Music and Piano Lessons in Southern Oregon
Studio Policy
Welcome!
Thanks for choosing Pat or Margie Daly for piano lessons. We are committed to help you (or your child) learn and develop the skills needed to understand and enjoy the musical arts for a lifetime. This is a brief outline of our studio policy—what you can expect of us and what we expect from our students. We also communicate through our Facebook page.
Playing
Playing piano is a multi-faceted art. It requires physical discipline and control, both strength and subtlety. It requires concentration of mind in learning new musical symbols and focus in its performance. It also allows for individual creativity and expression—skills that come from experience with the idioms of music and familiarity with the instrument. What's more, the study of music fosters an appreciation for beauty, the joy of discovery, and the satisfaction of having developed a new skills.
Learning
Learning music can be compared to learning a new language in that there is new vocabulary to learn along with grammar, word order, punctuation and the like. It is learned over time, hearing, and reading, speaking and writing the new language. Music also includes elements of language which combine to express pitch, rhythm and harmony. It is also learned over time through playing the instrument, listening, reading, writing and improvising.
We therefore include elements of music theory and technique in our teaching along with sight reading and ear-training. We believe in our students becoming well-rounded musicians—able to do whatever they enjoy most whether that is playing the classics, reading a lead sheet or developing musical knowledge to apply to another instrument.
Practicing
We strongly encourage our students to spend time with piano every day. Even a short time of 20 to 30 minutes of concentrated, daily effort can produce excellent results. Like any other course of study, learning music is cumulative—built on what you already know. Practicing once or twice a week won't be effective in reinforcing your lesson or building on what you already know. We find that a regular practice time is helpful to the student, i.e. before or after school, before or after dinner, or a regular time like 3pm to 3:30, etc.
Parents
We hope parents take an active role in their child's learning music—to encourage their progress and to keep them on task when necessary. As you are making an investment in your child's learning, we want you to be informed as to the progress of your student. We would like to have a parent conference as part of a regular lesson time in the fall. We can use this time to set goals, review progress and bring up any pertinent issues to practice, performance and the like. Of course we will always try to be available to any time you have questions or comments about piano lessons.
Equipment
We expect every student to have access to an instrument in good working order, one that responds correctly to the pianists touch. Keyboards are acceptable as long as there are a full 88 keys and are "weighted" to feel and respond like a piano with hammers. The practice area should be well-lit and comfortable--away, if possible, from distractions (especially noisy ones!) A good metronome is also vital for any pianist. These can be purchased for under $25 at most music stores.
Calendar
Lessons will be given for 12 weeks of every 13 week quarter. We will take 1 week off in march (Spring Break), 1 week in mid-June (at the end of school), 1 week in early September (before school starts) and 2 weeks in December (Christmas and New Year). Our studios will also be closed on Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day and Thanksgiving (Thursday and Friday).
Rates
See Rates page.
Fees
The only other expenses required of students are for music/lessons books. We generally purchase these for you and you can reimburse us any time during the month.
Missing a Lesson
If you need to miss a lesson, for whatever reason, prior notification is necessary to avoid being charged. Without notification, you will be charged the for the regular rate.
If We Miss a Lesson
You will not be charged for that lesson or we will credit you into the next month if you have already paid.
Make-ups
Make-up lessons (for absences due to illness or family trips, etc.) are generally not possible because our weekly schedules are full. If we know in advance that another student will be absent for the week, we will call you to see if you can make up your lesson during their time.
Sickness
If you or your student is ill and has to cancel school or other activities, please cancel your piano lesson as well. We want to provide a clean, healthy environment for or other students and for us. Please call us as soon as possible to let us know of your absence. If you know you will be out of town for a certain number of days for whatever reason, please let us know of this also so we can adjust our schedules and plan for make-up lessons.
Extended
For absences of a month or more, payment will not be required for that month, however, your time slot will be in jeopardy for another student. On your return, we will work you into the schedule as we are able. Your monthly payment for lessons during your absence will, of course, hold your slot at your present time.
Performances
We believe it is important and rewarding for our students to perform whenever possible. We therefore provide opportunities throughout the year including recitals at the end of the school year and in December. As active members of Oregon Music Teachers Association we are able to prepare and schedule our students for the annual Junior Bach festival, Music at the Mall, Ensemble competitions, the Classics and Romantics recital, the Sonatina Contest and much more. (Some of these require a small fee).
We also offer our students an opportunity to participate in "syllabus," at the end of the year. This offers students a carefully planned course of study in technique, music theory, ear-training and exposure to a broad repertoire from Baroque to Modern music.
We also offer piano parties 3 or 4 times a year. These offer a chance for our students to play for each other (parents are welcome), play some musical games and eat. (No charge for these).
Contacting Us
You can call us or leave a message on our
Home phone, (541) 535-2089.
Pat's cel: (541) 324-7079
Margie's cel: (541) 324-7974
Thank you for reading over our studio policy. We welcome your questions and suggestions. May you be richly rewarded in your endeavors to learn this beautiful art of music!