Membership Policy

[Updated August 2022]

All students are required to follow this policy September-June. 

July-August: option to continue monthly membership or follow an alternative summer policy

Studio Info: 

22021 SE 261st Pl, Maple Valley, WA 98038

Monday-Saturday. Hours vary.

425-243-3238  - text or email is best 

*Allergy alert: our home studio has a dog. He does not enter the studio during lessons but often visits the studio space outside of lessons.

Teachers:

Aubrey Wandler - owner, piano & ukulele teacher

Jodi Stoddard - piano & ukulele teacher

Lesson Options and Tuition

Weekly Lesson Option	Tuition* effective July 2023
30-minute private lesson **	$104 / month
60-minute 2-sibling group	$130 per student / month
45-minute private lesson	$156 / month

*Books and Materials are not included in tuition.

** Only Jodi offers 30m lessons.

In studio vs Online:

Lessons are available in studio, online, or a mix of both. Any lesson can switch to online as needed (sickness, convenience, etc).

Some parts of the schedule are restricted to online-only. Receive a $5/mo tuition discount if you are scheduled in an online-restricted lesson for the term. 

Studio Communications:

Email is the only way to receive major studio communications. Parents/guardians are responsible for reading studio emails thoroughly in a timely manner to avoid missing important details and deadlines related to lessons. Studio wide emails can also be found in the student portal.

Studio Expectations:

A guardian must wait with students until greeted by the teacher. Students must be with a guardian or teacher at all times (no waiting drop-offs). If you choose to leave during the lesson, prompt pickup is extremely important.

All studio visitors are expected to drive safely and be respectful of the neighbors and neighborhood. Cars must park in the studio driveway (no street parking allowed).  

Billing:

Tuition is due the 5th of each month. Invoices are provided via email at least 10 days before the due date. 

Auto-pay (optional) is processed on the 25th of the month for the next month's tuition. Help us reduce fees by using ACH, check, or cash payment options when possible.

Payments not received by the 5th of the month will incur a $15 late fee. Multiple late payments will be required to setup auto-pay or may be removed from the schedule. 

Accepted payment methods include cash, check, ACH, credit/debit (through Stripe).

Tuition & studio cancellations:

Tuition is a monthly studio membership fee determined by lesson length that includes a dedicated lesson time, access to PracticeSpace support, additional lesson openings, studio events, recitals and more. 

This monthly membership fee is not reduced or credited for reasons including student cancellations, sickness, holidays, or scheduled studio closures.

If teachers need to cancel a lesson, we will try to reschedule within a week of the cancellation when possible. 2 teacher cancellations are included in the tuition calculation for the year and will not be credited.  Cancellations that are not rescheduled beyond the allotted 2 will be credited toward the next month's bill.

Sibling Groups:

Families with 2 students in lessons are invited to have lessons together. In addition to playing duets and games together, each student will receive individual instruction time. While one works with the teacher, the other works on theory activities and practice with headphones. 

Groups are restricted to studio-only for regular scheduling. If online is needed on occasion, each student will receive 30 minutes of online instruction. 

If one student cannot attend, the other will receive a 45 minute private lesson for the day. Should both students cancel and another group spot is not available, each student may take a 30 minute private lesson if available. 

Additional lessons & cancelled/missed lessons:

Missed lessons are not credited and 'make-up credits' are not accrued. By missing your lesson, you simply miss that benefit of membership. 

Lessons can be rescheduled using the student portal if openings are available. Openings are created when another student cancels and may not always be available.

It is important that families communicate cancellations whenever possible so other students can make use of the lesson time. Frequent missed lessons may result in removal from the schedule.

Discontinue or Pausing Lessons:

Lessons are an ongoing commitment and planning/preparation is done in advance. 

If pausing or discontinuing lessons, 30 days' notice is required and the equivalent fee due. 

Maintaining studio placement through an absence is only possible if the full tuition is paid during the absence. Lessons can often be adapted to work with injuries or times away from the instrument. Students that take a break without continued tuition will lose studio placement and join the waitlist when they wish to return. 

Summer Requirement:

In July/August, students are required to continue monthly tuition or pay for a minimum of 5 lessons at the per-lesson rate to maintain studio placement.

Summer scheduling is flexible to accommodate vacations and schedule changes.

See summer policy here

Lessons will be discontinued for failure to follow these studio policies.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is included in my monthly tuition?

• A dedicated weekly lesson time during regular scheduled weeks.
• Studio performances and student events (recitals, piano parties, workshops, etc.)
• Printed materials (sheet music, worksheets, games, etc.)
• Access to the lending library of music and games
• Use of studio subscriptions (PracticeSpace, Piano Maestro, Sproutbeat, PianoGameClub, etc.)

Are there any additional charges?

Lesson books and purchased materials are not included in monthly tuition. New books are usually about $25 and needed every 3-6 months depending on the student. Some performances may also have a small fee ($5-10/student). These items are billed with the next tuition payment when they are needed or purchasing information is provided.

What if I need to miss a lesson?

If you cannot attend a lesson, cancel it via the calendar or email/text the studio.  Reschedule using available openings on the calendar if desired. Other students may switch to your cancelled spot which in turn opens up other times for you to use. The student/family is responsible for using the calendar to manage schedule changes and check for openings. 

Rescheduling within the same week of a cancellation is not always possible. Lessons scheduled outside the week of a missed lesson do not hold the same educational value as the missed lesson. We recommend using your scheduled lesson time whenever possible.

How is the monthly tuition determined? Why doesn't it change when there are closures?

All lessons for the year plus the small costs associated with lessons are averaged into equal monthly payments. A flat monthly rate helps keep lessons budget friendly and predictable.

What if I need to change my schedule for sports or other long-term conflicts?

For conflicts lasting a few weeks, use available openings to reschedule or offline support through PracticeSpace for feedback when attending a lesson is not possible.

For a permanent lesson change, email the studio to request a lesson swap as soon as you become aware of a conflict. Swaps take time to arrange and depend on an opening or another student able to swap.

Students that choose to discontinue tuition payments for any reason will lose placement in the studio. Returning students join new students on the wait-list for openings.

What if we cannot (or should not) come to the studio but want a lesson? (weather, sickness, travel, etc)  

For the health and safety of all studio members, we appreciate keeping your student home when somebody is sick. Schedule an online lesson in place of your studio lesson or reschedule for another time if available. Sick students will be turned away from studio lessons.