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Robin Keehn, Washington

We meet through the end of June and start back in September. However, our students meet every third week during July and August. It gives them a nice break but also keeps them accountable. They pay $23 per lesson. We charge by the lesson and not the month during the summer. They are automatically enrolled for the fall. We have had very few issues with students not coming to summer classes.

I have tried taking a longer summer break or meeting less often but it just doesn’t work. Students lose their progress, get discouraged and are more likely to quit after summer than any other time.

Regarding extended vacations: If someone is going to be gone for a month, we let them know that we’ll meet with them privately (at private rate?) to catch them up with their group when they get back. If they are gone longer than four weeks, they may officially withdraw and we do what we can to put them with a group when they return. Personally, I would rather it be less formal and not make it so official. If someone fills out a withdrawal form, it gives them a psychological end point and it is unlikely that they will ever return. If we just put their enrollment on hold, we keep the connection with them.

We are going to teach workshops this summer for NEW students. We are teaching a regular workshop over five weeks for new students with the last week being an open stage recital. We are also offering a six-week accompaniment workshop for non-SM students with previous experience. We are keeping our tuition low to get people in the door with the hope that they will continue in the fall.

We’ve considered running a Worship Team workshop this summer for our current SM students…still under consideration!

Robin Keehn, Washington

Yes, that is right. We are off for two weeks and teach a full week of regular lessons. Sometimes we schedule our groups at more convenient times–like not right in the middle of the afternoon, if everyone agrees to that.

We do have a yearly registration fee and we make sure our students have paid the fee by June to hold their spot for September. We register students for the fall in early June.

I have had my students pay as they go for the summer but I think we are going to change that. It is too easy to slip through the cracks so this year they will pay for their 3 lessons in July at the first lesson.

I really believe that those regular lessons are imperative in keeping students for the fall. There are too many good intentions and too little follow through without having a lesson on the calendar. The way we do it now makes all the difference in our retention.

I love having some time off during the summer–especially with my children I want time with them. Two weeks off, one on seems like a good compromise.

Roberta B. Michigan

I just continue teaching as usual – the lesson times may change for those who have a stay at home parent to earlier in the day, but I have always told the parents up front that the expectation is students will take lessons year round with the understandable week off for a vacation.

During the summer I’ll have my students concentrate on a special project/projects, i.e. more time on composition with playing/notating the music into my Sibelius 6 program, writing a short musical play, etc. But there is definitely no break in the lessons.

Carrie L. Michigan

It’s good to hear what everyone is doing for summer lessons.

I don’t like teaching the entire summer idea, but I usually only take about three-four weeks off.

Here’s what I think I’m planning on doing this year.

Teach three weeks in June (school’s here are mostly not out till the third week of June this year), but charge for the full month of June (I average for the year and had planned on that and have told students since January that will be the case).

In July I’m going to teach three weeks and August three weeks.

Students can sign up and pay in advance for those weeks.. four or six weeks. I charge in advance for the weeks and have the same make-up policy in the summer.

If a student signs up for summer lessons and pays for June, then they’ll keep their time slot for September. If they opt to take the summer off (July/August) then they can keep their time slot by paying September’s tuition by July. I’m going to give a discount if they pay the Sept. tuition by June I believe.

This year I plan to lump students together by Level in the book and then have larger shared lessons and work on composition, arrangements or special projects.

I have always found that summer is a GREAT marketing time! I lose much less students too if they continue at some capacity in the summer and I tell parents that I don’t recommend taking two months off as they lose too much in that time and spend September in review, thus wasting 3 months of time.

I do a marketing in May for new students in the summer and on average in the past years have started about 15 students or more in the summer. Some just ‘try it out’ and some continue, but it’s a good time to try it out and find out who will be committed.

Cheryl W. Pennsylvania

I also find that when students take a prolonged time off from lessons, they are much more likely to neglect their playlist or to drop lessons completely. For this reason, I would be reluctant to take off the whole summer. Also, I need the income. On the other hand, I think that students need a break, especially those that have taken lessons for a few years, not so much the new ones. I need a break too from teaching every day. So many students go to camp, or vacation, or out of the country, that I just can’t require them to take weekly lessons. Some students are away practically the whole summer.

I require five summer lessons, or the equivalent of five lessons, meaning that two half-hour lessons can be combined into one hour lesson, counting as two lessons. They can schedule all of their lessons in one week if they have to, although this isn’t the best way. This way, even a student that is away practically the whole summer can fulfill the lesson requirement. Let me add that I teach almost all private lessons, so this is workable. The lighter schedule also allows time for new students to enter with no problem.

If someone wants to take more than five lessons they can, but most want only five. I do ask that new students continue to take weekly lessons, except for vacations.

I allow students to schedule lessons in the morning, which they can’t do during the school year. I like teaching in the mornings because I don’t have to teach as late in the evening, and I don’t have to teach as many days a week. For example, I try to take Mondays and Fridays off completely, giving me a long weekend. On the other hand, I always seem to end up teaching just a few students on Saturdays as much as I don’t want to, because some students can only come on the weekend.

Usually my school year ends the third week of June, which is late for some students, as summer activities have already started. This year I’m going to the end of June because there were so many snow days!

I print out a calendar for July and August so the parents can cross off the dates they are NOT available for lessons. They also give me their preference of days and times for lessons. It does take awhile to work out the schedule, which is a pain, but I don’t see a way around it, because during the school year I teach six days a week and I don’t want to do that in the summer. I also want a couple of full weeks off.

During the school year, parents pay annually, quarterly, semi-monthly or monthly (the same price every month no matter whether there are three, four or five lessons that month). If they pay three or more months at a time, they get a 3% discount. Annual payments get a 5% discount. This was the first year I asked parents to pay quarterly if possible. I was surprised that two families paid for the entire year, and lots of families pay quarterly now.

During the summer I charge $XX times five lessons for the summer (or $XX times however many lessons they take for the summer), which they pay in one lump. Added to that is a $35 administrative/registration fee for the fall. On rare occasions, parents have objected to a registration fee, so now I call it an administrative/registration fee 🙂 I feel I am more than entitled to it, with all the extra time I spend outside of lessons, which I don’t have to justify to any of you teachers!

I’ve been doing it this way for many years, and it works for me.