Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Teachers Forum Piano policy revamp - a cautionary tale?

IMO, the year contract has got to go. Do a 6 month contract if you want to do a contract.

+1. I really think this is at the hear of things. When they have "skin" in the game (i.e., they have to provide transportation to and from lessons) then they respect the teacher more. Otherwise you are seen as other services that do house calls. Not anything against them, but the skill sets for a good teacher are far different from a good pool guy.

Sorry to hear that these changes have been rough for you.

I'm an adult student, but have hired music teachers for my children in the past. In my opinion, your policies are too complicated. If I read them on your website, I probably wouldn't contact you for more information or an interview. In our family's budget, a yearly contract is too extreme for any extracurricular activity that will be paid for with discretionary funds. I value music education, and prioritize to be able to afford it, but it's still an extra that will need to take a back seat to other unforseen expenses when necessary, so I wouldn't even consider putting myself in a yearly or even a semester contract.

Ironically, I've always been more committed to lessons (for myself and children) with teachers who have more flexible policies. Too many rules and restrictions turn me into a rebel!

You're not the only teacher who's having fewer students. Some really good teachers in my area are suffering from declining enrollment. One can only guess why.

You might also consider working for one of the more reputable music schools in your area. The pay is definitely lower, but you will have a steadier stream of students. A quick cost-and-benefit analysis might give you an idea what to do.

A yearly contract that commits parents to actually paying for lessons for the year is different from getting parents to think in terms of 'piano for the year'.

When parents inquire about lessons with me I tell them that tuition is based on a yearly fee, divided into 4 equal payments. I follow the school calendar and teach based on a school year (summer lessons are figured differently). My studio policy actually says that parents are enrolling their child for the piano program for the year. I require a 30-day notice to withdraw from lessons, so if they decide at the end of one month that they aren't returning to piano the next month, they are still responsible for 1-month's tuition.

I don't know any piano teachers who REQUIRE a financial commitment for a year...

Thanks, everyone! I really appreciate all the thought you've given this.

It looks like the one year commitment commitment (42 lessons over 52 weeks) is gonna go. I will add that I never asked the students to pay for one year at once; the tuition was divided evenly over 12 months, always paid at the beginning of the month.

I guess I'll go back to month-to-month and not ask my students to commit to any time period. The rate will remain the same as it did for 42 lessons. Three issues arise: 1) how to bill tuition 2) how to handle students wanting to change their lesson times and 3) how to handle missed lessons.

Billing tuition: Some of you have suggested that I have a flat monthly rate, regardless of how many lessons are given (from 3 to 5). I have to say, this leaves me uneasy. I worry that I might feel like I'm getting the raw end of this deal (giving lots of lessons each month, and perhaps earning less than I normally would), or that the student might feel resentful having to pay a full amount even though they've taken only three lessons, or maybe even two. However, if I go to a system in which students pay for the exact number of lessons they get, my income can fluctuate greatly and students tend to haggle over the number of lessons they want. I believe they have a tendency to take fewer lessons so as to suit their needs. Ugh, what to do.

Changing lesson times: My current policy allows students to notify me at the beginning of the month if they want to change a lesson time or day or even skip a week. But they're committed to that schedule for the month and cannot change the time during the course of the month. (They're also committed to 42 lessons over 12 months or 32 lessons over nine months.) Honestly, this has worked pretty well. Most students stick with their day/time for the semester, if not the year, because they have so many things going on that they couldn't change the time if they wanted to. But this policy allows them some flexibility and gives me enough time (ahead of time) to make changes in my schedule and find efficient driving times.

Missed lessons: a critical issue! Currently, my policy is that students are allowed one cancellation per quarter, for any reason and with less that 24 hours' notice. They are entitled to a makeup for that missed lesson which is given on a specific day each quarter, designated by me. In practice, what mostly happened over this last year is that I didn't get very many cancellations and when I did, it was easier to just not count that missed lesson toward the 42 lessons of the student (most students were on this plan). Essentially it delayed the completion of their 42 lessons by one week. The nice thing about this was that I wasn't losing money when a student missed a lesson (monthly payments were always the same) and neither the student nor I was stressing over whether that lesson would be made up. We both knew they were committed to 42 lessons and that's what they would get. Now it is true that in the last part of their 12-month period, I was having to tack on an extra week or two of teaching for students who missed some lessons during the year. But I don't mind that very much.

What I'm thinking of doing now is to keep that same policy: one cancellation per quarter for any reason, with one makeup on a designated day, once per quarter. I may have the makeup lessons at my home (I live in an apartment, so giving regular lessons out of there is not possible).

I'll address the specifics of what some of you wrote in a separate post.

Thanks again for all your help!

Here are my specific responses to some of your posts:

Peter K. Mose: thanks for your thoughts; I found them heartening. I had only one student choose option 3 -- an adult student. He sent me his signed contract but never started lessons. But he's been an on-and-off student for several years, so I don't know if that was because of the high rate. But I don't think option 3 is going to get many takers (the rate is about 20% higher than the lowest rate). On the other hand, I'm not really willing to take on students who go lesson-by-lesson unless I'm getting about 20% more than my regular rate. To answer your other question: I think my rates are very competitive, perhaps even a little underpriced. Compared to the going rate for lessons in which the students come to the teacher, I charge less than 10% more for traveling to the student.

piano2: It looks like I'll be going back to a month-to-month plan for everyone; no twelve-month or nine-month plans. I'm not looking foward to this; it means a struggle in the summer, and I won't be getting a higher payment from people who take only for nine months during the school year (four students opted for that plan this year). Please note that my current policy does not allow for students to cancel lessons without paying me. There are currently no refunds and no credit-fowarding. Anyway, thanks for your thoughts.

Candywoman: I agree that new clients need a gradual education in how to treat the piano teacher. You're right on the money.
I'd love to charge more to cushion myself for the summer drop-off, but I don't feel I can do that right now. I raised my rates last year, and clients don't like yearly rate hikes.
Regarding makeups: I'm not saying I won't do them at all; I just don't want to have to do them constantly. There were periods in the past where I was getting several changes per week, causing complete havoc with my driving schedule. That's why I'm willing to give them one make up per quarter.

Chris H.: I wish I could just budget for the summer, but that's simply not possible. I'd have to drastically raise my rates or double or triple the number of students -- difficult to do when you're traveling. If I'm not teaching in the summer, I'm going to have to do something else.

kck: You say a full year commitment is a huge commitment, but it does sound like you are committed to a year's worth of lessons, with even lessons during the summer being required. Or perhaps you go semester-by-semester?

dumdumdiddle: Your distinction between paying for lessons for the year and thinking of "piano for the year" is exactly right. I've never required my students to pay for a whole years' worth of lessons (though two of them did voluntarily). But I have required them to commit to a certain number of lessons per year, and perhaps that was what made many people nervous. I also have a 30-day notice requirement for stopping lessons.

Billing:
Do you like your income fluctuating each month? Do you like the horrible bookkeeping of having to keep track of different amounts for each month? If so, then do charge by the lesson, payable in advance for the month. HOWEVER, you are not short-changing parents by charging the same tuition each month, regardless if there are 3, 4, or 5 lessons in the month. I have charged tuition this way for over a dozen years and it's worked fine. I will occasionally have a parent who asks in December why tuition is the same when we only have 2 lessons that month, but I just reiterate what's spelled out for them in the studio policy, which explains in detail how tuition is charged.

Changing Lesson Times:
You must a lot of extra slots in your schedule to accommodate kids changing their lesson times. That wouldn't work for me. Parents understand when they enroll that their time slot is for the year. If situations arise where they need to make a switch I try to work with a student but I don't guarantee it. Also, something to think about: if you throw it out there to parents that they CAN switch lesson times and that you'll accommodate their requests, you are setting yourself up for a LOT of changes; parents will definitely take you up on it. It's better to have a stricter policy from the beginning and allow yourself to the freedom to adjust your policy based upon a particular student's needs.

Missed Lessons:
My policy is 'no makeups'. However, if you feel you can't do that, then do what several teachers do: offer perhaps 4x a year or so 'group musicianship' classes (perhaps on a Saturday) where students learn theory, perform for each other, etc... Kids who have missed a lesson will get this as their makeup lesson. It's simple and you've covered yourself by offering a makeup lesson of sorts.

Also, don't forget to schedule for yourself some weeks off from your teaching schedule: Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter break.....

I think it's just too long, and too complicated. People have a fear of long and complicated things. Why not just make it very simple:

- Charge a flat rate at the beginning of each month, for an average of 4.5 weeks per month
- A minimum of 5 lessons during summer months (we have to accept that people will just take less during the summer, and the best we can do is instill a minimum lesson policy, whichI think most people will agree with)
- Don't allow students to change times during the month, but have an email swap list with other parents (maybe you already do this).. so if they want to switch times with Jack for 3 weeks in may, then they can.

Swapping is probably not going to work if I'm a traveling teacher. I can't teach one student in city X then go to city Y then go back to city X on the same day.

1) how to bill tuition
Per quarter:
• First quarter: July, August, September, I teach 10 weeks
• Second quarter: Oct, Nov, Dec, I teach 12 weeks
• Third quarter: Jan, Feb, March, I teach 12 weeks
• Fourth quarter: April, May, June, I teach 12 weeks

Parents receive invoice four times throughout one year. Parents can choose to pay each invoice with one check, two checks, or three checks.

For example, my fee is $40 per 40 minutes, so in first quarter, invoice stated they should pay $400 in total to cover 10 lessons from July 2013 to September 2013. Then parents can choose to…

1. write one check $400 dated July 1st, 2013; or
2. write two checks $200 each dated July 1st, 2013 and August 15, 2013; or
3. write three checks $133.33 each dated July 1st, August 1st, September 1st, 2013

Yes, at this point, all my parents trust me enough to give me checks in advance up to three months.

2) how to handle students wanting to change their lesson times
With notification of either email or text message 2 hours before lesson time, I give them a credit to schedule a make up lesson. I offer no credit over next month and no refund at all. To select a different time for piano lesson, parents has to DIY online with software name SnapAppointment (it is free!! Check it out!!)

3) how to handle missed lessons
If they missed a lesson without any sort of notification to me, they do not deserve a make up lesson, they have to see that they wasted the tuition money for nothing and I will not give credit forward to next month, no refund and no make up lesson for another time.

I hope this help!!

As a parent, I will run if I see a policy like that.
1) It's too much of a commitment. I don't know what will change in 3 months. Its hard for me to commit for piano lessons a year in advance.
2) Consumer perspective: If you offer a discount for a longer commitment, make sure that there is a substantial difference between the commitment periods, and at least one of them feels like a short term commitment, or no commitment at all. In this case, looking at a long and a very long commitment period, I would feel that I may commit to the long commitment (as opposed to the very long one), but feel that I am being unfairly charged.

My daughter's teacher offers single lesson and 10-lesson packages. That feels about the right amount of commitment to me.

I like your name, Helena! also agree that the complicated contract is off-putting.

Do you have a policy on leaving the studio? Students sign up for lessons after an 8-lesson trial period. They are students indefinitely unless we get a 30-day cancellation notice. This way they know they have an out if they need to stop.

How far apart are the lessons scheduled? If scheduling permits, you can do two lessons back-to-back, one being the make-up lesson from the missed week. Or scattered the missed time by making two lessons longer by 15 or 30 minutes each.

And if siblings take back-to-back lessons (say sister and brother), then when the sister is sick, brother gets two lessons in a row. The following week the sister gets two lessons in a row.

I teach at a school, so all the billing and paperwork is done by the Fine Arts office, but I must say, I have adapted the same ideas for my summer studio (my home.)

For summer, there must be at least 8 lessons,and pre-paid, period.

School is one semester at a time, and since there are three piano teachers and limited rooms with pianos, make-ups are purely at the teacher's discretion, no matter why the student misses. If teacher misses, it is make-up or refund.

No, my chosen make-up times suit me just fine Friday after school. Somehow, I am rarely taken up on that.


The co-curricular handbook is short and straight-forward. lessons are considered a "class" and I rarely get flak.

I do get students without a keyboard or piano who have parents "see how lessons go before getting an instrument" (?!Q!?!?!?!)

but for the most part, all is well.

The travelling may up your pay a bit, but how do you haul your supplies? I teach in two rooms and have a rolling cart with curriculum books (in case a student forgets their books, do not worry, I have a copy you can use during lessons!) and a portable office of sorts with metronome, colored pencils, theory worksheets, time sheets, snack and drink, etc...

I agree with the poster that said, "Location, location, location!"

when I teach at home, I lock in the times and have an alarm on my phone. Even on a day with only one student, THEY do not know that, and they shoo out quick enough as if I have another one coming any minute.

You teach others how to treat you.

An uber long and complicated contract would be daunting. Simple, straighforward, with a firm handshake and a smile, and I am good to go!

Good luck.

Go for quarters, and be stricter on your make-up times. Be firm, and be glad you have dedicated students!

Why not charge a set fee by the month that is not negotiable no matter how many lessons they try to reschedule or cancel? Or by the quarter? That way, parents know what they owe each month, you have a reliable income and few cancellations, and nobody feels trapped by a contract.

Thank you all for giving me your thoughts.

Some clarifications:

I did not mention that in addition to the three options under the contract, a new student could opt for an eight-week package and after that 8-week period, choose one of the other plans. Morodiene: I also have a 30-day cancellation notice. In any case, it's a moot point. I'm getting rid of the three options for fall.

I have trepidation about charging a set fee per month of lessons (with the number of lessons being variable). I'm very unsure if the parents will agree to this. I have the feeling they will not like it. Under my contract plan, at least the parents knew they were paying for an exact number of lessons, and not paying more or less for what they were getting.

I don't think I can compel my clients to take lessons in the summer, even if it's a minimal number of lessons. With the policy I had this last year, students who took lessons into the summer were given a better rate on their lessons. Those who opted to take only during the school year paid more (two families opted for this). Without financial motivation, I don't know what leverage I have to persuade clients to take in the summer. Certainly some of my clients will take lessons in the summer, as they have for years. But some clients will find it easy to stop. Under my contract plan, I believe clients began to understand the reasoning behind varying rates; they began to see that my piano teaching was a business that had to be sustained and they began to understand the long-term picture. Anyway, if one's students are going month-to-month, how does one do this?

I'm still thinking over what to do about missed lessons. I don't think my students will tolerate a no-make up policy. With what I've gone through in the last year, I'm inclined to think they'll find another teacher if I offer no makeups.

Finally, I'll just add that I can see that a long policy does not go over well with clients, especially new ones. But I don't necessarily agree that simpler is always better. I had a simple, one page policy for about eleven years, but I got exasperated with clients exploiting weaknesses in that policy (around cancellations, changes, credit-forwarding, variable payments, etc.) I'm trying to create a concise but fair and reasonable policy that both my clients and I can live with.

Scheduling will not permit me to do lessons back to back. Same thing with extending the lesson by 15 or 30 minutes. I can not delay the start of the other lessons that I have that day.

I do teach a number of siblings and will often teach only one for an hour when the other is gone. But that's not something I can incorporate into a policy.

Wow, so students are actually paying for more than four lessons each month? Do you let your clients know how you formulate your rate? I think my clients would be pretty unhappy if I told them I were charging for 4.5 lessons per month.

I don't see how I can compel students to take a minimum of five lessons during the summer unless they're under some sort of year-long contract or agreement. Is this policy for getting students to opt in to summer lessons, or are you saying that students who opt to take summer lessons must take a minimum of five?