Piano 2 Go Student and Family Handbook
(updated 12/17/2025)
Lessons & Performance – 2 GO!
Henderson, NV 89002
E-Mail: jennifer@piano2go.com
Phone/ Text: 571-439-0136
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Congratulations on beginning your piano adventure with Piano 2 Go! I hope your piano studies will add an enriching layer to your life experiences. Playing the piano is not only an emotional outlet, but it also sharpens our minds, math skills, and motor skills. Pursuing piano at any age is an excellent investment in your mental health, cerebral faculties, and simply put – it’s fun! To help you succeed with piano, please read over this handbook.
STUDENT EXPECTATIONS
Daily Practice
Piano study is not a once-a-week activity. Quite the contrary, the study of a musical instrument requires DAILY and CONSISTENT effort in order to train the mind and body in the art of proficient music-making. (I recommend aiming for at least 4 – 5 days per week, minimum). As the teacher, it is my goal to motivate through inspiration; to find the student’s “sweet spot” of musical gifting so that practice is not a chore, but a joyful activity that requires little in terms of practice reminders. For the young child, however, the practice routine will require consistent enforcement from parents. Please try to make sure your child is practicing every day. I recommend establishing a routine so that children know to expect practice time at a certain time of day.
The Power of Parental Influence
We are modeling to our children every day! If adults in their lives have a deep love and appreciation for music, they will want to join in the fun. Hear are some ways to foster a love of music in your children, thereby inspiring diligent practice:
- Express interest in hearing their pieces. Sit down and attentively listen to their pieces, at least once a week. Praise their hard work. Tell them how proud you are of them.
- Listen to music in front of your children, in the car, and while cooking. Attend a church where music is an integral part of worship. Attend family-friendly concerts and musicals. Make sure they are exposed to classical music and jazz music.
- If you play instruments or sing, make sure your children see you joyfully participating in your own musical hobbies.
- Be involved in their practice and read over their assignments, assisting as you are able.
How Much Practice?
Daily practice time should equal the length of the student’s lesson, though beginners can fare with less time. Many families utilize a timer. Please ask me if you are not sure how much time your child should be practicing.
What Should Students Be Practicing?
I will e-mail lesson notes with updated assignments and instructions after each lesson/class. I suggest that families print the e-mailed lesson notes, whole-punch them, and put them in a 3-ring binder. Students are expected to practice each item listed on their sheet. Generally speaking, students can expect:
- Written homework: 1 – 2 pages per week (about 10 – 20 min. per week). Please e-mail this the day before your online lesson, or have it complete for your in-person lesson.
- Warm-up routine (about 5-10 minutes per day): This is a combination of critical exercises/scales/chords/arpeggios that I want students to do daily as a warm-up. These exercises are valuable to developing strong technique and also teach music theory/chords.
- Memory work: There are important math facts to memorize in life, and the same goes for music. For example, I may assign that students memorize the circle of fifths or the pattern of whole steps and half steps in a scale.
- New songs: Students will typically have 2 – 3 songs they are expected to practice daily. Please read the “details” box to see what Ms. Jen wants you to focus on this week and make sure you have addressed the problem areas!
- Memory songs: I ask students to maintain a memorized repertoire, unless memory is a challenge for the student. These are to be maintained and reviewed 1 – 2 days per week.
- Creative assignments: Many of my students compose or improvise (they see me doing it often). So I often assign creative assignments with certain parameters.
When practicing songs, many “reps” (repetition) are expected, utilizing Ms. Jennifer’s suggested practice techniques. If you are just hearing the student race through the song one or two times, that’s not enough!
Materials
Students should obtain the following before starting instruction. Here is what you will need to start lessons:
- A PIANO IN YOUR HOME. You will need a teacher-approved acoustic piano (non-electric) or good-quality digital piano (electric). If you are not sure if your piano will be adequate, e-mail a photo with make, model and year to jennifer@piano2go.com. Acoustic pianos are the best to practice on since they provide greater resistance and therefore build stronger fingers. They also provide the best tone and as I often say – they have soul. But good quality digital pianos today are extremely close to the touch and feel of a real piano, and they have many benefits: 1) Headphone jack to practice quietly. 2) An array of instrument sounds. 3) Fun beats to play along with. 4) The ability to record and playback your performance. There are inferior, cheap keyboards that I don’t want students to practice on, though. So if you go digital, make sure you get the best digital piano you can afford. Your piano is a family heirloom and an investment for years to come, much like your home is.
- A LAP
- A PIANO BENCH. Don’t forget the bench! You will need a piano bench or seating at the appropriate height. Seating too low or too high can be detrimental to a student’s posture and technique, so I can help you assess your seating when I visit your home.
- A MUSIC STAND. A music stand on your keyboard or piano to hold up sheet music and books (this is probably built-in to your instrument, but if you are playing with a keyboard, you may have to buy a music stand).
- A METRONOME. A metronome or metronome app downloaded to student’s device of choice (metronomes may also be purchased at your local music store or online).
- A PENCIL JAR. You will be expected to mark up your music with corrections during your lesson. I suggest keeping a pencil jar on or near the piano. Fill this with an assortment of highlighters and sharpened pencils. You will keep this on or very near your piano.
- LIGHTING: a clip-on orchestra stand light for baby-grands/ grand pianos or a brass piano lamp for upright pianos. (available from Amazon or other online suppliers)
- A 1.5-INCH 3-RING NOTEBOOK WITH 3 DIVIDER TABS. Please get a sturdy binder, not a flimsy one. We will need 3 divider tabs as well: one for practice sheets, one for sheet music, and one for handouts.
Books
Once a fair assessment of the student’s skill level and musical taste has been made, I will ask you to order some music books and materials. Please order these promptly so that your instruction is not compromised in any way.
Preparation for your Zoom Lesson/Class
Here is your checklist for your Zoom lesson. Please prepare in advance so you and your teacher can start right on time.
- Download the Zoom app to your laptop or iPad before starting lessons with me.
- Set up your device and charger: Place your fully charged laptop or iPad/tablet to the side of your piano, on a table or stand. Make sure to adjust the device’s height so that I can see your hands and your face. You will place your device where I would normally sit in an in-person lesson. If your battery is low or I am teaching many back-to-back lessons with your family, please make sure your device is charging during the lesson. *** Do NOT use a cell phone for your Zoom lesson. The screen is too small. Do NOT place the device on your piano. ***
- Enable “original sound for musicians” in Zoom (I will e-mail instructions and coach you through this at your first lesson). You will have to enable this at each lesson.
- Click the Zoom lesson link I e-mailed you in the lesson reminder e-mail. The meeting password will be in your e-mail.
- Gather your music books and sheet music.
- Make sure your nails are trimmed very short.
- Have a sharpened pencil ready to mark up your music. (Please DO NOT write in pen in your music books).
- Have your metronome on the piano.
The room you are in should be free of distractions and quiet. Others in the house at the time of the lesson should help maintain a peaceful atmosphere during lessons.
Piano Maintenance
Just as a car must be maintained, the student’s piano should be tuned and checked for mechanical problems every six months. An in-tune piano is much more pleasurable to play and to listen to, and will inspire more practice when it is kept in tune. If your digital piano is not working, you will need a digital piano repair person to fix it so we can continue lessons. For a referral to a piano repair person/ tuner, please ask for a referral.
Piano Parties
Beginning in 2025, I will be offering piano parties once a month. These fun online gatherings will give students an opportunity to play for peers, simulating a recital environment. Piano parties for both adults and children will be announced in advanced and students can register in the student portal. I will also include some games and music theory instruction in these events.
Attendance
Given that lessons are only once per week, I don’t have much time with students as it is. When you are cancelling more than one lesson per month on a regular basis, you are seriously impeding your rate of progress and advancement. Therefore, as an advantage to you, please prioritize your lesson time with me, as I will with you. This means 1) Keeping cancellations to a minimum. 2) Making sure your other appointments (doctor/dentist/tutoring/counseling, etc) are scheduled on other days/times. 3) Asking for permanent time changes infrequently (no more than twice a year is ideal). 4) Giving consideration to your music lesson time before signing up for conflicting events.
Student Cancellations – Private Lessons
Acceptable reasons for cancelling are illness, out-of-town, power outage (for Zoom lessons), death in the family, or medical emergency. Unacceptable reasons: Student didn’t practice this week, we forgot. Please notify your teacher in writing (e-mail or text is sufficient) of all cancellations/ time change requests. The following make-up/ refund procedures will be observed:
- No-Shows: Still charged; no make-up.
- Student cancels with less than 24-hours’ notice: Still charged, no make-up. Last-minute emergencies considered on a case-by-case basis.
- Student cancels with 24 hours to 6 days’ notice: Eligible for a make-up lesson (no refund), subject to teacher availability. (This may take the form of going in a cancelled spot, doubling the length of the next week’s lesson, or giving the absent student’s lesson time to another family member). Make-ups are subject to availability and are not guaranteed.
- Student cancels with one week (7 days’) or greater notice: no charge (limit 1 per month). I issue qualifying refunds once a month.
Student Cancellations – Group Classes
No make-up classes or refunds will be offered for students who miss their group class for any reason. The monthly piano party will be considered a make-up class if you have missed a prior class that month.
Teacher Cancellations
If I cancel for illness or other reason, I will offer to reschedule or refund your lesson/class. Refunds for cancellations the teacher did not reschedule will be issued once a month, in the month following the cancellation.
Withdrawal from Lessons/Classes
One Month’s Notice of Termination
It is my hope that you will continue your lessons for years, as many of my families do. But I understand that piano is not for everyone, and circumstances change. In the event that you wish to withdraw from lessons at any time of year, please provide at least one month’s written notice of withdrawal (please notify me one month before the date that your next payment will be processed). Your one month’s notice will prevent future charges.
Communication Policy
You may call, text, or e-mail me anytime between 6am and 9pm Pacific time (9am – 11pm Eastern time). My notifications are silenced between 9pm and 6am Pacific time every day.
- Call/text: 571-439-0136
- E-mail: jennifer@piano2go.com
Rates
My rates are updated regularly on the rate page of my website. Rates will be periodically reviewed and are subject to change with one-month’s written notice.
- Explanation of Tuition (Private Lessons): Tuition will be based on 46 scheduled lessons per year (see calendar page) and may be paid in monthly installments.
- Explanation of Tuition (Group Classes): Tuition is a flat rate per term, and may be split into monthly installments or paid ahead in a lump sum for a discount.
- Book Fees: Books I ask you to order are not included in your tuition. Budget around $60 per student per year for these items, although this amount is typically lower.
| 50-minute group classes * | $96/ month or $360/four-month term |
| 30-minute private lessons | $165/month |
| 45 minute private lessons | $228/month |
* For beginners – early intermediate.
Pay-Ahead System: Clients pay for the upcoming month or term in advance.
Family Discount: The greater the number of household/ family members enrolled, the greater the savings.
Automated Billing
Your monthly auto-pay will be processed on the first of each month.
Payment Failure
If your automated payment fails to go through, I will notify you. If your payment does not go through after three attempts, I will suspend your lessons until your account is brought current.
Are you open in the summer?
Yes, Piano 2 Go is a year-round lesson provider and is open through the summer! I understand that some may choose to withdraw for the summer, and this is fine, as long as you give me one month’s written notice, per my withdrawal policy. Just understand that I cannot guarantee fall placement if you withdraw for the entire summer.
- Why summer lessons?
Piano and the study of any instrument is a year-round lifestyle and discipline. In the absence of school year commitments, summer presents an optimal environment for progress in piano, and an opportunity to explore enrichment projects such as pop music, jazz and blues, songwriting, and composing (if desired). Your summer enrollment also keeps your spot on the fall schedule.
- What will my summer lesson time be?
I may adjust the summer lesson schedule to consolidate my students into fewer days. You can request a new time during the summer (subject to availability).
What if we need to miss lessons for vacations or camps?
As per my usual policy, I refund for up to one week per month, provided that at least a week’s notice has been given. I’m flexible when the three missed lessons are over the summer (you could take two days off in July and one in August, for example).
Hiatus (Leave without payment)
You may take a hiatus at any time of year for travel or other reason, but you must give me one month’s written notice (notify me one month before your last lesson) to avoid any additional charges. A hiatus without payment is considered to be withdrawal/ unenrollment, so I am not under obligation to hold your spot for you while you are gone. However, I will do my best to work with your schedule when you when you return!
Hiatus (With Continuing Payments)
If you take a break from lessons but wish to reserve your time slot and guaranteed placement when you return, you must continue paying for 75% of your monthly lesson charges.
Termination of Lessons by the Teacher
This has only (fortunately) happened a handful of times in all my years of teaching, but I do reserve the right to terminate your lessons for any reason. This situation can be entirely prevented by keeping your account in good standing and putting a good effort into your lessons and practice. And I understand occasional bad practice weeks, the occasional late payment, illness, and busy schedules. So it is my hope each year to avoid this situation with all of my valued families! However, I cannot be infinitely tolerant of ongoing attendance issues, excessive cancellations, consistent lack of effort/ practice, poor attitude at the lesson, and clients who have consistent payment issues.