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2014-2015

PIANO POLICIES
The Complete Guide Making Yours Eective and Enforceable

Where do I begin?
Franklin Covey encourages anyone
wishing to be successful to begin
with the end in mind. You will
greatly benefit from doing this
even if you have been teaching for
years. Asking questions like, What
ages do I like teaching? What are
my strengths? How much money
do I need to make? and other
questions will help you make sure
that you love teaching for life!
Diane Hidy has a wonderful
document called the Piano
Teacher Questionnaire that will
help you envision how you want
your studio to look in the future.
See DianeHidy.com

Why do I need a policy?

Constructing an effective and enforceable policy is ultimately
about preserving our relationships with our piano families. By
communicating our expectations formally, we are creating
space to concentrate on what is most important - our

How much should I

charge?

teaching.

There are a number of factors that

go into calculating your tuition.
These include the price of your
competitors (which are mostly
dance and sports) and knowing
what the going rate is in your area.
However, keep in mind that other
teachers in your area may not be
charging a rate that is fair to them.
Rely more heavily on the price of
your competitors as well as
calculating your expenses. Learn
more: www.composecreate.com/
how-do-i-find-out-going-rates/

But a policy feels so stiff and formal!

Requiring that parents read your policy and sign an
agreement to terms may indeed feel formal, but since a
properly written policy functions as a legal contract, this step
is important because it:
Clarifies what the family can expect of you
Clarifies what you expect of them
Communicates how common issues will be handled

Clarifying and communicating these things is comforting and

freeing for both you and your families. As a result, your mind
will be more free to teach creatively, parents and students will
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How should I structure

tuition?
Start by saying, I will NOT charge
by the week! Its important to
keep in mind that you are offering
much more than a weekly lesson.
You are offering a package that
includes time spent finding music,
lesson planning, recital
preparation, and much more.
Because of this, parents need to
understand that they are getting
value even if they choose not to
attend lessons. Structure your
tuition as a yearly tuition package
that is divided into equal monthly
(or semester) payments. Read
more here:
www.composecreate.com/tuition/.

How do I convince
families that the yearly
tuition is a good thing?
There is a free
brochure that
explains what a
yearly piano
tuition covers.
This will help
assure parents
that you are
continuing to
work for them
even when
they choose
not to be
there. Give
this to all your
families every
year! www.composecreate.com/
brochure.

2014-2015

have confidence in your plans, and everyone will be

comfortable knowing that common issues will be handled in a
consistent and courteous manner.

How do I make my policy effective and

enforceable?
An effective policy contains distinct parameters that are
communicated clearly. These parameters must be thoughtfully
created to grease the wheels of your business so that you can
be free to teach effectively. Thinking through how you want
your business to look, where you want it to go, and how you
want it to function will help you articulate clear parameters that
create the business you desire.
However, a policy is only effective if it is also enforceable. This
is often where piano teaching policies fall short. For example,
you may have the most specific schedule of tuition payments,
makeup lessons policies, and late fee notices, but if parents
never sign an agreement to terms specific to your policy, your
policy will not be legally binding and parents may not see your
policies as serious and professional. When an issue arises, such
as missed payments, the teacher without an effective and
enforceable policy may waste valuable time and energy trying
to enforce a policy that is not legally binding.

What can I do if someone is not compliant?

There are several things you can do to enforce your studio
policy in case someone is not compliant, but calculating the
cost of your time, energy, and stress level will be important in
deciding how far you want to go in enforcement. In the case of
delinquent payments, the best action any teacher can do is to
keep up with bookkeeping and do not allow families to get
any more than one month behind in their payments.
Addressing these issues right away will save an enormous
amount of time, money, and stress. For specific ideas on
enforcement, please see this article: Whats Your Agreement to
Terms Good For?
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What should be in my policy?

Here are the essentials:
A Personal Note - Because a contract with specific terms and conditions can seem stiff and formal,
its important to include an introductory paragraph in your policy to kindly explain that the policies
they are reading are meant to ensure that they receive the most creative, energetic, and committed
teaching from you!
Thank you for choosing me as your piano teacher! In order to ensure that you or your child get
the most effective and creative teaching possible, I have established the following policies.
Tuition Structure, Schedule, Late Fees - Briefly explain your tuition structure, basing it on a yearly
package deal rather than a weekly lesson rate. It is also important to state exactly when you expect
parents to pay and what will happen if payments are late.
Yearly tuition for 45 minute lessons is $xxx. Your tuition guarantees that I will be present to
teach 40 weeks and will be divided into equal payments of $xx. Tuition is due by the 10th of
every month from September through May. A $15 late fee will be assessed for late payments.
If you are currently charging by the lesson, then stop whatever you are doing at this moment and
read this article to learn how to move to making a consistent income!
http://www.composecreate.com/no-more-charging-lessons-by-the-week/
Missed Lessons - This is your makeup lesson policy,
but using the term missed lessons will subtly remind
parents that they are choosing to miss a lesson and
that their choice does not require you to give them an
additional lesson time. There are lots of creative
options you can give to parents for missed lessons
without giving a makeup lesson. You can read about
these We will address creative ways of dealing with
missed lessons in a future article, but its important to
give parents a few options in case they need to miss.
If a student misses a lesson, they will simply miss the benefit of that lesson. Remember that
your tuition pays for far more than just lesson time with your child. You can also opt to use the
swap list, Facetime, Skype, or simply call to chat about your childs progress during the time
that is reserved for your child.

A portion of this article was prepared for and published in the professional piano teaching magazine, Clavier Companion.

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2014-2015

If you have to miss a lesson, you can address how you will handle payments in the same email that
you inform them that there will be no lesson. Be sure to read the following article to help:
How to Move to a No Makeup Lessons Policy
Communication - Tell parents how and about what you want them to communicate.
Please feel free to email me or call me during my office hours from 12-2:00 weekdays. If you
need to miss a lesson, please notify me as soon as possible. Feel free to write me at anytime
about what is happening with your child or to ask questions. I love hearing from you!
Student Commitment - Briefly explain what you expect of your students concerning practice time,
recital participation, or any other expectations you have.
Regular practice is imperative to learn how to play proficiently. A minimum of 30 minutes of
practice, 5 days a week is required. Participation in the spring and winter recitals is required but
festivals and competitions are optional.
Materials, Equipment, Extras - Parents need to know what kind of a piano is necessary for
adequate progress, how books will be obtained, and when extra fees might be assessed.
Your yearly book fee will cover the costs of books and I will obtain these for your child. Extra
performance opportunities such as festivals and competitions will be added to your tuition as
necessary.
Dismissals and Termination - Unfortunately, some students have to quit lessons mid-year and sadly,
we sometimes have to dismiss students because of a lack of progress or other difficult conditions. It
is important to articulate under what circumstances students might be asked to leave and how
tuition will be handled should a student need or be required to leave mid-year.
If for any reason you must stop lessons, one months notice is required. At that time, I will prorate the tuition for your final month to reflect the number of lessons that you have received
based on the last lesson date. You will be required to pay this balance within 30 days.
Regrettably, I will have to dismiss a student if any of these circumstances occur:
Failure to pay tuition on time
Persistent absences
Uncooperative attitude
Failure to follow practice as instructed
Lack of progress due to insufficient practice or unfulfilled requirements

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2014-2015

A Closing Personal Note - After reading a page of formal terms and conditions, its helpful to help
parents hear your friendly tone again at the end of your policy, thanking them for their commitment
to lessons.
A Separate Agreement to Terms - Requiring that the financially responsible parent or adult sign a
separate agreement to terms is paramount to having an enforceable policy. A good agreement
requires parents to affirm that they have read your terms and agree to abide by them.
I have read the 2014-2015 Piano Policy and I agree to abide by all the terms and conditions in
that document. Agreed and consented to by _________. [Include a space for them to date
their signature.]

What else should I consider including?

Here are some additional issues to address that may help your business run more smoothly:
Photo and video release - If you take pictures or videos
in your studio and plan to include them in publications or
on the internet, youll need to state how you plan to use
these. You can also ask parents to initial a yes or no
box to indicate whether they want to opt out of this.
Pictures and videos of my students may be posted on
my studio website or included in studio publications
with no names attached.
Procedures - It is always good to have a specific
procedure that you follow when offering swap lessons, honoring office hours, informing you of
absences, transitioning between students, or even handling parking at your studio location. If you
do not list your procedures in your policy, be sure to be deliberate about informing everyone of
these procedures in another way.
Registration fee - This can help offset the starting costs of a new teaching year as well as serve as a
non-refundable deposit to secure students places in the fall.
Book fee - You may want to include a book fee for each student so that you can purchase all of their
books for the year as needed.

Thank you for reading!

If this article has been helpful to you, would you consider telling another piano or music teacher about it?
Wed love to help as many private music teachers as possible through these resources! Tell your friends
they can download their own copy of this resource at www.ComposeCreate.com! Then, drop us a line to
tell us how we can assist you further!