Studio Purpose Statement:

I am passionate about music and igniting its love in others. My highest goals through my piano teaching are first, that I encourage students in a lasting love for music, and secondly, that I cultivate my students' musical skills in multiple areas—focusing on their specific musical interests and inclinations—so that they can play to the best of their ability and thrive in the process of learning music they enjoy.

My studio offers piano lessons that share influence from Montessori philosophies. Each student taking lessons deserves to work at a pace that fits their lifestyle, to achieve the ability to pursue genres of their own interest, and to learn how to play the music they love independently. Music is a way of life, and, during lessons, students will work with me to find a rhythm in their music practices to enrich their experiences every day.

Attendance Policy

  • If a student misses a lesson, the lesson fee still stands, since piano lessons are a subscription-based service. (For more info, see FAQ) 

  • For vacations, sickness, or general absence please communicate to me in advance that your child will be absent. If notified in advance, I will check my month’s schedule to see if I can reschedule the lesson if there is another open slot available from another student’s absence. However, if there is not another absence that month to reschedule to, we will continue lessons the following week.

  • For private students, makeup lessons will be offered at the address of 46307 Rue Purchase Road Unit A, Lexington Park, MD 20653 or conducted via FaceTime or Zoom meeting. For Bay Montessori students, lessons will be provided at school during school hours. If I can provide availability, parents are responsible for checking if a makeup lesson time works with their classroom teacher.

  • I will not look into providing a makeup lesson unless a parent notifies me in advance of an absence and asks for a makeup lesson. Even so, I cannot guarantee that a makeup slot will be available, since all lesson slots are booked for the entire week during my working hours.

  • If I need to cancel a lesson due to my own illness, bad weather, or a schedule conflict, there will be no lesson charge. No lessons will be held/charged on federal holidays, unless I communicate an exception. I will communicate any breaks ahead of time. Please check the studio calendar page for upcoming dates. Bay Montessori students’ parents should check updates on Bloomz for any school-related piano schedule information.

  • Bay Montessori students’ parents are expected to check updates on Bloomz regularly. Bay Montessori students will receive school-specific updates in the piano club group (includes ukulele students, voice students, and general music students). For a group-related messages, I will rely on parents reading my posts promptly, and will not be reaching via direct message or text.

Studio Tuition

Standard Fee: Lessons are $33 per half-hour, once a week. Lessons are billed one month ahead. I will send an invoice at the beginning of each month for the following month with the total. I accept Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, or check. (Bay Montessori parents can drop checks by for me at the school office) Payments are due by the 15th of the month (if not paid by this time, you may be billed with an additional late fee of $5 per week). Venmo and PayPal payments come with a 3% transaction fee. If you have a question regarding your bill, please reach out to me and we can reconcile it!

Books (Varies): Students will receive new books if they A) need new curriculum, B) finished a previous book, or C) need a supplement to bolster interest or skills. I will contact parents to request them to purchase a book when it is needed. Occasionally I may make an electronic music purchase if an advanced student requests a specific song arrangement. These purchases will be included in the monthly invoice and will not be more than $12.99.

Supplies and Recital Venue Fee ($30 once per semester):This fee covers non-sheet music printouts, binders, binder supplies, wear on borrowed materials, recital venue booking fees, and student prizes.

Travel Fee (if applicable): $1 per minute based on the length of time it takes from my house (46307 Rue Purchase Road Unit A, Lexington Park, MD 20653 for your reference!) to the student’s house, one-way. This is a one-time fee per visit—families do not pay more than one travel fee. There are no travel slots offered as of 2026. The only travel student slots in the studio are students who began lessons in this fashion before 2024 when I still offered this lesson style.

Student Requirements

Students are required to bring all of their piano books and their binder (with weekly assignment sheet in it) to each lesson.

If the student does not bring their books to their lesson, we will still hold the lesson and practice non-sheet music material (scales, note-reading, rhythm activities, and educational music games). As this is not optimum for consistency, please help your child develop a system and routine with their books surrounding the day of their lesson.

Students are expected to practice their assigned work 5 days a week, (or according to their own practice goal arranged with me) every week excepting holidays and school breaks. If the student is struggling to remain consistent with practice, parental involvement is an important step to encourage and support healthy practice habits. Please contact me if home practice begins to feel like a burden for either child or parent—we can come up with some strategies tailored to your child’s needs.

Students older than the age of 7 are highly encouraged to perform at least once a semester in a studio recital. More performance opportunities will be available through the local music teacher’s association’s recitals (MTASM). Students younger than 7 will be invited to recitals if I feel they are ready in their studies.

Music Lesson FAQs

Why are music lessons subscription based?

Music lessons are traditionally taught via subscription basis NOT appointment basis. Student pay ahead for a month of lessons, and I provide that time set aside for them. Music lessons are not open to the general public, so I cannot accept a new client in a student’s spot if they cancel, since I cannot promise them any more lessons. Students are paying for my time to be reserved for them on a weekly basis. If they have a vacation or illness, I am unable to work during that spot even if they let me know ahead of time.

Lessons can easily be compared to a streaming service or a gym membership. Netflix/a gym membership is paid for ahead each month, regardless of whether you watch Netflix every day or go to the gym every day. You are paying for the opportunity to use the service. If you are not able to use it as planned, the payment is still final.

Everyone learns at a different pace! Music is a complex subject with many sub-categories of skillsets. I will work with each student to find a learning pace for them that feels productive and enjoyable.

How quickly will my child or I (adult student) progress?

If I am a family member with no music experience, how can I help the student in their home practice?

Work with your child to make a practice routine at home. Help them stay consistent and give them lots of positive encouragement through words of affirmation and attending their recitals.

Additionally, if you have the time to attend your child’s lessons, feel free to sit in and observe how the lesson goes. I structure piano lessons exactly the way I expect my students to practice. Modeling this in the lessons helps translate easily to home practice. Use your observations to help in their home music lifestyle. :)

I am member of the Music Teacher’s Association of Southern Maryland, Maryland State Teacher’s Association, and Music Teacher’s National Association. These organizations allow my students to participate in local and state-wide festivals, theory testing, keyboard testing, as well as various recitals. Please reach out to me if you are interested in your child preparing for any of these types of events.

What performance, competition, or testing opportunities are available?

In-Home Studio Rules

  • Please arrive for your child’s lesson promptly, but do not enter earlier than 2 minutes before your lesson time begins out of respect for my preparation time and/or the student whose lesson occurs before your child’s.

  • Parents, please plan to address any questions or conversations you have with me during our lesson time slot (not before the lesson time slot begins or after the lesson time slots ends) or over phone/text to preserve my schedule’s flow and regularity.

  • If multiple siblings are attending lessons consecutively, I will not be providing childcare to the siblings who are not in their one-on-one lesson. Plan to sit with your waiting child or children with a book/coloring supplies/homework/attentive listening plan on my couch or wait in the car together until their sibling is done with their lesson and is ready to switch.

  • No food is should be brought into the house, but water bottles are permitted.

  • The only rooms in the house available to your child or other family members to enter are the restroom down the hallway and the music room with the keyboard. Please enter through the double green doors.

  • I reserve the right to end the lesson if the student repeatedly does not respect my household items/garden/cat or if they repeatedly do not ask before attempting to use my household items.

Practice Policy

Quality home practice is the key to success. Please encourage your child to be thorough in their practice and follow the instructions on their assignment sheet in their binder.

Home practice is simple: follow the directions on the assignment sheet, once a day, 5 days a week for general goals. Students are encouraged to make their own practice goal if 5 days a week does not feel like a good fit for their lifestyle. Students receive prizes from meeting their practice goals. Helping your child maintain their momentum is fun for everyone involved!

Some loose estimates for practice time: practice should take about 5-10 minutes a day for beginners and 15-20 minutes for students who have taken for about a year or two. Students who have taken for 3+ years should be practicing a half hour a day at minimum. Every child works at a different pace, so using a timer works for some, while others make work better with completion-based tracking (“I followed the directions on my assignment sheet and practiced my piece 3 times, played each of my scales twice, and played my Hanon twice with metronome,” for example).

If your child has a question about what is written on their assignment sheet, please contact me if you are unsure. I will be happy to answer any questions!

Piano Lessons Yearly Parental Form

Due before September 1st, each school year. This form provides me with information that I can use to give your child the best possible experience in their music lessons.