Studio Policy & Rates

Ground Rules for a Successful Learning Experience

Consistency. Consistency is a key element of any successful learning experience. Consistent lessons and practice are vital to progress which leads to much greater enjoyment of the instrument as well. While many parents imagine that young musicians should be excited to practice each day, the reality is that students need parental help in consistent practice until the student starts to achieve success on the cello. Being good at something is really fun! And because of this, our students are some of the happiest practicers around, but they all had help at first. We ask all our parents to make sure the students practice 5 days a week on average, not including lesson day.

Lessons. We ask that lessons are attended weekly as scheduled and if you must cancel then to work with our scheduler to find a makeup time for that week. Unless due to illness, any lessons cancelled within 24 hours of the scheduled lesson time will still be charged for that lesson.

Recitals. Recitals are also an important part of any musician’s experience. They provide an opportunity for students to show off all of the hard work they’ve put in and to be inspired by their peers. It’s also a great chance to perform in a hall with an amazing pianist! We hold two recitals per year, one in January and the other in June. These recitals are mandatory for all students in the studio, unless special circumstances have been discussed with their teacher. In preparation for these recitals we require all Intermediate and Advanced students to meet with our studio pianist at least twice before the recital.

Studio Class. In addition to the recital, we generally hold monthly studio classes on the first Sunday of every month and sometimes more often as festival season approaches. This concept is one that all college musicians are familiar with. These are opportunities for students to perform in a more intimate setting than a recital but still with an audience of peers, parents, and teachers to help build up their nerves and performance experience.

Practice and Parental Involvement

Practice. As mentioned above, consistent practice is fundamental to the learning of any skill. You may have heard that learning music is like learning a new language. Just the ability to read music alone requires practice every day, just like any new language. Add to that the intricacies of learning a very sophisticated craft requiring the development of the finest muscles, muscles often never before used. What we are doing in the practice session each day is creating new habits on the instrument and also simply creating the habit of practicing well every day. Keeping these habits in place takes discipline and work, as much as we may hate to admit that in music.

Click here for specific practice guidelines.

Parental Involvement. It is of utmost importance that the younger students (until around 13-14 years old) practice alongside a parent. Parents help the student stay motivated through the hard work, keep the student on the tasks assigned by the teacher, and insure that those tasks are executed properly. That’s why it is imperative that a parent is present at the lesson engaged in the activities and knowledgeable of the teacher’s expectations. In fact, the musical success of the young child relates directly with the amount of parental involvement. Musicians who perform at a high level inevitably had highly engaged parents who worked as hard at learning the music and instrument as the student, especially the young child!

Rates

Please email us for our rates. Lesson times can vary from 30, 45, 60 minutes or more depending on the level of the student. Because of the varying needs of each student, the best way to determine the best-fitting lesson plan for the student is via talking with us and coming in for a trial lesson.

Lessons are paid for at the first lesson of each month for that month. There is never a contract for a semester or a year.

Scheduling

For help with scheduling and requesting changes to the regular lesson time, contact Haeyoon Krentz at haeyoonshin.studio@gmail.com for Mrs. Krentz’s students and krentz.studio@gmail.com for Dr. Krentz’s students.

For students not yet in a studio or for general questions, please email krentzcellostudio@gmail.com.