The calendar year is divided into three trimesters, Fall, Spring and Summer.

Fall Trimester: September-December

Spring Trimester: January-April

Summer Trimester: May-August.

Tuition is paid in three equal payments at the first lesson of each Trimester or in four equal monthly payments per trimester. Private piano instruction is offered at 30, 45 and 60 minute lesson lengths. Each Trimester consists of 14 Weekly Private lessons.

For information regarding specific lesson rates please email tallahasseepianoacademy@gmail.com or use the contact form to schedule a free trial lesson where we can discuss the rates and policies further.

A ~ 3-week gap in between each trimester allows for make-up lessons, office hours, and administrative time. Note that the studio calendar and the tuition fees are subject to change at the beginning of the calendar year.

Tuition covers far more than the weekly lesson time alloted for the student. There is a lot happening behind the scenes to make sure that lessons run smoothly and so students get the best possible piano education. Also, as a self employed piano instructor, we must factor in administration time, health insurance, and retirement into costs.

Semester tuition pays for:

A weekly lesson time that has been reserved exclusively for the student

Time preparing for the individual student

• For every one hour of lesson time you are investing in at least 2 hours of the teachers time

• Selecting and purchasing lesson materials

• Short and Long Term Lesson Planning

Administrative Time

Recital costs and preparations

Studio piano tuning and maintenance

Piano insurance

Enrolment for participation in professional development organizations such as Music Teacher National Association

Computer software and website domain costs

Subscriptions to professional piano pedagogy journals

• to stay up to date in the field of Piano Pedagogy

Continuing education opportunities

Health Insurance

Retirement

Property Taxes

Self Employment Taxes

Business License expenses

LLC costs

If tuition payment is not received within one week of the due date, a late fee of $50 will be applied to the current trimester’s tuition and will be due and owing.

Committing to one full trimester of lessons, at minimum, allows the student and teacher to make progress and gives an opportunity for the student to make an educated decision if piano lessons at this academy are right for them.

If you must terminate lessons, please give the teacher 4 weeks advance notice prior to stopping lessons. Less than 4 weeks of notice will result in a fine of $200 and any payment that has yet to be made will be due and owing. The teacher reserves the right to terminate lessons with a student at the end of a trimester.

Please give 24-hours of notice for any missed lesson. If 24 hours of notice is given, one make up lesson may be arranged for the end of the trimester. Any lesson missed without 24 hour notice will not be accommodated with a make up lesson. Only one make up lesson is guaranteed per trimester.

Teacher missed lessons will be made up at the end of the trimester, if not sooner.

You may opt into a lesson swap list at the beginning of each trimester. Names and phone numbers will be shared with other students on this list. If a lesson time becomes problematic, please check the lesson swap list as you may call/email other students on the list to trade times, either temporarily or permanently. Before committing to changing a lesson time with another student, even if only temporarily, make sure to email the teacher to confirm with 24 hours notice if possible.

Students should arrive with enough time to begin their lesson at their scheduled time.

All material assigned by the teacher will be brought by the student to each lesson, including a pencil and notepad.

No food or drink is allowed in the piano studio.

Students must wash their hands prior to using the pianos in the studio.

Students must keep their fingernails trimmed so proper hand positioning and technique may be established.

Practice:

Students are asked to practice 3-6 days a week and to treat their piano assignments with the same prioritization as homework. The quality of practice is more important the amount of time practicing, which is why parental involvement for young beginners and students with special needs is so important. The teacher will speak more specifically about length of time pertaining to the individual student at their lessons. Without regular practice, students cannot be expected to make consistent progress. If students come to lesson unprepared 3 or more times in a row, the teacher may choose to terminate lessons.

Method books, repertoire books, and other supplemental lesson materials will be purchased by the student according to the teacher’s recommendations. Lesson materials can range in prices, but you can estimate a spending cost of $50 per trimester for necessary materials. Your teacher will discuss these lesson materials with you at your first lesson.

For students below age 13, parents are required to attend and quietly observe the first month of lessons in order to understand how to best facilitate practicing at home. They are strongly encouraged to keep observing until their child enters high school. For young beginning students and students with special needs, parental involvement can be paramount in developing successful practice habits at home.

The teacher has the right to ask the parent to cease lesson observations if the presence of the parent is altering the quality of the lesson negatively.

Short answer is yes! Students must have a piano or keyboard to practice on regularly in order to begin lessons.

Acoustic pianos are much preferred, but electric keyboards with 88 touch sensitive weighted keys, equipped with a sustain pedal and proper bench height will be suitable.

Additional supplemental music will be provided to students to check out in the studio lending library free of charge. Students must take proper care of the music and return the music in the same condition as it was received. If damaged music is returned to the library, the price of the new score will be charged to the student account and will be due and owing. Most material will not be available in the lending library and will be purchased by by the student.

Please refrain from coming to the piano studio when feeling sick. Students must be 24 hours free of fever before entering the piano studio. If a fever is present 24 hours prior, please contact the studio at this time.

We want to protect all students, family members and the teacher from potential illness so we can keep exploring music together.

Virtual lessons are always available if the student is feeling ill. Please let the instructor know as soon as possible to allow them to set up the virtual lesson space.

By agreeing to the Academy Policies, you grant Devin Weckstein permission to use photographs and video recordings of the student for purposes, such as, but not limited to: educational development, promotion/advertising, and website development. Collected media can be used for a variety of purposes with or without further notification. You further acknowledge that you will not be compensated for these uses and that Devin Weckstein owns the rights to this media and it’s iterations.

If you are parking at the studio address for your lesson, or to pick up the student from their lesson, please be mindful of others who use this space.

Enrolling in the summer trimester automatically saves a spot for you in the fall trimester. Students that do not choose to enroll in summer lessons will risk losing their preferred lesson time in the following fall trimester and will be put on the academy waitlist.

In addition to term tuition there is a processing fee of 3.5% which will be added on each transaction.