Private Cello Teaching
I maintain a studio of private teaching in Baltimore and Howard Counties.
Philopsophy
My goal is to inspire a lifelong connection to music. That may mean continuing to play cello solely for the love of playing throughout life, pursuing a professional musical career, becoming a more passionate listener who may or may not perform, or exploring other ways to make music a valued part of someone’s life.
Each student’s goals will be different, and my responsibility is to help them find and follow a musical path that gives them tools to pursue the variety of possibilities music has to offer. I hope to foster each student’s musical and technical development to participate in whatever chamber, orchestral, solo, or other opportunities excite them as they mature in their studies.
Studio Policies
To make the most out of our time together I hope the following will make for a great learning experience.
PRACTICING. Developing as a musician at home should be fun — that’s why it’s called “playing” the cello! I ask that each student practice at home between lessons. I will discuss practice strategies with each student but some “rules of thumb” include…
Practicing most days. Seven days per week is fantastic and can be a lot of fun, but 6 or 5 days per week will still result in musical growth.
Practicing an effective amount of time. How long should you practice each day? One popular guideline is to start with 15 or 20 minutes your first year of playing, and adding 5 minutes per day for each year you’ve played.
Practicing effectively. This includes things like creating a practice plan for the day, isolating difficult sections rather than playing through everything, practicing slowly, and working on specific musical goals. I discuss these concepts with each student and provide tips in their notebook each week.
REGULAR LESSONS. Studying seriously can bring lifelong joy, and taking regular lessons is a time-honored method for developing as a musician.
Sometimes things come up — for me, too! — so if you can’t make your regularly scheduled time, please contact me and we will try to reschedule your lesson that week for another day and time.
If you need to miss a lesson and a make-up time is not feasible, you will not need to pay for the lesson if you can provide 24 or more hours’ notice. In that case, you can apply the fee from that month to the next month.
I do ask that students not miss more than one lesson per month unless there’s an emergency. Luckily, it’s not typically difficult to schedule a make-up lesson from time to time.
Lessons continue over the summer, and we will work together in advance to account for vacations, travel, etc.
PAYMENT
Families pay for the lessons for the month the first week of the month. Payment can be made electronically or by check or cash. I will share electronic options with each family at the first lesson.
As noted above, if a family needs to cancel and a make-up lesson isn’t feasible, the payment for that lesson will be applied to the following month if you’re able to give at least 24 hours’ notice.
Since we are making a commitment to each other, and a limited number of slots means other students are affected by openings, we can each make every effort to provide the other with a month’s notice if it’s impossible to continue. In general, I would ask families to have their school-aged student consider lessons to run through the academic year. If your student is not having a good experience for any reason, please reach out.
I do not want any not to participate in lessons for financial reasons, so if the tuition is a hardship, please contact me to discuss your situation.
OTHER THOUGHTS
Inclement weather, holidays, etc. In case of inclement weather, I will let everyone know if lessons will be able to go on as scheduled. We won’t necessarily follow the school system because the weather situation often changes after they make their decisions. I’ll always contact families by email to confirm. Days with no school are similar: we’ll evaluate those on a case-by-case basis. (Typically if students are out for a tecaher workday lessons will continue.) There are usually only lessons during the last two weeks of December on request. We can confirm about Spring Break as it approaches.
Communication. We’ll keep the lines of communication open so each student has the best experience possible! If your child is struggling with any aspect of their studies, please reach out. I will do the same if a student appears to be struggling or not having a good experience.
Outside opportunities. I’m very happy to work with students on their school music, youth orchestra music, auditions, etc. These can all be great ways to inspire their love for music. Particularly in the case of younger students, it’s very helpful if families can make me aware of things they want to pursue and related dealines. (Fourth graders aren’t always the best at remembering to say they have a playing assignment due…)
For more information about private lessons please contact me at jason.love07@gmail.com.