Studio policies

Updated September 2026. Questions are always welcome at gheeclefstudio@gmail.com.

Welcome

Thank you for making music with Ghee Clef Studio. These policies keep lessons fair, safe, and joyful for every family. Please read them and agree to them on the registration form before your first lesson or group class.

Piano Explorers private lessons

Private lessons are 30 minutes long and use the Piano Safari method, with music history and appreciation woven in. Lessons take place at the studio or in the student's home. The studio address is shared only with enrolled families.

Please arrive on time and ready to play, with books, the practice notebook, and any borrowed library books. Lessons that start late because of a late arrival still end at the scheduled time.

For in-home lessons, a responsible adult age 18 or older must be home for the entire lesson when the student is under 18. The piano or keyboard should be tuned or in working order, in a quiet space, and free of clutter. Please keep pets secured during the lesson.

Little Groovers music groups

Little Groovers music groups meet once a month on the first Monday afternoon, starting in November 2026. In January, the group meets on the second Monday instead. Each class is one hour of singing, movement, rhythm, and pre-piano play using the Learning Groove and the Piano Safari animal friends.

Groups are open to children ages 2 to 4, and private lesson students are welcome to join too. A grown-up must stay for the whole class with any child who is not yet in school. Children in PK4 or older may attend on their own. Each group is capped at 8 children, and spots are held in the order payment arrives.

The class time and location are confirmed by email when you register.

Tuition and payment

All payments are made by Zelle to gheeclefstudio@gmail.com. Please put the student's name in the Zelle memo. The in-home travel fee is agreed on in writing before lessons begin.

If monthly tuition has not been received by the second lesson of the month, lessons pause until the account is current. A lesson spot may be offered to another student if payment is more than two weeks late.

Reduced rates are available based on family need and are discussed privately. Please reach out by email; every request is kept confidential.

Cancellations, missed lessons, and rescheduling

Private lessons. Please give at least 24 hours of notice by email to reschedule a lesson. With 24 hours of notice, Ms. Ghee will offer a makeup time within the same month when one is available. Lessons missed without 24 hours of notice are not made up or refunded. For in-home lessons, a lesson is counted as missed if no one is home at the scheduled time.

Little Groovers. Group registrations cannot be cancelled or refunded. If your child cannot attend, the payment becomes a credit toward a future music group class.

Studio cancellations. If Ms. Ghee cancels a lesson or group class, families choose a makeup time or a credit toward the next month.

Practice expectations

Practice is measured in perfect repetitions, not minutes. Every practice session begins with warm-ups. Then, for each assignment in the practice notebook, the student plays it perfectly three times in a row, exactly as assigned: the right notes, the right section, and the right hands, such as hands separate or the first section only. Three perfect times in a row earns one check mark, called a practice unit.

A practice unit might take three minutes or it might take an hour, and both are fine. The goal is to earn a practice unit on every assignment 5 to 6 days a week.

Theory and music appreciation assignments, including Piano Safari listening tracks, are done in addition to practice. Young students need a grown-up to help set up practice time, listen, and cheer them on. Every home student needs a working piano or a touch-sensitive keyboard with at least 66 keys.

Studio library

Students may borrow one book at a time from the studio library, due back in one week at the next lesson. Borrowing a book is an assignment: students are expected to read it, with a grown-up for younger children, and come ready to share a short reflection on what they learned about the music, composer, or culture. Please keep borrowed books clean, dry, and away from pets and little siblings. Lost or damaged books are replaced at the family's cost, and a replacement copy is fine.

Photos and video

Ghee Clef Studio may take photos and short videos during lessons, music groups, and concerts. These may be shared on the studio website, studio social media, and flyers, and with studio families. Students are identified by first name only, and no personal details are ever shared.

Photos and video are assumed to be okay unless you tell the studio otherwise. To opt out, choose that option on the registration form or email gheeclefstudio@gmail.com at any time. You may also ask for a specific photo to be removed.

Families are welcome to photograph their own child at concerts. Please do not post other students' images without their family's permission.

Health, safety, and weather

Please stay home if the student or anyone attending has a fever, vomiting, or a contagious illness. Students should be fever-free for 24 hours without medicine before returning. With 24 hours of notice, sick days follow the normal makeup policy. Please tell the studio privately about any allergies or needs that affect a child's safety in class.

In music groups, grown-ups are responsible for supervising their own children and any siblings they bring. Instruments and materials are cleaned between classes.

If severe weather makes travel unsafe, the studio will email families as early as possible. Weather cancellations by the studio follow the studio cancellation policy.

Release of liability

Music lessons and group classes involve movement, instruments, and shared spaces, and minor bumps or accidents can happen. By agreeing to these policies, the parent or guardian agrees that participation is voluntary. They accept the ordinary risks of these activities for themselves and their child. To the fullest extent allowed by Texas law, they release Ghee Clef Studio and its teacher from claims for injury, illness, loss, or property damage connected to lessons, music groups, concerts, or in-home visits, except those caused by gross negligence or intentional misconduct.

The parent or guardian agrees to supervise any child not enrolled in the lesson or class. In an emergency, the studio may contact emergency services and the contacts listed on the registration form.

Agreeing to these policies

Families agree to these policies on the studio registration form by checking the agreement box and typing their name.