SSOM – HAVELKA Policies and Guidelines 2023 – 2024

INSTRUMENT & MATERIALS

Prior to our first lesson, you will receive information on procuring an appropriately sized instrument and a materials list. Please do not rent or purchase an instrument without first discussing it with the teacher. Rental outfits should come complete with a case, a bow that has been recently serviced, and rosin for the bow. Sponges, shoulder rests, chinrest covers and other accessories that may be needed are not part of an instrument rental package. These are personal items that you are expected to purchase separately at the direction of your teacher.

Please pay your tuition by the 1st of each month. This will involve planning ahead. 

There are no refunds for missed lessons. Please keep in mind that SSOM will call me to confirm if I have authorized credit for any missed lessons.

Please attend all lessons and, when scheduled, group lessons and other studio events and recitals. When entering yourself or your child into the activity of musical education it is important the family commits to the student's regular lesson attendance. Please keep this in mind when you consider other scheduling other activities. Please understand that I have reserved your scheduled lesson time for you and if that lesson is missed that time is lost forever. If continued cancellations and non-payments are happening, then you risk forfeiting your reserved lesson time.

SSOM requires two weeks of advanced notice to completely discontinue lessons.

Please arrive 10 minutes early so that you or your child may use the restroom and wash their hands, get settled, and if feasible, observe the class before theirs.

If a student arrives late for a lesson, the student will receive instruction for the remainder of the scheduled lesson only. 30 minute lessons receive 20-25 minutes of actual instruction. 60 minute lessons receive 50-55 minutes of instruction.

Lessons missed by Ms. Havelka may be made up in three ways - a virtual lesson time to be scheduled as soon as possible at a mutually agreeable time, or credited by Sloan School of Music.

Let your teacher know as soon as possible if you must miss a lesson via e-mail. There are no make-up lessons for student absences. Please do not ask for a make-up.

IF SSOM is closed due to a major holiday or severe inclement weather, then we can look into options for rescheduling a lesson, depending on availability.

Mark your calendar accurately to include all our events and dates when there are no lessons. Mark recital dates and events in big red letters.

Please do not bring a sick child to a lesson or arrive ill yourself. If your child is too sick for school, they are too sick to have a lesson.

Please set all electronic devices to silent and put them away during your lesson, with the exception of using phones to create practice videos at the appropriate time. Texting, using social media, or receiving phone calls during lessons distract your child and minimize the lesson’s impact. 

E-mail or text messaging are the best ways to contact your teacher. Although you may not receive an immediate response, e-mail permits you to contact me without interrupting the lesson schedule and provides a way for me to track our communications. For non-urgent matters, please use e-mail. All participating families must have access to e-mail, since almost all important studio information will be transmitted this way.

E-mail is used by the teacher to communicate all information regarding studio events, lessons, etc. Please e-mail your teacher to set up a conference about sensitive issues rather than discuss them in front of your child and waste valuable lesson time. These include questions regarding your child’s progress or insights into your child’s skill development. These issues are not appropriate to discuss in front of your child and should be addressed in a private conversation with your teacher. 

Please refrain from discussing sensitive topics with your child in the room. We may also use your child’s regularly scheduled lesson for an in-person parent teacher conference.

If your child is having a particularly stressful day, please text me prior to the lesson so that I may respond with extra care and sensitivity during our lesson. Or please feel free to place a phone call, maintaining your sensitivity to the time constraints of me receiving the phone calls or text messages.

Bring all your materials, especially the lesson notebook and technology to record practice videos, to every lesson. 

Put LISTENING and REVIEW on the top of your priority list. These are the cornerstones of the Suzuki approach and will make the biggest difference in your child’s progress. 

Work hard. Your teacher's assignments are not mere suggestions; they need to be carried out fully in order for your teacher to help you and your child do your best.

Your registration and enrollment in this studio signify acceptance of the above policies.