It's all your business: a matter of policy.(Professional Resources)

Welcome to a new teaching year? Have you updated your studio policy? The studio policy is a reflection of your professional image, serves as the foundation of the integrity and structure of your studio, and is an essential element of your business. It should be revisited every year for two major reasons--it is a legal document, and it is easier to communicate and enforce if it is up-to-date and consistent with your current philosophy and structure.

A Legal Document

The studio policy (or studio agreement) is a business contract between you and the parent. At a minimum, it should reflect your current business structure, teaching philosophy and policies for the coming year. It should be communicated annually and signed by a parent. It contains the terms and conditions of the business that you will enforce. (See the sidebar for a listing of essential elements.) The studio policy may include other information such as recital procedures, specific practice expectations, make-up logistics and so forth, but these types of specific operating procedures can also be handled in separate documents and referenced in the studio policy with a statement "I understand and agree to abide by the policies and procedures of Thickstun Music Studio." It is best to keep the language of the policy simple, direct and focused on the most essential business elements.

From personal experience, I only know of one independent teacher who was taken to court by a parent. The teacher wanted to terminate lessons; the parent didn't. The judge asked to see the studio policy, which the parent had signed. The policy stated that lessons would be held from September to May. There was nothing in the policy about terminating lessons. The judge ruled that the policy was an enforceable contract between the teacher and parent and that lessons should be given for the term stated in the policy. This happened about 15 years ago; most teachers today include a termination clause in their policies, but it is worth noting that the studio policy was upheld as the governing document.

There are many excellent examples of studio policies on the web. A recent Google search of "Piano Studio Policies" resulted in 362,000 hits. The majority of the top hits was studio policies of independent teachers and provided a wealth of information and ideas. A few specific sites to note:

* Piano Teachers Policy Site has examples of studio policies from teachers who participated in the Pno-Ped-L discussion group (www.toddfamily.com/policies/).

* The Piano Education Page has a comprehensive article, "Preparing an Effective Studio Policy" (www.pianoeducation.org/pnotspol.html).