Grateful for You!
This is the time of year when there's lots of talk about gratitude. Thanksgiving is an apt time to say "Thank You" to you, the parents, who are giving a wonderful opportunity to your child(ren) to learn & grow in making music. A student recently told me, "It's so rewarding. I'm glad I'm taking lessons". I couldn't agree more, and I'm glad too.
Thank you for choosing Forte. Thank you for your part in helping your child or making it possible for them to participate in music.
"Twelve Days of Forte!"
I'm so excited to share "Twelve Days of Forte" with you! Christmas tunes have been going for several weeks now and many of you are hearing Christmas carols & songs played in your home. They are being perfected in order that they be shared during "Twelve Days." Beginning Wednesday, December 13, until December 24, you'll be receiving a daily link to a set of unlisted YouTube videos that includes selections across the studio. Lots of piano, but don't miss the guitar or the violins. Mostly, you'll not want to miss your own video!!
Recordings, or our in-house performances, will be made primarily the first lesson in December. This means that if you have a Santa hat or other festive clothing, you might want to wear it then! We don't need costumes, but reds & greens, fun hats, shirts, or a little tinsel will be welcomed!
Thanksgiving Break
Most of you have the Forte Calendar so you know over Thanksgiving we are off Tuesday, November 21 - Friday, November 24.
If you haven't received or printed the calendar, you'll find it here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cM3MmKr7cjlnoWtisgNgvUpOLZy8trLkcwqORfZGe20/edit?usp=sharing
May your time with family & friends be a wonderful pleasure reviewing so much for which we can be grateful.
Want a Piano?
If you are looking for a used piano, please let me, Donna, know. I get calls about available instruments that people are wanting to give away. They are mostly free and only need muscles & trailers to be removed and relocated in your living room.
Make-Up Lessons
Please remember we are not able to offer a makeup lesson most of the time. It could be that the calendar is stuffed, or your room is used by another teacher on a different day, or your teacher is here only one day a week. Any of these things make it tricky, if not impossible, to manage or facilitate.
You also know that if a teacher misses a lesson, it WILL be given back to you. If there are no misses from September through June, your 36 lessons that are offered to you will be accomplished by the top of June. However, for example, when I missed in October because of being in Alaska, my students automatically moved to end the 2nd week of June. It's likely that any of us teachers could finish the THIRD week of June by the time we get to that time of the year. It's important to us to keep our word and that we offer to you what we promised. That is 36 music lessons available to you from September through the end of June.
Snow in the Forecast?
Last winter it barely snowed. A snow policy was of no issue since not one time did we have to cancel lessons or hardly even think about it. What if this year is different?
Our policy says that if ELCO is closed so are we. But honestly, sometimes that doesn't work. We understand that sometimes schools need to close in the morning because at that time of day the roads are icy & treacherous. However, by 2 pm it's 44 degrees outside and the roads are perfectly fine. Deciding whether to cancel lessons is an unwelcome dilemma.
Ultimately the decision will be left with the individual teacher & you, the parent. It's easy to know when it's just snowed 4 feet and everyone is faced with shoveling out, but dustings, temperatures, and forecasts that don't always pan out make it much more complicated.
We do not make up the first missed lesson because of weather. However, if our winter is awful & it seems to snow every week on a Tuesday, or whatever day is yours, we will do what we can to get in lessons that you've paid for, even if they get tacked on to the weeks of June.
Looking Ahead
Forte Students will have another opportunity to play at Stone Ridge Towne Center on Saturday afternoon, February 24. Save the date! This is totally optional. For some it will work, for others it won't.
2:00 pm