Trupiano Studios LLC operates within the teacher’s home. Students should aim to arrive for lessons about 5 minutes before the lesson start time (Please do not come in more than 5 minutes early). Students and parents may park in the driveway or utilize street parking.

The home is a pet-free, smoke-free environment, and shoes-free when indoors. Students and parents should expect to remove their shoes at the door or wear protective booties (provided by the teacher) every time they enter. Students will wash their hands in the bathroom before the lesson begins. Parents are encouraged to take advantage of the waiting area during students’ lessons but may also opt to wait in the car or drop off a student and return to pick up at the end of the lesson. There is a studio sketchbook available to anyone who would like to draw while waiting.

Lesson tuition is a flat rate paid at the beginning of each month and reserves a student’s place in the studio. Tuition payments function like a membership in that they cover much more than lesson time and it is up to the student whether they take full advantage of all the resources available to them. Tuition is all-inclusive with the exceptions of competition entry fees and Piano Club. In addition to reserving a space in the studio with a weekly lesson slot, tuition also pays for:

-Lesson preparation time                        

-Bookkeeping and accounting

-Business licenses & insurance

-Monthly student workshops

-Past teacher training & experience    

-Monthly newsletters

-Continued teacher education              

-Books, studio upkeep, & piano tunings

-Professional organization memberships                 

-Recital costs and preparation time

-Conferences, seminars, webinars & additional research   

-Digital resources & media management

-Taxes & retirement planning           

Weekly lessons are 45 minutes and cost $170/month. Prospective students can take a trial lesson for $60 before committing to a full month if desired. Additional lesson time can be booked on an as needed basis and as schedule availability allows if a student would like extra lesson time leading up to an audition, performance, etc. for a flat rate of $60/hour. Tuition for June and July works differently - please see the Summer section for details.

Students will receive an invoice for each month’s tuition on the 1st of the month. Tuition is due by the 7th of the month no later than 6PM. After that time, a $15 late fee will be added, due in full before the start of the next lesson. Lessons will be terminated if funds are not received by the 2nd lesson of the month. Payment for a trial lesson or any additional lessons is due before the lesson begins. Accepted forms of payment include cash, check, credit/debit card, and ACH transfer. Checks must be made out to TRUPIANO STUDIOS LLC. Bounced checks incur a $35 penalty, due in addition to the original payment before the start of the next lesson. Students paying with cash or check receive a $5 discount.

Please note that the teacher reserves the right to raise tuition costs over time to reflect cost of living.

If a new student names an existing student for the referral when signing up for lessons, the existing student will receive $25 off their next month’s tuition. The existing student will receive the bonus once the new student pays for a full month of lessons (not a trial lesson or prorated month). There is no limit to the number of times a student can receive a referral bonus, but the student must remain enrolled in lessons to receive each bonus. Only one referral bonus can be used each month; in the event of two or more bonuses occurring in the same month, the additional bonus(es) will rollover and apply to the following month(s).

Students will not pay regular monthly tuition for the months of June and July. Each student will have a flat rate payment of $200 for the month of June, which covers:

·       Regular lesson the first week of June

·       End of Year recital participation

·       Up to 3 three-hour Summer Camps.

The studio is closed for four weeks in July with regular tuition resuming the month of August. Depending on how the calendar dates fall, lessons may actually resume during the last week of July and will be included in the August tuition payment.

The cost of new books and sheet music chosen by the teacher for study is included in tuition, saving each student approximately $35-100 per year. Students have the opportunity to perform throughout the year in various venues, events, and competitions. This includes one studio recital each semester as well as other opportunities through the teacher’s continued membership in professional organizations. Once eligible, students have access to monthly workshops in which they practice performing their pieces for other people, develop critical thinking skills through peer feedback, play music theory games, and build camaraderie within the studio community. Workshops are held every month September-May. Students 6th grade and above who have taken lessons for at least one year may also sign up for Piano Club, which runs once in the fall and once in the spring. Students participate in Summer Camp in June after the End of Year recital. Throughout the year, students compete in in-house contests to win gift cards and other prizes.

Ensemble playing is a wonderful opportunity for students to improve sight reading, enhance ear training, hone a rhythmic internal pulse, build confidence in performance, strengthen social bonds, develop group leadership, and have the fun of the ensemble experience in a typically isolated instrument. Piano Club provides an opportunity for students to enjoy all these benefits in addition to regular weekly lessons, running once in the fall semester and once in the spring. Students meet in groups six times over the course of a few months to work on ensemble playing, learning several group pieces in that time. Piano Club costs $100/student per session, or $80/student if two siblings enroll.

Students should come to every lesson fully prepared with all necessary materials. It is recommended that students keep a tote bag or backpack designated solely for lesson purposes. Once sheet music and books have been given to the student, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure materials are taken care of and brought to each lesson. If music is lost or too damaged to continue using, it is the student’s responsibility to replace it promptly. All piano students are required to have a metronome and a keyboard or piano at home. All voice students are required to have a recording device (handheld digital recorders and voice recording apps on smart phones work best) for use in lessons and for practice at home.

The studio is open for lessons Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays 3-6PM, Fridays 3-5:15PM, and Saturdays 10AM-3:15PM, and for workshops and piano club on select Mondays.

The studio is open for lessons 40 weeks out of the year. The number of lessons per month will vary but payments will stay the same, reflecting an average of four lessons per month over the course of the year. In June, students take a regular private lesson the first week, then choose available options for additional lessons and Summer Camps for the rest of the month. The studio is closed the remaining nine weeks of the year. A calendar showing lesson days and other studio events is available here. Lessons will be rescheduled or refunded for any days the teacher is unable to work due to emergency or illness. All teacher absences will be communicated to students with as much notice as possible.

Lessons may not be rescheduled for a day or time outside of the student’s regular spot. If there is a conflict, emergency, or someone in the home is sick, please give as much notice as possible that the student will not be attending that week’s lesson. For the first two cancellations of each semester (with advance notice given), the teacher will use the lesson time to record a brief instructional video lesson with next steps and practice tips for that week which will then be emailed to the student. This allows the student to maintain consistent progress, eliminates the need for rescheduling, and ensures a student doesn’t lose out on lesson time because of illness, inclement weather, car trouble, etc. If no notice has been given within the first few minutes of the lesson start time, it will be considered a no call no show and that week’s lesson will be forfeited. It is critical to a student’s growth, development, and passion for music that lessons are attended as consistently as possible. While helpful, video lessons can’t match the value of in person teacher-student interaction and problem-solving. If a student is unable to attend more than two lessons in a semester, the time will be forfeited.

If a student decides to take time off from musical study, their lesson slot will not be held for them. Upon returning they will have to schedule their new lesson slot based on current studio availability and will most likely have to join the studio wait list for an open time. Most of the time students will not continue to practice regularly in the absence of weekly lessons – this means they not only stop progressing, but also start regressing in skill and retention, which is often frustrating for the student upon returning to lessons.

Lessons have three objectives: 1) Introduction of new concepts; 2) Reinforcement and mastery of old concepts; 3) Preparation for weekly practice. Students will receive the greatest benefit from lessons with a daily practice routine. Practice should be focused, intentional, and referencing teacher notes from the most recent lesson, not just running through what a student remembers or “going through the motions.” Teacher notes are an essential tool in guiding students through practice at home and should be referenced every practice session. Parents play a crucial part in this process for younger students, gently encouraging the discipline and patience needed to practice successfully, and making sure practice time is a priority in the home.

The needs of each student will vary for optimal progress, but for those who work best within a time frame, here are some general starting recommendations:

Elementary students/beginners: 10-15 minutes/day

MS/intermediate students: 20-30 minutes/day

HS/advanced students: at least 45 minutes/day

Students will only spend 45 minutes every week in lessons. There are over 10,000 minutes in each week – that means less than 1% of a student’s time is spent working on material in lessons! Students will quickly become frustrated with feeling stuck in their musical study if they are not practicing regularly at home. At this point, lessons turn into supervised practice sessions, progress is drastically diminished, and we must consider discussing a transfer out of the studio. Consistent, careful practice should become a habit so that lesson time can be used for asking questions, troubleshooting tricky areas, and going over new technique and literature.

Remember – musical growth and development is a process that takes time and persistence. You will get out of your music education what you put into your music education. Practice is a discipline – it takes effort, but your effort will be rewarded!