Welcome to Coyote Music Studio! I’m very excited that you’ve chosen to learn music with me and I’m looking forward to learning about you.
Scheduling and Payments I use My Music Staff for scheduling, student information, and online payments. Once you complete studio enrollment, you'll receive an email with login information for My Music Staff. You can register for a trial class or lesson by going to the Calendar Tab, clicking on any open lesson or class, and clicking "Register." For classes or camps with multiple days, click all the days you'd like to attend. You may also contact Tonya by email or phone so she can register the student for an entire semester. After your trial lesson, you can choose to continue paying weekly/monthly for the drop-in rate or you can receive a 15% discount by purchasing Packages of 12 more lessons/classes. I accept cash, debit, and credit card payments only. Online card payments use Stripe and in person card payments use Square.
You’ll receive a notification each week of your class, lesson, or music therapy session. You can change how you receive these (email, text, or both) by logging into the Student/Parent Portal (My Music Staff) and updating your information. If you need to miss for any reason, you can notify me through My Music Staff or send an email. See the Make-Up Policy below.
Discounts Discounts can not be combined. Contact Tonya prior to paying in order to apply your discounts. 10% Sibling Discount - Each child after the first enrolled qualifies for a 10% sibling discount when paying weekly or monthly. 15% Package Discount - All students have the option of purchasing packages of 12 or more lessons/classes to receive a 15% discount. Groupons are available but you must let Tonya know you bought one. Groupon does not contact the merchant when someone buys their product. Groupon has it's own policies, please refer to their website for more information.
Important Studio Information * All students are required to bring a 3-ring binder to every lesson/class. This is where you'll keep your weekly practice sheets and extra music. Remember, you're building a repertoire of music so it's best to keep it all in one place for easy reference. *Lessons students will need to purchase a method book for your instrument. Do NOT buy one before contacting Tonya. She will make a recommendation for books in your first lesson.
For Private/group lessons and music therapy sessions that are held at Coyote Music Studio: 2615 N. Locust St, Denton, TX 76209 OBSERVING – Parents/caregivers may watch silently in the studio during lessons, sit at our picnic tables in the gardens, or even drop off for the lesson and return for pick-up. The studio is small and our lessons are short. If you would like to know how to help at home, we'll discuss it at the end of the lesson. PARTICIPATION – Parents/caregivers are asked not to participate but will be shown ways to help the student at home. PARKING – Please pull all the way into the drive and allow space for others who come before and after you to use the “turn-around.”
For Classes that are held at Green Space Arts Collective: 529 Malone St, Denton TX 76201 OBSERVING and PARTICIPATING – Participation of parents/caregivers is only required in the Infant and Toddler classes. Participation in Preschool, Family Music, and Homeschool Music classes is optional but always welcome. If you choose not to participate, please watch quietly from the bench or through the window from the lobby. PARKING – Please park in the lot behind the building, on Sena St, or on Congress Street across from the dance studio. DO NOT park at other businesses or you will be towed.
Practicing All students are expected to practice outside of their class or lesson time. A good policy for beginners is to start with 10 min/day. Practice what you learned in your lesson, repeating many times each exercise and song learned that week. Add a few minutes each week, working up to (at least) 30 min/day. Continue to practice learned pieces even when not playing them in lessons. You're building a repertoire of pieces to play and you don't want to forget them! Intermediate and advanced students should split their practice time approximately: 1/3 scale exercises, 1/3 etudes, 1/3 solo/previously learned pieces. Do NOT spend all your time on the “song” or solo. Scales, arpeggios, and etudes will help you play the solo with more efficiency and musicality. Frequent Practice is more important to progressing in music than lesson time and Practice Time can’t be made up!Muscle memory needs to be built. It doesn’t matter if you know what the music says if you can’t play it. 10 minutes every day or every other day is better than an hour once a week.
All students in music lessons and classes (except the infant and toddler classes) are expected to participate in the Studio Recitals each semester. Recitals are held at Juice Lab, a live music bistro with organic and vegan options just a couple blocks south of the Denton Square. Students who perform will be served a snack. Anything else must be purchased. 508 S Elm St #104, Denton, TX 76201
Make-up Policy Try not to miss. Frequent instruction is vital to progress. Summer Camps - there are no make-ups for summer camps. Classes - If you pay in advance and are unable to make your regular class, you may drop-in to any other scheduled class. See the Calendar Tab in My Music Staff for the most up to date schedule. Due to limited availability, I can’t schedule private lessons to make-up a class. If you buy a package, the classes never expire so there's no penalty when you miss plus you get a discount over the drop-in rate. Private/Group Lessons - Students must give at least 2 hours notice when canceling or you will be charged for the lesson. Students can make up one missed lesson each Fall and Spring semester if prior notice is given. All lessons canceled by me will be rescheduled. If you miss 3 lessons in a row, you'll be moved to the waiting list. Exceptions are made for illnesses and summer vacations. Extra lessons may also be scheduled during summer. Check the Calendar Tab frequently, as it changes weekly during the summer. Option 1: Students may add the time missed to the following lesson if there’s time in my schedule. For example, if you miss a 30 min lesson, you may have an hour lesson the following week or add 15 min to each lesson until the time is made up; unless my schedule is full, then… Option 2: Please check the Calendar Tab on My Music Staff for an Open Lesson Slot.
