Practice

Students who practice 20 - 40 minutes a day will notice their progress! This in turn will make them want to practice more. Students who practice less may make some progress, but are likely to feel frustration and boredom. Piano is often fun, and it’s often hard. It is a slow growth that requires grit and perseverance.

Parents, it's your job to help students set regular practice times, keep your instrument in good condition, listen to your student playing, create time in their schedule for practice, and for younger students especially, assist with keeping them on track.

Students have all kinds of reasons for taking piano lessons. Whether it’s preparation for band or orchestra, an expectation set by parents, development of a well-rounded student, desire to play in a rock band, or any other reason, it is my hope that your child’s time at Lake Street Piano Studio sets the trajectory for a lifelong love for music.

Scheduling

& Attendance

MyMusicStaff is your home for scheduling, account balance, lesson notes, and online payments.

If you need to miss a lesson for any reason, cancel it in MyMusicStaff. A cancellation 48+ hours in advance will let you reschedule for any open spot (must be used by the end of the summer/school year term).

Last-minute cancellations other than for sickness or emergency cannot be rescheduled. Students may send videos of their progress for feedback, or simply enjoy the week off.

Inclement weather/mild sickness: we will default to FaceTime or Zoom. Please keep your student home if they are sick, sneezing, coughing, contagious, or have a fever.

Tuition

Tuition is an all-inclusive, yearly amount prorated by month and based on enrollment, not attendance. This means that your payment stays the same each month.

Tuition includes 15 or 30 regularly scheduled lessons (see calendar), preparation time, basic books, and Venmo processing fees.

Tuition is set with the expectation that students commit to piano through the end of the school year or summer term.

FAQ

  • Good question! I’ve searched worldwide for the best curricula out there and settled on Wunderkeys, Supersonics Piano, and Piano Pronto. Along the way, students may run into The Playful Piano’s technique resources and Philip Johnston’s Scales Bootcamp.

    In addition to the above, once students reach the intermediate level they could use the Faber Piano Literature series, Elissa Milne’s Little Peppers, The Festival Collection, or a truly endless selection of other options.

  • Young students start with 30 minutes weekly. As they reach middle school we bump them up to 45 minutes. If life gets too crowded, they can switch to every other week or simply schedule as-needed.

    Summer is optional (but encouraged!), with flexible lesson packages.

  • While we don’t have traditional studio recitals, your child will have the option to participate in house recitals, the Grand Valley State University 20th/21st Century Piano Festival, and the Michigan Music Teachers Association’s Student Achievement Testing day at Hope College. Students are encouraged to play for events in their own community, school, or place of worship.

  • We LOVE games. I’ve taken every traditional game I could find and turned it into a piano game, along with games made specifically for piano. Students learn and reinforce their theory concepts through games such as Sorry, Spot-It, Flashy Fingers, Keys to the Castle, and much more!

  • Yes! Lake Street Piano Studio is registered with Hamilton Virtual School and iCademy Global.

  • I get it - life happens! If you need to withdraw your student before the end of the school year or summer term, I ask for a month’s paid notice.