Student Page

Tuition covers 35 lessons per year. Approximately 32 of these lessons will be scheduled during the school year (September through June). The remaining lessons will be held in July and August on a more flexible schedule. This avoids a lengthy hiatus during the summer, which is detrimental to student progress.

If you will be out of town or otherwise unavailable during the summer, please notify Dr. Mahlberg in order to schedule the remaining lessons during the school year. Since deferred lessons (see Cancellation Policy below) also take place during the summer, endeavour to maintain good attendance throughout the school year.

The following rates are reserved for weekly, full-time students:

• 60-minute lessons: 11 payments of $268 (35 lessons)
• 45-minute lessons: 11 payments of $201 (35 lessons)
• 30-minute lessons: 11 payments of $134 (35 lessons)

Additional lessons will be invoiced at $84.23/hour for full-time students and $90/hour for casual or part-time students. A 5% surcharge will be applied to any late payments.

To reserve your spot for the academic year, please submit the following:

• A non-refundable fee of $80 to cover all studio classes, recitals, and dress rehearsals, whether in-person or online.
• A recurring fee due the first of each month from September to July. If paying by cash or Interac e-Transfer, please ensure that payments are received prior to the first calendar day of each month. If paying by cheque, please submit post-dated cheques for the year in advance. Cheques should be made payable to D. S. Mahlberg with the student’s name in the memo field; bimonthly or quarterly arrangements are acceptable.

Please contact me if you would like a receipt for tax purposes.

Whether or not you wish to make online lessons your primary form of lesson contact, please be prepared to conduct your lesson virtually on occasion. This will allow you to avoid cancellations not only when faced with possible quarantine measures but also when mildly ill, unavailable for commute, facing inclement weather, or travelling.

For current online lessons procedures, please see the Online Lessons Setup Guide. While all that is needed for an online lesson is a smartphone, with a little extra preparation you can significantly improve your lesson experience. Please consider investing in a device stand, a wifi range extender or hard-wired connection, and, if you are using a laptop, an external microphone.

The choice to take in-person lessons is up to each family and should take into account the following considerations:

• In-person lessons follow a hybrid online/in-person format. If Dr. Mahlberg contracts an illness or becomes exposed to someone who could be infected with COVID-19, he will notify you immediately and return to an online lesson format. Similarly, if you (student and/or attending parent) feel sick in any way (coughing, fever, runny nose, etc.), or if you have any reservations at all about attending your lesson in person, please stay home. You are always welcome to have your lesson online, even without advance notice.
• The lessons schedule includes a small amount of time between each student. This allows Dr. Mahlberg to disinfect the pianos and studio equipment. Please do your best to arrive and leave on time, as Dr. Mahlberg is not able to offer you extra time at the end of your lesson.
• Upon your arrival at the conservatory, please wash your hands in the washroom, then return to the lobby, where Dr. Mahlberg will meet you at your lesson start time.
• Please wear a face mask in all common areas and throughout the duration of the lesson. If you do not have a mask, one will be provided.
• Parents or guardians are encouraged to attend the last few minutes of each lesson and may freely enter and exit the conservatory as required.

As a full-time student, your lesson time is reserved exclusively for you. Missed or cancelled lessons will not be refunded. If you arrive late for your lesson, your lesson will end at the usual time without adjustment in fee.

Deferred Lessons

If you know in advance that you will be unable to attend a scheduled lesson, you may defer it to July or August, provided that:

• you notify Dr. Mahlberg at least 48 hours in advance;
• you limit such deferred lessons a maximum of three per year

Lesson Termination

If you wish to terminate lessons, please:

• do so at the end of December or the end of July, as other times will require a fee adjustment;
• provide a minimum of one month's written notice.

Regrettably, Dr. Mahlberg may have to terminate lessons with a student if any of these circumstances occur:

• Failure to pay tuition on time
• Persistent absence
• Uncooperative attitude
• Failure to follow practice as instructed
• Lack of progress due to insufficient practice or unfulfilled requirements

Parents/guardians, your participation is essential. Please attend lessons and supervise practice as often as your schedule allows. Your child will benefit from access to a well-tuned piano (tuned twice a year), a metronome, a quiet place to practice, and your support and encouragement.

Students, please commit to a consistent daily practice routine. Please participate in all available performance opportunities (e.g., recitals, festivals, and exams, whether in person or online) in order to share your music with others and provide concrete goals for weekly lessons. You will receive an assignment sheet each week; read it carefully. Please register for exams only with Dr. Mahlberg's express approval.

Practice Expectations:

• Beginners: 30 minutes daily
• RCM grades 1-4: 45 minutes daily
• RCM grades 5-7: 60 minutes daily
• RCM grades 8-9: 90 minutes daily
• RCM grade 10: 2 hours daily
• ARCT/diploma: 3 hours daily

The calendar for September-December 2022 will be posted shortly.

With children, parental involvement is essential. Approach piano lessons as though you were taking them with your child—if you participate in your child's lessons and at-home practice, he or she will make faster progress, practice more efficiently, and be more successful overall.

At the Studio:

Arrive early. Aim to arrive a few minutes before the lesson time, so that your child can use the washroom and—to avoid the spread of germs—carefully wash his or her hands. To be fair to others, note that if your child arrives late for his or her lesson, the lesson will end at the usual time without adjustment in fee.

Stay available. Please make yourself available during lessons, either in person or by cell phone. In the event of an emergency, if you cannot be reached, you agree that I will be permitted to exercise my discretion in providing care of and treatment for your child, and you agree to hold me harmless for any such care and treatment decisions.

Stay in touch. If your child is younger, please try to attend every lesson. Otherwise, please regularly touch base with me near the end of class to discuss your child’s progress, accomplishments, and challenges. Simply knock and enter the studio during the last five minutes of your child’s lesson—but refrain from arriving late, in order to respect the next student’s time slot. You may also contact me another time; email is my most efficient form of communication, but you may also contact me by phone at 604.255.0515.

At Home:

You may assume that your child can complete his or her piano practice assignments independently, but this is incorrect. Many children can't even be expected to remember it's practice time, let alone practise on their own. Chances are, your child will count on your support well into his or her teen years.

Encourage daily practice. Your first task is to establish a consistent daily practice habit. Your child will be more likely to accept this direction if it’s part of the routine. Tell him or her, “we always practice piano after homework, but before TV. That's the rule. Come on, let's go to the piano together.” Your child may not love this rule, but if you cheerfully insist on it, it will eventually become a habit, like washing hands after using the bathroom. Remember to maintain your child's practice tools: all students, even beginners, need access to a working metronome, a quiet place to practise, and a well-tuned piano. Your piano should be tuned at least once a year—twice is better.

Establish daily practice goals. Aim to sit with your child for the duration of his or her practice session. You should do this daily for younger children, and at least once a week for older children. During this time, help your child set and attain daily goals based on the assignments on your child’s homework sheet. For example, if your child is required to play a piece of music without mistakes, you might suggest that he or she focus on the first eight measures the first day. Whether this assignment takes twelve minutes or forty minutes isn’t important; what is important is that the child has a musical goal each day and is motivated to practice efficiently and effectively. As your child practices, ask if he or she can identify any areas of improvement: ask, “how was your rhythm?” (note accuracy, fingering, dynamic expression, etc.).

Your participation in this manner will require more effort on your part; goal-related practicing means setting daily goals for your child, monitoring the ease or difficulty with which he or she accomplishes these tasks, and setting more demanding goals. However, your efforts will help your child achieve greater success.

Foster enjoyment. Help your child enjoy practice time. If you can play piano yourself, learn your child’s music and play along—you can play one hand while your child plays the other, or you can play the same part an octave higher. Ask him or her to teach their piece to you. Encourage your child to stand on one foot or do scales with one eye closed. Play “beat the clock” activities when appropriate. Record your child, or arrange for a group practice session with friends. Brainstorm with your child to find ways to make practising more fun. However, be firm when insisting that your child focus. Fun is good, but you need to stop it from becoming overly silly.

Create a musical home. Play music in the house, and help your child to learn about the music that he or she is hearing by researching little facts about it. Take your child to concerts, allowing him or her to be inspired by various styles of music performed at a high level.

Encourage performance opportunities. Create informal recitals with friends and family members. Prepare thoroughly, do your best to ensure a positive outcome, and lavish your child with praise. When your child is ready for a bigger challenge, encourage him or her to participate in studio classes, formal recitals, and music festivals—these events are not only motivating, but also essential if your child is working toward a piano exam. Finally, invite your child to use his or her skills to improve the world we live in by raising funds for charity, creating awareness of important events, or playing for the sick or elderly.

Be supportive. Ground your encouragement and support in specific, descriptive praise. Choose incentives carefully, however. The last thing you want to do is send the message that your child is practising simply to get something in return. To prevent that, select rewards that complement the activity, such as new sheet music or a special necklace for the recital. Ultimately, your child will realize that mastering this skill is the best reward of all.

Stay the course. Piano study isn't easy. No matter what level of interest your child has in music study, he or she is only human, and there will be times when things will get difficult. Don’t give in! Remember, you are not only giving your child a gift that will bring a lifetime of joy, but also teaching your child important life lessons about commitment, follow-through, and responsibility. If your child refuses to practise, take a deep breath, and ask him or her to play an old song. Applaud your child’s effort, offer a hug, and say how proud you are. If things go completely downhill, don't worry about your child's assignments; instead, ask just ask him or her to play some favourite songs for you—this, at least, will keep your child at the piano.

Finally, a reminder: your child receives a new homework sheet every week. Please take a moment to read it, sign in the appropriate box, and add comments about your child’s progress.

Give practice the same priority as homework. One of the most important skills you can teach yourself is deferred gratification: complete your homework and your piano practice first; then reward yourself with games, visits with friends, or “screen time”—not the other way around! If you are on your iPad, or texting friends, and you have not completed your piano practice, it is time to reexamine your priorities.

Your practice time should be focused. Avoid distractions like television, pets, visitors, phones, or interruptions for chores. Remember to regularly review your assignment sheet. Theory and technique (scales, etc.) are extremely important: aim to complete your theory assignments immediately after your lesson, and to practice your technique at the beginning of each practice session.

Practice every day. The artist Andy Warhol said, "Either once only, or every day. If you do something once it’s exciting, and if you do it every day it’s exciting. But if you do it, say, twice or just almost every day, it’s not good any more.” The best way to build good practice habits is to make practice part of your routine. Practise at a regular time every day; if you wish, you can break practice into smaller sessions to help maintain concentration. Remember, it is much better to practise a small amount every single day at the same time than to practise for a longer period four days per week. If you must miss a day’s practice, you can make up for it by practising longer the day before; keep in mind, however, that even a few minutes of practice on a busy day is better than none at all. It is especially important to practise on lesson day, immediately following class; this will help ensure good retention.

Allow sufficient time. Quality of practice time is more important than quantity. However, good quality practice does demand a minimum time commitment. Here are some general guidelines:

• Beginners: minimum 30 minutes daily
• Early Intermediate: minimum 45 minutes daily
• Intermediate: minimum 1 hour daily
• RCM grades 8 and 9: minimum 1.5 hours daily
• RCM grade 10: minimum 2 hours daily
• ARCT and other performance diplomas: minimum 3 hours daily

You may choose to divide your practice session into two or more segments. Two 15-minute practices—or even three 10-minute sessions—can be more productive than one 30-minute sitting. You can divide the material for variety, too.

Practise properly. A practice session consisting of a few overly fast repetitions of each piece is of little value. Rather, observe these basic tenets of quality practice:

• Small sections. The most important thing you can do to improve your practice is to work on one small section at a time until it is flawless. Try this: choose two measures; then set a timer for five minutes, working only on those two measures until the timer goes off. I will sometimes mark difficult sections in your score for practice in this manner.
• Slow practice. Music is composed of numerous important details: notes, fingering, counting, articulation, dynamics, pedal, etc. It is virtually impossible to take all of these things into account when practising up to tempo. All that will happen is that you will not notice the things that are wrong—and many students then assume that because they didn’t notice any mistakes, everything must have been right. The solution? Frequent slow practice.
• Hands apart. Only try a piece hands together when you are completely sure that you know the section inside out with each hand separately. Even later on, when you can play the piece superbly hands together, practise with each hand separately now and then.
• Always correct. You get better at everything you practice. If you practice mistakes, you will become good at producing mistakes. Be strict with yourself: insist that each note, fingering, and dynamic indication is correct every time, even if you have to practise at quarter tempo. This takes concentrated effort, but the results are worth it!

Record your progress. Please remember to record your practice on your homework sheet every day. This helps both of us out during your lesson.

Let your parents help. If your parents are paying for your lessons, it is only fair to let them sit in on your practice sessions now and then. Most students are happy to have some help with their assignments. However, if your parents’ presence disturbs you, let me know so that we can work something out.

Be prepared for your lessons. Please come to your lessons with all of your assignments completed, and all of your materials in hand. Remember, it’s your job to pack your music books the night before your lesson—if something is missing from your bag, it’s not your parents’ fault! Please trim your fingernails before practice and before lessons, as this will help you maintain good hand position. Finally, aim to arrive a few minutes before your lesson time, so that you can use the washroom and—to avoid the spread of germs—carefully wash your hands.