As we move into the new 2021-2022 school year, we thought it would be a great time to update our policies and guidelines on our website. This information can also be found in our handout located in the studio.
As always, feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding these policies, music lessons, our location in South Tampa, or any other inquiries!
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Welcome to Chops Music Studio! Our goal is to inspire our students so they can experience the joy and passion that comes from a musical education, and have included this hand out to facilitate this process. The rewards of playing music are countless - higher test scores, enhanced pattern recognition, a sense of community, and confidence are but a few of the benefits known to come from a musical education. We understand that many parents who enroll their children here have no musical background, so we included these guidelines for anyone who wants to know more.
1) What to expect from us
Our main goal as a music school is to educate students and foster growth in a comfortable, fun environment. In an effort to tailor our lessons to each individual student, we mix old methods of classically based instruction with modern methods. This can range from learning scales, theory, and repetition based exercises, to online learning and electronic music production. Student's work will generally consist of learning songs, either supplied by the student or teacher, as well as music theory training and various exercises based on their instrument. We highly encourage students to bring their own interests into their lessons, as every instrument has an incredibly diverse background and history.
2) What do I need to get started?
Jumping into a new instrument can be overwhelming due to the abundance of information found online. There are literally thousands of beginner brands, books, and services tailored to the new musician. Luckily, we have a page online dedicated to helping students through this process- Visit our site at ChopsMusicStudios.com and check out the section Recommended Gear to find out exactly what you will need to get started!
3) How long should I practice?
Music lessons generally consist of a half hour or an hour lesson, once a week. Given that there are 168 hours in a week, it’s easy to see that the vast majority of the time a student has to learn will be outside of the studio. Some students will be glued to their instrument for five hours a day - generally, most young musicians will need more encouragement. If your child falls into the latter category, occasionally asking your child what they’re working on and showing interest in their progress is often enough to push them to practice. Obviously, the goal here isn’t to hover around the student constantly, but learning music is hard work. A little encouragement goes a long way.
We recommend getting at least 20 minutes of practice in each day. If that sounds like a lot, start with five minutes and build up from there.
4) Tuition
Starting August 2021, Chops Music Studio tuition will include one half hour lesson, once a week, for $160 a month. This monthly fee includes their weekly lesson, workbook material, and our yearly concert in the spring. If the student wishes for an hour a week instead of the standard half an hour, the cost would be $315 for the month.
Group lessons are $50 per lesson per student unless otherwise noted. Groups consist of 4-8 members, each learning parts of songs on their instruments to be played together in a band setting.
6) Make Up Policy
We understand that life happens; therefore, makeup lessons are available! We ask only for a 24 hours notice for a cancellation, and a rescheduling within 45 days of the original lesson. Make up lessons must be made with the teachers schedule in mind, and we ask for no more than two a semester.
7) Group lessons and concerts
Music began as a communal activity, and its inclusion into the classroom has been a relatively recent phenomenon. With this in mind, Chops has developed several group classes to take developing musicians to the next level!
It seems easy enough to drop a developing student into a band setting and ask them to take what they learned in the classroom to the stage, but any young musician knows the difficulties that can emerge from this scenario. Our goal is to facilitate this process as much as possible, therefore our group classes are focused on helping young musicians play with other musicians.
We hold an annual spring concert later in the school year, which is a perfect opportunity for a young musician to experience playing to a crowd.