-Fee is per the year, and can be paid in 8 monthly payments from Sept - April.
-Lessons are $43 for 30 minute lessons, and $60 for 45 minute lessons.
Tuition includes lessons, one makeup lesson, and two $35 fees for concerts,
which pays for facility rental and a backing musician.
A free practice chart booklet can be requested once a year; replacements cost $5.00.
Checks should be made out to Ellery Klein.
I also accept cash,
or Venmo: @Ellery-Klein-1
or Zelle to 617-418-9490
Absences/Swaps/Makeups
• Let me know in writing via email or text if you know in advance you are not coming.
**For _day-of_ cancellations or communication, send a text message to 617-418-9490. (I do not often check email while teaching, which I am sure your student appreciates. :)
• I have reserved my weekly time specifically for your student and therefore, as a general rule, I do not schedule makeups. Tuition *includes one free lesson* a year, which counts as one makeup for a sick day or missed lesson. In general, I do not schedule other makeups except for extreme cases. However, if a slot becomes available I will offer it to folks who have missed lessons, so do let me know ahead of time if possible.
Snow days will be taught on Zoom or made up on school vacation weekends .
• If a religious holiday is the reason you must miss, notify me >2 wks in advance and we
will arrange a makeup.
- If I, the teacher, need to cancel lessons for reasons of illness, emergency or a professional musical performance, I will also schedule a makeup for this.
• Swap Lessons: If a conflict arises, you may contact other students to seek a swap or offer your open slot. (If you have a 45 minute lesson and switch for a 30 minute lesson, the schedule cannot be altered.)
**Please notify me after the switch has been decided and cc all parties on the email so I know that everyone is on the same page.
*Occasionally, I will be out of town for a musical gig and will teach on Zoom instead of in person.
Discontinuing Lessons
*3 weeks notice* is required if you decide not to continue lessons for any reason. If you have
paid by semester, the remainder will be refunded, minus the required 3 weeks' notice.
Parking/ Arrival
My blue house is at 37 Fells Avenue, on the corner of Hillsboro.
Park on the opposite side Fells Ave & use caution crossing the street.
Enter through the Fells Ave entrance for indoors, or to garage on Hillsboro for outdoor lessons in good weather.
Parking can also be found on Fells Avenue Terrace or the Fellsway. *Do not park on Hillsboro.*
Transit options: MBTA bus stops for the 100 and 101 bus routes are also very close to my house.
-Aim to arrive no more than 5 minutes early.
-Please come in, prepare your instrument for the lesson, and quietly take a seat on the couch while the previous lesson finishes up.
COVID protocols:
As we move into the third year of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, I will continue to take precautions. I will be continuing to monitor the situation regarding community spread, hospitalizations/deaths, and other metrics that allow for decisions to be made regarding masking and other mitigations.
As a self-employed musician and music teacher, I have no paid sick days. I hope you and your family can understand that keeping me, and other students in my studio, healthy, is a top priority, and I appreciate your cooperation!
Rather than a return to "normal," an assessment of the situation is required and if any action needs to be taken, then please do so.
-I request that students and anyone in my studio be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and the yearly flu, as well as all other vaccinations required for public school attendance. I do not ask for proof.
-As of February 2023, I no longer require regular masking by students in my studio. If you feel healthy, and have not been exposed to COVID/flu at home or elsewhere, and feel that you are low risk, you don't need to wear a mask. However, if you would like me to wear a mask, please ask me, and I will be glad to. I may elect to wear a mask even if you decide not to.
-If student has been exposed to COVID, is in the 6-12 day post-positive period for active COVID infection; or if case counts are high at their school; or if a family member is sick at home, you have been asked to quarantine, please wear a high-quality (not cloth) mask for the lesson.
-My house is an old one, and has no ventilation system. I will open windows if warm enough, and air out a bit at transition time. I have an air filter fan that runs air through an HVAC filter on days when the windows are shut.
-I reserve the right to move to Zoom lessons for any reason, particularly if community case counts are high/rising rapidly and/or if test results percent positivity rate is higher than 5%, or if I am symptomatic, or feel that I pose a risk to students in any given week.
-Please note that while COVID is the most dangerous airborne illness, it is certainly not the only one. If you have any symptoms at all, but do feel well enough to learn, I prefer that you don't come to an in-person lesson- let's do Zoom instead. I will also switch to Zoom if I am symptomatic.
