Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Revising my studio policies.

I live in the US (NY) and all the teachers I've had charged by the lesson. And believe me, my teachers have been serious teachers.
Charging my students this way is just easier, for me at least.

I've never met a teacher who charged by the lesson and I've been teaching for 30 years.

I've taken lessons (in Southern California) from teachers who charged by the lesson. They treat piano as a hobby for students, kind of like a coach for swimming or tennis. But I can't imagine doing that and still making a living.

I'm referring to ongoing lessons with a student. I have paid for individual lessons for myself, but those are coaching sessions scheduled once in a blue moon.

Exactly, which is why I have the qualifiers. This goes for both in central WI and southern FL (less populated/rural community and more urban).

But those were ongoing lessons.

This PW board is a helpful place to be reminded of differing views on a subject of common interest! Clearly there are many serious, and professional, studio piano teachers who do not charge tuition, but charge instead by the lesson. And our newcomer Cat actually finds this system easier for her, which I kind of understand, assuming that payment is handled at each lesson, and not over a span of lessons.

Have some here ever paid (as a student) or charged (as a teacher) per lesson, but after the fact? I.e., paid or charged for a cluster of several already received lessons? What's your take on that model, versus payment each time?

Signed,
Curious in Canada

P.S. Since my editor is away for the holidays, my last sentence in my prior post came out wrong. It should have read: "Some teachers don't mind the rescheduling issues, but lost income is another matter."

I find that fees are handled a little more casually where I am (Saskatchewan). I have one teacher who I pay in advance (4 lessons at a time), but my other two teachers both charge after the lessons have been received (one charges after every 4 lessons, and the other one charges at the end of each month). I have been invoicing my students at the end of every 4 lessons and haven't had any issues, but I think I've been quite lucky in that respect. When I grow my studio, I will likely move to a pay-in-advance model.

I'll add my 2 cents' worth here. As John said, there have been, and probably always will be, many threads on this subject of makeup lessons/rescheduling/canceling. I find them to be very helpful; lots of good information and feedback.
FYI if a student cancels a scheduled lesson and wants to reschedule, I will offer them a lesson during available open lesson time, if there is any. Doesn't matter to me what the reason is for their desire/need to reschedule; sickness, shopping, etc. what's the difference really?

Do parents really say, "Hi, Barb, little Janey won't be at her lesson tomorrow, because she and I are going some mother-daughter shopping in Santa Rosa. When can you do a make-up?"

I think the reasons is really not important. Little Janey might be shopping at the same time her mom would just say that little Janey is sick, and teacher would have no way to proof it anyway.
I think the importance in this makeup/ rescheduling issue is that how many makeups a family can get in a year. My policy said that a family only get 5 chances in a year. It is parent's discretion about how to use those 5 chances. It is not my business if they decide to take time off because they want to go shopping. I keep track of how many lesson each family cancel and reschedule and been very strict about it not to give more than 5 make ups.

I actually had a last-minute cancellation that went pretty much like this.

Yep. If I have open lesson time I offer it to them. If no time is available that week, they forfeit the lesson. This doesn't happen too often, though, once parents understand that they have to pay for such missed lessons. It's in my studio policy, but I don't think people really "get it" until the situation comes up for them.

But Morodiene, do you actually grant a make-up for this? Or does your schedule suddenly become too full, and you just say to Mom, "Sorry, I can't seem to find a slot for this make-up. I'll just see little Janey next week at her regular lesson hour - unless the two of you plan to be shopping again"?

I think the latter might be my response.

Barb, are you this agreeable even at the last minute, or do you require "X" number of days' notice in advance of the mother-daughter-bonding-in-Santa-Rosa missed lesson?

I've heard that before. But the most common excuse is another extracurricular activity like swim meet, tennis match, orchestra concert, or any one of the 80 things kids do nowadays.

There is a local high school that pulls such stunts on a weekly basis. The coach would announce (at 7:45 AM) practice (at 3:30 PM) that's mandatory, or else you're benched the following game. And it's not just sports! Choir, orchestra, drama, clubs, you name it.

Only at a nationally-ranked high school could faculty and staff pull such IDIOTIC stunts and get away with it on a regular basis, because all the parents and students are pressured into compliance.

with 24 hours' notice, I will attempt to reschedule the lesson (if I have available open lesson time). If I don't have any time available, they forfeit the lesson (still responsible for payment). Last-minute cancellations I consider no-shows.

Yes, this happens and it's infuriating.

Actually, I just tell them what my policy is on make-ups (which is that if it's last-minute for a non-emergency, then we don't make it up), and let them know I'll look forward to seeing them next week.