Semesters - Answers To Your Most Common Questions - Updated Spring 2021

Whether you are a current student, a parent of a current student, or you are interested in enrolling in piano lessons soon, I'm sure you have a lot about how piano lessons work with STL Piano Lessons.

Worry not.  We have answers for you and here they are!

When does the Spring semester begin:
January 11th, 2021

What are some other important dates for the fall semester:

• Enrollment opens:  December 6th, 2020

• Enrollment closes:  January 4th, 2021

• Vacation:  April 26th - May 2nd

• Recitals:  TBA

How do I enroll:

• If you ARE NOT a current student, you will be able to enroll a month before the next semester.

• If you ARE a current student, you will be automatically enrolled.

What if I want to enroll after enrollment closes?  Can I enroll mid-semester:
No.  Once enrollment closes, we will not be taking any new students until the next semester opens for enrollment.  If you do not enroll by January 4th, you will have to wait until our next semester to get in.

How much is tuition:
We are excited to now offer simplified tuition!  No more variable tuition.  The rates are as follows:

• 60 Minute Lesson​s

  • Pay Up Front For Semester:  $1040

  • Monthly Payments:  $285

• 30 Minute Lessons

  • Pay Up Front For Semester:  $720

  • Monthly Payments:  $190

How do I pay my tuition:
You now have two payment options.  You can either pay upfront for the semester at a discounted rate or you can make monthly payments.  When you enroll you will have the option to choose which one you want to do.  Tuition will be auto-charged to your account just like our monthly tuitions are now.  Once you enter your payment method into your account (credit card, debit card, or checking account), you are all set.  All billing will be done automatically.  Semester payments will be billed when the student enrolls or on the first day of the new semester.  Monthly payments will be billed on the first of every month.

Do I need to re-enroll every semester:
No.  Current students will be automatically enrolled in the upcoming semester unless they give written notice (via email) that they want to cancel lessons.

What if I want to drop out mid-semester:
We ask all of our students to commit to a full semester of lessons. If a student wants to drop out mid-semester, that is their prerogative, but they will still be responsible for paying for the entire semester. No refunds. If you want to cancel at the end of a semester, you can do so by sending us an email.

What if I want to take a vacation during the semester:
Students, and teachers, will get a one-week vacation at the end of each semester.  If you want to take a vacation during the semester, you will have to cancel your lesson(s) with your teacher that occur during that time.  If you let your teacher know 4 hours or more ahead of time they will send you a video lesson through your online account for the week(s) you miss.

Are there any other changes to the school policies due to the change to semesters:
Not many.  Most of our policies will remain the same, but there are a few that will change.  Please CLICK HERE to download a PDF of our new school policies.

What if I have more questions:
If you have any other questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page by CLICKING HERE.  You can also hit reply with any questions you have and I am happy to answer them for you.

We could not be more excited to have you on board this spring!

Semesters - Answers To Your Most Common Questions

Whether you are a current student, a parent of a current student, or you are interested in enrolling in piano lessons soon, I'm sure you have a lot of questions about how semesters will work once we begin them in September.  

Worry not.  We have answers for you and here they are!

When does the fall semester begin:
September 14th, 2020

What are some other important dates for the fall semester:

• Enrollment opens:  August 2nd, 2020

• Enrollment closes:  September 8th, 2020

• Vacation:  December 21st - January 3rd

• Recitals:  TBA

How do I enroll:

• If you ARE NOT a current student, you will be able to enroll starting August 2nd.  You can enroll via our Enroll page on our website by CLICKING HERE.

• If you ARE a current student, we will contact you via email to get you enrolled in August.

What if I want to enroll after enrollment closes?  Can I enroll mid-semester:
No.  Once enrollment closes, we will not be taking any new students until the next semester opens for enrollment.  If you do not enroll by September 8th, you will have to wait until our next semester to get in.

How much is tuition:
We are excited to now offer simplified tuition!  No more variable tuition.  The rates are as follows:

• 60 Minute Lesson​s

  • Pay Up Front For Semester:  $1040

  • Monthly Payments:  $285

• 30 Minute Lessons

  • Pay Up Front For Semester:  $720

  • Monthly Payments:  $190

How do I pay my tuition:
You now have two payment options.  You can either pay upfront for the semester at a discounted rate or you can make monthly payments.  When you enroll you will have the option to choose which one you want to do.  Tuition will be auto-charged to your account just like our monthly tuitions are now.  Once you enter your payment method into your account (credit card, debit card, or checking account), you are all set.  All billing will be done automatically.  Semester payments will be billed when the student enrolls or on the first day of the new semester.  Monthly payments will be billed on the first of every month.

If I am a current student, do I have to make the switch over to semesters:
Yes.  All current students will be converted over to semesters and will be asked to commit to a full semester of lessons starting on September 14th.  When enrollment opens, we will contact you via email to get you enrolled for the fall semester.  You will have your normal month to month lessons right up until the week of September 14th.  Please note that you will have two separate charges in September.  One will be a prorated charge for the first two weeks of lessons in September as you finish out your month to month lessons.  The second will be your charge for the upcoming semester with your new tuition.  

Do I need to re-enroll every semester:
No.  Current students will be automatically enrolled in the upcoming semester unless they give written notice (via email) that they want to cancel lessons.

What if I want to drop out mid-semester:
We ask all of our students to commit to a full semester of lessons. If a student wants to drop out mid-semester, that is their prerogative, but they will still be responsible for paying for the entire semester. No refunds. If you want to cancel at the end of a semester, you can do so by sending us an email.

If I am a current student, will my tuition be changing:
Yes.  All students will be paying the new tuition.  When we contact you to enroll in the fall semester, you will have the choice to pay upfront for the semester or set up monthly payments.

If I am a current student, will my schedule be changing:
No.  Unless you and/or your teacher would like to change your schedule before then, your schedule will not change from what it is now.

What if I want to take a vacation during the semester:
We are eliminating our current vacation allowance policy.  Moving forward, students, and teachers, will get a two-week vacation at the end of each semester.  If you want to take a vacation during the semester, you will have to cancel your lesson(s) with your teacher that occur during that time.  If you let your teacher know 4 hours or more ahead of time they will send you a video lesson through your online account for the week(s) you miss.

Are there any other changes to the school policies due to the change to semesters:
Yes.  Most of our policies will remain the same, but there are a few that will change.  Please CLICK HERE to download a PDF of our new school policies.

What if I have more questions:
If you have any other questions, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page by CLICKING HERE.  You can also hit reply with any questions you have and I am happy to answer them for you.

We could not be more excited about this new direction and the way it will impact our students, our teachers and our school as a whole!  We can't wait to see our students shine this fall!

Semesters Are Coming Fall 2020

Why Change To Semesters?

Our biggest goal is to help our students achieve their goals. We want our students to thrive and become the musicians they dream of becoming! In order to do that, it is important that we hold them to a higher standard than those who are standing on the fringes, casually interested in the piano. We are asking our students to step up so that we can step up as well!

We care deeply for our teachers and we want to see them flourish. We believe it is important that our teachers have students who show up, do the work, and improve. Our teachers deserve consistency in their schedule as well as the satisfaction of a student who makes real improvement. As a teacher, it is so heartbreaking to put time and energy into a student to only have them quit 2 weeks later. We want our teachers to have the experience of a lifetime with students who are all in and ready to go the distance!

How Will It Work?

There will be 3 semesters per year - Spring, Summer and Fall. Each semester will be 16 weeks long. This will include 14 weeks of lessons and a 2-week vacation at the end of each semester.

There will be two recitals at the end of each semester (1 online and 1 in-person).

All students will be required to commit to the full semester.

We will have open enrollment for one month prior to the beginning of each semester. Once the semester starts, enrollment is closed until one month prior to the next semester.

All current students will automatically be enrolled in the next semester unless they choose to drop out.

What Will Be Changing?

No more vacation allowances. Instead, students, and teachers, will have a 2-week vacation at the end of every semester.

No more month to month agreements. We expect big things from our students so we are asking for a bigger commitment. Students now must commit to a full semester instead of going month to month.

A new focus on recitals. We want to give our students the chance to show off their hard work. We also want them to have a clear goal to work towards. The focus of each semester will be to get our students ready to perform at the recital at the end of each semester.

What Will Stay The Same?

Weekly, private one-on-one lessons. Students will still have private weekly lessons (online or in-person) with one of the top professional musicians in St. Louis!

Same schedule. Your lessons will still be at the same time on the same day every week.

Our online portal. All of our students will still have their same account in Teacher Zone with access to lessons of their videos, lesson assignments, chats with their teachers and much more!

When Does The Next Semester Start?

Our fall semester will start in September. Enrollment opens on August 2nd.

Am I too old to take piano lessons?

Over the years, I have had many conversations with piano students, young and old. It has been really interesting to learn about people’s fears and expectations out of life.

I have talked to many adults who truly believe that it is too late to learn anything new. They think they are stuck in their ways and it’s too late for them.

But then there is a second kind of adult. The one who wants more.

Here is a little known fact about us here at STL Piano Lessons…

We actually have more adult students than we do kid students.

And don’t get me wrong, we love our kids. But there are a lot of adults out there who want more out of life. And we get to see them doing just that every day. They choose to turn their dreams into reality. To take action and pursue the things they have always loved. It’s truly inspiring to see.

And yet, there are many who get stuck in fear. They are curious but still afraid. And the first question they always ask me is…

Am I too old to take piano lessons?

When we think of piano lessons, we think of kids and that’s fair. It’s what you do when you are a kid. You go to school, you ride your bike and you take piano lessons. Those are the quintessential elements of a positive childhood.

But why does it have to stop at childhood? Why can’t we continue to grow and learn as we get older? Well, we can. We all can. And although many adults get paralyzed with fear, there are those who push through to the other side.

There are actually 3 types of adults who seem to push through.

Type #1: These are adults in their early twenties. They just got out of college and got a real job. Suddenly they don’t have to go to school anymore and they find they have some free time. They also have a real job now with some disposable income. And now that they have some time and money, it’s time to take some piano lessons.

Type #2: This is the thirty-something dude (or dudette) who has a corporate job. He makes a good living, has a good life, but his party days are winding down. He is starting to realize that he is getting older and he wants to do something to better himself. He is looking for self-improvement or at the very least a fun hobby. Why not take piano lessons?

Type #3: The retiree. We actually get a lot of students who are recently retired. They find they finally have the free time they have always wanted to pursue things that are important to them. Many times they have been a lifelong fan of music but were so caught up with their jobs and raising a family, that they had no time to pursue it. Once they retire and the kids are out of the house, they finally have the time to pursue their passions. Time to finally pursue the piano.

The one thing that most adults have in common

No matter which type they are, most adult students have one thing in common.

They all took lessons when they were a kid and quit way too early.

Their parents made them take lessons and they hung in for a few years, but eventually, they quit to pursue other things. They got bored or distracted, as kids tend to do, and they never came back to the piano.

Most adult students say they wish they never quit taking lessons. Some of them say that it is one of the biggest regrets of their life. I have had this conversation time and time again.

I guess I tell you all this for two reasons.

If you have kids, make them take piano lessons.

Make your kids take piano lessons. And make them stick to it for a while. Kids will whine and complain, they will want to quit, they will want to try other things. But I guarantee you, when they grow up, they will regret quitting. They will wish they had stuck it out. One of the best gifts you can give your kids is the gift of music. I promise, they will thank you for it one day.

The second reason I tell you all this is if any of these adult types sound like you, it is not too late to take piano lessons. It is never too late to learn something new. Matter of fact, taking piano lessons as an adult is such a rewarding experience. When you are an adult, you are there because you want to be not because you have to be. Suddenly, learning the piano becomes fun and exciting. It is a totally different experience as an adult.

Your goals change too as an adult. Suddenly, just being able to sit down and play a few songs on the piano sounds like an amazing way to spend an evening. And it is.

Whether you have taken lessons before or not, that goal is not as far away as you think. You have all that it takes to get there. All you have to do is get started.

It’s never too late

It’s so easy to think about doing something. To dream and say “that would be really cool.” But it’s a whole other thing to do it. And once you decide to take action, your whole world changes. Life opens up. Hope comes alive and you see a whole new world of possibility for yourself.

You are never too old to take piano lessons. If you are breathing, you need to keep pushing yourself to do new things. A whole world is waiting for you if you are just willing to push on through to the other side.

Which adult are you? Are you paralyzed by fear or are you willing to take some action? No matter which one you are, we would love to talk to you about it. And when you are ready, so are we.