Studio Policy
2023-2024
schedule, Pricing, and Due Dates
Monthly Payments
Monthly tuition is a flat rate that reserves a student's weekly lesson time, whether or not each lesson is attended. There is no reduction of tuition for the months that have scheduled breaks, as those weeks have not been factored into the tuition average. This average has been calculated based on the average number of lessons per month in a year. Some months will have more or fewer than 4 lessons, but monthly tuition remains the same each month. Monthly tuition is not adjusted for students who begin lessons in the middle of the year. Please refer to the calendar to see the yearly teaching schedule.
30 minute lessons - $145/month
45 minute lessons - $218/month
60 minute lessons (sibling duo) - $290/month
75 minute lessons (sibling duo) - $363/month
Semester Payments
Fall Semester (August - December)
30 minute lessons - $652
45 minute lessons - $980
60 minute lessons - $1304
75 minute lessons - $1632
Fall semester tuition is due by August 5, 2023. If a semester is not paid in full by the listed due date, equal monthly payments must be made for the remainder of the semester.
Spring Semester (January - May)
30 minute lessons - $725
45 minute lessons - $1090
60 minute lessons - $1450
75 minute lessons - $1815
Spring semester tuition is due by January 5, 2024. If a semester is not paid in full by the listed due date, equal monthly payments must be made for the remainder of the semester.
Materials Fee
There is a yearly materials fee for all students under 18 due at the beginning of the school year or upon enrollment.
Local student fee: $25 - includes a custom piano assignment notebook and level completion trophy
Out-of-state student fee: $15 - includes a level completion trophy + shipping.
Accepted Forms of Payment
Cash, Check, Venmo, and bank transfers are accepted. Automatic monthly payments can be set up through Zelle.
Paypal is no longer accepted.
-Venmo: @lluuiiissaa
-CashApp: $LuisaMatthynssens
-Please make checks payable to Luisa Matthynssens
Cadenza Studios does not issue refunds of any kind.
Late Payments
If paying monthly, tuition is always due by the 5th of each month, even if the first lessons of the month are rescheduled, cancelled, or missed. Payments not received by the 5th will accrue a $25 late fee added to the current month's bill. If payment is not received by the 3rd scheduled lesson of the month, lessons will be suspended and the student's lesson time will be forfeited and filled by the next student on the waitlist. The outstanding balance must still be paid.
Yearly schedule
The piano year runs from July 31, 2023 to May 24, 2024. Lessons occur on the same day and time every week. Please refer to the calendar to view scheduled studio closings.
Summer lessons
Lessons continue throughout June and July on an altered schedule. Lessons are not required for students in the summer, but in order to keep your spot for the fall, students must either attend 2 cumulative hours of lessons between June and July or pay a non-refundable holding fee of the equivalent. Otherwise, the student will forfeit their spot and be moved to the bottom of the waiting list.
Missed & Make-up Lessons
Regular lesson attendance is a vital part of a student’s musical growth. In order to accommodate sickness, travel, event conflicts, or anything that may arise that causes a student to miss a lesson, students are allowed a maximum of two make-up lessons per semester*. After two lessons are missed, any other missed lessons are not eligible to be made up due to the large volume of students and limited availability. If possible, please try to attend an online lesson if you are unable to make it to the studio for your lesson.
*Same day cancellations or no-shows are not eligible for make-up lessons.
-Missed lessons are not credited or refunded in any way. Any lessons not made up by the end of the piano year are forfeited and cannot be made up.
- Make-up lessons that are cancelled or missed will not be rescheduled or made up.
- Lessons cancelled by the instructor will result in a make-up lesson credit in addition to the allotted that does not expire.
- Lessons cancelled due to unsafe driving conditions caused by inclement weather may be attended online instead.
- For the well-being of the instructor and other students, students should not come to their lesson if they are sick with a contagious illness. If able, students may attend an online lesson instead.
Scheduling a Make-up Lesson
Please notify the instructor as soon as you know you will miss a lesson. You will be informed of any upcoming open slots to reschedule, or the missed lesson may be made up during the allotted make-up lesson days. Please refer to the calendar to view scheduled make-up lesson days.
Required Materials
All students must bring a blank notebook solely dedicated to piano to every lesson. Any additional materials assigned by the instructor will be required at every lesson. All students must have weekly access to a well-kept acoustic piano or a quality digital keyboard to practice material covered in the lesson.
Siblings and Children of Students
Siblings with back-to-back lessons that are dropped off together should bring quiet entertainment for themselves, such as an iPad with headphones, a book, or schoolwork to do while they wait through their sibling’s lesson. On a case by case basis, children of adult students may wait in the waiting area with quiet entertainment. If a sibling or child is a consistent distraction for the student in their lesson, they will not be allowed to accompany their sibling or parent to lessons. Headphones, coloring pencils and coloring pages are available to waiting children.
Student arrival and Pick up
Students who are late for their lesson will only be given the remainder of their time, and the missed time is not eligible for make-up or refund. Students who are not picked up promptly at the end of their lesson are encroaching on the next student’s lesson time and/or the instructor’s personal time. Students who are consistently picked up late at the end of their lessons will accrue a late pick-up fee at the instructor's discretion, which will be added to the following month’s tuition. Students may not arrive early to their lesson, unless communicated to and approved by the instructor.
Practicing
When it comes to practicing at home, the quality of time spent at the piano is more important than the quantity of time spent. Fifteen minutes of deliberate, focused, efficient practice is more productive than sixty minutes of mindlessly playing something over and over to pass the time. One of the most important things we do in lessons is to learn how to practice in order to build good habits.
Here are some practice pointers that apply to most students and most situations:
• Practice slowly so it’s easy to keep the flow without pauses, hesitations, or stutters.
• Play small sections at a time.
• Repeat several times in a row (not mindlessly, but with focus).
• Connect small sections together, repeating several times in a row.
• If it’s too hard or you keep making mistakes, go slower or play a smaller section.
If you’re a parent of a piano student, please sit in on some lessons and see how we practice in order to help them use their time effectively at home.
It’s important to practice often. A little bit every day is much better than 6 days of nothing and then 3 hours all at once.
Recitals and Performance Class
There are 2 recitals each year. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in each. There will be a recital fee per student added on to the tuition of the month of the recital. The recital fee is determined based on the number of people performing in the recital and is used to cover the cost of the venue rental fee and refreshments afterwards.
One week before each recital a performance class will be held to give students the opportunity to perform in front of their peers. This can also serve as a make-up lesson for those who need it. All students are strongly encouraged to attend regardless of their need for a make-up lesson.
Discontinuing lessons
Thirty days notice must be given if a student wishes to withdraw from lessons. Outstanding balances must be paid in full before the student’s last scheduled lesson.
Dismissal
A student may be dismissed at any time for reasons including but not limited to:
• Excessive absence or tardiness
• Habitually late or nonpayment of tuition
• Consistent lack of lesson preparation
• Behavior or attitude problems
• Failure to comply with studio policy