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I teach at the Sault Symphony School of Music on Brock Street. I have also been offering in-home lessons, but the number of slots available for that are now very limited. Nevertheless, the advantages of in-home lessons for parents and students should be immediately obvious. Students are often more comfortable and confident playing on their own instrument, in familiar surroundings. Besides the convenience of not having to travel, they can begin warming up on the piano before the lesson and be in excellent readiness when the lesson begins. For the parents of children taking lessons, it's also much easier to follow their child's progress and be ready to participate with their support when the lessons take place in the home environment. I've taught piano students of all ages and skill levels, from young children to older adults, and I welcome beginners. Generally I recommend the graded program of the Royal Conservatory because of its high quality, but I also like to encourage exploration and variety--the piano has one of the richest repertoires of any instrument. I teach piano through private, individual lessons. This provides a highly focused teaching environment, where attention is given to each student's special needs, learning style, personality, and interests. Besides piano, I also teach all levels of RCM theory, harmony, history, counterpoint, and analysis. The current rates for weekly lessons are $20 for a half-hour. For anyone in the Goulais River area, lessons can be taught at the Goulais River United Church, and I'm offering a lower rate of $18 per half hour for these. So, if you live out in Goulais, you can have piano lessons without having to go into town, and we can both save on gas and travel. I try to be reasonably fexible and understanding when it comes to missed lessons and make-up lessons, but the general policy is that there are no refunds for missed lessons. However, if people know in advance that they are going to be away for certain lessons in a month, there is no problem adjusting the schedule for that month without penalty. Lessons usually start in the second or third week of September, and run for about thirteen weeks until the Christmas holidays. Then there are about twenty-three weeks of lessons from January to June, with one week off during the school break. Opportunities for student performances include the yearly Kiwanis music festival and the student recitals organized through the Symphony School, which usually take place at St. Jerome's Church. Students are not required to perform at any of the recitals, though I do encourage them to do so. The same goes for RCM examinations; students do not necessarily have to register for the yearly piano exams, even if they are following the RCM program. |
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