Welcome!
Here’s how the studio works.
Composition student James at the premiere of his work for the Metropolitan Youth Symphony at the Newmark Theater
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Sharing color and cake at a rainbow-themed retirement center concert
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Composition student Max at Reed College for the premiere of his work with the FearNoMusic Young Composers Project
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Tuition & Fees
Lessons are booked in sessions of ten, with tuition for one session of 10 lessons as follows:
45 minutes (beginner & intermediate): $650
60 minutes (advanced): $750
75 minutes (advanced): $850
Full session tuition is to be paid in advance at the beginning of the session unless you have made special arrangements with the teacher. Tuition is due at the last paid lesson for the next session. In the event that the student misses the last paid lesson of the session, the student may arrange to make up the lesson and the next session’s fee will be due at the next lesson. Payments may be made in cash, check (please make checks payable to Jennifer Wright), Zelle, or Venmo. Please note that no refunds will be issued.
Any applicable non-tuition fees will be itemized on your tuition payment invoice. These may include:
Group classes - $35 per class
Recital fees - $25 per student per concert.
Supporting learning materials such as books, flashcards, metronomes, print-on-demand sheet music, or any other materials I source for you.
Miscellaneous fees - Outside festivals, adjudications, and competitions generally have separate extra fees. These fees are either paid directly to the organizing body or I am required to pay them on your behalf; in the latter instance, I will itemize the fees on your next payment reminder.
Please note: as with any school, paying tuition in advance secures your time slot and reserves both your lesson contact time with me and the many hours of preparation of all kinds that I do on your behalf outside of lessons. While I am a reasonable and understanding person, I reserve the right to suspend teaching at any time if payments are overdue.
Missed or Cancelled Lessons
If you must miss a lesson, please call or e-mail me as soon as possible so that I can offer your spot to someone who needs a make-up lesson! Please understand that there are many busy students and families in the studio and this policy is respectfully geared towards keeping everything running smoothly and preserving everyone’s sanity.
A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required to reschedule a lesson. Please note that if you cannot provide 24 hours’ advance notice, you forfeit your lesson. The only exceptions to this rule are sudden illness and family emergencies. Make-up lessons will be scheduled at the mutual convenience of teacher and student, depending upon time available. In order to ensure that each student maintains enough contact time to make progress and be prepared for events, payments for missed lessons are generally not pushed forward - you may make up the lesson time either by scheduling two lessons in one week or adding time to your regular lesson (if the schedule permits).
Each student is allowed a maximum of two make-up lessons per 10-week session. Since frequent rescheduling is very disruptive to the schedule, make-up time is not guaranteed if a student chooses to give up their time slot more than twice per session. If the student misses a make-up lesson, it will not be rescheduled again and they forfeit that lesson.
As I maintain an active performing career, I occasionally will have to miss teaching days due to my professional activities. However, I make every effort to keep my teaching schedule as consistent as possible and students can request make-up lessons for any teaching dates that I must miss (apart from vacation weeks such as the winter holiday, spring break and summer breaks).
In the event of inclement weather, please call or text me to see if I have cancelled teaching. If I plan to teach, I will leave it up to you whether you feel comfortable traveling. If you do not, the lesson may be rescheduled as one of your two make-ups. Please give as much advance notice as possible.
Getting in touch: If you need to cancel a lesson on short notice, contacting me by phone (text) is best, although I do not answer the phone when I am teaching and might not get your message before your lesson start time. In most other circumstances e-mail is best. Often on weekends I may be out of touch by phone and/or e-mail.
Scheduling
A session of 10 lessons may be started at any time and consists of 10 consecutive weeks. Adult students are not required to come to weekly lessons and may choose a more flexible schedule.
I teach Monday - Thursday with most special events and concerts scheduled on weekends. Please note that, while this studio roughly follows a school-year schedule, it does NOT adhere to any particular school’s calendar. I will let you know in advance if there are any weekdays when I will not be teaching: otherwise, I will be teaching! I often teach on minor holidays and other no-school days because they are a great opportunity to do make-up lessons.
Students are expected to take a minimum of four lessons during the summer (defined as the period between our early June recital and Labor Day), working around teacher and student vacation schedules. Keeping the lesson schedule as consistent as possible is critical to ensure good progress momentum and concept retention. The summer schedule is generally more flexible than the school year schedule, so it is usually possible to adjust student lesson schedules to accommodate summer activities. Payments are pushed forward for any weeks we have planned to skip during the summer.
Participation in Performances & Studio Activities
Participation the two formal studio concerts each year is required. (Adult recitals are scheduled more sporadically on an as-appropriate basis.) Several additional voluntary performances and activities may be scheduled every year. Participation in these events by both young and adult students is optional but highly encouraged!
Attire: Students are required to dress formally or semi-formally for many concerts. As young students are always growing, please plan ahead and make sure that they have an appropriate outfit and shoes in advance of the concert date. Sometimes our more elaborate, themed, or “out of the box” performances require special preparations such as costumes, props, learning aids, or extra rehearsals. I work closely with each family to ensure that each student will be able to meet the requirements without incurring unnecessary expense or having to go to an undue amount of trouble. Trust me, the fabulous results are worth the extra effort!
Participation in all group classes is required. Any students that are unable to attend a group class (or any make-up group classes that might be scheduled) must plan to schedule an extra lesson to cover the material. Students are grouped according to learning level and get the most out of a class when learning with students of the same level, so please make every effort to attend at the time I have scheduled. If that is impossible, a student may attend at one of the other offered times. Parents are welcome to stay for the group classes and/or request extra materials packets.
Practicing & Parental Involvement
For general practice guidelines, please refer to my handout “An Essential Guide to Practicing the Piano: The Basics” (see below). Theory and other written work assignments such as speech writing, note quizzes, and research are to be done at home. (Time spent doing these assignments does NOT count as practice time!). It is very helpful if parents check that all assignments are done! Lesson time is short and we want to use it efficiently. Students need to learn at their own pace, and everyone experiences 'ebb-and-flow' patterns in their productivity, but keep in mind that if a student consistently avoids practice or routinely fail to complete assignments, our contact time won’t help and lessons may be terminated.
Parents are encouraged to attend the lessons as much as possible in order to learn how best to supervise home practice. This is critical with new students and students under the age of ten; parents of older students might only need a short ‘debriefing session’ at the end of each lesson. More parental involvement translates into better progress, better communication, and a more fabulous overall experience for everyone! Parents are also welcome to observe all group classes and attend activities like our annual “Piano Movie Night” and reward parties. We also LOVE it when parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, etc. join in to play along with students (on any instruments) for our concerts!
Important!
Please be careful while you are here. Jennifer Wright Piano Studio cannot be held responsible for personal injuries or any damage to/loss of your property that might occur on site.
Lessons are booked in sessions of ten, with tuition for one session of 10 lessons as follows:
45 minutes (beginner & intermediate): $650
60 minutes (advanced): $750
75 minutes (advanced): $850
Full session tuition is to be paid in advance at the beginning of the session unless you have made special arrangements with the teacher. Tuition is due at the last paid lesson for the next session. In the event that the student misses the last paid lesson of the session, the student may arrange to make up the lesson and the next session’s fee will be due at the next lesson. Payments may be made in cash, check (please make checks payable to Jennifer Wright), Zelle, or Venmo. Please note that no refunds will be issued.
Any applicable non-tuition fees will be itemized on your tuition payment invoice. These may include:
Group classes - $35 per class
Recital fees - $25 per student per concert.
Supporting learning materials such as books, flashcards, metronomes, print-on-demand sheet music, or any other materials I source for you.
Miscellaneous fees - Outside festivals, adjudications, and competitions generally have separate extra fees. These fees are either paid directly to the organizing body or I am required to pay them on your behalf; in the latter instance, I will itemize the fees on your next payment reminder.
Please note: as with any school, paying tuition in advance secures your time slot and reserves both your lesson contact time with me and the many hours of preparation of all kinds that I do on your behalf outside of lessons. While I am a reasonable and understanding person, I reserve the right to suspend teaching at any time if payments are overdue.
Missed or Cancelled Lessons
If you must miss a lesson, please call or e-mail me as soon as possible so that I can offer your spot to someone who needs a make-up lesson! Please understand that there are many busy students and families in the studio and this policy is respectfully geared towards keeping everything running smoothly and preserving everyone’s sanity.
A minimum of 24 hours’ notice is required to reschedule a lesson. Please note that if you cannot provide 24 hours’ advance notice, you forfeit your lesson. The only exceptions to this rule are sudden illness and family emergencies. Make-up lessons will be scheduled at the mutual convenience of teacher and student, depending upon time available. In order to ensure that each student maintains enough contact time to make progress and be prepared for events, payments for missed lessons are generally not pushed forward - you may make up the lesson time either by scheduling two lessons in one week or adding time to your regular lesson (if the schedule permits).
Each student is allowed a maximum of two make-up lessons per 10-week session. Since frequent rescheduling is very disruptive to the schedule, make-up time is not guaranteed if a student chooses to give up their time slot more than twice per session. If the student misses a make-up lesson, it will not be rescheduled again and they forfeit that lesson.
As I maintain an active performing career, I occasionally will have to miss teaching days due to my professional activities. However, I make every effort to keep my teaching schedule as consistent as possible and students can request make-up lessons for any teaching dates that I must miss (apart from vacation weeks such as the winter holiday, spring break and summer breaks).
In the event of inclement weather, please call or text me to see if I have cancelled teaching. If I plan to teach, I will leave it up to you whether you feel comfortable traveling. If you do not, the lesson may be rescheduled as one of your two make-ups. Please give as much advance notice as possible.
Getting in touch: If you need to cancel a lesson on short notice, contacting me by phone (text) is best, although I do not answer the phone when I am teaching and might not get your message before your lesson start time. In most other circumstances e-mail is best. Often on weekends I may be out of touch by phone and/or e-mail.
Scheduling
A session of 10 lessons may be started at any time and consists of 10 consecutive weeks. Adult students are not required to come to weekly lessons and may choose a more flexible schedule.
I teach Monday - Thursday with most special events and concerts scheduled on weekends. Please note that, while this studio roughly follows a school-year schedule, it does NOT adhere to any particular school’s calendar. I will let you know in advance if there are any weekdays when I will not be teaching: otherwise, I will be teaching! I often teach on minor holidays and other no-school days because they are a great opportunity to do make-up lessons.
Students are expected to take a minimum of four lessons during the summer (defined as the period between our early June recital and Labor Day), working around teacher and student vacation schedules. Keeping the lesson schedule as consistent as possible is critical to ensure good progress momentum and concept retention. The summer schedule is generally more flexible than the school year schedule, so it is usually possible to adjust student lesson schedules to accommodate summer activities. Payments are pushed forward for any weeks we have planned to skip during the summer.
Participation in Performances & Studio Activities
Participation the two formal studio concerts each year is required. (Adult recitals are scheduled more sporadically on an as-appropriate basis.) Several additional voluntary performances and activities may be scheduled every year. Participation in these events by both young and adult students is optional but highly encouraged!
Attire: Students are required to dress formally or semi-formally for many concerts. As young students are always growing, please plan ahead and make sure that they have an appropriate outfit and shoes in advance of the concert date. Sometimes our more elaborate, themed, or “out of the box” performances require special preparations such as costumes, props, learning aids, or extra rehearsals. I work closely with each family to ensure that each student will be able to meet the requirements without incurring unnecessary expense or having to go to an undue amount of trouble. Trust me, the fabulous results are worth the extra effort!
Participation in all group classes is required. Any students that are unable to attend a group class (or any make-up group classes that might be scheduled) must plan to schedule an extra lesson to cover the material. Students are grouped according to learning level and get the most out of a class when learning with students of the same level, so please make every effort to attend at the time I have scheduled. If that is impossible, a student may attend at one of the other offered times. Parents are welcome to stay for the group classes and/or request extra materials packets.
Practicing & Parental Involvement
For general practice guidelines, please refer to my handout “An Essential Guide to Practicing the Piano: The Basics” (see below). Theory and other written work assignments such as speech writing, note quizzes, and research are to be done at home. (Time spent doing these assignments does NOT count as practice time!). It is very helpful if parents check that all assignments are done! Lesson time is short and we want to use it efficiently. Students need to learn at their own pace, and everyone experiences 'ebb-and-flow' patterns in their productivity, but keep in mind that if a student consistently avoids practice or routinely fail to complete assignments, our contact time won’t help and lessons may be terminated.
Parents are encouraged to attend the lessons as much as possible in order to learn how best to supervise home practice. This is critical with new students and students under the age of ten; parents of older students might only need a short ‘debriefing session’ at the end of each lesson. More parental involvement translates into better progress, better communication, and a more fabulous overall experience for everyone! Parents are also welcome to observe all group classes and attend activities like our annual “Piano Movie Night” and reward parties. We also LOVE it when parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, etc. join in to play along with students (on any instruments) for our concerts!
Important!
Please be careful while you are here. Jennifer Wright Piano Studio cannot be held responsible for personal injuries or any damage to/loss of your property that might occur on site.
I am looking forward to embarking on an exciting and magical journey with you! As always, I value your input and suggestions.
Here’s to joy and success as we work to achieve your musical goals together!
Here’s to joy and success as we work to achieve your musical goals together!
Johannes Brahms and Agathe Backer-Grondahl pose with a bust of Beethoven in the "Golden Age of the Piano" impersonation concert
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Visiting Earth to share a few tunes at a retirement center
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When your two siblings happen to be accomplished dancers and cut a rug to anything you play
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Everybody wants to know! So here it is:
The JWPS Essential Guide to Practicing the Piano!
by Jennifer Wright, B.M., M.M.
Jennifer Wright Piano Studio, Portland, Oregon
Practicing is an art and a skill that we continually refine throughout our lives.
Good practice requires many things: time, awareness, concentration, critical listening, diagnostic skills, creative thinking, time management, a solid instrument, prioritization, a conducive workspace, patience and good humor.
Most importantly, a solid basic structure for practice will guide you towards your goals. The following should serve to provide some fundamental guidelines for effective practice that every student can build upon to create a system that works for them.
How many times should I practice per week?
That depends on what kind of progress you want to make.
This is what you can expect from the following weekly commitments, presuming that your practice sessions are of an appropriate length and include smart practicing techniques:
6 - 7 times per week: You will see fast, impressive, extremely rewarding progress and be able to do a lot of fun projects!
4 - 5 times per week: You will make very good progress through a lot of material.
2 - 3 times per week: You will see fairly slow progress and will only be able to handle a limited amount of projects at a time.
If your practice sessions are too short, you may not improve meaningfully.
0 - 1 times per week: You will not make meaningful progress and you may not be able to properly maintain what you have already learned.
The total time you practice per week, while very important, needs to be balanced with the number of times you practice. Our brains and fingers need frequent repetition in order to learn. It generally is far more effective to practice five times for twenty minutes than to practice only once for two straight hours.
Everybody has good weeks (or months) and not-so-great weeks (or months), so don’t feel discouraged in lean times! It important to stick with practice and consistent lessons during these periods because learning builds upon itself and needs maintaining. Keeping these averages in mind will help you organize a schedule that gets you to the piano regularly so that you will be able to achieve what you want to achieve.
What is an appropriate length of time to practice?
During the first two years of lessons, students will find that 10 minutes on warm-ups and perhaps 10 minutes per song will be sufficient for excellent progress. (Of course, MORE practice is never a problem!)
As students progress through years 3, 4, 5 and onwards, warm-ups and songs will become more involved and time should be allotted accordingly. A warm-up session might eventually take up to 20 minutes for an advanced student. Similarly, a student would not be able to work on a complex (multi-page, hands together) song effectively in less than 15 to 20 minutes. Advanced repertoire will need even more time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Theory, note quizzes, flashcards, project research, music listening, speech writing, and other written work are NOT considered to be part of practice time!
What elements does a successful practice session include?
A typical practice session will include warm-ups and perhaps two songs.
Warm-ups are the most important part of practice as they build proper technique, ergonomic posture, theoretical knowledge and muscle memory (your "chops"). Students should do warm-ups EVERY DAY, paying careful attention to their posture and technique. Practicing incorrectly develops poor habits and can be more problematic than not practicing at all!
If a student is working on 3 or more songs, he/she could practice one or two of them in a single session and practice the remaining song(s) the next day. Keeping all material in a practice rotation like this assures that progress is being made on all fronts, since we generally have short-term, medium-term and long-term projects going on simultaneously.
Many students love to include review of “oldies” – favorite songs that they have previously learned – in their practice. This is an excellent idea! Plan in some extra time to do this periodically. It is so fabulous to remind yourself of all the wonderful things you can do!
As students progress, additional assignments such as sight reading, composition, or improvisation may be added. The time required for each of these special projects can vary widely.
IMPORTANT NOTE: “Goofing around” at the piano is highly encouraged! It is joyous and extremely useful towards learning (as long as it is done with reasonable piano posture), not to mention that it’s what most students love to do. So go for it, maybe sketch down your ideas, even record it on your practice charts - just make sure your assigned work also gets done.
Helpful practice suggestions:
Schedule a set practice time at the same time every day. Practice should be a part of your daily routine, just like homework, dinner, or sports.
Use practice charts to record the amount of time you spend on each task per day. This is extremely informative and helps instill great lifelong organizational habits. Or put check marks in your assignment notebook next to the numbered action points each time you do those tasks.
Splitting the practice load – doing some in the morning before school/work, some afterwards – can make session lengths more manageable. Similarly, spreading out written work throughout the week eases the load and optimizes learning.
Many families enjoy developing a “Responsibility Chart” that includes rewards and/or privileges based on the amount and quality of practice that gets done at home. Seeing your progress can be as fun and motivational as hearing it happen!
If you are in a bad mood while practicing, go make a nice cup of tea, then give it another try. If you get frustrated, stop and take a breather. When your attention fails, take a break. Or a nap! Overall, remember to relax and enjoy the music: we learn best when we are happy and having fun! Remember why you started playing the piano in the first place? Because it’s REALLY FUN!
Practice is most enjoyable and effective when the whole family is encouraging, supportive, and willing to take part. Learning to play the piano does take a large investment of hours and energy over time, but it will pay you back thousandfold with joy throughout your entire life! Best of luck!
copyright Jennifer Wright 2008 - 2015
The JWPS Essential Guide to Practicing the Piano!
by Jennifer Wright, B.M., M.M.
Jennifer Wright Piano Studio, Portland, Oregon
Practicing is an art and a skill that we continually refine throughout our lives.
Good practice requires many things: time, awareness, concentration, critical listening, diagnostic skills, creative thinking, time management, a solid instrument, prioritization, a conducive workspace, patience and good humor.
Most importantly, a solid basic structure for practice will guide you towards your goals. The following should serve to provide some fundamental guidelines for effective practice that every student can build upon to create a system that works for them.
How many times should I practice per week?
That depends on what kind of progress you want to make.
This is what you can expect from the following weekly commitments, presuming that your practice sessions are of an appropriate length and include smart practicing techniques:
6 - 7 times per week: You will see fast, impressive, extremely rewarding progress and be able to do a lot of fun projects!
4 - 5 times per week: You will make very good progress through a lot of material.
2 - 3 times per week: You will see fairly slow progress and will only be able to handle a limited amount of projects at a time.
If your practice sessions are too short, you may not improve meaningfully.
0 - 1 times per week: You will not make meaningful progress and you may not be able to properly maintain what you have already learned.
The total time you practice per week, while very important, needs to be balanced with the number of times you practice. Our brains and fingers need frequent repetition in order to learn. It generally is far more effective to practice five times for twenty minutes than to practice only once for two straight hours.
Everybody has good weeks (or months) and not-so-great weeks (or months), so don’t feel discouraged in lean times! It important to stick with practice and consistent lessons during these periods because learning builds upon itself and needs maintaining. Keeping these averages in mind will help you organize a schedule that gets you to the piano regularly so that you will be able to achieve what you want to achieve.
What is an appropriate length of time to practice?
During the first two years of lessons, students will find that 10 minutes on warm-ups and perhaps 10 minutes per song will be sufficient for excellent progress. (Of course, MORE practice is never a problem!)
As students progress through years 3, 4, 5 and onwards, warm-ups and songs will become more involved and time should be allotted accordingly. A warm-up session might eventually take up to 20 minutes for an advanced student. Similarly, a student would not be able to work on a complex (multi-page, hands together) song effectively in less than 15 to 20 minutes. Advanced repertoire will need even more time.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Theory, note quizzes, flashcards, project research, music listening, speech writing, and other written work are NOT considered to be part of practice time!
What elements does a successful practice session include?
A typical practice session will include warm-ups and perhaps two songs.
Warm-ups are the most important part of practice as they build proper technique, ergonomic posture, theoretical knowledge and muscle memory (your "chops"). Students should do warm-ups EVERY DAY, paying careful attention to their posture and technique. Practicing incorrectly develops poor habits and can be more problematic than not practicing at all!
If a student is working on 3 or more songs, he/she could practice one or two of them in a single session and practice the remaining song(s) the next day. Keeping all material in a practice rotation like this assures that progress is being made on all fronts, since we generally have short-term, medium-term and long-term projects going on simultaneously.
Many students love to include review of “oldies” – favorite songs that they have previously learned – in their practice. This is an excellent idea! Plan in some extra time to do this periodically. It is so fabulous to remind yourself of all the wonderful things you can do!
As students progress, additional assignments such as sight reading, composition, or improvisation may be added. The time required for each of these special projects can vary widely.
IMPORTANT NOTE: “Goofing around” at the piano is highly encouraged! It is joyous and extremely useful towards learning (as long as it is done with reasonable piano posture), not to mention that it’s what most students love to do. So go for it, maybe sketch down your ideas, even record it on your practice charts - just make sure your assigned work also gets done.
Helpful practice suggestions:
Schedule a set practice time at the same time every day. Practice should be a part of your daily routine, just like homework, dinner, or sports.
Use practice charts to record the amount of time you spend on each task per day. This is extremely informative and helps instill great lifelong organizational habits. Or put check marks in your assignment notebook next to the numbered action points each time you do those tasks.
Splitting the practice load – doing some in the morning before school/work, some afterwards – can make session lengths more manageable. Similarly, spreading out written work throughout the week eases the load and optimizes learning.
Many families enjoy developing a “Responsibility Chart” that includes rewards and/or privileges based on the amount and quality of practice that gets done at home. Seeing your progress can be as fun and motivational as hearing it happen!
If you are in a bad mood while practicing, go make a nice cup of tea, then give it another try. If you get frustrated, stop and take a breather. When your attention fails, take a break. Or a nap! Overall, remember to relax and enjoy the music: we learn best when we are happy and having fun! Remember why you started playing the piano in the first place? Because it’s REALLY FUN!
Practice is most enjoyable and effective when the whole family is encouraging, supportive, and willing to take part. Learning to play the piano does take a large investment of hours and energy over time, but it will pay you back thousandfold with joy throughout your entire life! Best of luck!
copyright Jennifer Wright 2008 - 2015