Port Angeles / Sequim Studio Policy

String Beans Violin Studio

STUDIO LOCATION

Private lessons are offered in:
⭐ Port Angeles at the Morgan-Ellis home (Mondays and Fridays)
⭐ Sequim at Swisher Hall (Mondays)

Group classes for beginners aged 3-6 are offered separately through the Suzuki Sprouts early-childhood program and are billed independently from private lessons.

Group classes for adult learners are offered on Fridays through the Peninsula Community Youth Orchestra program and are billed independently from private lessons.

Intermediate and advanced students are encouraged to join the Peninsula Community Youth Orchestra.

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS

Students are expected to provide their own teacher-approved instrument, shoulder rest, and method and etude books. Students need to have a space at home in which to practice, including a good-quality music stand and any necessary audio materials that have been suggested during lessons.

Students should prepare several minutes before their scheduled lesson time so that we can start on time. When you arrive, please make sure you have:

used the restroom if necessary
finished any snacks
washed your hands
taken your violin out of the case
tightened and rosined your bow
put your shoulder rest on
settled your mind and body
put your music on the stand
be ready to present yourself attentively for your lesson

Clean hands, short nails, and all pertinent lesson materials are required for each lesson.

Students must prepare for each lesson by:

organized and goal-oriented practicing of assigned material
regular practice of review material
listening to reference recordings daily

All students are expected to practice daily and participate in any performance opportunities. Students are also encouraged to take advantage of any other accessible opportunities for performance or learning (i.e. Suzuki summer institutes, summer music camps, Celtic Arts Foundation Winter School, youth orchestra, school orchestra, attending classical performances, etc.).

SCHEDULING

Before the beginning of the academic year, a weekly lesson schedule will be set according to your availability and Christine’s open times. If circumstances change and you need to change your time slot during the year, Christine will do her best to accommodate you, but an alternate slot is not guaranteed. Once we agree on a weekly time slot, it will be reserved for you and not offered to anyone else.

You are encouraged to arrive early and stay late if there are students before and/or after you that you can observe. You are also encouraged to drop in at any time to observe another student’s lesson, but please check in with Christine first to make sure that there has not been a schedule change or cancellation before coming by.

Lessons will be scheduled on designated teaching days in Port Angeles and Sequim. Because these teaching days involve significant travel and coordination, rescheduling flexibility is very limited.

REGISTRATION & TUITION

Registration must be completed online via a link that will be sent to you after our initial meetup.

Registration fee for the academic year (September-June) is $50.00. This fee reserves a spot in the studio for the upcoming academic year and covers a portion of extra lesson and studio materials (photocopies, sheet music, incentives, spring studio t-shirt, etc.).

Your monthly tuition includes weekly private lessons, group classes every other week, and any extra asynchronous coaching when needed. Tuition is non-refundable.

For your consistency and convenience, your tuition will be averaged out over the course of the academic year (36 weeks) so that it will remain the same predictable amount each month from September through June, divided into two semesters. There will be one week set aside at the end of the academic year for makeup lessons (see “make-up week”).

Your tuition for the full month is due by the first lesson of the month. An invoice will be sent to your email address through PayPal, but payment may be submitted in whatever way works best for you: check, cash, PayPal, or Venmo.

COMMITMENT, TRANSITIONS, ENDING LESSONS

Learning an instrument is a long-arc process. Early progress is often the steepest and most challenging phase. Consistency and support during this period matters far more than talent.

For this reason, new students are expected to commit to a full semester of lessons. Most meaningful progress occurs after fundamental techniques and habits are formed. Steady, consistent participation is essential during the first year.

For established students, pauses and endings are a normal part of life and learning.

When a change is needed, families are expected to:

Communicate directly
Provide approximately one month of advance notice whenever possible
Approach the transition as a shared planning step rather than an abrupt stop

Treating transitions mindfully allows us to maintain respect for the time, energy, and working relationship that have been built on both sides.

Goals:

Thoughtful closure for the student
Responsible scheduling and planning for the studio
A healthy and professional end to a shared learning relationship

Students are always welcome to return when space allows.

MAKE-UP WEEK

Your weekly lesson time is reserved and not recoverable if a lesson is missed. Students and caregivers are expected to arrange their weekly schedules accordingly. If a lesson needs to be cancelled, it can be made up during the make-up week at the end of of the academic year, at no extra cost to the student.

There is no charge for this make-up week; if you do not miss any lessons during the academic year, this week will be a free lesson for you. No more than one lesson per year will be offered as a make-up lesson.

Lessons missed due to teacher cancellation will be either made up or credited at the mutual convenience of teacher and student.

EARLY ARRIVAL

Please plan to arrive early so we can begin on time. If there is a student having a lesson before you, please come in and observe that student’s lesson while you are getting ready for your own. Observation is an excellent way to mentally reinforce your own skills, and helps create a positive learning environment for everyone.

Your time slot is reserved in advance; for example, if you are scheduled for a 2:30-3:00 lesson and you are not ready to begin until 2:37, your lesson will end at 3:00 as scheduled. Please plan accordingly.

STUDIO CALENDAR

Detailed calendar events (performances, breaks, etc.) will be provided to you via email. As a general rule, you can expect the following:

Fall semester:

weekly lessons, September through December

breaks for Thanksgiving and Winter

Spring semester:

weekly lessons, January through June

breaks for midwinter break and spring break

makeup week = last week of semester

Summer:

July and August – lessons scheduled and invoiced according to availability

COMMUNICATION

Students are asked to direct their communication to: stringbeansviolin@gmail.com

Text messages may be used for communication that doesn’t benefit from a ‘trail’, like practice video clips or answers to quick questions. Please do not use text messaging for anything schedule-related or otherwise organizational. It is often necessary to check back through emails to confirm details; this is much more difficult to do with texts.

COVID PRECAUTIONS

Christine is fully vaccinated and boosted, along with everyone in her family. She will maintain social distancing during lessons as much as is practical and will wear a mask according to current CDC recommendations.

If anyone in your household tests positive for COVID, please request online lessons during your quarantine period. Christine appreciates it deeply when students who have ordinary cold symptoms go ahead and mask up during lessons – it keeps everyone she comes into contact with a little healthier.

PHOTO/VIDEO

From time to time, photos and/or video may be taken of students in order to document progress or commemorate milestones. Media may be posted to the studio site or YouTube, so it can be shared with friends and family. Surnames of students may be used online. It is the caretaker’s responsibility to communicate any preferences to avoid using a student’s name or image online.

The discussion of diversity, equity, inclusion and access will permeate every aspect of our time together. Dr. Suzuki’s dream was that “Every Child Can Learn.” My dream is that every child, caretaker and teacher can learn, thrive and grow regardless of cultural heritage, religion, sexual orientation, gender expression, skin color, age, ability status and socio-economic status.