Studio Policy & FAQ

Welcome to the Miami Piano Studio, home of the Brain-Based Piano Method.

At the Miami Piano Studio, our motto is: Play, Understand, Create! Our goal is to help our students develop their full potential through the making, understanding and creation of music using our own Brain-Based Piano Method. With this goal always in mind we:

• Work constantly on developing the Brain-Based Piano Method, a Mindful and Comprehensive approach that combines principles espoused by renowned music educators of the 20th Century with the latest scientific findings on how we learn.
• Endeavor to provide your children with a fun and meaningful learning experience,
• Assign home practice and create video tutorials to facilitate it,
• Provide you with pertinent information, materials and video tutorials,
• Plan events and presentations to provide your children with enriching social and performing experiences, and so much more.

We know that for our students to thrive, parents and teachers must work together as a team. We need to be on the same page, or to put it in musical terms: we want to make sure we are all singing from the same song sheet.

Keeping this in mind, please take a moment to read our Studio Policy and complete our Registration and Talent Release Forms.

Thank you so much for all your wonderful support. We look forward to an exciting and successful learning journey.

Sincerely,

The Miami Piano Studio Team: Leidys Monascal, MS and Mihai Preda, PhD

Monthly Payments: Monthly tuition is due in full by the 5th day of every month. Monthly payments and fees are non-refundable. A late payment fee of $20 will be applied to payments received after the 5th day of the month.

Methods of payment: Our preferred method of payment is online transactions using Venmo, a service of PayPal, Inc., a licensed provider of money transfer services. We also accept cash, personal checks, credit cards payments using PayPal and online bank transfers.

Tuition Adjustments: Tuition may be adjusted due to changes on day or time of the lesson, duration of the lesson, location of the lesson (home or studio), setting (group or individual) or after a month of non-paid absence. We might make adjustments on monthly tuition based on factors not mentioned above.

Missed Lessons and other Absences: Tuition will not be adjusted due to missed lessons. We offer no refunds or credits from month to month. Once you pay your monthly tuition, time is reserved for your lessons. Missed classes may be made up only once per month within the current month and depending on the teacher’s time availability. Same day cancellations will not be considered for make ups.

Cancelled lessons by the teacher: If for any reason the teacher needs to cancel a lesson, he or she will offer a make-up lesson or give credit for that specific lesson only.

Summer Time and other Breaks: Students keep their monthly tuition fee and weekly schedule of lessons as long as they pay their full monthly tuition. Adjustments on tuition and schedule may apply after one missed monthly tuition payment. If students want to keep their current tuition and schedule, but need to take a month off, they can do so by paying 50% of their monthly tuition. After a missed month, the student needs to pay full tuition in order to keep their schedule.

Holidays and vacations: We try to keep a constant four-week-per-month schedule of classes through the whole year to guarantee that our students receive 4/8 lessons every month. We take Spring Break off, as it offers an extra week between the months of March and April.

Changes and Cancellation: The provider may change the terms of this agreement as needed. Any participant can end this agreement at any time, but its terms apply as long as we work in partnership. However, a minimum of a two-weeks notice of cancellation is appreciated.

Substitute teachers: The Miami Piano Studio reserves the right to change teachers or use a substitute teacher when we consider it necessary.

• What happens if a miss a lesson?

You can request one make up lesson per month. We will do our best to find a time and day that works for both student and teacher. If possible, we can add extra time to upcoming lessons to make up for the missed time. Missed classes may be made up only within the current month and depending on the teacher’s time availability. Same day cancellations will not be considered for make ups.

• What happens if I need to take a month or more off?

Students keep their monthly tuition fee and weekly schedule of lessons as long as they pay their full monthly tuition. Adjustments on tuition and schedule may apply after one missed monthly tuition payment. If students want to keep their current tuition and schedule, but need to take a month off, they can do so by paying 50% of their monthly tuition the first 5 days of the missed month. After a missed month, the student needs to pay full tuition to keep their schedule.

• Can I get my money back after paying tuition or any other fee?

We offer no refunds or credits from month to month.

• What method of payment do you accept?

Our preferred method of payment is online transactions using Venmo, a service of PayPal, Inc., a licensed provider of money transfer services. We also accept cash, personal checks, credit cards payments using PayPal or Square and online bank transfers.

• What happens if the teacher cancels a lesson?

If for any reason the teacher needs to cancel a lesson, he or she will offer a make-up lesson or give credit for that specific lesson only.

About Instruments and Materials

We recommend the student have a piano (digital or acoustic) at home for practice. We also recommend students use Resonator Bars for home practice. Please go to www.brainbasedpianomethod.com/shop for links to vendors.

About the Piano Practice

How can you help your children succeed?

You have the right teacher and the right method, now you need to:

Read the Parent Companion: It will help you with tips to guide and improve the home practice. Find it at the first pages of the Initiation Workbook.

Get the right equipment. Invest in a good instrument and piano bench. We recommend Yamaha Digital Pianos P series. Follow the link to buy this piano at our website: www.BrainBasedPianoMethod.com/shop

Create the habit of daily practice: At the end of every lesson we provide our students with homework using their Workbook. Please schedule and monitor your children piano home practice using this plan.

Register to watch our Video Tutorials: Go to www.BrainBasedPianoMethod.com/videos to watch the assigned tutorial videos every week.

Participate Frequently in Piano Student Presentations:  They keep students motivated to practice, provide them with performing opportunities and allows them to create a positive identity by playing, sharing and connecting with other fellow musicians and piano students.

Read our Newsletters: to stay informed about upcoming Piano Student Presentations.

Contribute to our events: Contribution to the Miami Piano Studio Presentations: $20 per family.