Fall Lessons

I am sure all of you know by now, but incase someone hasn't heard the news yet....I'm pregnant!!! Our little girl (Kylie Noel) is due December 19th and we are ecstatic! Obviously this will change my teaching plans a little bit so here is my plan.

First up is the recital. I usually hold them the 2nd Saturday of December which would be Dec 13th. I am not sure if it's a good idea to plan a recital so soon to my due date.  I entertained the idea of having it earlier but that gets tricky with thanksgiving and the fact that it takes about a month to get back into the swing of things after summer which only gives students about 2 months to prepare songs. I also thought about postponing it till January, but I think I'll be to busy with a new born to want to worry about prepping for a recital. So here are your choices.
Option 1 schedule the recital on Dec 13th and ask 1 or 2 parents to be the back up hosts incase I cant be there.
Option 2 Cancel the December recital and have a really awesome June recital next year.
My final decision will be made by Aug 16th. If you would like to share input make sure you let me know before then.

Next is Maternity leave. I will teach regular lessons Sept-Nov + Dec as long as my health permits. Once the baby comes I will take off from then through the end of January. Regular lessons will pick up again in February with the exception of students in temporary spots (these families are already aware of who they are) who will need to find a new teacher at that point.

Finally the Fall Schedule. The price of lessons is remaining the same, $30 for 45min lesson (the price will go up $5 every other year). I plan to continue the schedule from last year as much as possible. I will email each of you individually to start working things out.  Any family that wants to keep their same day and time will have first dibs. I will do my absolute best to accommodate each family but please remember that I am working with over 20 different families and schedules so it is next to impossible to make everyone happy but I promise to do my best! Regular lessons will start Sept 2nd. If you would prefer to wait till the 2nd week of school instead that is perfectly fine. My final fall schedule will be set by Aug 16th.

In a nut shell here is what I need from each family
1. your opinion about the December recital (see 2 options above)
2. finalization of your fall lesson time

Big Changes

I'm sure by now most of you are aware that my husband and I are becoming Foster Parents. We have learned through our many many hours of certification, that caring for a foster child will take a lot more time, patience, and one on one attention than raising a well adjusted child.

We have been thinking about it for a long time and decided that it wouldn't be the best idea for both of us to work full time while we are foster parents. Sadly the result is I will be cutting back my teaching schedule quite a bit. I currently have 49 students and will be cutting down to 21. Obviously that means that the majority of my current students will need to find a new teacher. I truly wish I could continue to teach all of you! I have loved getting to know so many wonderful families. This is just what is best for my family right now so I need to do it.

Starting September 2013 each student will have weekly 45 minute lessons regardless of their age or level. The price will be $30 per lesson with no discounts for multiple students. This will work out to $120 most months. Thursdays will be the exception since I have allowed for 2 hour spots ($35) for adults ages18 and up. 

I will be contacting families individually to work out schedules. I am starting with families that have 2 or more students. After that I will go in order of seniority. When I contact you, you will have 4 options.

1. Reserve a spot. This will require you to pay your tuition for the month of September which is non refundable.

2. No times will work. I know many wonderful teachers through the music teachers association. I would be happy to help your find a new teacher

3. You are unsure of your schedule for fall. I suspect most everyone will fall into this category. What I’ll do is put you on a waiting list for up to 3 times. If you are on a waiting list and realize a time for sure will work let me know and that time will be yours. Then on July 29^thI’ll start contacting people on waiting lists for any un finalized times.

4. Reserve a short term spot. I will teach an extra 45min each day. However as soon as children are placed with us all future "short term" lessons will be permanently canceled. We may have as little notice as 24 hours which means this may be all the notice I could give you. Any lesson credits will be reimbursed. They told us foster to adopt placements usually take about 6 months which would put it around January. But it may be sooner, we simply don't know. You do not need to pay anything up front to reserve a short term spot.

You can see the available times under the "schedule & payment" tab. I will update it daily so you can see exactly what your options are.

I know this is a lot to take it. I'm still trying to wrap my head around it myself. As I said before I have loved teaching all of you and I am happy to help you find a new teacher. Many of the teachers in the music teachers association place their students in overlapping events. This means I will most likely see many of you several times in the future.

Let me know if anything is unclear. I want to make this transition and smooth as possible for everyone!