Questions families ask

Most students start in fifth or sixth grade, when the school band or orchestra begins. We also teach older beginners, and students who have played for years and want a teacher of their own.

Lessons are 30, 45 or 60 minutes, once a week. Beginners usually start with 30. Your teacher suggests a length after the placement visit.

Yes, for practice at home. Ask your band or orchestra director and then your teacher before you rent or buy, because sizes and models matter. We also rent a limited number of instruments by the school year; how that works is on the tuition page.

A short first visit. A teacher listens to your student play or try the instrument, talks with you about the school program and the music the director has chosen, and suggests a lesson length and a weekly time. Then we match your student with a teacher.

Yes. Bring the music your director handed out and your teacher will practice it with your student. We can send a note home about what we worked on, and we only talk with your director if you ask us to.

On Saturday mornings, students on the same family of instruments (brass, woodwinds, strings or percussion) meet by grade band for an hour with two teachers, in groups of up to 8.

Yes. Every lesson room has a window in its door or an open door, and the hall has a bench for waiting.

A lesson missed with a day's notice can be made up with the same teacher in the same term, when a time is open. Saturday sectionals are not made up. The tuition page has the details.

Yes. Adults are welcome in weekday evening lessons and on Saturday, on any instrument we teach.

Tuition depends on lesson length, whether the lesson is private or shared, and whether your student adds sectionals. The tuition page explains billing, withdrawal and the costs that are extra, and we go over the figures at the placement visit.