The Piano Room

Students at The Piano Room benefit from a well-balanced program of musical activities designed to strengthen theory and keyboard knowledge while developing creative and performance skills. Lessons are customized to each student’s strengths, goals, and learning style. A recital is offered each spring and students are invited to play anytime at the church where I am Music Director.

I strongly believe my work is only successful if you are enjoying what you are learning. While structure is beneficial, please never hesitate to let me know if there are other topics you want to explore. This is your work — I consider myself to be your resource. Your time commitment outside of lessons is imperative to your success/ progress, which directly impacts your enjoyment. We all reap what we sow, and musical appetite comes with “eating”. Most learning takes place in a student’s application of what is learned at lessons. It’s my job, then, to equip you to be an independent learner and to guide your practice time so it’s most efficient and effective (and fun!).

Contact me today to schedule a complimentary meet-and-greet session, whether in-person or online.

Starting September 1st, 2020, I have decided to offer the option for in-person lessons to those who feel comfortable with my safety policy as outlined below. The choice is entirely yours with the understanding that there is no way to guarantee 100% protection and that the option for in-person lessons will also hinge on community spread updates. Meanwhile, I continue to invest in learning more teaching skills on Zoom to maximize use of my two-screen system.

Students who opt for in-person lessons would need to agree to the following Safety Policy:

1. Students who exhibit symptoms of fever, coughing and shortness of breath need to stay home & arrange for a Zoom lesson/ or video instead.

2. Students who travel outside of Maine will follow the state quarantine requirements at the time of their travel. At this time, the requirement is that children 18 and younger do not need to test if their parent(s) with whom they traveled receive a negative COVID-19 test. If no COVID test happens, a 14-day quarantine is required.

3. Wearing face masks is required — I will keep spare masks on hand for those who forget.

4. Only students are allowed to enter through the front door — I ask that parents/others remain outside to drop off and pick up students. The less unnecessary touching of surfaces, the better.

5. The bathroom will be available to those who need it, and I will also have a big bottle of hand sanitizer in the front entry hall too, as an additional option for those who do not need to use the toilet. The hand sanitizer I provide will be CDC approved with at least 60% alcohol. In addition, the bathroom fan vents to the outside, so we will keep the bathroom fan running at all times, and when students are done using the bathroom, we will leave the bathroom door open so the fan will keep conducting air outside.

6. AIR QUALITY: I have a Eureka Air Purifier NEA120 with a true HEPA filter right beside the upright piano where students will be seated — it was recommended by a medical nurse. The true HEPA filter captures 99. 7% of dust and airborne allergens as small as 0. 3 microns such as household dust, model, pet dander, and pollen. It has a UV LED with TiO2 that is supposed to effectively reduce bacteria, virus and mold spores. This is not bullet-proof, of course. There will be some outside air from open windows upstairs; I cannot open windows near the pianos.

7. Students will be seated at the upright piano, and I will be seated at the grand which is at least 12 feet away. I normally touch students' hands sometimes in order to help them feel gestures and hand position, but we will be sure to keep a 6-foot distance at all times.

8. SANITIZATION: There will be a plexiglass covering on the music rack to facilitate sanitizing between students. I will also sanitize the keyboard and chair between each student with EPA-approved emerging viral pathogen products that they claim to be effective against SARS-CoV-2. I will completely sanitize the bathroom and door knobs at the end of each day.

No make-up lessons are offered, but here are a number of creative options:

1. If you know you will need to miss a lesson, you are welcome to arrange a swap with another student for that week (consult SWAP LIST), or consult the teacher about possible flex time (see schedule);
    
2. Under special circumstances (i.e. snow, travel, illness, etc.) and with sufficient planning, we can do virtual lessons on Zoom during your regular lesson time. Communication is key. 
    
3. If neither of the above apply, I will make a video to support the student’s learning that week.

I am always available to teach regardless of the weather. Regardless of school cancellations, I will assume you are coming. However, if you are not confident about the travel conditions, please send me a text or call my cell, so we can arrange for a Zoom lesson instead during your same lesson time. The lesson is forfeited if you decide not to come for other reasons (i.e. you want to go skiing instead).

Specific times are set aside for specific students. A student who does not attend a lesson will simply miss the benefit of that lesson. A missed lesson does not affect the due date for tuition payment. Please be assured that tuition pays for far more than the time spent with the student: it covers planning, researching, and problem-solving for the student. There will be no refunds. Lessons canceled by the teacher are credited to the following month — no charge. A pattern of missed lessons without prior notice or valid cause may result in the loss of your lesson time. If you plan on taking a leave of absence during the school year, a 75% payment on weeks to be missed will be required in order to hold your lesson time until your return.

The Swap List is a copy of the teacher’s schedule with students’ names and email addresses. Inclusion on the swap list is optional. You can use the list to try to arrange a swap with another student if you discover a conflict with your lesson time. Please email the person directly with whom you wish to swap; please do not email the entire studio with a swap request. If a swap is successfully arranged, the teacher must be notified!
 

If two students arrive at the same time due to a swap list miscommunication, I will teach the student whose lesson is usually scheduled for that slot.
 

The teacher may veto a swap if circumstances necessitate it (i.e. recital preparation). There are also cases of differing lesson lengths that make swaps impractical, unless the student with a longer lesson is willing to forfeit the extra lesson time.