Private Classes FAQs

Our academic year is divided into three semesters.

• Fall/Winter: September- December
• Spring: January- May
• Summer: June- August

We book our private students based on availability of openings, so anytime is great. However, there are times that have more turnover than others, which is usually at the end of our semesters. Typically, students shift times in the fall, and maintain that schedule through the school year. It’s worth noting that we frequently have waitlists. So plan ahead and contact us ahead of time to reserve your space.

Glad you asked. Our lesson length depends on many variances, ranging from 20 to 30 minutes weekly. The tuition pricing increases with the lesson length. You will be informed as to the suggested length of lesson, but usually a 20 minute lesson suffices for most students, until you get very advanced classical training and advanced Piano Improvisation.

Currently, our private lessons are ongoing by the month, requiring one month’s notice of withdrawal. (This is unlike all our other courses, which are semester commitments.) Students must submit emailed termination notice to the office (office@PerfectPraiseMusic.com) by 5 pm the last working day of the month, then pay for the next month, taking lessons through the end of the next month. Termination cannot occur in the middle of a month.

If interested in lessons, please contact us for private lesson availability at Info@PerfectPraiseMusic.com before you book your space. Put Availability in the subject box. Include your age, instrument and school location. Include a text-friendly phone and email address. You might also make an appointment with Mrs. Denie Riggs, our Administrator, by setting a Calendly appointment from the website’s private lesson page. We look forward to speaking with you.

Yes! Communication with our student body is very diverse and difficult. We do that via two processes.

• One is the REMIND text app. This is a text that you will receive after you process enrollment procedures that asks you to join our school. It’s important to join, as this is how we communicate any announcements, weather closings, etc. that sometimes occur on the spur of the moment. This invitation is only valid for 24 hours, so it is important to accept when received so you do not miss important information.
• The second method we use to communicate is by our email account of Active Campaign. If you unsubscribe from this process, we cannot add you back. Please remain active as long as you are an active student.

We get that question a lot… and the answer is YES! We have found that if you do not have an instrument in your home (as opposed to the church or at grandma’s house) you will not learn. Any kind of electronic keyboard will work, but where it is sitting is important. You might want to speak with your new teacher before you make a purchasing decision, if need be. It’s also important that if you are practicing on an acoustic piano (wood and wire) you may need to get it tuned twice a year for proper ear training. Your teacher will tell you more.

Without practice, you will not learn. We recommend that you practice a short time every day, at least for 5 days a week. It can be as little as 10 minutes a day, although more is better, depending on the level of study and age of student. Ask your teacher for more specifics.

If any member of your household is sick, we ask that you DO NOT attend in-person lessons, but you instead attend the Zoom classroom. We ask that you and all family members be fever free for 24 hours before you attend class. Why all family members? Because if any one of your family is sick, you may already be contagious before you show symptoms.

We apologize but we cannot offer make-up times for lessons that are missed or cancelled by you, as our schedules are full. However, we do give you access to an Upload Portal where you can upload your mastered song for us to proof, providing you feedback on your practice time. When your teacher cannot teach, due to vacation or illness, a substitute teacher on our team may reach out to you at your normal lesson time. If we do not have a substitute available to you, then we will credit back that lesson towards your next month’s billing.

We love virtual students.
Yes, we offer private in-person lessons in three locations in North Alabama, and we have students all around the country who take their lessons on FaceTime, Zoom Classroom, or Google Meet. We will set up your remote lesson type based on your devices and location. Zoom works well for some, while FaceTime seems best for those who have Iphones. Always plan to use your more modern device as that makes a difference. Having a tripod in your home to hold your device is also handy. Most of our study courses include OnDemand video courses through our website that add additional value to the student’s program.

In our back-to-back lesson schedule, it is very important that you arrive at your appointed time. Students arriving late will receive a shortened lesson, or no lesson depending on the schedule.

Our Annual Admin fee helps us cover the costs of doing business that rise each year. Each September 1st a $30 administrative fee will be charged to all enrolled students. This will be drawn on your preferred choice of payments.

Our calendar is on our website, where you will find the closings for the school year.What is your weather cancellation policy?
If the weather is threatening during your in-person lesson, we will meet virtually. For that to happen, we must have internet and power. No make-up or refunds are given for weather cancelled lessons, since they are beyond our control.

We love for our students to perform and give many performing opportunities in the classroom, and in Formal Recitals held twice a year.
We have school-wide performance fees. We set our budget based on the number of students who are enrolled at the time of booking the forum. The way that works is that every registered student from age 6 months up must pay this fee regardless of whether you participate or not.  Note: We exempt adults who do not wish to participate and special needs students who cannot participate. Usually, the Performance Fee ranges between $35 and $50 per recital, depending on what we do. Your performance fee is drawn one month out. Appropriate notice will be given to you ahead of time.

No, I’m sorry but monthly tuition is required to hold your space, as we usually have waiting lists for availability and bills to pay!  (Sad but true!) You may continue to pay while you are away and use the Upload Portal to remain in touch with your teacher, if desired. Another idea is to do remote lessons while you are traveling.

If you desire to take time off with no payment, you must process termination notice to stop the billing. One month advance notice of plan to withdraw is required to stop the billing. You will then be charged the current application fee to start your lessons back, and will have lost your lesson time. Sometimes it just makes the most sense to just keep going and plan to do some virtual lessons or OnDemand lessons while you are traveling. 

Our tuition rate is based on a four-week month and the tuition remains the same
regardless of the number of lessons in each month.  Two or three times a year, you will
receive five lessons in a month at no additional cost to you. Check out our calendar on
our website to keep up to date on all the holidays and closings for the calendar year.

Time is money. As with every business, we have processes in place to help save our
business money, which in turn keeps our fees low for you. Here are some basic
structures you need to know.
 We operate a paperless system so you will not receive a monthly tuition invoice.
 Tuition is charged by the month, in advance.
 You are charged for lessons that you miss or cancel, as we are holding a space
just for you.
 Tuition is not refunded for any reason.
 Student Accounts that are chronically declined will require a Credit/Debit card on
file or mandatory withdrawal from classes.

A Payment Security Form is an office form that gathers your information to set up your financial account with Perfect Praise, Inc. Depending on your booking type, it will be
emailed from our office. It’s safe to trust this process.

You have 2 payment options:

 Monthly Auto Credit/Debit Card: Provide us with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover, AMX, debit or credit card for your account to run monthly, on the 1st day of each month. If your payment is declined for some reason, we will notify you, giving you until the 8th of the month to get your account current again to avoid Credit Card Declined
Fee of $15.
  Monthly Bank Draft: Our second method of payment involves setting up an automatic bank draft to your checking or savings account to run the 1st of each month. If your bank draft is declined we will assess a Declined Fee of $15 immediately and run your balance due on a credit or debit card required for this option. 

Reach directly out to Office@PerfectPraiseMusic.com and our student account
administrator, Mrs. Mitchell will be happy to serve you.

Materials vary greatly by student and teacher. We will advise you as to what materials
we recommend when you enroll and how to get access to them.

Our teaching team also encourages the use of metronomes. Some keyboards have
them built in. Other types are apps on your smart devices or free standing. Your
teacher will tell you more.
For any other materials required, your teacher will inform you.

If unable to attend your weekly lesson, it’s always appreciated that you notify your
teacher, with as much advance notice as possible.
Once enrolled, your teacher will give you information as to the best way to contact them.
Most of us prefer texts as opposed to phone calls or emails, as we can view them
between students.
When reaching out to your teacher, always include student name and lesson time, then
any question you may have.