Ages 8-13 I offer basic lessons in beginner piano, theory, rhythm, pitch matching, and a basic healthy vocal technique. This is perfect for a young child with a talent that wants to develop a strong foundation for future growth in vocal performance.
Ages 14- Adult I offer private lessons with a strong emphasis on building a strong and healthy vocal technique, as well as developing strong performance skills. These students will build a strong musicianship and performance value through development of pieces to be performed in the community and on studio recitals. Beginning students typically start with a half-hour lesson and move on towards hour lessons as they progress in their study.
Audition Preparation Some high school students preparing to enter college may be interested in taking a limited number of coachings to prepare for scholarship auditions at prospective colleges. I offer one hour sessions which focus on basic technique improvements, bringing pieces to life in performance, and coaching in audition skills that will give you added confidence to achieve success on your audition day.
Enrollment and Payment Policy
When signing up for lessons you are committing to a weekly appointment for the duration of the semester in which you are signing up for lessons. Tuition for lessons can be paid in one of two different ways. You can choose to pay in full at the beginning of the semester for the entire semester, or you can opt to be billed monthly for payment due at the 1st lesson of the each month during the semester. Failure to pay in full for the month by the 7th of the month will result in a $10 late fee. Payment can be made in the form of cash or personal check. If your personal check is returned for any reason, you will be billed for the $12 fee that is charged to me by Chase Bank. I do realize that sickness and other unexpected circumstances may arise. For that reason I’ve built in “make-up” dates into the semester schedule, where you will have the option to make up any lessons missed during the course of the semester. Please make arrangements for the make-up lesson with Craig individually, as they will be on a first come first serve basis. I will also offer openings due to cancellations to the entire studio for make-up lessons. For that reason, if you are going to cancel, please give 48 hours notice so that I have time to offer the opening to another student as a make-up.
Tuition must be paid whether you attend or not, as my time is contracted to each individual student for the dates as promised above. Tuition pays not only for the lesson but for expenses such as time spent planning, photocopies, practice recordings, keeping my music library up-to-date, time spent researching and planning community performances and other audition opportunities, as well as time spent studying new teaching techniques and professional standards.
Students are expected to arrive on time for lessons. If you arrive late you may miss that portion of your lesson in order for the studio to remain on time.
If students are not making adequate progress, they may be asked not to continue at the end of a semester. Students may go through difficult periods while learning and perfecting their performances. That is a normal experience for musicians at all levels. Parents are encouraged to call or email with any concerns or questions they may have regarding a student’s progress.
If the student chooses to discontinue lessons, a two- week notification is expected to allow time for their spot to be filled. If a student is a no-call, no-show for two consecutive weeks it will be assumed that they are forfeiting their spot to someone on the waiting list. If the student should choose to return, they will be required to wait for the next available opening. Frequent cancellation will also result in being asked to leave the studio.