JMH Horn Studio Handbook 2017-­2018 Jenna McBride-­Harris, DMA

Horn Instructor

Phone: (503) 537-­4330

E-­mail: jennamchorn@gmail.com

Website: www.jennamcbride-­harris.com Studio Location: Carleton Artist Lofts, 2285 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55114

Hello and welcome to JMH Horn Studio! Thank you for enrolling your child in private horn lessons! Private lessons are a valuable and enriching component of your child’s education as the skills and discipline learned through lessons are transferrable to other areas of life. I look forward to working with your child and to crafting an individualized plan to help them meet their specific goals. I have been playing the horn for over 20 years, performing professionally and teaching both privately and through academic institutions for nearly a decade and I am excited to share what I’ve learned along the way with my students. This will include:

• Learning to practice effectively and efficiently—and to have fun doing it! • Encouraging creative approaches in learning and playing the horn • Learning to perform confidently • Increasing skills on the instrument (tone, range, endurance, repertoire) • Learning about the horn’s history, major compositions, performers, and what

makes our instrument so special • AND developing oneself as a musical artist.

Ultimately, I want to inspire my students to become sensitive musicians, well-­rounded hornists, and provide them with a variety of creative problem-­solving tools to become their own best teachers. My teaching includes an emphasis on the fundamentals of horn playing, etudes, exercises, writing and listening assignments, solo repertoire, and some less traditional approaches including vocal exercises, creative writing, and visual arts exercises. I want my students to have fun while they are learning and practicing and to take ownership of their experience as students of the horn. They will be asked to challenge themselves and may be encouraged to audition for solo and ensemble, honor bands, all-­state band and/or orchestra, youth symphonies/orchestras, etc. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions, comments, or with tips for how your child learns best, and please stay tuned for new developments in the future. I am planning to launch some exciting options for the JMH Horn Studio in early 2018 which may include: new payment options and tuition structuring, horn choir, outreach concerts, masterclasses, field trips, and group classes. Be sure to visit my website as I continue to update it with resources and information. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your child’s horn adventure!

JMH Horn Studio Handbook 2017-­2018 Jenna McBride-­Harris, DMA

Horn Instructor Contact: Contact information is located above. Please feel free to call or text me between 9am-­9:30pm. When emailing, please allow at least 12-­24 hours for a response. (If emailing over a holiday, please allow 24-­48 hours response time.) Lesson Location and Instructions for Entry All lessons will be taught in the music studio (located on the lower floor) of the Carleton Artist Lofts at 2285 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55114. <http://www.carletonartistlofts.com/>

• Parking: Please park in the parking lot off of Charles Avenue • Entry: When you enter the main doors of 2285, you will find a key pad to

your left. Please press the phone symbol then dial 282 (this will allow me to unlock the door for you.) Please go through the front door and wait for me near the community room (the first thing you will see upon entering the building). I will come to meet the student and escort them downstairs to the music studio.

• Waiting during a student’s lesson: You are welcome to grab a coffee, pastry, or meal at any one of five locations within a 2-­5 Minute walk (see map above). Unfortunately, non-­residents are not allowed inside the Carleton Artist Lofts unless they are accompanied by a resident, so waiting inside the building is not an option. I invite you to check out the Dogwood Café where you will find a nice atmosphere, delicious coffee, and buttery croissants.

JMH Horn Studio Handbook 2017-­2018 Jenna McBride-­Harris, DMA

Horn Instructor Expectations: The best working relationships are built on trust, healthy communication, and clear expectations. With that in mind, here is what you can expect from me:

• Professionalism. I pride myself on behaving in a prompt, courteous, and professional manner when responding to questions or comments, and in my communication, behavior, and interactions.

• Respect. Your time and resources are valuable, and I take the investment you are making in your child’s education very seriously. This means that I will be prepared for your student’s lesson, that I too am invested in them, and that I will be on-­time for their lesson, barring circumstances beyond my control.

• Authenticity. I hold myself to a high standard as an artist, performer, and educator. I practice routinely, perform regularly, and am invested in my professional development. This means that I am actively practicing what I preach and am doing my best to be a positive role-­model to my students.

Here is what I expect of my students:

• Preparation. Students will be expected to come prepared to every lesson with their instrument, all appropriate lesson music and materials, including a notebook and writing apparatus (or digital equivalent) to record assignments.

• Diligence. When I assign tasks to students, I expect them to give their best effort towards accomplishing those tasks and to demonstrate their efforts in the following lesson.

• Punctuality. Students are expected to be on-­time to their lessons. Please factor in time for traffic, parking, and inclement weather. If unexpected delays occur, please call or text me to let me know your status.

• Discipline. Students will be expected to practice on their own in-­between lessons. My suggested minimum is 5.25 hours/week (45 minutes per day). For students who wish to see more rapid improvement, I suggest 7 hours/week (an hour every day). Of course, students wishing to practice more than the minimum are likely to make even greater strides in their horn progress.

Recommended Materials:

• Metronome and tuner with a drone function (apps on phones work too—I recommend Tonal Energy)

• Pencil and notebook (or digital equivalent) • Recording device (phones are sufficient, but a Zoom recorder or equivalent

would be ideal.) • Method/etude books and solo repertoire as assigned. While I usually make

photo-­copies or lend personal copies to students, from time to time I will suggest purchasing books or music. Please be prompt in ordering these materials.

JMH Horn Studio Handbook 2017-­2018 Jenna McBride-­Harris, DMA

Horn Instructor Rates:

• Lessons cost $30.00 for 30 minutes of instruction, and $55.00 for one hour of instruction

• For all new students, a one-­time yearly registration fee of $10.00 will be added

to their first payment. This fee covers the cost of new music for the studio, packets, photocopies and other expenses associated with the running of the studio.

• Extra lessons (for instance when preparing for solo and ensemble, auditions, or

all-­state) are offered A la carte at a 10% discount ($27.00/30 min.;; $49.50/60 min.)

Payment Policy:

• Lessons must be paid for monthly and in advance. All payments are due on the 1st of the month. (Ex. payment for all lessons in October would be due on Oct. 1st.) Payment is prorated for any students beginning in the middle of the month. At their first lesson, they need to bring payment for that lesson and any remaining lessons in the month. Invoices for each month will be sent on or near the 15th of the previous month. New students will receive an invoice before their first lesson. Scheduling accommodations will be made for illness, holidays, and travel, provided that advanced notice (24 hours) is given.

• I accept check, cash, and digital payment via the app Venmo (Find me:

@Jenna-­McBrideHarris.) I prefer check or venmo payments for ease of accounting. Yearly receipts will be issued at the end of January for tax purposes.

Late Payment Charge:

• If a payment is more than one week late, there will be a $25 late payment charge added to the remaining bill.

Attendance, Rescheduling, and Cancellation Policy: While we all strive for perfect attendance, I know rescheduling lessons is a reality. Here are my policies regarding tardiness, rescheduling, make-­ups, and no-­shows.

• If the student is late to his/her lesson, the originally scheduled end-­time will remain the same. (Ex: If a student arrives at 3:45 for a lesson scheduled from 3:30-­4:30, the lesson will still end at 4:30, and no refund will be given for the 15 minutes that the student wasn’t there.)

• If I am late for any reason, that time will be made up.

JMH Horn Studio Handbook 2017-­2018 Jenna McBride-­Harris, DMA

Horn Instructor

• If a student needs to miss or reschedule a lesson, please do your best to contact me at least 24 hours before the originally scheduled lesson, and I will be happy to reschedule.

• Attempting to reschedule a lesson with less than 24 hours notice may result in a

“unexcused absence” and the lesson could be forfeit without refund. (Flexibility can and will be given for emergency situations.)

• If a student is sick, please reschedule their lesson. I want them to get well,

and I do not want to get sick.

• If I need to reschedule a lesson, I will do my best to give at least 24 hours warning to the parent, and I will be responsible for scheduling a make-­up lesson.

• If a student simply does not show up for a lesson and no attempts have

been made to contact me prior to the lesson, there will be no refund and no make-­up lesson.

• If you wish to stop lessons and cancel enrollment in the JMH Horn studio, I

require two weeks’ notice in writing and payment for those final two lessons.

• Maintaining a consistent lesson time is ideal for scheduling purposes and creating a routine. I know that life gets crazy and am happy to make accommodations (if your scheduling follows the procedures listed above.) However, if rescheduling becomes excessive (more than five times in a month), a rescheduling fee of $15 will be added to your bill for the following month.

Referrals: Referring new students to my studio is high praise, a huge help to me, and deserves a big “thank you!” For each student that you refer to me who registers for lessons, I will give you one free lesson. There is no limit to the amount of free referral lessons that you can amass.

JMH Horn Studio Handbook 2017-­2018 Jenna McBride-­Harris, DMA

Horn Instructor

JMH Horn Studio Lesson Contract Please read all of the information provided in the Studio Handbook, especially noting the payment methods and policies, and the rescheduling policies before signing below. If the student is 18 years old at the time of receiving this contract, they may sign the contract instead of their parent, but emergency contact information is still required. Please retain a copy of this contract for your records and have your student bring a signed copy to their first lesson. Student/Parent Contact Information: Please provide contact information for your student and at least one parent or guardian who will also function as an emergency contact. Student Name: _____________________ Student Phone:________________ Student Email: ___________________________ Student Birthday: ___/___/___ Parent Name: _____________________ Parent Phone:__________________ Parent Email: _______________________________ Photo Waiver: As I host events, classes, concerts, and horn choir rehearsals through the studio, I would love to include pictures of these events on my website. Please check the appropriate box below.

I allow Jenna McBride-­Harris to post photos of JMH Horn Studio events on her website (www.jennamcbride-­harris.com) that include images of my child.

I do not allow Jenna McBride-­Harris to post photos of JMH Horn Studio

events on her website (www.jennamcbride-­harris.com) that include images of my child.

I ___________________, the parent/guardian of_____________________(student) have read, understand, and will agree to abide by all of the above policies regarding registration into JMH Horn Studio and private horn lessons with Jenna McBride-­Harris. Signature_____________________________________Date________________ I ____________________, the student, have read, understand, and will agree to abide by all of the above policies regarding student expectations and registration into JMH Horn Studio and private horn lessons with Jenna McBride-­Harris. Signature_____________________________________Date________________