piece or modified selection - even at the youngest levels. Students can earn points for memorized pieces, etc….the fun never ends!!!!
Even if you are returning student, please – at some point, take the time to read through ALL of the information. There's frequently something new to add!
FURTHER INFORMATION/POLICIES FOR THE YEAR
Please read on for my studio policies:
Tuition
Annual Registration Fee:
There is a $50.00 annual registration fee per student.
Private Lessons:
Option 1 (Fixed monthly discounted rate):
Private lessons are 30, 45 or 60 minutes in length. ANNUAL Tuition is $1000, $1500 or $2000 respectively. You may make 10 monthly installments $100.00 per month for 30 minute lessons, $150.00 per month for 45 minute lessons and $200.00 per month for 60 minute lessons, due on the 1st lesson of each month. All payment is due at the first week’s lesson of each month. There will be 10% late charge assessed for payments not in by the 10th of the month.
Cancelled Lessons, Make ups and Other Policies
Make up lessons: This plan includes 30 private lessons per school calendar year (September - June). Extra weeks are built into the schedule to provide ample opportunity for all to complete 30 lessons throughout the school year if regularly scheduled lessons are missed due to illness or other critical circumstances.
Monthly tuition on this plan remains the same, regardless of how many weeks are in the month.
Option 2 (Pay as you go):
You may choose to pay the full, undiscounted rate of $35 per half hour lesson. With this option, you do not pay for any lessons that you miss. I still offer the 4 group sessions with no extra charge.
(45 minute and 60 minute lessons at $47.50 and $70 respectively).
This plan may benefit you if you tend to schedule a lot of travel or other activities that may frequently interfere with the regular weekly lesson schedule. As payment is made at the time of each lesson, there is no need for make-ups or credits.
Drop off/Pick-up:
Sorry to sound so formal! For those of you who have been taking lessons for years already - don't worry!!! This will still be the same fun, laid back environment it always was! It's just that with so many more students coming and going, I am just trying to set the stage so that everyone can enjoy a fun and minimally disturbed lesson to the extent possible and to streamline the business side of things so that I can focus on the important side of things - teaching and making music!!!
(For those of you who do not already know me….)
I offer music lessons to students interested in learning music in a fun and un-stressful environment. I offer lessons in piano and guitar. I give students a good, solid foundation in music which will enable them to continue to enjoy making music, hopefully throughout their lives. My strength is in getting and keeping kids interested and enthused in music long enough for them to either carry the skill of playing an instrument into adulthood as a hobby, or long enough to reach an age/stage in which they are ready to pursue a more serious course of study. Guitar students will have a strong focus on reading musical notation (treble cleff), which will give them a nice solid base for pursuing any other band or orchestra instrument. Both piano and guitar students will have a strong emphasis on music theory and composition (in a fun way!) - students will be composing and playing their own original pieces!
SUNDAY SONG SHARING SESSIONS (Piano Parties!)
In addition to the monthly small group lessons, I will be hosting 4 informal song sharing sessions. These song sharing sessions are for all students in my studio. Three of these sessions are for students only and will typically meet on Sunday afternoons. This is a fun, informal way for students to gain experience with performance without all of the pressure of a big recital. It also adds a nice social camaraderie - a chance for them to meet other kids with an interest in music! There is no additional cost for the Song Sharing sessions. The Family and Friends Song Sharing Session will be for family and friends and will be sometime in March or April. It will likely take place at The Massry Residence at Daughters of Sarah. This is an assisted living facility and last year we were a big hit! The seniors LOVED seeing the students perform and the students got a kick out of having a very engaged and enthusiastic audience. A win-win for all! It is desirable, but not required, to come to all 4 sessions. Hopefully, with 4 scheduled sessions, most students could make at least 2 of them. See below for the schedule of Song Sharing Sessions.
LOTS MORE FUN IN STORE!!!
As if that is not enough - I run various fun "competitions/incentives" for every level. Students will earn points for participation in various contests/activities, for example, for listening to a classical or jazz piece on the radio or internet (or CD, MP3, etc…). I will select a composer of the month in which we will listen in class/lessons and hopefully will play a piece or modified selection - even at the youngest levels. Students can earn points for memorized pieces, etc….the fun never ends!!!!
Even if you are returning student, please – at some point, take the time to read through ALL of the information. There's frequently something new to add!
FURTHER INFORMATION/POLICIES FOR THE YEAR
Please read on for my studio policies:
Tuition
Annual Registration Fee:
There is a $50.00 annual registration fee per student.
Private Lessons:
Option 1 (Fixed monthly discounted rate):
Private lessons are 30, 45 or 60 minutes in length. ANNUAL Tuition is $1000, $1500 or $2000 respectively. You may make 10 monthly installments $100.00 per month for 30 minute lessons, $150.00 per month for 45 minute lessons and $200.00 per month for 60 minute lessons, due on the 1st lesson of each month. All payment is due at the first week’s lesson of each month. There will be 10% late charge assessed for payments not in by the 10th of the month.
Cancelled Lessons, Make ups and Other Policies
Make up lessons: This plan includes 30 private lessons per school calendar year (September - June). Extra weeks are built into the schedule to provide ample opportunity for all to complete 30 lessons throughout the school year if regularly scheduled lessons are missed due to illness or other critical circumstances.
Monthly tuition on this plan remains the same, regardless of how many weeks are in the month.
Option 2 (Pay as you go):
You may choose to pay the full, undiscounted rate of $35 per half hour lesson. With this option, you do not pay for any lessons that you miss. I still offer the 4 group sessions with no extra charge.
(45 minute and 60 minute lessons at $47.50 and $70 respectively).
This plan may benefit you if you tend to schedule a lot of travel or other activities that may frequently interfere with the regular weekly lesson schedule. As payment is made at the time of each lesson, there is no need for make-ups or credits.
Drop off/Pick-up:
- Lessons are usually scheduled back-to-back with other students. Please arrive on time both to drop off your child AND to pick them up. Lessons start AND end at the allotted time. If your child is late, the lesson still ends at the same allotted time.
- Please come right in through the front door - it will always be unlocked during lesson times - and please remove shoes. Please DON’T ring the doorbell - just walk right in!
- If your child comes directly from school, please bring a snack/drink for them to eat in the car or just before they come in. Please do NOT have them bring their snack into the house - it sometimes gets quite messy!
- If you arrive during another student's lesson, please make sure that your child comes in quietly and respectfully.
- If you bring in siblings at drop off or pickup time, please be sure to remind them to be mindful of other student's lessons that are in progress.
Sorry to sound so formal! For those of you who have been taking lessons for years already - don't worry!!! This will still be the same fun, laid back environment it always was! It's just that with so many more students coming and going, I am just trying to set the stage so that everyone can enjoy a fun and minimally disturbed lesson to the extent possible and to streamline the business side of things so that I can focus on the important side of things - teaching and making music!!!
SCHEDULING (2020-2021 school year)
Lessons are offered on a weekly basis.
This year, lesson hours are available on Mondays thru Thursdays from 4:30 - 6:00. Please contact me to see whether there are any current openings.
Lessons will officially start the the week of September 8th. Lessons will run through the end of the school year.
This year I am going with a different type of system. The year will be divided into 2 semesters. Semester One will run from 9/8 - 1/21. Semester 2 will run from 1/25 - 6/24. There will be 19 "bookable" weeks of lessons offered in each semester. Each student is entitled to 15 lessons each semester. Lessons can be rescheduled as needed within the 19 week semester. If there is an open slot in any given week, it is open for rescheduled lessons. Otherwise, there are always a few extra weeks to make up the lessons that had to be rescheduled. Upon registering, each family will receive a link to the lesson scheduler. Any student that has used their 15 included lessons before the end of the semester is welcome to pay for additional lessons in the remaining week at a discounted rate of $33.00 per 30 minute lesson (and $50.00 per 45 minute lesson and $66 per 60 minute lesson).
SONG SHARING DAYS for the 2020 - 2021 calendar year:
(Please note that THIS year, all Song Sharing Sessions will be VIRTUAL Zoom parties)
Sunday, Nov. 8, 2:00 - 3:00
Sunday, January 24, 2:00 - 3:00
Sunday - April 25, 2:00 - 3:00 (Family & Friends Zoom Party!)
Sunday, June 13, 2:00 - 3:00
Please e-mail me at julie@jamminwithjulie.com with the following information: (OR try out my handy-dandy new contact form here!):
I look forward to hearing from you and making some music!!!
~julie adler
518-406-8JAM (8526)
"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence."
- Leopold Stokowski
Lessons are offered on a weekly basis.
This year, lesson hours are available on Mondays thru Thursdays from 4:30 - 6:00. Please contact me to see whether there are any current openings.
Lessons will officially start the the week of September 8th. Lessons will run through the end of the school year.
This year I am going with a different type of system. The year will be divided into 2 semesters. Semester One will run from 9/8 - 1/21. Semester 2 will run from 1/25 - 6/24. There will be 19 "bookable" weeks of lessons offered in each semester. Each student is entitled to 15 lessons each semester. Lessons can be rescheduled as needed within the 19 week semester. If there is an open slot in any given week, it is open for rescheduled lessons. Otherwise, there are always a few extra weeks to make up the lessons that had to be rescheduled. Upon registering, each family will receive a link to the lesson scheduler. Any student that has used their 15 included lessons before the end of the semester is welcome to pay for additional lessons in the remaining week at a discounted rate of $33.00 per 30 minute lesson (and $50.00 per 45 minute lesson and $66 per 60 minute lesson).
SONG SHARING DAYS for the 2020 - 2021 calendar year:
(Please note that THIS year, all Song Sharing Sessions will be VIRTUAL Zoom parties)
Sunday, Nov. 8, 2:00 - 3:00
Sunday, January 24, 2:00 - 3:00
Sunday - April 25, 2:00 - 3:00 (Family & Friends Zoom Party!)
Sunday, June 13, 2:00 - 3:00
Please e-mail me at julie@jamminwithjulie.com with the following information: (OR try out my handy-dandy new contact form here!):
- Your desired day/time slot, along with a second or third choice (priority in scheduling is given to returning students, and then first come, first serve).
- 30 Minute, 45 or 60 Minute lesson
- Private, Group, and/or Ensemble.
- Your child's name, age, grade in school, # years playing/or beginner
- Please include the best phone number to reach you
I look forward to hearing from you and making some music!!!
~julie adler
518-406-8JAM (8526)
"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence."
- Leopold Stokowski