My ‘home base’ is in Port Orchard, WA and most of my teaching, conducting, and group class activities are in Kitsap County.
I travel to Sequim and Port Angeles on Mondays and Fridays in order to offer private lessons and serve as teacher and conductor. Policy items that are specific to Sequim and Port Angeles students are highlighted in yellow.
STUDIO LOCATION
1667 SE Ellis Ct.
Port Orchard WA 98367
Please park in the driveway for lessons.
Do not block access to the carport or detached garage; please pull up close to the house.
If street parking is necessary during group class time, please use the easement on the north side of the street, keeping the ‘roundabout’ area clear.
SEQUIM AND PORT ANGELES STUDENTS:
Lesson location will be arranged with you individually.
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:
- finish any snacks – no food in the studio
- wash your hands
- take your violin out of the case
- tighten and rosin your bow
- put your shoulder rest on
- settle your mind and body
- put your music on the stand
- are 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 participate in group classes, recitals, and community outreach performances. Students are all 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.).
Tip: Please take care of restroom needs before arriving. Restroom breaks during lessons require a significant interruption to the lesson and should be avoided whenever possible.
PARENT ROLE IN LESSONS
- You are note-taker
- bring something to write lesson notes in
- You are media source
- take video or audio recordings for practice reference if needed
- play reference recordings at home ALL THE TIME
- music is a language – we need to hear it
- You are motivator and cheerleader at home
- young people aren’t often great with executive function and internal motivation
- we need to step in and find positive, consistent ways to create routines, habits, and motivation
ONLINE LESSON NOTES
I usually take my own notes in a shared Google doc during lessons, and sometimes include links to reference/practice materials. You are still expected to take your own detailed and personalized notes during lessons – often my own are only an outline.
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.
SEQUIM AND PORT ANGELES STUDENTS:
Lessons will be scheduled on Mondays or Fridays 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 registration is complete.
Registration fee for the academic year (September-June) is due by Sept 1. 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 is averaged out over the course of the academic year (Sept-June) so that it will remain the same predictable amount each month. 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, and consistency during this period matters far more than talent.
For this reason, new students commit to a full semester of lessons. Most meaningful progress comes after fundamental techniques and habits have been established, which makes consistency especially important during the first year.
If a change in lessons is ultimately needed, families are asked to:
• Communicate directly
• Provide at least one month of advance notice whenever possible
• Plan the ending with me rather than stopping abruptly, so the student gets real closure rather than a lesson that turns out to have been the last one.
Thoughtful transitions allow us to respect the time, energy, and working relationship that have been built on both sides. A student who gets to finish a piece, play it for the group if they wish, and say goodbye leaves with something. A student who simply stops learns that quitting quietly is how endings work.
Late Payment
I’d rather solve a problem early than let it grow. Please communicate with me directly if you have extenuating circumstances.
• If tuition hasn’t arrived by your second lesson of the month, lessons pause until your account is current.
• Paused lessons are not made up and don’t reduce what’s owed. Your time slot is still being held for you and isn’t available to anyone else.
• If an account reaches 30 days past due, I’ll release your time slot and offer it to another student. Returning to the studio after that means re-enrolling as space allows, with a new registration fee.
MISSED OR CANCELLED LESSONS
For lessons that take place September through June, 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.
Summer lessons are scheduled in advance and are not refundable or recoverable.
If a last-minute cancellation is unavoidable, I will attempt to make up missed time at a different lesson if possible, or offer an open spot to you if one is available. I do this as a courtesy and availability for making up missed time outside of makeup week is not guaranteed.
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, group classes, breaks, etc.) can be accessed through the
As a general rule, you can expect the following:
Fall semester:
- weekly lessons, September through December
- breaks for Thanksgiving and Winter (follows PSD calendar)
- ~7 group classes
- 1 group performance (Holiday)
Spring semester:
- weekly lessons, January through June
- breaks for midwinter break and spring break (follows PSD calendar)
- ~9 group classes
- 1 group performance (Celtic)
- 1 solo recital
- makeup week = last week of semester
Summer:
- July and August – lessons scheduled and invoiced according to availability
- no group classes or performances
COMMUNICATION
direct your communication to: stringbeansviolin@gmail.com
Contact me with any questions between lessons, even if they are small ones.
Scheduling, invoicing, or anything ‘official’: EMAIL
- email stringbeansviolin@gmail.com
- Any change in schedule, cancellation, tuition payment inquiry, etc MUST be communicated via email.
- examples:
- We will be out of town on July 4th”
- “Suzy is sick and will miss lesson tomorrow”
- “I have a question about tuition”
Quick casual questions or last-minute communication: TEXT IS OK, DEFAULT TO EMAIL IF UNSURE
- text 817-879-0569
- examples:
- “What’s the fingering supposed to be in measure 3?” [include picture of music]
- “Why does this sound weird?” [include short video clip of weird sound]
- “I’m running late but am on the way”
ILLNESS PRECAUTIONS
Masks and hand sanitizer are available for students.
I deeply appreciate it when students who have ordinary cold symptoms go ahead and mask up during lessons. I see a lot of people in a week, including some with immunocompromised family members, and this small courtesy keeps everyone healthier.
GROUP CLASSES
Starting September 16, group classes will meet every other week.
Your group class tuition is incorporated into your lesson tuition and is not refundable or subject to credit/make-up status. If the teacher has to cancel a group class due to illness or emergency, a catch-up class will be organized at a later date.
Pre-Twinkle beginners are exempt from group classes but are encouraged to attend and observe. Parents must stay in the room with any students under the age of 6.
High school students who are active in any area Youth Orchestras, school orchestras, or other approved advanced orchestra program are exempt from group classes but are still encouraged to attend.
Sequim and Port Angeles students are welcome to come to group classes and participate in performances and recitals that take place in Kitsap County, if they are able.
Alternate local group opportunities for Mason County students:
Classes offered through the Peninsula Community Youth Orchestra, billed independenty from private lessons:
● Suzuki Sprouts: for beginners aged 3-6
● Adult Violin Lab: group class for beginning adults
● Peninsula Community Youth Orchestra
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 blogsite 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.
String Beans Studio 