Avon Mountain Suzuki
Violin School
Growing Beautiful Violinists in the Heart of Central Connecticut 

Expectations

Your child’s progress is directly related to the quality of instruction from the teacher and the practice time you put in together at home. Just as a baby learns to talk through daily vocal interaction, we practice our violin each day to gain ability, ease, and fluency on the instrument. Beginners should expect to play 15-20 minutes a day. Singing and listening to the Suzuki Book CD is central to the Suzuki Method of teaching. In lessons, we sing frequently to embody the music we are learning. Once the mind and heart know the piece of music, it is much easier to teach the body. Please make daily listening to the Suzuki CD an absolute priority. Joining the studio is a commitment to the entire program: individual lessons, group lessons, parent involvement, and consistent daily practicing and listening. Our program is year-round, and I cannot offer a spot to a current student for the upcoming school year if they discontinue lessons for the summer. 

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Tuition and Billing

Semester Tuition includes weekly private lessons, twice monthly group classes, parent education class, and recital fees. Tuition is due in full at the beginning of the semester or in monthly installments at the first lesson of each month. I now have Venmo, and also accept checks made out to me. Late tuition will result in a $10 late fee.

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 Lesson Etiquette and Logistics

Our studio is a place of encouragement, engaged learning, and love of music. Please come in when it is time for your lesson and remove your shoes on the mat. Please make sure your child has clean hands and trimmed nails for his or her lesson. Siblings are welcome in lessons if they can remain quietly engaged with a toy, book, or snack so that parent, student, and teacher can focus on learning and does not detract from the learning environment.

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Attendance and Makeup Policy

My goal as a teacher is to provide high quality, personalized instruction to every child, and to prioritize my own continued learning and growth as a teacher and musician for the students’ benefit. I take your child’s progress very seriously, and I ask that you do the same by prioritizing violin events in the case of conflicts with lessons, group classes, and recitals (except in cases of emergency or illness). In the case of lesson conflicts, I ask that you switch lesson times with another student in the studio for the week that you have a conflict. If you are traveling or are feeling sick, I am happy to offer a Skype lesson. If you need to miss a lesson, please let me know as soon as possible so I can make appropriate use of the time that I have reserved for you.  I offer one makeup day at the end of the semester. Because there are ample opportunities for lesson swaps and a makeup day, I do not refund or discount tuition except in cases of emergency. 

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Role of the Parent and Parent Education

Parents of students ages 13 and younger must attend each lesson with his or her child. Dr. Suzuki designed the Suzuki Method to utilize the nurturing and trusting relationship shared between parent and child. As the teacher, it is my job in the lesson to equip the parent to be the practice assistant at home. Parents of beginners will learn to play the instrument alongside the child. Please plan to take notes on the practice chart and if desired, record the lesson. Please do not use your cell phone during lessons except to record the lesson. Having more than one voice of direction in lessons can be confusing for a child. For that reason, I ask that you remain a silent observer unless we are working together on a specific activity. Please always ask questions for clarification or further understanding of a concept. I am happy to receive pictures or videos along with questions during the week if you encounter issues during your practice time.