"My granddaughter has been taking piano lessons at the Music Studio for 4 years! She has progressed so well under the guidance of their wonderful program! I highly recommend taking piano lessons here. Wonderful atmosphere and wonderful people!"
Kathy, Stafford VA
How long do I have to commit to lessons? Is there a contract?
While we hope that you'll love our lessons so much that you'll take forever, we do not ask our families to sign a contract for any specific length of time. Lessons simply continue on a month-to-month basis. We do ask that new families to read and sign our studio policies regarding procedure, payments, and the calendar, prior to beginning lessons.
Is your Lesson Program for Piano & Strings a group setting?
Yes, most of what we offer is small group accelerated instruction. And, our program is specifically designed to help students progress faster and with stronger reading skills.
Why do kids progress faster in the Lesson Program for Piano & Strings? How can "group" be better than "private" instruction?
It's true...our students do progress faster in our group Lesson Programs than they do in Private lessons. The key to the "accelerated" part is the lesson length and teaching style.
First, our groups are not collaborative. Each student in the class works independently (with headphones) at their perfect pace, and is instructed at their level. Classes are a mix of ages and levels, and students are neither held back nor pressured to compete with others. A teacher is always at the ready to present a new concept from the lesson book, answer a question, or listen to a finished song.
Second, each weekly class is 60 minutes. The longer session allows for time to learn plenty of new music and practice it during the lesson. When a new song is completely mastered, it's listed on the student's assignment page for rehearsal at home, and we move forward to a new song!
Third, the hour-long lesson allows the teacher to step away (although we're always on the lookout for struggles) and let students work more independently. We have noted a huge increase in student confidence and initiative, and they typically will accomplish well beyond our expectations.
Finally, students play A LOT of music in an hour. More music = better sightreading.
Won't students miss the personal one-to-one time with the teacher if they are in a group?
Nope. They get plenty of one-to-one personal attention in the group Lesson Program, and have lots of fun!
Not to bash private lessons. We used to offer them exclusively. We still offer them in special circumstances. But, when stacked against the benefits of the accelerated group Lesson Program structure -- the group lessons win! Our group students focus better, work more thoroughly and conscientiously through their songs, are more motivated, confident, and sight-read like crazy. And, when students read well, playing feels easy and they want to keep playing!
Are parents allowed to sit in on lessons? Do parents have to be present during lessons?
Of course, parents are always allowed to be with their children during lessons, if they wish. We have an open door policy at The Music Studio. There is also a waiting area separate from the classrooms, for convenience. However, if you need to run errands or get siblings to other activities, drop and go is OK, too.
Do you offer Private Lessons?
We do offer private lessons, which are 30 minutes weekly, to our very young students (ages 6 and younger) and to those students with special needs. We also offer private instruction to advanced students, but recommend at least 45 to 60 minutes of lesson time weekly.
Are group lessons less/more expensive compared to private lessons?
Both our group Lesson Program (60 minutes weekly) and our Private Lesson Program (30 minutes weekly) are exactly the same cost.
What if I have to miss a lesson?
Students in the group Lesson Program may simply reschedule into another class if they have a conflict or get sick.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash or checks. On occasion, we set up a PayPal option when offering special short-term sessions or camps, but otherwise cannot accept on-line or automatic payments.
While we hope that you'll love our lessons so much that you'll take forever, we do not ask our families to sign a contract for any specific length of time. Lessons simply continue on a month-to-month basis. We do ask that new families to read and sign our studio policies regarding procedure, payments, and the calendar, prior to beginning lessons.
Is your Lesson Program for Piano & Strings a group setting?
Yes, most of what we offer is small group accelerated instruction. And, our program is specifically designed to help students progress faster and with stronger reading skills.
Why do kids progress faster in the Lesson Program for Piano & Strings? How can "group" be better than "private" instruction?
It's true...our students do progress faster in our group Lesson Programs than they do in Private lessons. The key to the "accelerated" part is the lesson length and teaching style.
First, our groups are not collaborative. Each student in the class works independently (with headphones) at their perfect pace, and is instructed at their level. Classes are a mix of ages and levels, and students are neither held back nor pressured to compete with others. A teacher is always at the ready to present a new concept from the lesson book, answer a question, or listen to a finished song.
Second, each weekly class is 60 minutes. The longer session allows for time to learn plenty of new music and practice it during the lesson. When a new song is completely mastered, it's listed on the student's assignment page for rehearsal at home, and we move forward to a new song!
Third, the hour-long lesson allows the teacher to step away (although we're always on the lookout for struggles) and let students work more independently. We have noted a huge increase in student confidence and initiative, and they typically will accomplish well beyond our expectations.
Finally, students play A LOT of music in an hour. More music = better sightreading.
Won't students miss the personal one-to-one time with the teacher if they are in a group?
Nope. They get plenty of one-to-one personal attention in the group Lesson Program, and have lots of fun!
Not to bash private lessons. We used to offer them exclusively. We still offer them in special circumstances. But, when stacked against the benefits of the accelerated group Lesson Program structure -- the group lessons win! Our group students focus better, work more thoroughly and conscientiously through their songs, are more motivated, confident, and sight-read like crazy. And, when students read well, playing feels easy and they want to keep playing!
Are parents allowed to sit in on lessons? Do parents have to be present during lessons?
Of course, parents are always allowed to be with their children during lessons, if they wish. We have an open door policy at The Music Studio. There is also a waiting area separate from the classrooms, for convenience. However, if you need to run errands or get siblings to other activities, drop and go is OK, too.
Do you offer Private Lessons?
We do offer private lessons, which are 30 minutes weekly, to our very young students (ages 6 and younger) and to those students with special needs. We also offer private instruction to advanced students, but recommend at least 45 to 60 minutes of lesson time weekly.
Are group lessons less/more expensive compared to private lessons?
Both our group Lesson Program (60 minutes weekly) and our Private Lesson Program (30 minutes weekly) are exactly the same cost.
What if I have to miss a lesson?
Students in the group Lesson Program may simply reschedule into another class if they have a conflict or get sick.
What forms of payment do you accept?
We accept cash or checks. On occasion, we set up a PayPal option when offering special short-term sessions or camps, but otherwise cannot accept on-line or automatic payments.
Would you like to schedule a time to visit our studio for a tour, and possibly sample a lesson?
Click here to view our calendar openings (these are not the open lesson times, just available meeting times):
Click here to view our calendar openings (these are not the open lesson times, just available meeting times):