My lesson contract: problems?

[Chip McDonald]

Below is a copy of what I have my students/guardians sign before they take guitar lessons. I've pared it down from what it was, which I'm posting after the latest one. If for no other reason, read the second contract (which is what I used to have) which was an accumulation of various oddities that I had to write into the contract (so I felt) to prevent from happening again - it's fairly amusing (so I thought, and some other people - but like I said, SOME feel it's "not right"... I don't know anymore...) ............................................................ [b] Lesson Policy 2001 Lessons are $60 a month. This is for 4 regularly scheduled lessons of approximately 30 minutes duration for 1 person. For months in which 5 scheduled days occur, for those months the cost will be $75. Lessons scheduled in time slots before 3:00 p.m. during the week are $45 a month. Tuition is due by the last lesson of the month for the following month. The time slot will automatically be made available on the master schedule at the front of the store otherwise. One makeup lesson is allowed per month for students paying $60; this will be scheduled during the week if my schedule permits. Otherwise, I can only guarantee a spot on Saturday morning. Note: makeup lessons can not be carried over into the following month as a credit. Notice must be given at the lesson during the week *prior* to a missed lesson in order for a makeup lesson to be scheduled; there is a sign up sheet in the lesson room. The student must have a playable guitar. The store does not permit students to “borrow” a guitar for a lesson. The student must also have a pick. I will not loan out picks; do not come to a lesson without a pick! Also, the student must remember to bring all lessons materials each week (this means hand outs, transcriptions, etc.). All students are asked to purchase an Ernie Ball TAB book or equivalent, which is available in the sheet music section of the store. It is the responsibility of the student to come prepared to the lesson. DAILY PRACTICE TIME AT HOME IS NOT OPTIONAL! I am not a miracle worker. Thanks, Chip McDonald Chipm@mindspring.com Please sign below to indicate you have read this: [/b] ............................................................ The following is what I had until the middle of last year: ............................................................. [b] Guitar Lessons by Chip McDonald rev. 4192000 terms / agreement 1) $60 for 1 month of 4 lessons lasting approximately 30 minutes each, payable in advance. Please make checks out to Chip McDonald, not the store - thanks. No out of town checks please. 2) Pre-payment of following lessons must be made by the 20th of the month! Your time slot will be made available at the front of the store otherwise; I cannot guarantee your time slot in this circumstance. 3) I need 24 hours notice of absence! I can attempt to reschedule the lesson, provided I have an open time slot; Notification by email (chipm@mindspring.com) is acceptable; I check my email everyday and will send you a reply confirmation. Note that AOL is not reliable; you must receive confirmation from me. 4) Picks are cheap. As in - there’s no reason a student should come to a lesson without one. 5) I cannot hold a time slot open for longer than 2 weeks; I will have to reschedule you as best possible if you need to be gone for 3 weeks or more. If you disappear for 2 weeks I will assume you’re not coming back.... 6) Picks are cheap. 7) If you have a air-born contagious disease/illness, or are feverish, please consider cancelling/rescheduling your lesson; I can not afford to be sick for many days. I reserve the right to cancel the lesson if you are coughing/sneezing. Parents - tell your children it is bad manners not to cover their mouths when coughing! Thanks. 8) You must have a playable instrument. Student is also responsible for keeping fresh strings on their instrument, and keeping it in working order. Guitar picks are to guitar teachers what pencils are to school teachers; DON’T COME TO A LESSON WITHOUT A PICK!!! 9) The student is responsible for practicing lesson material during the week; otherwise, I may make the student practice it during the lesson. Yes, I will know if it has been practiced or not...... Students are also expected to save and bring their tab book/handouts to each lesson. 10) Note: I now have a “graded” lesson plan; parents may request this starting in January ’99. 11) Did I mention, picks are cheap? 12) Please draw a star next to the line provided for your signature to show me you have actually read this.... 13) I usually observe all holidays the post office does; however, always ASK. 14) Students must be able to speak and understand English 15) I am not responsible for insuring children are picked up by their parents after the lesson! The store closes promptly at 7 p.m.. 16) Payment is for the instruction of 1 person only. 17) I prefer not to teach children younger than 12; I will charge an additional $10 a month for children 12 years old or younger. I do not teach children younger than 10 years of age. 18) Please inform me if your child has ADD or is taking Ritalin, lithium, or an S.R.I. 19) I reserve all rights and privileges 20) The best way to reach me is via email at chipm@mindspring.com (please note the “m” after “chip”). 21) A fee of $25 will be charged for all returned checks! 22) Please draw a star after your name to indicate you have actually read all of this.... 23) I am not responsible for items left in the lesson room. I HAVE READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE ABOVE: students name (please print): date: guardian’s name (please print) Signature: Guitar Lessons by Chip McDonald rev. 121598 ____________________________________________________________________________________ Please fill out the following information for my records - thanks (please print legibly!): Student’s Name: Parent/Guardian’s Name: Home Phone number: Work number: Beeper: Email: Age: Prior musical experience (if any): How did you find out about guitar lessons at World of Music (phone book, recommendation, etc :) ?: What are you wanting to get out of guitar lessons? What style of music do you listen to? ______________________________________________________________________________________ Please check the following that apply: I am just starting out: I know the names of the strings: I can name notes on the guitar: I can play most all of the basic open chords: I know what a bar chord is: I can play a song: I can play a few songs: I know the following scales: I can put the following amount of time into practice a day: Comments: [/b] ....................................................... I changed it because I got a remark or two from a few parents that the above was "really harsh, isn't it?" or words to the effect that it's "rude". It's basically what I used for years and years - it has a certain implicit sarcasm to it I admit, but not a "rude" tone outside the obvious? I'm posting this because I'm suddenly having all sorts of problems collecting money, having people cancel off the cuff and not want it to count (even though the contract says otherwise)... Etc.. I suppose I'm looking for comments as to things I've missed, or anything that seems drastically amiss... Thanks all...

[michael saulnier]

Chip, The "new" agreement is a little less "scary", but maybe in return for them agreeing to your "demands" you could add a part about what YOU will do. Some insight into your teaching strategy, techniques, preparation, and so on may make "agreeing" more acceptable and a seemingly two sided deal. How many people a month do you "scare-off" with this? :D guitplayer

[Curve Dominant]

Chip, You should graft the following bit from the original contract onto the revision: [quote][b]1) $60 for 1 month of 4 lessons lasting approximately 30 minutes each, payable in advance. Please make checks out to Chip McDonald, not the store - thanks. No out of town checks please. 2) Pre-payment of following lessons must be made by the 20th of the month! Your time slot will be made available at the front of the store otherwise; I cannot guarantee your time slot in this circumstance.[/b][/quote] Advance payments will weed out the serious students from the deadbeats. Other than that, yeah: your revised contract is definitely preferable to the original, which seems a bit Hitler-esque. No offense. [quote][b]Some insight into your teaching strategy, techniques, preparation, and so on may make "agreeing" more acceptable and a seemingly two sided deal. guitplayer[/b][/quote] Naahh...I'd keep it as "one-sided" as possible. They're hiring you...you are not hiring them. It's not a management deal. E :)

[Chip McDonald]

[quote]Originally posted by guitplayer: [b]Chip, The "new" agreement is a little less "scary", but maybe in return for them agreeing to your "demands" you could add a part about what YOU will do.[/b][/quote] I see your point... Hmm. To me it's no different than other people's contracts I've seen - actually enormously more sedate, but perhaps you're right, good angle. [b]Some insight into your teaching strategy, techniques, preparation, and so on may make "agreeing" more acceptable and a seemingly two sided deal. [/b] Well, there is also a "Chip McDonald FAQ" I hand out with it... [b] Guitar Lessons by Chip McDonald F.A.Q. (Frequently Asked Questions) What is your teaching style/method? I do not use a method book; I try to accommodate each student’s goals on an individual basis. I do this by using my experience to offer information needed in music theory, technique, and practice habits. I have found this is the most fluid and efficient way to get a student to their stated goal. If a student isn’t specifically sure about what their goals are, I also have a graded lesson plan based on a system of easily attainable goals. This could be considered something of a “course”, in that I start with the most basic skills and build from there to a fairly advanced level. This is also good for younger students; parents can check their progress based on the grid I have posted outside the lesson room. Note that there isn’t a time table established for each level in this plan, but there is a clear cut goal to strive for. What is your background/experience? I have been played guitar since 1984; I began teaching a year later. I played standards in jazz band at Evans high school during this time, while getting my first band together. Since then I have been in all sorts of original music and cover bands locally, playing just about every style of music. I currently have an original jazz/fusion solo project; an acoustic pop-cover duo that plays regularly around town; a jazz/improvised acoustic project that plays monthly at Border's Books and elsewhere; I am also currently working on a blues-based CD recording project. I have also been an engineer in a 16 track recording studio; I am knowledgeable on the technical aspects of recording (computer/DAW based, analog) and live sound ,as well as sequencing and drum machine programming. I also play piano, bass and drums (and attempting to learn violin....). Who are some former students of yours? Many students have ended up playing in successful bands: Brian Thrift (3 Rings; Uncle Woody; Burning Bush; Keith Gregory); Didier Rubio (bass: Snap Dragon, Shaft, Mala Noche); Ed Murray (Full Effect, Thin Fin); Brad Belcher (Reprisal); Chris Kidd (Desolate James); Mike Huff (Mr. Fun, Impulse Ride); Chris Johnson (Public Fax); Randy Adamek (Symon Sezz, Adamek); John Busby (Once Never, Wire); Barry Wren (Wombats, Nudge); Jeff Johnston (Stilmour, Mystery Machine); Jeff Locksmith (winner 1991 Georgia All-State/Jazz Guitar); Walker Howle (Red Belly); Mark Wiggins; various members of local area high-school jazz bands; others. I have taught well over 1,000 people.... Do you teach children? My minimum age is 12 years old. I have found that younger than this piano is probably suited better for introducing a child to music, because it is mechanically less difficult as a beginner. How much do lessons cost? Lessons are $60 a month (4 lessons) payable in advance; $75 if the month allows for 5 lessons. I am currently running a special of $45 for time slots occurring before 3:00 p.m. during the week. [/b] [b]How many people a month do you "scare-off" with this? :D [/b] Geez, I don't know? They don't see the contract until they're signed up, they see the above FAQ first, and they've usually spoken to me... actually, probably about half of my students are either referals or people who saw me play somewhere. So the contract *shouldn't* scare them away? I dunno... they usually show up after I've given them that. The problem is that it would seem somewhere around 2000 people apparently got together without my knowledge and decided "this is how it should be".... I dunno.

[Geraldo Rivera]

your new contract is an improvement IMO. i had to laugh a few times at the original... [quote]Originally posted by Chip McDonald: [b]Note that AOL is not reliable[/b] i've heard that [b]Picks are cheap.[/b] cheap enough to hand them out to students? you might better serve your purpose by saying [i]Picks are NOT cheap.[/i] [b]If you have a air-born contagious disease/illness, or are feverish, please consider cancelling/rescheduling your lesson; I can not afford to be sick for many days. I reserve the right to cancel the lesson if you are coughing/sneezing. Parents - tell your children it is bad manners not to cover their mouths when coughing! Thanks.[/b] seems obvious but... i can only imagine the sick kids you've seen (no stories please- i'm okay with just imagining) [b]Please draw a star next to the line provided for your signature to show me you have actually read this....[/b] that's just too much. i'm sure many parents sign things they don't read, but that one may be a little rude. have you ever followed up on this one? "hello mrs. jones, this is chip, your son's guitar teacher. i got the contract back, but there's a problem..." [b]Please inform me if your child has ADD or is taking Ritalin, lithium, or an S.R.I.[/b] he will be asked to share. [/quote] oh, and i'd say $60 [b]per[/b] month.

[Philip OKeefe]

Hey Chip, do you have a pick I can borrow? I musta left mine at home along with my guitar... do you think the store would mind if I borrowed that $8,500 PRS Dragon for my lesson today? Don't worry about the XXL cowboy belt buckle... I'll be careful - PROMISE! :D Seriously, thanks for the laughs, and the contract looks fine to me... even the original one! [img]http://www.freakygamers.com/smilies/s2/contrib/navigator/usa.gif[/img] Phil O'Keefe Sound Sanctuary Recording Riverside CA http://www.ssrstudio.com pokeefe777@ssrstudio.com

[fabian]

I should have had a contract like yours to hand out back when I was teaching guitar. I think your new contract is probably easier to absorb and anyone scared off by it you're probably better of without. Problems with cancellations and payment and stuff seemed to go in unfathomable phases for me! [ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: fabian ]

[DC]

Hi Chip, The problem I ran into back when I used to teach was bad checks. I ended up putting a 'cash only' clause in my contract. I was afraid it might cause problems, but everyone started showing up with bills in their hands. Set my mind at ease a bit.

[lwilliam]

I taught 35-45 guitar students a week for about eight years and had similar "policies", although not as well articulated as your original agreement. I REALLY liked the "picks are cheap" (LOL!), but I just kept a supply handy and made sure I got them back before they left. One thing I did that significantly improved attendance was I allowed my students only ONE cancellation per month. If they missed 2 of the (typically) 4 lessons per month, they were still charged for "extra" cancellation (barring some QUITE exceptional situation). It was amazing how the attendance rate became consistently 80-90% (up from around 65%). I think toning down your original agreement would be fine, personally. I'm not sure why you don't teach kids under 10. One of my most reliable and concientious students started with me when he was 8. At 6, their hands are USUALLY too small - even for a 3/4 size guitar. [ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: lwilliam ]

[henryrobinett]

Chip, I like it. I actually liked both versions. I taught for many years. Still do on a very limited basis. I had something similar but not nearly as evolved as yours. I prefered advance payments but I also charged more and most of my students were college music majors or serious HS students. So my rates weeded most kids out. But I couldn't force them to pay in advance, especially when it was being paid by them; students. It became a hardship. My policy allowed for cancellations only by notification at least 24 hours in advance, so I wouldn't waste my time, because that was more valuable to me than the money. Otherwise they had to pay full rate. Guitar teachers are at the mercy of slack students and would-be MUSICIANS. Now I ask you, is there a more slack bunch on earth? I think one needs a harsh no holds barred policy.

[the stranger]

I think the first one kicks ass! I bet whoever said it was harsh was some uptight yuppie asshole anyway. And I bet their kid was spoiled rotten. :mad: Chip's not only giving lessons in guitar, he's covering some common sense and mannerisms, too. :) (He may have been brainwashed about secondhand smoke, but hey!..that first contract shows that not only is Chip a good guitar teacher, he's a good teacher, period.) :D :cool: [ 01-03-2002: Message edited by: dr destructo ]