Operating Procedures - Martha's Piano Studio

Home

Student Login

Contact Us

New Student

Media Gallery

Studio Policy

Studio Operating Procedures

Virtual Classrooms

Martha's Piano Studio

Studio Operating Procedures - Martha's Piano Studio
Benefits of Martha Yelenosky's Studio Program
The primary goal of the studio is to develop music lovers, as well as good listeners in addition to being proficient pianists. Going as far as competing is up to the students.

Students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of festivals, competitions, exams and workshops sponsored by prestigious local and national music associations. There are two private studio recitals per year for which most students choose to prepare. Certificates of recognition and other awards are presented at these recitals.

As a nationally certified professional piano teacher, you are assured that Mrs. Yelenosky is continually growing as a professional. Both in the teaching field (presenting workshops for Chicago area groups and chairing festivals such as the annual "C.A.M.T.A Jazz Festival in Chicago"), as well as the performance arena; presenting recitals with and without students at several venues.

The studio is also equipped with a computer lab, packed with music history, composition, theory and ear-training programs, in which students are welcomed to develop their perfect-pitch and relative-pitch listening skills among others. There is also both a grand piano and a digital piano, which is connected to the computer. Students enjoy composing tunes and having the computer print out a professional looking score. Through such activities, students learn about different music styles, notation, and other advanced techniques that would require a few extra hours a week to achieve without these technical features.

Lastly, all students at the studio get a free subscription to "Piano Explorer" -Clavier's monthly magazine published for piano students of all ages- filled with advice for young pianists, articles about music, history, technique, and even recipes for the nutrition of the musician!

Tuition Rates and Home Practice Expectations
Price is based on 8 weeks per session. Rates are equal for all ages and levels.

Rates for children include six private lessons and two 60-minute long group lessons.

Rates for adults include eight private lessons.

Tuition fee for the 2008-2009 school year is:

30-minute private lesson once a week: $288
45-minute private lesson once a week: $432
60-minute private lesson once a week: $576

Beginning Students (level I-II): 15-minute daily practice session once or twice a day.

Level III to V: 30 to 45-minute daily practice session (once a day, five times a week).

Level V to advance: Average 45-60 minute daily practice session (once a day, five times a week).

Note: Time varies from person to person. Rather than counting minutes, monitor your concentration. If your mind starts wandering, it is time to take a brake. Discipline takes practice, though. Set a time apart for home practice (i.g: before school, before dinner, after dinner), and stick to the routine. Time spent at the piano amounts: Home practice can be even broken up to 4 10-minute sessions a day. The most important element in home practice is a high concentration level, when you are alert, and with no noises or distractions around you. Having a positive attitude is a plus to get over the challenges piano practice presents.

Arrival, Departure & Waiting Time
Students are expected to arrive on time for their scheduled lesson. Getting to the studio too early interferes with the lesson prior to theirs. And coming in too late doesn't guarantee their full lesson time. When getting in the studio, be considerate of the student previous to you, by entering quietly and staying at a distance, so as not to interrupt his/her concentration.

There is always plenty of parking in front of the studio. Parents are welcome to wait in the car, but keep in mind this is primarily a residential street and neighbors appreciate discretion and stillness. Parents are not required to stay at the lesson, but are welcome to do so. Taking notes and observing in silence in order to be more helpful during home practice is beneficial. However, young students are usually easily distracted by a member of the family's presence. If a parent wants to be supportive and give the student privacy at the same time, I advise to casually stop by a lesson once in a while and trust the student to be on her/his own other times.

The studio is a non-smoking area. Please keep drinks and snacks to a minimum. I understand some students may come straight from school, and may have to wait for a sibling's lesson, which they take as "snack time". But sticky fingers are NOT allowed on the piano, and noisy wrappers could be very distracting. Most favorable activities while waiting: reading a good book, reviewing their theory homework or mentally practicing their pieces.

Studio Calendar
A yearly calendar is sent to you with the Fall I Invoice. This calendar states all group-week dates, recital & festival dates, and even holiday make-up dates. I'll do my best to send reminders throughout the year, but it is your responsibility to keep track of all activities.

Lesson Format
There are five sessions during the school year.

Children (4-18 years old): Are required to take three private lessons, and one group lesson a month. Group lessons are always 60 minutes long, regardless of the length of the private lesson. See "Piano Studio Policy" for private lesson make-ups. Because of their nature, group lessons can not be made-up. Group lessons are extremely important and several concepts and activities impossible to cover in a private lesson (because of time constraint and / or performance orientation) are done at the group. Just a few of the activities left for these special encounters are:

1. Music Appreciation: Students have the opportunity to listen to different music styles (e.g. baroque, classical, romantic, impressionistic, jazz, etc..) and discuss elements such as musical texture, harmony, patterns, history, to name a few.

2. Music Composition and improv: given a few music elements, students compose or improvise pieces as a group or individually, and perform them for the group.

3. Theory Review: this is the most fun at a group. While playing games such as "Musopoly", "Musical Bingo", "Music Adventures", "Musical Spin and Tell", etc, youngsters review all kinds of rhythm patterns, intervallic reading, and other theoretical concepts that are key for sight-reading and understanding music at the piano.

4. Performance Etiquette: Playing for a group is infrequent for piano students. The studying of this instrument is one of the most isolated activities. This group atmosphere gives them the opportunity to not only play and rehearse stage manners and enjoy having an audience, but also to be "good listeners" at a concert. We talk about and practice "good behavior" for on-stage as well as spectators.

To keep the nature of group lessons as an opportunity to connect with peers in a social musical experience, parents are not permitted in the studio.