Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Do You Have these Conversations with Your Students?

Monika, I love that poem! Thanks for sharing it with us.

Lovely! Tom taught at the college where I used to work decades ago. Thanks for unleashing a flood of memories!

Lollipop, I agree with you -- some parents think that because we're at home, we're sitting around doing nothing. I get bothered when they're 5 minutes early, 10 minutes early, 5 minutes late picking their kid up, etc. Since we're at home, we must not be doing anything important! Very annoying.

I like your idea about repeating the cancellation policy in your monthly email. If we keep repeating it to them, maybe they'll finally get the hint.

Good questions Tom. I know, I don't enjoy reminding parents of studio rules either.

I wonder if anybody has enforced a fee when these types of studio rules are broken? Let's say that a parent calls the day of the lesson and says that they can't make it that day for a reason that's not so compelling (i.e, kid has to go to some school party, parent is working late, etc.). They don't tell you in advance and you can't fill that spot because it's so last minute.
I would think it's fair to charge a fee for such a last minute cancellation. If there's a monetary consequence, then they might take it more seriously.

I'm thinking about adding this to my policy...

Instead of trying to charge a penalty fee, which can get complicated and make you look bad, it's simpler to just have a policy of no free make-up or refund for missed lessons. I assume most teachers require advanced payment for X number of lessons at a time, so you should have already gotten paid for that missed lesson in the first place.

Furthermore, if that penalty fee is a lot less than the cost of the lesson itself, parents would still prefer to pay the fee and cancel because the monetary consequence is still cheaper than the cost of the lesson.

If parents complain that the no make-up/no refund policy is too strict because there may be an occasional sickness and emergency that justifies the absence, then allow a free make-up only if the student hasn't had a free make-up X many lessons ago.

You shouldn't try to evaluate the reason for the absence to see if it's justified or not because you can't really tell if parents will give you the real reason or a made-up reason anyway. So it's just simpler to give them a free make-up every so often in our policy no matter what the reason is, but no more than that. That helps avoid any unnecessary confrontation with parents about whether the excuse they use is legit or not.

Airlines don't let you fly on any old flight you happen to turn up for: if you miss your booked flight you forfeit the fare, unless you have paid a premium to have a flexible fare. Maybe the approach is that students can pay a premium rate for unlimited flexibility!!! Airlines work this so that the flexible fare is at LEAST twice as much as the restricted conditions fare, sometimes 4 times as much!! I suspect none of us have students prepared to purchase the premium, unlimited flexibility option!!! I would happily offer it!!

On the other hand, I used to operate a system where students who did not have a regular booked time worked on a pay-as-you go system with a 33% loading (a $30 lesson was $40 when taken at random intervals).

Everyone has really good suggestions! I usually take it case by case. For chronic cancelling I tell them "I'll give you a call if something opens up". If it is a family that's been with me awhile and I know it's unusual for them, I will try to give them another lesson. My policy states 48 hour notice.

I have asked for 30 day notice if they're going to quit. I worded it: "out of consideration, please let me know 30 days in advance if you plan to discontinue lessons". Hopefully they will think of it as them being jerks if they don't lol. I don't send them a bill if they bail early, there really isn't anything we can do if they don't offer that consideration.

One time a girl came and told me that her brother was quitting (that day!). So I emailed mom and told her that I would be using Sissy's next lesson fees to cover Johnny's missed lessons. She got mad and quit.

Anybody ever consider charging a fee for scheduling make-up lessons? After all, it takes your time to make those arrangements. Maybe a $10-$15 fee if sufficient notice is given, up to full lesson fee for no notice?

Ken

The way I understand it, teachers are complaining about frivolous cancellations, possibly last minute, and possibly frequent. I don't think that they would want to discourage a responsible student who has been prevented from attending lessons due to something beyond their control from making up a lesson. If you go two weeks between lessons, errors can get engrained, especially if you are learning new technique. Preventing the error from the start saves a lot of time trying to undo it later on. I cannot see a teacher wanting to discourage students from seeking help in time by throwing in punitive measures. That sends a message that lessons aren't important.

While it is true that some time is taken in rescheduling, teaching is a profession, not a time-punch job. All professions, afaik, involve efforts that are not billed, which is one reason why professionals get paid more per hour then the clerk ringing in your groceries. I would not want to be treated in a way that I do not treat my own customers. I understand that what is being looked at is unreasonableness and thoughtlesness. Am I mistaken?

No, you are not mistaken, Keystring, I think we are talking about unreasonableness and thoughtlessness as you say, along with being inconsiderate.

My opinion is that we as teachers set ourselves up for these problems in the first place by not enforcing our studio policies, if we even have them. There will always be people out there who take advantage. It's up to the professional to set and enforce the standard. Like Ebony and Ivory said, some clients will get mad and quit. I used to actually offer makeup lessons to folks who would no-show me, and sometimes I would even issue them credits towards next month's lessons. Dumb on my part!!!! I thought I was just being nice and extra flexible with clients. Instead, it was a bad way of conducting business and I feel that clients did not respect me.

I'd tell them that the time slot will be reserved if they pay for it upfront. However, if they do not, I will not hold it if someone else requests that time slot. They can write and post-date a check. If they show up, great, nothing lost on their part. If they don't show up, great, nothing lost on your part.

Ken, my lesson reschedule fee, as published in my Studio Policies, is 'no charge' if more than 48 hrs or more notice is provide, $10 for 24hrs notice, and $50 for an extra lesson. The reason I charge an extra lesson fee is because it's an extra lesson. That the student failed to attend the scheduled lesson is unfortunate, but my resources, both studio and teacher, were available and committed for that student. Now that they are wishing a second lesson, a second hour of studio time, providing it to them at a 65% to 80% discount or even for free, seems rather unreasonable.

With a rescheduled lesson, 48 hrs notice, I have a shot at putting another student in their stead and it seems fair and reasonable not to charge extra, except perhaps a very small reschedule fee (like the airlines do), but when someone calls an hour before, or 10 minutes into the lesson, then the studio sits idle and non-productive.

Most music schools these days are teaching music majors not to consider make-ups, to wipe "make-up" out of their vocabulary.

I understand the mind-set of many students, "But I didn't take a lesson, so why should I pay for one?" But you have engaged the studio and its resources. Your failure to show up and take the lesson doesn't negate your obligation to pay for what you committed to. It most certainly shouldn't become the burden of the studio to capitalize.

I think the one-on-one nature of the piano lessons makes it seem more like a situation that is flexible. If the teacher maintains consistency with being available at the arranged time, I see no reason why they should offer any free make-up lessons. I wouldn't put up with it if my job just randomely changed my hours. Why should a piano teacher have to put up with their clients randomely changing the schedule. You pay for Monday at 5:30-6:30... show up!

Even nice parents who are thoughtful and reasonable can still end up taking advantage of a teacher's relaxed policy unwittingly if the teacher allows it. They just think that as long as they're within the bounds of what the teacher's policy allows, they're not doing anything wrong. So it's not so much about trying to deal with only inconsiderate people, but it's much more about thinking up front what's fair for everyone, the teacher included, and come up with a clear policy that reflects this, and communicate it and enforce it.

I agree, but I'd like to add that even teachers will have unexpected things that come up that may force them to reschedule once in a while, too. If this happens, it goes without saying that a refund or credit or free make-up is in the queue for the teacher missing that lesson. But if the reschedule is not for the teacher being sick or due to an emergency or very legit reason, the teacher should probably offer a complimentary lesson on top of the refund or credit for the missed lesson for the inconvenience of the reschedule. This goes a long way in showing parents that the teacher puts himself/herself on the hook just as much as they do on students/parents.

Volusiano, I agree. There are times that the teacher may have something that comes up, and in those cases, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

In my case, my teacher was becoming increasingly otherwise occupied. It was always something like a funeral or someone with a hideous calamity, or she was struck blind, or laying paralyzed in bed for three weeks, or asthma, or God knows what. I felt bad leaving her, but I needed a piano teacher not excuses.

Likewise, I would assume that a good teacher would expect me as an adult, to give them the same courtesy as I would my job and prepare and come to the lesson, and pay on time.

I think that people don't really realize that the piano teacher is not doing this as some idle hobby, but to make a living. If I were a teacher, I'd be pretty strict, but would also keep up my end and lead by example. Sure, you don't want to drive people away, but some people need to be driven away.

Great points everyone-here's one for you.

I had a student who broke her arm and it was in a cast
for 3 weeks. Then the family went on a trip the fourth week.
So now its 4 weeks that I've held their time slot and haven't been paid.
I understand that the broken arm is not their fault, but at the same time they wanted
to keep their time when they came back.

To make matters worse, they missed 2 lessons the month before and I didn't ask for a make-up because they occured on the 5th week of the month, and they paid me for 4 weeks. So in other words, we would have had 5 lessons and they would have paid me
for one extra lessson had they been in town.

Then the broken arm occurs. So now in effect I've lost payment for 6 weeks. So I explained to the mother that I had reserved their time and was unable to re-book it, so I think I should be paid for at least some of the time. The mother then calls me back and says OK she will pay me for 5 more lessons, and then they will stop for the summer. What she meant was she expected me to give them 5 more lessons(which she paid for), but I still end up being shorted at least 3 weeks
(not including the 3 weeks off for the broken arm).

As a business, how do I be fair to the customer, but at the same time actually make a living? It seems like you really have to be assertive at the risk of sounding too pushy in order to
make a living as a Music teacher.Many times it all comes back to reminding my clients that this is my living, because it seems that they don't take it seriously. In many cases its just entertainment for their kids..

Tom

Tom

It would only seem fair that if parents decide to take their kids off for the summer (or even a month's time) that they shouldn't expect the teacher to keep that same time slot reserved for them when they come back. They should understand that they may have to settle for a less desirable time slot when they come back if the original time slot has already been given to someone else. The only time they're guaranteed a time slot is when they've already paid for it.

I don't give my families that option. I encourage them to continue to come even if they are in a cast. The kids do everything else in the cast. There is plenty to do even if they can't play with that particular hand. Other hand drills, theory, composition etc.... Most casts don't cover their fingers anyway.

I let them know that they can take the lessons off if they want to, but they are still expected to pay for it since it is their spot. Often times those casts stay on longer than 3 weeks! It states in my policy that they can miss 2 a semester, so if they wanted to, they could use those 2 spots, but then the other 2 would have been paid.

People are usually pretty understanding when you remind them that you have reserved that lesson time for little Johnny.

I guess I should have been more assertive in that situation.

What would you say if the parent came back and said,
"well this isn't our fault," why should we have to pay
for these lessons?"

the funny thing is-these things always seem to happen
right at the time when they owe you money for the next
month.

Tom