Ok all....I am finally breaking down and setting up formal policies. I have never needed them before so I'm asking for input. (Do I lack confidence? perhaps). It didn't copy over here too well but you get the idea. There is also a place for parents to sign. Thanks in advance for wasting your time reading this:
Aug 1, 2005

To all parents:

First, let me start off by saying Thank You for allowing me to work with your children. I enjoy every one of them and I get so much joy from watching them learn and grow. In order to keep me in-line with other teachers in the Boise area, the following policies will be implemented starting September 1, 2005:

1. All lessons will be charged $50 per student/per month. There will be no adjusting due to the number of weeks per month including the month of December.
2. Payment is due the first scheduled lesson of each month. If fees are paid after that, a $5 per student late charge will be added.
3. I am discontinuing the “multiple student” discount. My rates are still lower than many teachers in this area and by discontinuing this discount; an overall increase in rates won’t be needed at this time.
4. Make-up lessons will only be offered if convenient with my teaching schedule. If a student misses a lesson with no advanced (24 hrs) notice, they are still charged for that lesson and no make-up lesson will be available.
5. Students who continually show up for lessons unprepared (not practicing) can be “let-go” at the end of a paid month as I feel this is a waste of my time and your money.
6. Students are required to perform at the Christmas Party (students only) and the recital in May (for families and friends). Performance skills are learned best when students are young and it makes it much easier for them as they progress. Plus we have lots of fun!

CALENDAR:
September: no lessons 09/05 – Labor Day
November: no lessons 11/23-11/25 – Thanksgiving Holiday
December: no lessons 12/26-12/30 – Christmas Holiday
March: no lessons 03/27-03/31 – Spring Break
May: no lessons 05/29-05/31

Last day of lessons for Fall/Spring session is 05/24/06.
Summer lessons will resume June 5, 2006.

Important dates to schedule: Christmas Piano Party December 17, 2005
May Piano Recital May 25, 2006 (subject to change)

All students are encouraged to practice, practice, practice and more importantly to HAVE FUN! Music is such a wonderful gift to all of us and I want my students to enjoy learning to play, as this is a talent they can use their entire life! Thanks again for allowing me to work with them! If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at ***-****. Please sign and return the signed copy to me so I know you have read and understand these policies.

Xstitch4me, I hope you won't mind a few suggestions:

I would somehow work in the word "tuition" to the above statement. Parents are more likely not to bawk at a no adjustment policy if they hear you are clearly charging them tuition. I didn't get a clear sense of this.


4. Make-up lessons will only be offered if convenient with my teaching schedule. If a student misses a lesson with no advanced (24 hrs) notice, they are still charged for that lesson and no make-up lesson will be available.



Hmm, it seems like you may be setting yourself up for trouble. My suggestion: either no make-up lessons period or rephrase your policy to include make-up lessons, but only under the 24 hour notice policy, not both as the above 'seems' to state.

Were you wanting some feedback?? If not, please excuse me; if so, here are a few suggestions:

On #1 - I like to say how many lessons the student will receive during the year (I do 37, from end Aug.-mid-June). Then I say that tuition is *** for the year, payable in 10 equal installments of *** per month. This gets parents away from thinking at a per lesson basis. I then say, "Please note: monthly tuition will remain the same regardless of the number of lessons in the month"

On #2 - I think your late fee is too little; $5 is no real incentive for parents to get their payment in on time. Anyhow, it's your choice; I used to charge only $5, but then upped it to $20 with much better results. I think it was Lisa who had the idea of calling it a LATE PENALTY, which I now use in my policy. Something about the word PENALTY as opposed to FEE that really makes a difference.

For your Calendar: My heading is HOLIDAY SCHEDULE, where I list all the weeks off. My last sentence reads "These holidays do not interfere with the 37 scheduled lessons for the year". I don't know, it just reinforces to the parents that their child IS getting 37 lessons that year.

Your policy sounds great, though. I usually send out a cover letter with my studio policy, explaining any new policy changes, late penalty increases, no more discounts, etc... in the letter. My policy sheet is then very cut and dry, matter-of-fact; I don't get into personal stuff.

Great point alidoremi!

The very first sentence of my policy is: The piano instruction year is from September through the end of May. Students will receive an average of four activities per month which include private lessons, group lessons, recitals, and/or adjudications. Students shall receive a MINIMUM of 36 activities. Although 40 activities will be offered.

I verbally tell parents that maximum participation guarantees them the most for their money. This lets me off the hook in regard to make-up lessons and gets better student participation in recitals.

A few more suggestions:

Quote:
3. I am discontinuing the “multiple student” discount. My rates are still lower than many teachers in this area and by discontinuing this discount; an overall increase in rates won’t be needed at this time.

If it were up to me (and it's not!), I believe I would say something more along the lines of: I will not offer "multiple student discounts" (and leave out the part about your rates--maybe just say "tuition will not increase this year"). It just seems that by saying your rates are lower than many teachers, you are saying that you are somehow worth less (which I'm sure usn't true!).

Quote:
5. Students who continually show up for lessons unprepared (not practicing) can be “let-go” at the end of a paid month as I feel this is a waste of my time and your money.

For the first time ever, I am adding a paragraph addressing this very issue (copied from a teacher in another state whose policies I got from a transfer student):
Failure to practice and to come to lessons prepared for three weeks in a row will result in a phone call to parents and a parent-teacher-student conference at the next lesson. Students who continue to come to lessons unprepared may be dismissed from the studio.
Will it work? I don't know, but it should put the fear of God into them! My suggestion is just to be more specific about how long you will tolerate this instead of using the word "continually".

I'm sure you will get lots more great ideas!

One of the things that I've done for myself is to make my studio policy look like I want a NEW student to read it. For changes that current students might need more explanation - I write up a separate cover letter.

Don't apologize or over explain anything. You can clarify in person, as needed.

I like to start my policy with my mission statement/studio philosophy. Whatever you want to call it. Before I tell them "rules" I like them to know why I'm teaching and what they can expect from my service. Before they ever read the policies themself, they have a good idea if I'm a teacher that will teach with the same focus they want for their child. If it is - the policies can be accepted.

Good luck - the first time I wrote up a studio policy I felt like it was a huge project.

How nice of you to post your policy sheet for review. We've all received some great ideas.
I would like to second what alidoremi said about the cover letter. If I were you, the policy sheet should be separate from the cover letter to parents. The policy sheet should be business-like and be basically the same each year, with only minor tweaking as you see fit. The chatty, personal part can be in your cover letter.
I agree with the other teachers about your wording. Keep working on it, and it will get better.
I've had the same policy sheet for years, and I still work to make it better each year.

Wow - great ideas from everyone....thanks so much. I would love an example of a cover letter please. Thanks!

Here's the letter I am sending out next week:

Dear Piano Parents and Students,

My, how the summer has flown! It’s hard to believe we have been out of school for two months and will return in a few short weeks. I hope all of you have had a wonderful, fun-filled summer. Piano lessons will resume on Tuesday, September 6. I am enclosing a brochure with your assigned day and time, as well as a full calendar for the year and all policies and procedures. If this time does not suit you, or if your child has decided to discontinue lessons, please let me know as soon as possible, so I can rearrange my schedule. I am still getting calls about fall lessons and need to let prospective students know whether or not I can place them.

Lessons are divided into two 15-week semesters and tuition is charged by the semester: $320/30-minute lessons, $480/45-minute lessons for fall semester (August through mid-January) and $320/$480 for spring semester (mid-January through early May). Tuition may be paid in a lump sum at the beginning of the semester or divided into 8 equal monthly payments of $80/$120.
The annual technology fee of $40 and the recital fee of $15 is due with September’s tuition.

I look forward to a successful and interesting musical year!

Oh yeah--something I forgot earlier that I also copied from another teacher: her brochure/policies had a section for Parents' Responsibility, Students' Responsibility and Teacher's Responsibility and spelled out what is expected of each party. I really liked that--it's very clear and concise. I'll go ahead and post it if anybody is interested.

Parents’ Responsibility
Parents are responsible for providing a tuned and well-working piano. Parents are also responsible for providing a set time for practice and ensuring that their child adheres to it. Parents should read the assignment sheet to keep abreast of their child’s progress. Parents must realize that playing an instrument is fun, but it is also work. Just like playing a sport well, playing a musical instrument requires discipline and constant repetition and practice to learn. Students need to be encouraged to keep up with their studies if parents are serious about their learning to play.

Students’ Responsibility
Students must practice every day following the practice suggestions on their assignment sheet and any other instructions given by the teacher. Students are to come to every lesson ready to learn, with all their materials, and prepared to play their assigned pieces. As students get older, they will begin to take on much of the parents' responsibility for their musical education. This is to be expected and encouraged.

Teacher’s Responsibility
The teacher will teach the student with kindness and firmness. The teacher will teach the student everything they need to know in order to play a piece and will instruct the student on the best ways to learn the piece. The teacher will provide instructions for practice to be carried out in the home and will encourage students to think their way through a piece by using all the knowledge and hints the teacher has given them. Playing the piano should be fun but it is also work.

Also, if I'm not mistaken, Wendy's Piano Studio www.wendyspianostudio.com has copies of numerous studio policies--I copy shamelessly from any source!