Illness Prevention

1. ​​Please do not come if you have any coughs, colds, flu, fever, vomiting, Covid, feeling ill or have any contagious illness. 

2. Online lessons will be available for the days you are sick during your regular lesson with at least 30-minutes notice.

When You Arrive for Lessons:

1. Students wait in their vehicle until I come to the door to indicate that I am ready for you. Parents will wait in the vehicle, please.  I may request for parents to sit in on the lesson in special circumstances.

2. Remove your coat and shoes.  Put your shoes on top of the dog crate as our labs love to steal shoes. 

3. Set your music up on the piano so we can begin lessons.       

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Studio Policies & Expectations

• ​​Payment is always due the FIRST day of each month: September 1, October 1, etc. Payments are be made through e-transfer to   lori.cummings44@gmail.com .  Invoices will be sent by email the last week of the month ) and receipts will be issued once payment is received.  Repeated late payments will result in being dismissal of the student from the program.

• Missed lessons are still charged.  This reserves your weekly time slot.   I will only wait for 10 minutes for students to arrive in-person or online.  After that, the lesson is considered cancelled. If you are having difficulties getting online, please contact me within those 10 minutes so that I can help to resolve the issue. 

• ​Storm Days:  In the event that of inclement weather, lessons for that day will switch to an online lesson. All students will be issued a Zoom link for the year in September. 

• ​Rates: The cost per lesson is $24 for each 30-minute lesson, $36 for a 45-minute lesson and $48 for an hour lesson.

•  ​The Lesson Year runs September 14th to June 18th, 2027.  Students are expected to attend lessons until June 18th, 2027 and will be charged accordingly.  If a student decides to discontinue lessons early, one month of fees past the final month that the student attends lessons will be charged.

•  ​Statutory Holidays: I close for most statutory holidays as well as the school breaks at Christmas and March Break.  I am open during Professional Learning days. I may open some holiday Mondays due to the large number of holidays that fall on Mondays.

• Vacations: Any vacations taken outside of the times that I am closed will still be charged, (except during July and August) as those are regularly scheduled lesson times and your lesson slots have been reserved for those weeks.

• Summer Lessons are optional.  Payment is made the first day of the month, but the number of lessons is flexible to accommodate vacations, summer camps and day trips.  Students do not have to pay for weeks that they are away during the summer if notice is given prior to the invoice for that month’s lessons being sent. A minimum of 5 lessons are required to enroll in the Summer Lesson Program

•  ​Please come prepared with your binder and any books we are using. Have your practice times recorded on your homework sheet.  Students are expected to use a binder for their sheet music. 

•  ​Sheet Music: I compose and arrange a wide variety of sheet music, all of which is available on www.sheetmusicplus.com and www.sheetmusicdirect.com.  I do not charge my students for their sheet music.  However, If I purchase a song for you that is over $6.00 that you request, I will request payment for that song.

• ​Books: Students are required to pay for all books that we may use.  I will send the information for the book to you, including a link where it is available for purchase. 

Practice Tips

• Practice plays a vital role in becoming a successful pianist. 

• Form your routine early:  First thing in the morning, after school, before supper, after supper or before going to bed.

• Practice the same time daily so that it becomes a habit.  Make it part of your homework routine.

• Parents should help younger students, guiding them as they practice and helping them to stay focused yet having fun

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Practice Expectations by Age Level

• ​Students are expected to practice a minimum of 5 days a week. 

• Students record their practice times on their weekly homework sheet, then receive stickers for their practice. 

• After 20 stickers, they will receive a prize from the Treasure Box. 

​Grades K-2

• Beginners:  Each song 5x a day = 1 sticker

• Experienced: 15-20 minutes a day, every 10 minutes = 1 sticker

Grades 3-5:

• Beginners: 15-20 minutes a day, every 15 minutes = 1 sticker ​

• Experienced: 30 minutes a day, every 15 minutes =1 sticker

Grades 6-12, Adults:

• 30-45 minutes a day. 

• For those who want to do the Treasure Box, every 15 minutes = 1 sticker​

Online Lessons

​​Online lessons are taught over Zoom using an interactive program that enhances the learning environment of the students.  Students may use a tablet or a laptop.  You need to be set up that I can see your hand position on the piano.  Placing your tablet or laptop at the end of the keyboard on a stand is preferred. Lessons follow the same procedure as in-person lessons, except that they are held at your home with your keyboard:

• Starting the Lesson: Log into the Zoom link sent to you in September. Be sure to have your audio options set for “Original Sound for Musicians” so that it will show up on the main screen and can be turned on easily at the beginning of each lesson. Otherwise, I will not be able to hear your piano.

• Sheet Music: I will send you the music before your lesson by email or by Messenger for you to print off at home.  Please have it printed double-sided (except for 2-page songs), holes punched in it and inserted into your binder at the back before your lesson. 

•  ​​Materials you will need at home:  a binder for your music, a hole punch to put holes in your music to put in your binder (sheets should be put in order that we learn them), a sharpened pencil to be kept on your piano, highlighters in a case in the following colours: pink, green, blue, orange, yellow, purple and a thin red marker.  

•  Parent Involvement: For students ages in Kindergarten through Grade 2, I do request that parents be present for the online lessons to help in case the student needs a bit of extra help.  This helps to keep them focused during the lesson.  While I do what I can to keep their attention, sometimes they need that little extra help to focus or to follow their music.

• ​Rewards: Students will still be expected to practice as mentioned above and record their practice time. We will choose Treasure Box items 3 times a year. Parents may then make arrange to come pick them up at my place.