Teaching

Kevin Mathie
(801) 673-6950


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Introduction

I'm happy to announce that I am reopening my teaching studio after a several-year hiatus in which I furthered my own music education, and developed my performing career and my music production company.

I'm looking forward to bringing a new perspective to my teaching that comes from the musical experience I've gained over the past few years. Not only will students get an excellent traditional music education, but they will learn things not normally taught by traditional teachers. They'll learn how to play full accompaniments from nothing more than chord symbols (an incredibly valuable skill that is surprisingly rare even among many professional pianists!). They'll learn ear-training (so they can play by ear when they need to) and music theory (both traditional and jazz). They'll learn to play in a variety of styles; not just classical music. For the ambitious music student, I can also teaching them computer-based music programs and arranging/composing techniques.

We've all heard stories about kids who take piano lessons and hate it so much that they refuse to practice, forcing their parents to let them quit. While I can't guarantee that I can make kids like piano lessons, what I can do is provide appealing options to kids that will hopefully motivate them to practice. I don't teach in just one way, forcing every student to fit "in the box." One of the great motivators for young students (particularly junior high and high school students) is to be able to play "cool" music for their friends. Nothing is as unmotivating as having your repertoire limited to what your friends perceive as "lame" music. Trust me, I know this from experience during my own junior high school years.

So, one of the things we'll work on in each lesson is music that the student really likes. This is not to say that we can do that exclusively, because there are certain exercises, drills, scales, techniques, types of music, etc., that must be learned in order to become a great pianist that is well-rounded. But, as much as possible, we will make all these techniques and traditional music concepts applicable to music that is enjoyed by the student.

And, if the student enjoys what he/she is playing, they'll practice and they'll want to learn more. That, in turn, will benefit them the rest of their life.

For questions, or to schedule lessons, call me at (801) 673-6950

Teaching Policy

Tuition

Tuition is due a month in advance at the beginning of each month. For example, November's lessons are due at the beginning of November. December's lessons are due at the beginning of December.

Normally, I'll hand out invoices a week or two before they're due, however invoices via email or regular mail is also an option, if you would prefer.

How many lessons per month?

I'm flexible on how many lessons a student wants to take each month, because I want to make piano lessons as affordable as I can. So, students have the option of capping the number of lessons each month at 4 ($80/month) for those months that have 5 lesson weeks in them. Additionally, if there are two students in one family, or if you can arrange to split lesson weeks with a friend, I'm open to providing only 2 lessons a month per student, as long as they share the same lesson time on alternating weeks ‹ for example, student #1 comes to lessons on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday at 4:00, while student #2 comes to lessons on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday at 4:00.

The caveat on the 2-lesson cap is that should Student #2 quit, you'll either need to find someone to replace that student (unless I have someone on a waiting list who would be willing to fill that time slot), or pay for an additional lesson per month until a replacement for the alternating time slot can be found.

Cancellations and Make-up Lessons

Cancellation of a lesson must be given 24-hours ahead of time in order to be eligible for a make-up lesson. If the student misses his/her lesson without 24-hour notice, you still must pay for that lesson time, even though it was not used, and is not eligible for a make-up lesson.

Make-up lessons will usually be during a month that has 5 weeks. That way there is a minimum of fuss arranging for another day and time to make up the missed lesson. However, make-up days are flexible, and can be scheduled on other days if need be.

Lesson materials

One of the most important items for your child to take to his/her lesson each week is a notebook for me to write each week's assignments in. Any kind of notebook will work — a spiral-bound notebook, a three-ring binder, a steno notebook, etc. — as long the same notebook is brought to lessons each week. Random scraps of paper each week doesn't work very well. By taking a dedicated notebook to piano lessons each week, you will have a history of how the lessons are going. We can monitor how quickly progress is made, and the student can go back and refer to concepts that we introduced several weeks ago if need be.

Also, either you or your child should keep a log in that same notebook of how long they practiced each day. For example: "Tuesday—30 minutes, Wednesday—45 minutes, Thursday—15 minutes, etc."

There are specific piano method books from which I teach, and I will give the student a short list of books they'll need, but it is the student's responsibility to purchase their own lesson books, theory books, etc., and to bring those books to their lesson each week. Failure to bring their books to the lesson is tantamount to a cancelled lesson, since little progress can be made without their lesson materials.

One reason why I have the student go out and purchase the books is that I feel it's important for a student to get to know his/her local music store. Music stores can be exciting for a young music student, and going out and picking up their own book can be a source of motivation.

Lesson Pricing

Usually, lessons are a half-hour long. However, for advanced students, a 45-minute lesson may be preferable.



Practicing

It is imperative that your child practices every day for at least a half-hour — longer for advanced students. Progress just can't be made without consistent reinforcement. A student will make much more progress each week by practicing a half-hour 6 days a week than he/she will by practicing 3 hours the day before their lesson.

Equally imperative, is that your child follow the specific directions I may list in their lesson notebooks. For example, I may say, "Practice the 'B' section of this song slowly 10 times every day." It's important that your child reads his/her assignment that week before each practice session. It is often said that "Practice makes perfect." Well, that is not quite true. Music teachers often alter that cliché with the more accurate statement, "Perfect practice makes perfect."

If a student just plays through a song, without keeping in mind what needs to be improved in that song, then the wrong notes, or the wrong timing, etc., will be further reinforced, and the student will continue to play the song incorrectly, and will fail to learn the correct piano-playing concepts. It's only through concentrating on playing each note and each timing correctly that a student will make progress each week.


Thank you for taking the time to review this teaching policy. I very much look forward to helping your child enter into the beautiful world of music.