Of course we know that tuition pays the teacher, but you might be surprised how your monthly tuition payment benefits students beyond just an hourly lesson rate!
Learning to play the piano is a skill that can bring joy for a lifetime. Of course, to learn that skill well (and efficiently) it is necessary to study with a qualified professional. As you shop for piano lessons and instructors, it is important to ask the right questions. You should inquire about the instructor's: educational background, performance experience, professional certifications, teaching experience and background, teaching philosophy, studio policies, expectations, involvement in teaching associations, and of course, monthly tuition.
As you compare teachers, you may find that monthly tuition seems to vary greatly from teacher to teacher. It can be confusing to make a true comparison of the cost of piano lessons due to differences in billing policies, fees, and more. To be able to compare teachers' real rates, it's important to know where your tuition money is going during the week and how it benefits you.
In a professional piano studio, your tuition should be working for you even when you're not actually taking your weekly lesson.
Here is how the Stackhouse Piano Studio's all-inclusive tuition wisely invests your money so that it creates the most impact.
#1 - Time spent with the student
In addition to regular weekly lessons, your tuition covers any and all interactions with students throughout the year. This includes: studio classes, recitals and performances, coaching at contests and competitions, recording sessions, and online support between lessons via Google Classroom.
#2 - Time spent preparing for the student
Because lessons happen weekly, sufficient lesson preparation time is essential to ensure that all lesson time is used wisely. Lesson preparation includes: daily and yearly lesson planning, analyzing assessment data, choosing new repertoire, ordering books, researching and creating new resources, researching performance opportunities, entering students into contests, practicing, and more! Not every teacher does all of these things to prepare for lessons, but you can count on this level of preparation in the Stackhouse Piano Studio. When you enroll in this studio, you benefit from all my years of training and expertise by having a carefully planned, sequenced, and completely individualized curriculum!
"...for every hour enrolled in piano lessons, you are investing in at least two hours of the teacher's time." – Wendy Stevens
Preparation time also includes all the administrative tasks like enrollment, scheduling, marketing, following up with leads, creating a social media presence, writing blog posts, maintaining the website, and bookkeeping.
#3 - Studio expenses & resources
You probably wouldn't guess it, but this is one of my favorite ways that your tuition works for you! It is my goal that piano lessons create fun, positive memories for my students. That means I do my absolute best to invest in up-to-date music and materials, games, manipulatives, incentives, and more to ensure all my students learn in a way that is fun and works best for them. The past year alone I have added over 100 games to my studio and have expanded my music library - and my students have access to ALL of it!
Studio expenses also include all the boring (but really essential) stuff like: ink and paper, lamination, advertising, computer software and subscriptions, instrument tuning and maintenance, bookkeeping and tax preparation, studio management programs, invoicing, website costs, etc.
#4 - Professional memberships & certifications
Professional memberships benefit students by opening up a number of performance and competition opportunities throughout the year. I am a registered member of Music Teachers National Association, Oklahoma Music Teachers Association, Royal Conservatory of Music, and (soon!) National Guild of Piano Teachers, and (awaiting approval!) OKC Pianist's Club. As you can imagine, there are yearly dues to be paid for each of these, and some competitions even require the teacher pay an entry fee in addition to the student's entry fee.
I am proud to hold Oklahoma State Teaching Certifications in Instrumental Music, PK-12 and Vocal Music, PK-12 as well as being an MTNA Nationally Certified Teacher of Music in Piano. Of course, these require fees to renew, as well as evidence of professional development.
I am happy to do all of this and invest tuition here, because of the huge benefit to my students in having ample performance opportunities throughout the year and the advantage of a teacher who is up-to-date professionally.
These are just a few of the ways that your tuition payment comes back to you every week!
That is the biggest benefit of enrolling in a professional piano studio with a qualified and experienced teacher - your tuition is working for you!
We have a very limited number of slots available this Fall and they're filling quickly! If haven't enrolled yet, head over to the CONTACT page today and fill out the form to book your interview. Let's make beautiful music together!