Policy Info

KP Music Studio

Studio Policy Sheet and Contract

1. Tuition is due the first week of each month. If you are unable to attend the first week, you agree to mail your tuition. A $10 late fee will be added for late tuition payments after the 10^th of each month. Tuition includes three private lessons and one group lesson per month. 

2. Each student is required to attend group lessons. Group lessons are imperative to the success of your student with the Suzuki Method. Please schedule group lessons on your calendar and plan birthday parties, soccer games, etc. around these monthly group lessons. If you are unable to attend group lesson for an extenuating circumstance you must let me know because I plan the lessons around the needs of the students.

3. My teaching schedule and other engagements plus my family time is fully booked. Please make every attempt to attend all your lessons. There are no make-up lessons for lessons missed or cancelled on the day of the lessons. Make-up lessons are only possible, but not guaranteed, when I am contacted a day or more in advance before a scheduled lesson. Remember, you are paying for a lesson time, not the lesson itself.

4. Please keep your lesson time accurate. Lessons will start and stop as originally scheduled.

5. All students are required to study for the entire year, including summer.

6. If you decide to quit lessons, you agree to continue lessons in which tuition has been paid. There will be no refunds on tuition.

7. Always be prepared for your lesson. Bring all music and materials easily locatable in your binder. Practice the assignments throughout the week and LISTEN every day. Mark your practice chart (honestly)! Purchase all suggested materials as soon as possible. Consult the studio calendar and read the announcements on my bulletin board and read all studio newsletters.

8. Students who listen and practice every day progress considerably faster than those who don’t. Parents, I encourage you to practice with your children until they are teenagers.

9. Please make sure that all cell phones are turned off or switched to the silent mode for lessons. It is a distraction when these go off! (This includes me - I will do better!)

10. No gum chewing is allowed during lessons. Gum chewing and playing a musical instrument do not mix!

11. Please make sure that your student’s fingernails are always trimmed.

12. If siblings wish to attend a student’s lesson, they must play quietly in the play room downstairs, or studio. You need to be attentive and take notes during the lesson time, so that you know what to practice with your child.

13. All student families must be members of the Suzuki Association of Utah (SAU). You agree to pay the membership fee each year. Every student must also participate in AT LEAST one SAU event each year.

14. I expect my students to enroll in the Intermountain Suzuki String Institute each summer. I work at it throughout the year and I feel that it makes an impact on a child’s life in many ways besides the violin. Please plan ahead and save for it and be excited about it. Extenuating circumstances will be considered. Scholarships are available.

15. Students will have a choice whether to participate in Federation. Federation dues will be added to February’s tuition.

16. Review: students are expected to review all their pieces throughout the week. This creates a good foundation to build upon, strengthens previously learned skills, builds confidence, enlarges our repertoire, and promotes and increases musicality.

17. Note Reading: This is a very important skill to learn on the violin. I will teach note reading after I feel the student has a sufficient level of technique on the violin. When I start note reading, it must be practiced EVERY DAY!

Christmas Group Recital

Congratulations Students! You all did a wonderful job at the recital last night. I appreciate all your hard work in practicing. It was so fun to play all those songs with you. Here are the pics from my camera. I decided to post them all because everyone looks different in each one. :) I hope you had as much fun as I did!


The songs we played were:
Twinkle Twinkle Christmas Star
Jolly Old St. Nicholas
Jingle Bells
Old McDonald
Bile Them Cabbage Down
O Come Little Children
Cripple Creek
O Holy Night
Away in a Manger
Silent Night

Adult Orchestra

Charles W. Liu Fine Violins in conjunction with the Midvale Arts Council announce the beginning of Salt Lake Valley New Horizons Orchestra for beginning adults.  This is a great opportunity for Suzuki Mom’s (and Dads) to come and learn to play a string instruments themselves.  You CAN do it!!!  You’ve gone to countless lessons, rehearsals, and concerts in support of your children.  Now it’s your turn to discover your own musical potential.   

Call Charles W. Liu Fine Violins for more information 255-9636. 

What:   Salt Lake Valley New Horizons Orchestra for beginning adults.

Where: Midvale Performing Arts Center

            695 W. Center St. (7720 South)

            Midvale, UT 84047

                                        When: Tuesdays and Thursdays 9:00-11:00 am                                

           First Rehearsal October 28th

           1^st semester will start October 28^th and will run through December 18^th.

            2^nd semester will start January 12^th and will run through April 16^th.

            (A summer semester is a possibility and depends upon interest shown from the NHO members)

Who:  Sponsored by Charles W. Liu Fine Violins and the Midvale Arts Council

            Directed by Esther Larsen

Cost:    Tuition is $150.00 for the 14 week semester

            ($5.36 per lesson, $10.71 per week)

            (The first semester since we are starting later will be prorated $80.53)

Contact the shop to reserve your spot in the orchestra.

All the best,

Randen Heywood

Fine Instrument Sales

Charles W. Liu Fine Violins

Stradivarius International Violin Competition

www.finestringinstruments.com

www.stradcompetition.org

Group Class this Friday

Friday at 5:00

Everyone

Group

My House

See you then!

Songs to have ready: 

Jingle Bells

Old McDonald

Bile them Cabbage Down

Cripple Creek

Twinkle Theme

O Come Little Children

Listening Opportunity!

If you want a fun opportunity for your students to hear some great music, keep this Friday night open! Sorry for the late notice- I just found out about this concert. I will not be playing, although this is the group that I have been playing with.

Riverton Metropolitan Orchestra

Presents in Concert...

"Skull & Crossbones"

October 10, 2008

7:30-9:00 PM

Sandra Lloyd Performing Arts Center

12830 S. Redwood Rd. Riverton

Performing famous pieces including "Pirates of the Caribbean" & 

"Pirates of Penzance"

If you want to go, let me know and I can get you a coupon for $2 off single admission or $5 off family admission. You can even dress up in your Halloween Costume to attend this concert! They are very family/kid friendly at the concerts and I hope you all can go!

Don't Forget!!!

You'll probably want to show up 10-15 minutes early to get tuned up. I'm assuming they want to start as close to 6:00 pm as possible. There will be bandanas provided for the students, as well. Don't miss it- you'll have a blast! Wish I could be there! Click on The Aaron Ashton Band to listen to some samples... very cool.

SALT LAKE VIOLIN REGION

INVITES YOU TO ATTEND

FIDDLE FEST SUPER ACTIVITY!

Saturday, September 13th 2008

6:00pm

“THIS IS THE PLACE” 

HERITAGE PARK

2601 Sunnyside Avenue- across from Hogle Zoo

With Guest Artist

THE AARON ASHTON BAND!

Bring your fiddles, families, and western wear! All violin students will perform fiddle songs together featured in the “Fairfield Fiddle Farm” Books One & Two! The Aaron Ashton Band will also perform fun fiddle music! This will be a fun (and FREE!) evening for everyone!

Song Selections Include: Old McDonald, Bile them Cabbage Down*, Cripple Creek*, Old Joe Clark*, Polly Wolly Doodle*, Golden Slippers*, Down Yonder*, Ragtime Annie*, and the Orange Blossom Special*

*duet parts offered in Fiddle Farm Book One or Two

Unbeatable Teamwork

Thoughts taken from the American Suzuki Journal, Spring, 2008
By Elizabeth Young (a Suzuki Mom)

This article compares the life of a Suzuki family to a sports team. "Teamwork (is the) cornerstone of the foundation upon which our ideals are realized."

The team members are parent and student. The parent "brings an intimate and profoundly personal understanding of the student, and how she or he thinks and learns. This, by the way, continues to develop in the practice room, and becomes ever more useful throughout a Suzuki eduation. Likewise, the parent brings the deepest investment in the well-being and development of the child. The teacher, in addition to specific training in educational methods that work well at a variety of developmental stages, brings his or her own experiences as a musician, and a former student."

The opposition, hopefully is not the child, although it sometimes might feel that way. The "opponent may vary from day to day or season to season. One time it may appear in the form of a tendency to tire quickly on the part of the child. Another time it may be reluctance to try something new, or conversely, the inability to understand why we have to keep doing "old" stuff that has already been learned... Then there is the ever-threatening enemy ... an over-commitment to too many activities to ever be able to do any of them particularly well."

I'd like you to think about what some of the oppositions are in your "Suzuki Life". What is stopping you from practicing every day with your child? Would a specific practice time each day help? Are you listening to the CD every day? If not, then why? Do you understand the importance of listening to the CD? How about review? Why DO we keep going OVER AND OVER the "old" stuff? :)

Are you encouraging your child to enjoy practice time instead of dread it? Do you need ideas on how to do this? What are your goals as a parent for your child regarding music lessons? What are your child's goals?

"Your child's teacher is only a phone call or an email away and she would love to share your burden and offer you something new from that inexhaustible bag of tricks!"

Your child is the very important third member of the team. At first "a young child is typically not mature or experienced enough ... to engage fully in the cooperation and collaboration that drives teamwork... Your child needs you and your teacher to lead the way and model the success that comes from collaboration with another."

Please share with me your concerns, and ask for input when you need it! I will do the same. Ms. Young states that along the way, "Practice routines were easier to outline. Review was accepted without resentment. Progress became the norm. And here's the weird part... somewhere along the way each child (gained)... a sense of ownership and shared cooperation in dealing with the obstacles that remained to be faced."

A good saying from Dr. Suzuki for us to memorize: "Every child learns. It depends on the teacher; it depends on the parent; it depends on me. Therefore, I will say, "Thank you, Teacher. Thank you, Parent. I will do my best."