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On the Importance of Lesson Policies

This week's post is a bit different from the type I normally write. It does not contain the usual performing or singing advice. It does not contain any information about upcoming Rising Stars events (although for that info, you should check out our Facebook page!). It does, however, address a very important aspect of the student-teacher relationship, one that I think is often under-explained:

STUDIO POLICIES.

Yes, you read that right. You know those policies your teacher has about payment, cancellations, and make up lessons? Those are the policies I'm talking about.

When you began lessons with your teacher, chances are he or she informed you of all his or her studio policies. Maybe you even signed a contract. Can you recall, right here, right now, what your teacher's payment/cancellation/make up policies are? If so, do you understand them and why they are in place?

If the answer to any of those questions is no, then you need to re-visit the policies and/or have a conversation with your teacher. Trust me, it is better to do it now than to wait until there is a "situation."

Every teacher's studio policies are a little bit different, but I can guarantee you that, regardless of the specifics, the policies are designed with two over-arching aims in mind:

1. The financial security of your teacher's business.

2. Your musical progress and development.

As for #1, you must remember that your teacher is running a business. And like every other business ever conceived in the history of capitalism, your teacher is trying to make money from that business. Don't get me wrong - we teachers love what we do and certainly didn't go into this profession FOR the money. But we are trying to make a living all the same. Most free-lance teachers are self-employed and thus must take it upon themselves to protect their own financial interests. Like anybody else, we want to be fairly compensated for our time and efforts. Payment, cancellation, and make up policies help to ensure that students pay their teacher on time, show up to their lessons consistently, and don't take advantage of the teacher's (often very busy) schedule.

Now for the second reason. Consider the following situation: your teacher recently updated her policies. She now requires monthly lesson payments and has a no-credit policy. Now that you know you will simply lose the lesson if you skip, you begin attending your lessons more faithfully. To make your money worth it, you start practicing more. You discover that - wait for it - the increased practicing has actually caused you to make more progress! And making more progress causes you to enjoy the lessons more! Who knew that your teacher's policies are actually designed for her benefit AND yours?

This is not some hypothetical situation that I just made up. This is *actually* what happened in my studio a couple years ago when I tightened my cancellation and make up policies. My students are happier with their musical experience because they have seen, first-hand, the value of more regular lesson attendance and more faithful practicing.

After understanding these two undergirding principles behind your teacher's policies, there are a few other things for you, the student, to keep in mind:

1. Ultimately, it is your teacher's prerogative to devise and enforce any policies that he or she chooses. Your teacher is not obligated to change them if you feel that they are unfair. If you don't understand them, then ask for clarification. If you really feel the policies will present a problem for you or that frequent conflict is inevitable, then you may want to consider finding another teacher.

2. Your teacher is not "out to get you" with his or her policies. If you truly feel this way, then you need to be really honest with yourself as to why. If, after some serious self-reflection, you decide your feelings are actually warranted, then have a conversation with your teacher.

3. Do not ask your teacher to make policy exceptions for you, ever. If your teacher decides to be super nice and cut you some slack, thank him or her profusely and promise that you will follow all policies going forward. If your teacher decides to be hard-line about her policies, then accept it and move on. Along the same lines, don't look for loopholes to exploit. That is completely uncool. Which brings me to point #4:

4. In most cases, problems become policies. If a teacher is experiencing a recurring problem or conflict in the studio, then he or she will probably create a policy to counteract it. For example, If the teacher previously had a pay-by-the-lesson system and then switched to requiring monthly payments, it probably means too many people were flaking out or not paying. If you don't want the policies to get any stricter, then don't create any potential problems.

In general, it is best to keep an open line of communication with your teacher regarding all aspects of your relationship - personal, artistic, and business. If you're not happy about something, then be up front about it. On the other hand, if you're very happy with your situation, the best compliment you can give your teacher is to refer more students to him/her. We teachers don't take anyone's business for granted, and feel extremely gratified when our students spread good things about us through the world's most effective form of advertising - word-of-mouth.

Remember, ultimately, your teacher cares very much for you as a person and your musical progress. He or she invests lots of time, energy, and preparation into your lessons - much more so than you probably realize. What we ask from you in return is simply your respect and your commitment.

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