My pricing is simple: $60/hr for lesson time. This means that a 30-minute lesson is $30, and an hour is $60. I typically only do 30- or 60-minute lessons, though in certain circumstances I can make exceptions.
If I am a private instructor at your school then I honor the price dictated by your district's lesson program. If this is the case please let me know!
I recommend either 30- or 60-minute lessons (depending on age and ability) once a week. I am willing to make exceptions, though I may not be able to offer as many scheduling options for these. Once we select a time, rescheduling or cancelling a lesson must be done at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled time. Failure to notify before 24 hours will forfeit that lesson time; you will be responsible for paying for the time of that lesson.
I can take cash, check, credit card, PayPal, or Venmo. For payment with card or PayPal, I ask as a courtesy that you cover any processing fees associated with the transaction.
I offer lessons via Skype, Zoom, or another video conferencing platform that works for you. I use a high-quality USB microphone on my end, and I recommend purchasing one for your use. The Blue Snowball is an excellent, inexpensive choice that will improve the sound quality over the stock microphone in your device.
Students will need to furnish their own materials for lessons from the following list:
I take into account that the cost of all these materials can be expensive, and so I do what I can to write out exercises or use resources available in the public domain. For this purpose students should maintain a binder to hold printed music with a few sheets of blank manuscript paper for written exercises.
If you have difficulty finding any materials, please let me know and I will do what I can to help you get it. Failure to have materials ready for the lesson could result in shortened lessons, especially concerning broken reeds or unprinted music.
As each student progresses, it will become necessary to upgrade certain parts of the instrument such as the mouthpiece, ligature, barrel, or even the instrument itself. What works for one person might not work as well for another, and so I caution against blindly purchasing equipment based on a brand or associated performer. We will work together to determine what works best for you.
A professional quality mouthpiece ranges from $150-$300, a ligature can be over $100, and a barrel will likely be over $200, and so my philosophy is to work to make what you have sound as good as you can before upgrading. I will not come into the first lesson and tell you to buy $1000 of new equipment right away.
The instrument should be properly serviced by a technician. If renting, this is typically part of the rental fee, check your agreement to see the terms. If you own your instrument, barring any unexpected service, it should go in for routine maintenance once a year to make sure everything is well-adjusted, the pads are good, and anything else.
Used instruments/equipment: Please consult me before purchasing any used equipment or instruments. It can be a great way to save some money compared to buying new, but wind instruments do wear out. Used instruments, if not maintained properly, can also end up costing as much as or more than a new instrument to make it playable.
If you refer someone to take lessons with me, after the new student takes four paid lessons you will receive 30-minutes of free lesson time. This is done on a per student basis, with the only exception being within the same household (you cannot refer yourself). Once a student has been referred, they cannot be referred again.
New students must inform me of the referral within the first four paid lessons. In case of any disputes regarding referrals, I reserve the right to cancel the referral if it cannot be resolved.
Many auditions call for audio/video recordings to be submitted with the application. For the same hourly rate as lessons ($60/hr) I can record and produce a high-quality product for your application. For the best quality product, I ask that you follow these guidelines:
A note on recording with phones/tablets/laptops: Since most devices have some form of video or audio recording, it can seem tempting, especially when adding up the cost, to do your recordings yourself. I highly discourage doing this because these devices are not designed with high-quality recording in mind, especially concerning acoustic instruments. Recording with your device will cause the final product to suffer, especially in terms of tone and dynamics. Those listening to application recordings can only judge based on what they hear-put your best foot forward!