Richards Piano Studio

Tuition

Tuition is based on enrollment for the academic year, September through May. It covers private lessons, studio classes, studio recitals as well as teacher preparation and conference time. The yearly tuition fee is payable by the month or the trimester with monthly payments due by the first lesson of each month and trimester payments due by Sept. 1, Dec. 1 and March 1.

Children and Teenagers

40 minute lessons: $186/month or $568/trimester
50 minute lessons: $231/month or $693/trimester
60 minute lessons: $277/month or $831/trimester

30 minute lessons are only available to pre-K through 1st grade students. These lessons are $141/month or $423/trimester.

Statements, which can be used to take advantage of the Minnesota Educational Tax Credit/Deduction Law, will be sent out in January listing all tuition payments.

Adults

Weekly Lessons:

40 minute lessons: $180/month or $540/trimester

Bi-Monthly Lessons:

40 minute lessons: $100/month or $300/trimester
50 minute lessons: $123/month or $372/trimester
60 minute lessons: $148/month or $444/trimester

Summer Rates For information on summer rates go to the Summer Registration Page.

Student Music Account

School-age students are required to make an initial music deposit of $50.00 per student or $75 per family. All music purchases will be deducted from this account. When the balance falls below $5.00 you will be asked to bring your account up to a credit balance of $20.00. If a student should terminate lessons during the school year their deposit is forfeited. If a student opts to terminate lessons at the end of the school year, their deposit will be refunded. Money left in the account at the end of May will be held over for the summer or fall for continuing students.

Adults will purchase music as they need it.

Enrollment Termination

Occasionally circumstances arise where a student needs to stop lessons mid-year. Please communicate with me before making this decision! If after a consultation we mutually agree that lessons need to end mid-year, the student will need to complete payment on their current month and give a two-week notice. They may opt to continue lessons during this time, or forgo these lessons.

Missed Lesson Policy

If you have a conflict with your scheduled lesson time, please contact me. Often, I have cancellations in my schedule and I make those available to other students. I try hard to accommodate the busy lives of my piano families, but I cannot guarantee a re-schedule spot will be available. If you are gone for a full week or more, those lessons cannot be rescheduled – reschedules must happen within the week of your conflict.
Forgotten lessons and cancellations on the day of the lesson cannot be rescheduled.
If a student cannot get to a lesson in person, we can hold the lesson via Zoom/Facetime/Skype.
Permanent lesson times can be renegotiated mid-year.

Teacher Cancellations: The teacher is allowed one lesson cancellation per student per year, due to illness or family emergencies. If a lesson is cancelled for this reason, the lesson will not be rescheduled.

Snow Days: In the event of a snow-storm, parents should use their best judgment as to the safety of traveling to the studio. If the weather makes travel to the studio unsafe, the lesson will be held via Zoom/FaceTime/Skype.

Practice Requirements

Students are expected to practice on a daily basis. In general, assignments will take beginning students 20 to 30 minutes a day, intermediate students 40 minutes a day, and advanced students 1-2 hours a day. Parents will need to practice with beginning students, especially children under the age of 10.

Remember this: Unprepared lessons cost the same as prepared ones, but their value is substantially compromised.

I am very concerned about over scheduling children and teenagers! For success at the piano, a student must practice 5 to 6 days of the week. Be very realistic when registering for piano lessons about your child’s time commitments. I want piano lessons to be a positive experience for both the student and for me. Students feel good about themselves when they are prepared.

Sometime during the course of taking piano lessons, your child will probably say something like, "I don't want to practice," or "I want to quit," etc. Just be aware that your child's interest will not be consistent; but for them to be successful, you will need to be consistent in your encouragement and commitment to music instruction. In most cases, simply acknowledge your child's comments, but then go on with your normal routine just as you would if you heard the comment, "I don't want to brush my teeth," "I don't want to stop playing with my toys," or "I don't want to go to bed." We are developing the life skill of music literacy and it takes many years of consistent daily study to develop proficiency.

Scholarships

A small number of scholarships are available for students from families of limited means via the MTNA Music Link program. Please contact me for information about this program if you find the tuition is prohibitive for your family.