Part 6: Missed Lessons and Make-Up Options

What if I miss a lesson?

If you are planning to sign up for music lessons, and have even found a studio provider, you may now be wondering about other details that will also contribute to your overall music lesson experience. Perhaps you are thinking, I’ve found a teacher and a time that works for me, but what happens if I occasionally have to miss or cancel a lesson? 

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Life happens. That’s okay!

Perhaps your child is sick with the flu. Or you have a family emergency. Maybe your child has a sports tryout or school event one week that conflicts with his lesson time. Or you want to make travel plans that will put you out of town on your lesson day. Whatever your situation is, we understand that sometimes, plans don’t all fit together quite the way we’d like them to. Unexpected situations arise, and then we have to adapt. When it comes to music lessons this goes both ways: changes and cancellations affect both you and the teacher. So you will want to work with a studio that offers makeup lesson options that respect both your needs and the teacher’s time and schedule. 

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Why is this important to think about?

Here are a few things to consider about missed lessons and makeups:

1. They happen! You have a busy schedule. Life surprises us. Time is limited. It’s hard to predict conflicts or issues that cause missed lessons. We are all doing our best. 
2. Makeups for missed lessons are difficult to coordinate if your teacher has a full schedule. You may want a studio that offers alternative options.  
3. Frequent missed lessons or changes to lesson days or times can disrupt the ease of learning that comes with more consistent lessons.

What we do about it:

At The Music Studio, teachers do not typically offer individual make-up lessons, because most of our teachers have full schedules and individual make-up lessons can be complicated to coordinate. Instead, we offer group lessons that you can attend to make up missed lessons and keep learning. If you have a conflict and will need to cancel a lesson, please let us know! We will acquaint you with our upcoming makeup options so you can find one that works for you. 

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How do group make-up lessons work?

Over the course of the year, we offer a number of group masterclasses in various musical subjects and instruments. Each teacher is committed to teaching a few of these on their chosen topic. You can attend the classes taught by your teacher if you wish; just ask the office staff when these are scheduled. These group classes might center on a specific instrument, such as piano, guitar, or strings, or they might address more general topics of music theory that apply to various different instruments. Sometimes teachers do “Intro to [Piano, Ukulele, Guitar, etc.]” classes where students can use their make-up lesson time to learn a few of the basics about a new instrument they are curious about. 

This make-up policy helps us avoid the complication of scheduling dozens of individual makeup lessons each month, while still allowing students to get their lesson time in even if they have to miss a lesson once in a while. If you had to miss or cancel a lesson, contact the office to find out when the next upcoming group classes are scheduled, and sign up for the one of your choice!

Any additional concerns you might have about cancellations or make-up lessons can be brought to the office staff, but here are a few other things to note about our lesson schedule:

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We schedule vacations around major holidays into our calendar.

We plan 1-2 week vacations from lessons around holidays such as Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Memorial Day and 4th of July, as well as coinciding with typical school holidays such as Spring Break. We try to coordinate these with the academic calendars of local public schools as much as possible. That way you can plan other things with your families during those weeks! 

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What if my lesson time is no longer working out for me?

Finally, if you find yourself constantly experiencing conflicts with other activities or often needing to cancel or miss lessons, call our office! If conflicts have arisen that make it difficult to keep taking lessons consistently at your scheduled time, let us know. We may be able to find another day or time available that could work better for you.

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