Parents of music kids

[RootAnn]

This could really be any type of tutor, but I'm frustrated with a music provider right now & want to see if my expectations are out of whack.

When you set up lessons for the school year, how much notice should be given about the days/times that lessons are available? For example, if your kid has been taking lessons for at least a year (or 3-4 years, it doesn't really matter, just that you are not new with this teacher), how much in advance does the teacher/ tutor give when eliminating/ changing days of lessons?

Say you usually take lessons on Monday mornings. If the teacher decided not to teach on Mondays at all during the school year, when would you find out?

[Acorn]

We were sent a tentative schedule six weeks before start of school year sessions. The open slots were marked, and we had to respond if we were okay with assigned slot.

[purpleowl]

Our piano teacher lets us know at the end of May which days she's planning to teach the following school year. That makes sense to me because that's also when she collects a registration fee to reserve your child's spot for the next year - if she were no longer doing Mondays and Monday was the only day we could do lessons, then we wouldn't register with her. (Or we would register with her and have time to shift other activities, if that was our decision.)

That said, sometimes people don't know what their availability will be, especially if the instructor is a student awaiting her own class schedule or a mom who doesn't know until the last minute which days her kids will have sports practices/games. But I'd expect her to be up front about the uncertainty.

[catz]

We have had 2 extremes.  One teacher trying to plan fall lessons in June.  And one teacher that gets around to it mid August right before we go on a late summer break for 3 weeks.  We have another teacher who is a younger guy that also performs so he tends to do his later, but he is also pretty sensitive and flexible to our schedule (and will take reschedules/cancellations if we need them too).  We've had like 9 private music teachers over the year and some of them are just really bad at the administrative end of things I've found.  

I'd say if there were going to be significant day changes of something you're scheduling for the year, I would want notice by mid to late July for fall.  

[Storygirl]

We had this happen twice within the last six months;  DS15's bass guitar teacher and DS14s guitar teacher both had changes in their availability.

I believe they told us just a few weeks in advance.

We take our lessons at a music store, and there is a giant schedule of all of the teachers and all of the students posted on the wall. We had to look on the schedule for open slots and let them know what fit our schedule. This is not always easy -- although we have always figured it out, it's possible that someone would have to quit taking lessons with a particular teacher, if there were no open slots that fit their family's schedule.

It's different than when we had a piano teacher who came to our home. When we did that, we took some time off in the summers and then reset the schedule for the fall, based on what worked for both the teacher and us. I think we worked it out a few weeks before the lessons were to begin.

[RootAnn]

7 minutes ago, FuzzyCatz said:

 We've had like 9 private music teachers over the year and some of them are just really bad at the administrative end of things I've found.  

See, I'd understand that if this teacher wasn't completely enamoured by doing things the "professional" way & having copious paperwork & rules & G00gle calendar signups.

I still don't know when lessons will be offered (other than homeschoolers will be during the school day). School year lessons start after Labor Day. We start school in two weeks. I only found out that there won't be any lessons on our normal day until this afternoon when the teacher emailed me back since registration supposedly closes on Friday. (But apparently it might not since the lesson days/times are not set yet.)

[Guest]

I let my students know approximately which days I'll be available and schedule returning students first, usually back in May/June (with students keeping the same time slot getting priority, then students who are taking lessons in the summer and need to switch times, and then returning students not taking in summer who need to switch times) and then open up remaining slots in mid-July to people on the waiting list and new enrollment. If a returning student does not let me know and commit to that time, they will have to fit into a remaining slot, but if you were with me the prior year and my days change, you get priority on moving to a new slot.  If you need to change in fall, I'll give you a list of times that I'm available, and we'll work from there. I also do have a few blank spots set up in my schedule that I CAN take students if needed (usually those end up being Fridays and Mondays-both because of DD's cheer travel and because the schools here do a lot of 3 day weekends, so students tend to miss Friday or Monday lessons more), and if a returning family needs to use one of those slots, they can, even if it's not ideal. Right now, I am in "add new students" mode, since school started here today and i start lessons after Labor day-but had one tutoring student and one piano student just get with me in the last week to "check and make sure the same time was good". Good thing that both were daytime students and no one had requested that spot-had they been after school students, they probably wouldn't have had a spot available at all, because those spots filled fast as soon as I opened them up.

In my case, I usually know DD's fall schedule in late Spring/Early Summer because that's when online classes and the college have released their fall schedules, so for me, it makes sense to plan then. And sometimes it doesn't work so well-this year, DD's cheer was supposed to be M-W, so I scheduled my big teaching days to be T-TH. Guess when her practices got switched to starting at the beginning of August? Time to activate carpool mode....

 

DD's cheer gym uses genbook-you sign up online for the time and instructor you want, for each session individually, the same sort of way Homeschool Spanish Academy does their system.  I think that would drive me crazy if I tried to run my piano studio that way!

 

Edited August 12, 2019 by dmmetler

[HomeAgain]

Hmm...that's a tough one.  Ideally it should be at least a few weeks' notice, but ds's teacher has proposed changes for him that we've embraced on only a day or week's notice.  He finished his evening lesson one week when his teacher let me know she had a different morning available if we'd prefer, and he could start the next week.  It was honestly welcome on both our parts because he's better at concentrating before noon anyway.  If that morning hadn't worked for us we would have been able to counter with his available times and match something on her list.

[Moonhawk]

We received the schedule last week, that starts this week. However, he definitely asks through the summer if Monday still works, is there a better day or time, or a time we can't do, etc., and would give a heads up if something drastic was going to change. So, while we get official notice late, the communication is there so it's no big surprise.

[frogger]

We usually set up lessons in August because the teachers try to work around my daughter's other scheduled classes so we figure out the less versatile classes first. Even if they needed a specific day off we would usually have multiple other times we could work with.

[LMD]

Ime, it tends to depend on what other stuff the teacher does. One music teacher we had, her only job was the music studio she ran, she was very organised and had it set up probably 4-6 weeks before the year started. Other teachers we've had also had other jobs so we had to wait for other schedules to be posted before the gaps could be filled, still usually a tentative plan was in place a couple of weeks before the school year starts.

[ScoutTN]

Our teacher sends out s scheduling email near the end of June, about six weeks into summer break.

School year lessons start back mid August, so about 7-8 weeks notice. 

It has always been this way. Our teacher is now married with 3 kids and in grad school, but she did scheduling the same when she was single. 

She is a rock star among piano teachers, in every respect!!!!

Edited August 13, 2019 by ScoutTN

[kbutton]

4 hours ago, RootAnn said:

I still don't know when lessons will be offered (other than homeschoolers will be during the school day). School year lessons start after Labor Day. We start school in two weeks. I only found out that there won't be any lessons on our normal day until this afternoon when the teacher emailed me back since registration supposedly closes on Friday. (But apparently it might not since the lesson days/times are not set yet.)

Around here, people do co-ops. If a teacher was catering to homeschoolers, that teacher would be wise to settle students into slots just after co-op sign-ups generally take place, which is usually settled by summer or mid-summer around here.

4 hours ago, dmmetler said:

I let my students know approximately which days I'll be available and schedule returning students first, usually back in May/June (with students keeping the same time slot getting priority, then students who are taking lessons in the summer and need to switch times, and then returning students not taking in summer who need to switch times) and then open up remaining slots in mid-July to people on the waiting list and new enrollment. If a returning student does not let me know and commit to that time, they will have to fit into a remaining slot, but if you were with me the prior year and my days change, you get priority on moving to a new slot.  If you need to change in fall, I'll give you a list of times that I'm available, and we'll work from there.

If we went to a big studio, this is what I would hope for.

2 hours ago, Moonhawk said:

We received the schedule last week, that starts this week. However, he definitely asks through the summer if Monday still works, is there a better day or time, or a time we can't do, etc., and would give a heads up if something drastic was going to change. So, while we get official notice late, the communication is there so it's no big surprise.

This is more my reality, but both teachers my children have had have been friends first who want to continue being friends (and they are credentialed, in case people are wondering--excellent musicians). If something is up in the air, they are pretty up front in case we need to shift something major to make it happen. One teacher friend has this as a side job, the other teacher friend has a whole network of side jobs, all music related, but she keeps them consistent and plans as far in advance as possible. She's usually calling the scheduling shots at most or all of her jobs, or else they are jobs that stay the same from year to year. 

[RootAnn]

This teacher has older kids in school and does group music lessons (for homeschoolers) and has individual piano and voice students all at the teacher's home. 

In our small town, it is tough to find good piano teachers. This one does well with my son and my son likes taking piano. The off-handed way the teacher tossed out that our normal lesson day isn't an option (with no info on what is an option) upset me so much today. My carefully crafted schedule is now going to change:  either no piano or I have to move around my two sons' & my schedules at minimum & maybe my daughters' too. 

Thanks for affirming that I'm not unreasonable for expecting some more advance notice or at least the courtesy of prior communication.

[Mabelen]

Usually at the end of the school year. That’s when you can make schedule change requests. She will try to accommodate but that depends on the slot being already available or someone switching or needing another change.

ETA That’s when she will let you know if the schedule change is initiated by her. If you have requested changes, sometimes she is not able to get back to you until a couple of weeks before the school year because she is still trying to fit all the other changes and pieces of the puzzle.

Edited August 13, 2019 by Mabelen

[Donna]

Usually dd's teacher got in touch about a month prior to restarting lessons in the fall. She'd send an email with a couple options and we'd chose. There may have been a year or two in the eight years dd was with her when something unexpected happened and times/days had to be reconfigured at the last minute.

[RootAnn]

Welp, just got a huge email of instructions on how to go through the re-registration process. (This is a stay at home parent with about 10 students from 7 or so families.) And only one slot open during one day for my kid. (Guess I'm just supposed to drop everything for that slot.) But, that slot is already reserved for karate - which has been set since the spring.

So, either we take an evening slot that is reserved for the public school kids, he doesn't do piano, or we ask for a different time not allowed in the "automated re-registration process." I'm going to email... Sigh.

[Miss Tick]

How frustrating!

[frogger]

That is asking a lot. She would have to be an amazing teacher with no other real options for me to deal with that lack of flexability.  I mean I don't expect teachers to teach on their day off or push other students for my convience but one opening with no notice is frustrating. 

[RootAnn]

Frustrating, indeed! I was emailed back & told not to take an evening slot as those are for the public schooled kids. But, the teacher wants to keep him as a student (Duh!) so I was instructed to "sit tight" for another week (?!) and the teacher will see what time can be found for him. If he didn't enjoy piano and this teacher wasn't understanding of his idiosyncrasies, I'd just say we won't bother. I will likely insist that only Wednesday or (the original) Thursday afternoon will work so I don't have to completely revamp our schedule.

This teacher alienated just about all the homeschoolers (because of the rigid rules & copious paperwork - like not enough kids signed up for a group class so the teacher cancelled it & insisted it was SOP to keep their $25 registration fee). It's down to us & one other family. I think the other family just deals with it because the two daughters have been in the same extra curricular activity for about 8 years.

[El...]

Huh. No, that doesn't sound good to me.

[HomeAgain]

Oh, heck no.  There are enough "thanks, no thanks" flags here that we'd be on our merry way. 

FWIW, my ds has decided to quit his personal lessons with his teacher, but keep his group class with her.  He wants to use an online, live teacher he used before and he's at the point where I'm ready to let him.  There are other options out there besides someone who isn't treating you in a professional manner.

[Guest]

I don’t require that homeschoolers take daytime hours, but anyone who can has a lot more choices in times. But if there is an open slot at, say, 6:15 on Tuesday, and a homeschooler wants to take it, sure, go right ahead. Especially for a returning student. The idea of “this time is reserved for this class of student” seems likely to end up with an empty slot somewhere, unless this is a teacher that is so in demand that they can dictate “the only time slot I have available is 8:00 AM on Thurs” and people are willing to rearrange their lives around that appointment.