I had an inquiry from a lady today, she and her daughter both want to learn. I was wondering since I require parents to attend lessons anyway, should I charge only one private fee? Two shared lesson fees? I have a pair like that. I just teach and charge for the daughter since the dad has to be there anyway and spend a much larger amount with her and have the…
I am sad to say that my mother-in-law is very ill and may pass any day. I sent an email to my students and parents giving them a head's up. So if/when I have to cancel lessons, they will be ready. Also I did it because it saves talking about it during lesson time. This is when it is hard to be self-employed, as taking time off now, especially after the holidays, is very hard on…
I have a question about the SHM. I talked to my boss at the studio the other day and she was concerned about students possibly discontinuing lessons with me and then proceeding to use the videos and purchasing additional levels to learn the songs. She wanted to know if that is protected against and could this happen? I assured her there are some things that a student can only get in a lesson and the videos…
Sharing a requirement-based success story. I had a family recently whose two children never practiced consistently since they started. I told parents and children consistently the past week before spring break and week following that it wasn't a problem, but that it wasn't going to work for me. The dad talked over me repeatedly, told me he "didn't have time to be a babysitter," and lied about the amount of practice time that had been happening.…
How would you handle this situation: neighbor (parent 2) of a current student (parent 1) was interested in SM; current student parent 1 shares account info just to give the parent 2 neighbor an idea of what the digital materials are like etc. parent 2 enrols son with me, now my student. Both parent 1 and myself have clarified that student accounts are not for sharing materials, and the intent is for each student to have…
Has anyone heard of school teachers saying children should use their own 'internal motivation' rather than pushing them to do something? We were discussing reward for completing tasks. Poor Mum is confused, I am telling her she needs to guide her children, manage their activities and their long term relationships. The school teacher is telling Mum to let her children explore multiple activities, quit if they don't like it and try something else. [answer author="Gabrielle K.,…
Do you have written in your policies, fees that are late incur extra charges? If so, how much extra do you charge? $20 late fee, no exceptions. My invoice says no places held without payment. I charge $25 if an invoice is more than 5 days overdue. Invoices come out a few days before the end of the month and payment…
I'd love to get feedback on how you handle absences from students who are ill. I offer make-up lessons or even extended lessons to "make up" the time. Also, what about adults or youth who are so involved in other activities that they aren't always able to commit to a lesson/week? Does anyone have a minimum monthly requirement? Just wondered... If students are ill they miss that week, I don't do…
If you have a new family who doesn't comply to the kind of payment method you specified, would you not take this student? I would rather not. I have lost students over this but if they are unwilling to accept your policies, things tend to be challenging over other things later (like practicing, being on time, etc). Having said that, it does depend on what they don't agree with. I have…
I want to schedule make-up lessons for all my families whose lessons were canceled because of snow. What is your policy on bad weather? I charge by the month, not by the lesson, but the understanding is they get weekly lessons except for pre-planned holidays like Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Independence Day. I don't typically try to reschedule. My policy for inclement weather is that I credit them for 1/2 the cost…
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