Studio Info & Policies

Location Options

Most students take lessons online from home, however students located near Clarkston, GA 30021 have the option to take lessons at my in-home studio.  If you consider yourself comfortable with light use of technology (surfing the web, e-mail, etc.), have access to the internet, and have a compatible device at home (chances are which ever device you have, it's compatible), online lessons from home could be a great fit for you. If you'd rather skip technology altogether at home or prefer meeting in-person, coming to the studio in Clarkston would be a great option for you.

Lesson Scheduling and Times

Students benefit most from frequent, meaningful contact time with their teacher, thus each student is provided a dedicated weekly lesson slot. It is assumed that every student will have one lesson per week during their regularly scheduled day/time according to the published studio calendar. Lessons are typically given between 5:00 pm and 9:00 pm on weekday evenings and 9:00 am and 5:00 pm on the weekends due to my daytime teaching responsibilities outside of the studio.

Lessons are scheduled one month in advance on the 3rd lesson (or week) of the month. This allows students and the instructor the opportunity to look at their respective calendars and provide advanced notice for lessons they may not be able to make for the month ahead due to general scheduling conflicts (vacations, doctor appointments, work schedules, etc.). After the 3rd lesson/week of the month, lessons for the following month are locked into place and become billable. Students will not be billed for the dates that they, or the instructor will be absent for given that notification has been received on or before the 3rd lesson/week of the current month. 

Typically there are short breaks in lessons around Thanksgiving, the New Year, spring break, and early summer. The studio calendar in your student portal is always up-to-date so you can have control over your planning!

Lesson Rates and Billing

The studio utilizes a pre-paid monthly billing method. Lessons are billed at a rate of $43 per 30 minute lesson, $63 per 45 minute lesson, and $83 per 60 minute lesson on the 1st of each month. A $20 late fee shall be assessed for payments received after the invoice due date. The studio has the right to refuse service to a student whose payment is past due.

Payments through Zelle and CashApp are preferred payment methods, however Credit/Debit cards are also accepted through the "Click Here to Pay Online" button on the invoice. Credit/Debit card payments will incur a 5% processing fee, however Zelle & CashApp incur no processing fees. 

Lesson Cancellations and Scheduling (life happens!!!)

Cancellations are considered any changes to, or deviations from regularly scheduled lessons that appear on the calendar, regardless of reason, for both the student and instructor. This includes advanced notice changes, same-day changes, and no-shows. Additionally, a lesson will be considered cancelled if the student is more than 15 minutes late to their lesson.

To maintain flexibility and maximize teacher contact time, the studio utilizes a make-up credit system for cancellations for both student and the instructor, regardless of reason for cancellation. A make-up credit will be issued on the day of the cancelled lesson and can be used within 60 days during a mutually agreeable day and time. Because the student has already been billed for the lesson, he/she will not be billed for the make-up lesson. Make-up credits can be viewed in the student’s studio portal account at any time.

The following additional policies apply.

• • A maximum of 3 student generated make-up credits may be accumulated on any given 60 day rolling period of time, excluding additional make-up credits issued for other reasons (ie, lesson discounts).

  • Make-up credits cannot be used towards your regularly scheduled lesson block for current or future lessons or be applied to your account balance.

  • Make-up credits expire 60 days after they are issued. Unused make-up credits will be forfeited without notice or refund.

  • In the unlikely event that the instructor must cancel a lesson, a make-up credit will be issued in accordance with the policies above. If the student is unable to use this make-up credit within 60 days of issue, an account credit for the lesson will be issued 61 days after the cancelled lesson.

  • If for any reason you are no longer a student at the studio, unused make-up credits cannot be refunded.

Required Materials and Accessories

All students are required to have the following materials and accessories. Though there are many brands available, hyperlinked items are my recommendations.

• • A sturdy music stand

  • Good quality rosin

  • Instrument cleaning cloth

  • Humidification system

  • VIOLINISTS & VIOLISTS: Shoulder rest

  • CELLISTS: Rock stop/end pin anchor, appropriate height chair 

  • BASSISTS: Rock stop/end pin anchor, appropriate height stool

  • Intermediate and Advanced Students

    • Tuner

    • Metronome

    • Or combo tuner/metronome, combo tuner/metronome app

  • Music books as assigned by the instructor

Optional accessories include:

• • A practice mute and/or performance mute: Violin/Viola,  Cello, Bass

Many students find having a 3-ring binder for keeping printouts of lesson notes and some loose leaf paper for personal notes handy.

Getting an Instrument...Where Do I Start?

No matter if you have an instrument already set and ready to go or if you're just starting out and need recommendations on getting an instrument, I have knowledge and experience with both local and nationwide resources to get you set up and running with an instrument that best fits your needs and budget. Good quality instruments are surprisingly affordable and there are various options for finding the perfect fit. For beginners (and even intermediate students), I highly recommend avoiding the "I'm just a beginner so I should  buy a cheap instrument" line-of-reasoning.  Amazon and eBay specials are destined to make learning to play an instrument much harder than it has to be. Inferior materials and improper set-up are a recipe for headache and demolishing your excitement to play. I highly recommend  renting an instrument from a reputable shop and I would be happy to walk you through the benefits of owning vs. renting as well as answer all your questions you will have. It can be a confusing experience, but I'm here to sort it all out for you.

Recommended Rental Programs

Based on past positive experiences, I recommend the following rental programs. To help give you a quick snapshot, I have included highlights of each program. The rates listed below are for standard level instrument rentals only and is for at-a-glace information only. Please visit their website to confirm details and current pricing.

Ronald Sachs Violins 

Offers monthly rental rates billed monthly. Two months rent required at time of rental. Featuring hand carved violins, violas, and cellos for rental instrument line.

VIOLIN $19/mo   |   VIOLA $23/mo   |   CELLO $40/mo   |   BASS $70/mo

• • 100% Rent-to-own. 100% of earned trade-in credit never expires even if instruments are returned. Use every dollar spent on rental payments towards upgrades. *does not include tax or insurance.

  • Optional maintenance & damage insurance offered.

  • All rentals are backed by their lifetime adjustment guarantee.

  • All rental instrument outfits include a new wood bow with real horsehair, a new case or bag, D'Addario dark rosin, and a name tag.

  • Free shipping.

Johnson String Instrument

Offers 3, 6, 9, and 12 month rental terms and is billed by the rental term you select (not monthly). Standard, advanced, and master instrument rentals available . A 12 month standard rental is shown below. Rates are slightly higher for a shorter rental term.

VIOLIN $206   |   VIOLA $246   |   CELLO $370   |   BASS $405

• • 100% of first year's rent, plus 20% of rent for subsequent years can be applied towards the purchase of an instrument at Johnson String Instrument, including the one that you are currently renting.

  • Optional liability damage waiver (insurance) available.

  • Optional bow upgrades.

  • Every rental comes with an instrument, case, horsehair bow, and a cake of rosin.

  • Shipping extra

Shar Music

Offers rental rates billed monthly.

VIOLIN $18   |   VIOLA $24   |   CELLO $52   |   NO BASS RENTALS

• • 100% of all SHARWay payments accumulate as equity, which may be used towards 50% of the direct retail price purchase (not a SHARWay Buy-Out) of any instrument of greater value. Exchanges between SHARWay outfits retain accumulated SHARway equity. 

  • A buy-out option is available as an early payoff of a SHARWay Outfit. A Buy-Out is calculated as 50% of the remaining payments after the completed initial period (30 - 36 months depending on level of instrument rented).

  • Returns and exchanges are offered at any time.

  • No insurance options available.

  • Every outfit comes with an instrument, a case, a bow, and rosin. 

  • Shipping extra.