GENERAL INFORMATION:
Recital Dates:February 2, 2025 and June 14, 2025
Tuition fees: Fees for New Students are :
$70 for 45 min. $90 per hour effective June 8, 2025,
For the academic year, September through early June (per my teaching calendar) please pay by check or zelle to monkcello@comcast.net Please set up a monthly deposit on the first of each month (not the month before). If I do not receive the payment by the 10th of the month, there is a $35 late fee.
Summer lessons do not follow the Academic year monthly fee. For the summer, lessons are based on the same fee per lesson. Summer lessons begin when my academic teaching calendar is completed. Each family individually sets a schedule with me based on their summer availability and my summer teaching schedule. Then we count the number of lessons for the summer and establish a fee which is prepaid at the first session or divided into two payments. We can switch summer dates if necessary (given a 24 hour advance notice), as long as we keep the same number of lessons and lessons are finished iin the summer. I teach Monday through Thursday in the summer. Summer is a wonderful time to move ahead with lessons!
Missed lessons : Students are charged for all lessons for which they are scheduled. If you cannot bring your student for some reason, we can zoom. I have a limit of 7 make-ups in the academic school year. All make-ups need to be finished by the end of the school year. Lessons missed by me will be made-up. In case of a family emergency, please contact me.
Please examine your schedule well in advance as I might be able to switch your cellist with another student that week.
Communication:
It is very important for us to communicate about any problems that arise. Sometimes misunderstandings occur and I would like to insure that we discuss things to overcome any difficulty or problem. Also, please keep in mind, young cellists go through quite predictable and understandable highs and lows. There will times when they are swamped with school work but even 25 minutes on those days can help. I teach from a baseline of being very supportive and encouraging. Sometimes students have slumps in interest which are quite normal, often in 8th and 9th grade. I recommend weathering these episodes and holding the fort with encouragement and support as this approach has yielded many incredibly musical and talented high school cellists!
My best advice is for parents to let me know about any changes in attitude so we can all work together. Music is a performing art that requires much discipline but it is rewarding on so many fronts. I generally encourage parents to keep a long-range plan of the overall benefits of music. As a parent, I know it’s difficult but I tried very hard to simply remind my sons to practice their violins "before dinner, or in between homework", without being too heavily involved on a personal level.
My own parents maintained a holistic, healthy attitude toward my musical explorations. They nurtured my own sense of purpose and confidence in my abilities and urged me to always focus on my love of music. I try to follow their example as a teacher and parent. If a particular event does not work out, I encourage my students to bounce back and move forward with new determination and pride in their continued progress. That is the way of the musician.
Competitions: I will do my best to support any of my students who wish to try out for a competition, join a local orchestra or prepare a house concert, given enough notice in advance to prepare for such events. I encourage my students to view competitions as simply one aspect of their overall goals as a cellist and musician. I recommend parents be completely supportive of these goals and not to put undo pressure on students.
Competing for an event is a wonderful learning experience on many levels. For several years many of my students have been happily trying out for Music- Fest and Golden Key Competitions. My colleague Kelly Lin, a pianist in NYC , accompanies them, generally charging $300-$400 for a rehearsal and playing in the recital.. Altogether these competitions are roughly $750 or more depending on several factors (especially the length of the piece). Students gain much from participating.
Please note that I am generally unable to assist on all-day events scheduled on Saturday as I teach all day. Sunday is the only day I don't teach but I try to attend recitals on Sunday if I can.. Thanks.
I look forward to a terrific year of making music together!
Academic Schedule: The registration for cello lessons in my studio is a commitment for 36 weekday lessons or 30 Saturday lessons in the academic year.
Please check the calendar carefully and make arrangements, as there are several are instances where lessons are scheduled on days when school may not be in session.
For ease of accounting on all sides, I multiply the length of the lesson by 36 weeks and divide by 10 for a flat monthly rate for 10 months. On Saturdays, I teach 30 lessons in my academic calendar versus 36 lessons on a weekday.
Please note: on June first, the last of the10 equal payments is due.
If students start later in the academic year, I will calculate the applicable monthly rate.
From time to time, due to extra lessons added to schedule, students exceed the allotted 36 (weekday) or 30 lessons (Saturdays) earlier and the extra lessons are paid for as well in June.
GUEST CELLIST MASTER CLASS: TBA
Any invited guests for master classes will be additional. Thanks.
Recital Fee: $20 for recitals, to me and pianist, payable in month of recital.
Other fees: Group lessons, Master Class, Coaching, Accompanist fee (paid directly to our recital accompanist, generally $65-85/hr).
RECITALS:
Students work very hard to be prepared in all aspects of rhythm, intonation, phrasing, bowing, before their first rehearsal. For more involved repertoire, several rehearsals and coaching sessions with me and Josh Suslak are required.
His rate is $65 per hour.
If a student is unable to play in the recital, my students still prepare the repertoire with the pianist as planned and prepare a recording for his/her family.
I love the time preparing for a recital and view it as an in-house "young artist program" to really work out the exciting give and take with the piano part and learn the intricacies of the music. That is why I recommend anywhere from two to five coaching sessions with myself and Josh. It's an intensely creative time, where the students learn the joy of chamber music playing (which involves much dialogue and sharing of ideas, trying different interpretations and collaboration).
RECORDINGS AND PREPARATION:
I work intensively with students to help achieve a high level recording of current repertoire for auditions and college applications. These recordings are extremely valuable for students of all disciplines applying to college as they represent the cellist's artistic accomplishments and many years of dedication and discipline. Students generally need extra lessons and will hire a recommend accompanist. Students then bring a sd card to each recording session, and the students then prepare/edit the cds or dvds on their computers. The goal is to know these pieces inside and out to have an excellent recording.
Music Theory/Piano Lessons: My students should all be taking piano and especially music theory and musicianship training classes at Westminster Conservatory, Rutgers extension, or with a private tutor, workbooks and cds or computer program. Please discuss this with me at your lessons. There are many sources now online such as Breezin' through theory.
Music ordering sites: www.sharmusic.com, www.johnsonstring.com, www.cellos2go.com
Cello Repair:
Cezar Mateiescu 609-936-9038
Cellos:
Cezar Mateiescu 609-936-9038
Princeton Violins 609-683-0005 (Jarek)
Potters Violins www.pottersviolins.com (Lewis)
Dane Anderson 610-328-6448 (Swarthmore, PA)