A couple months ago I developed a Studio Etiquette. With a large number of students and their family members coming and going every week, I decided that it was time I put something in writing. It has worked very well!
My Studio Etiquette is different from Studio Policy. It does not deal with payment, cancelation, or make-ups, but addresses student and family behavior at the studio. Many of my students are very young, with even younger siblings, and it was becoming more and more frustrating and time consuming to clean the studio at the end of each teaching day, not to mention wipe off ghastly finger marks off my beloved piano! Since implementing the Studio Etiquette, my cleaning time has reduced, and I am much happier at the end of a busy teaching day. I have fine tuned the details, and would like to share my updated list with the MTH community.
- Clean hands with a wet wipe when arriving at the studio. No exceptions. If they are extra dirty from playing sports or doing artwork, please wash them with soap in the bathroom.
- Absolutely no touching the piano case, lid, legs, strings, or anywhere on or inside the piano!
- Siblings can stay in the room if they can remain quiet. No playing with toys, running around, or touching the piano. No playing under the piano. No wandering around the rest of the house. Children younger than 5 must have adult supervision.
- No talking on the cell phone during lessons, unless it is an emergency. If you are waiting for your turn or to be picked up, and you must answer your phone, please do so in the courtyard so as not to distract the other students.
- No eating food inside the studio. You may take one candy at the end of the lesson from the candy basket. Pick from the top of the basket.
- Do not throw candy wrapper or other trash in the courtyard or on the driveway.
- Parents please pick up students on time. Please arrive at least 5 minutes before the lesson end time, so the student does not have to wait on the street. The studio can not be responsible for watching over the student after the lesson ends.
- Respect other student’s privacy. Do not arrive too early before your lesson time.
- Family members or friends are welcome to observe the private lessons. Due to space limitation, the monthly group class is for registered students only.
- Remember to take all of your personal belongings with you at the end of the lesson, especially your music books! The studio is not responsible for any lost items.
You may notice that the list is quite specific. Most of the time people are very sensible, but throughout my teaching career I have also encountered strange behaviors such as parents leaving young siblings in the studio while they go grocery shopping, siblings bringing huge toy collections to lessons and throwing them on the floor, family of multiple children eating sandwiches in the studio while one of them is having the lesson, parents taking extended (and loud) business calls during the lesson…you name it!
Some other things you may like to consider for your Studio Etiquette include:
- Parking – I live on a quiet street with plenty of off street parking, so this is not an issue for me.
- Bathroom – after doing some research, I am surprised to find that many teachers and studios do not offer bathroom facility. I do let students and parents use the bathroom, and do not have a problem. It is a bit of extra cleaning work.
- Shoes – I do not require students to take off their shoes, but can see why this may be a good idea.
Do you implement a Studio Etiquette? Is it written down or just dealt with as issues arise? Is there something I should include in my list above? Am I missing anything obvious? I welcome your feedback!
That’s a great idea, Yiyi. It’s best to be specific about waht you’re looking for. I’m sorry you’ve had some bad experiences- it makes me feel fortunate (so far)! I think all your students and their parents will come to appreciate this policy.
Good ideas Yiyi! Now, how about a Recital Etiquette Policy? Until last Spring, I’ve never had a problem with audience behavior. But the behavior of parents and siblings at my Studio Recital last May was appalling! I’m now working on guidelines to hand out prior to the next recital that will addresses the issues of photography, video cam placement, flash photography, keeping younger audience members in their seats, and general concert etiquette. It saddens me that this has become necessary.
Great ideas! I have a “welcome letter” that is part of a folder given to all new students, and the first part of that letter covers studio etiquette. Unfortunately, what is common sense to most of us just doesn’t seem to occur to some people. I’m planning on sending out a monthly newsletter, which will probably have a couple of “studio etiquette” points in each issue. For recitals, instead of just writing an etiquette policy, I wrote a sheet titled “What to Expect at a Recital.” It covers things like what to wear, what to bring, how early to arrive, what to do when you arrive, and audience etiquette. This also goes in the new student folder, and I also e-mail it as an attachment to an e-mail with recital details about a week before a recital.