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LESSON HUB
Looking for more info on lessons? You've come to the right place!
Current students (and parents thereof!) can find the schedule, lesson policies, and other helpful resources below.
Contemplating lessons? Check out the info below to learn more specifics!
I teach Monday through Thursday from 3:30 PM to 7 PM.
For all students taking regular weekly lessons, we follow the schedule as noted on my lesson calendar.
For folks who’ve been with me at CMI for some time, rest assured that this is essentially the same schedule that we’ve always had! It is also very similar to the other wonderful music education options in the area, such as CHSMA and School of Rock.
While I do have to make a few adjustments so that all y’all get the same number of lessons regardless of your lesson day, given that the majority of my students are local to Carrboro & Chapel Hill, holiday closings roughly follow the same schedule as the CHCCS school calendar. This is primarily to help make sure that nobody is missing out on lessons due to travel or other arrangements.
Students taking single lessons will also probably want to make note of holiday closings and makeup weeks, which are typically reserved for my regular weekly students.
Your lesson fee reserves your predetermined lesson time for the month and never varies, which ensures that there is no fluctuation in the lesson fee despite some months having more or less than 4 lesson weeks.
To that end, the calendar is designed so that over the course of a year—as most students take lessons year-round—each student receives 43 private lessons, along with 3 opportunities to make up at least one missed lesson from the previous trimester or have a bonus lesson during the makeup weeks noted on the calendar.
I am closed for roughly 6 weeks of the year, which allows for y’all to take vacation time without missing out on any lessons and for me to catch up on work—and, very rarely, take a vacation myself!
I also allow students to hold on to their lesson time while they take up to 4 weeks of vacation during the summer-ish season, from June 1st through Labor Day, with lesson fees prorated accordingly. Please make these arrangements no later than May 25th.
In the event of inclement weather or other circumstances preventing us from having in-person lessons, all lessons will be held online.
I know some folks find it helpful to have the important dates written out, so I’ll list those below:
Holiday Closings
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Labor Day Holiday: September 4th
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*Indigenous Peoples Day Holiday: October 9th; please note that I am not closed on this day to ensure that Monday students have a full 43 lessons, but I will happily prorate the lesson fee for anyone celebrating!
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*Veterans Day Holiday: November 10th; please note that I don’t teach on Fridays, so this won’t impact y’all, but still want to make note of it!
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Native American Heritage Day Holiday: November 21st - 26th
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Winter Break: December 19th - January 2nd
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Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Holiday: January 15th
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Spring Break: April 1st - 7th
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Memorial Day Holiday: May 25th - May 31st
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Juneteenth Holiday: June 19th
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Summer Break: July 2nd-7th
Makeup Weeks
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Fall Makeup Week: October 25th - 31st
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Winter Makeup Week: February 23rd - 29th
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Spring Makeup Week: June 24th - 30th
Weekly Lessons
Weekly lesson fees never vary and are due the first lesson week of each month.
30 minute lessons – $130 monthly
45 minute lessons – $195 monthly
60 minute lessons – $260 monthly
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These lessons take place every week unless otherwise noted.
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The lesson fees are always due at the first week of lessons each month, regardless of any student absences.
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Your lesson fee holds your lesson time slot for the month as opposed to being for a specific number of lessons.
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Please note that while most months have 4 lessons, some months may have more or less depending on holidays and make-up weeks, and the lesson fee will always be the same from month to month. Please review my calendar for our schedule.
Single Lessons
Single lesson fees must be received by 2:30 PM EST on your lesson day in order to confirm your lesson.
Single 30 minute lesson – $35 each
Single 45 minute lesson – $52.50 each
Single 60 minute lesson – $70 each
All Lessons
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Unless I’ve made an error, lesson fees are non-refundable, so please be sure that we have agreed to & confirmed a convenient lesson time.
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Don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any scheduling issues and I’ll do my best to accommodate you!
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Lesson fees can be paid using my online lesson store (which includes a $5 fee to help mitigate PayPal/Venmo/Square’s cut), a check made out to either "Ian Leinbaugh" or "IanHFL, LLC" and mailed to my home address, or, if taking monthly lessons, by setting up a monthly online subscription or bank draft.
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Please let me know if you'd like to mail a check/set up a bank draft and I'll pass along the proper address. One important caveat if you go either of these routes, though—you’ll need to set up the recurring payment so that I receive it by the 7th of each month!
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It’s perhaps worth mentioning again that your monthly lesson fee reserves your time slot for the month, not a set number of lessons.
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This keeps the lesson fee at a consistent rate regardless of how many lesson days are in the month.
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Over the course of a year—as I’m blessed to be able to say that most students take lessons year-round and stay with me for years at a time!—each student receives 43 private lessons. Additionally, there are three makeup weeks where students can make up one missed lesson from the previous trimester or have a bonus lesson, allowing for up to 46 lessons per year.
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However, when prorating weekly lessons, I will default to the monthly lesson fee equating to four lessons and will subtract the per lesson fee(s) from the monthly fee accordingly (eg, if a student begins 30-minute lessons mid-month and only has two lessons, the fee will be $65).
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IanHFL Lesson Policies & Release of Liability
2023-2024
Updated 9-1–23
Thanks for taking the time to read my policies!
You will be required to read and agree to the Lesson Policies and Release of Liability before beginning lessons. Lessons are not confirmed until your signature is received.
Lesson Newsletter
Need to sign up for the lesson newsletter?
I ask that all students taking weekly lessons sign up for the lesson newsletter. It's my primary means of mass communication with students so I want to be sure you're in the loop!
I send out a monthly email on the 1st of each month, and you'll occasionally get updates if there's something relevant to all students during the month (e.g., holiday & makeup week reminders, weather-related closings, concerts, our pets being super cute, etc).
Let Your Voice Be Heard
Current Lesson Format
Updated 5-1–23
A recap of some key aspects of online & in-person learning:
Firstly, thank you all for continuing to help protect your high-risk instructor, his high-risk fam, his high-risk peers, and your fellow high-risk students! I am blessed to have incredible students and I'm keen on doing everything possible to protect us all for the long term!
Thanks to your help, I’ll continue to host virtual lessons and in-person lessons on our beautiful screened-in back porch for students who are interested & up for following all the necessary requirements, as outlined in the policies below!
If you are currently taking virtual lessons would like to switch to in-person lessons, please get in touch by 2:30 PM on your lesson day so that I can get you all the necessary details.
To be sure, online lessons will always be an option. So, even if you usually take in-person lessons, just let me know by 2:30 PM on your lesson day if you ever want to do an online lesson instead, eg if you are out of town, running late, etc. This is, of course, a given for anyone not living in town!
I’m often bouncing back and forth between virtual and in-person lessons, so thank y'all for your patience with slight delays between students!
I have designed my policies to help ensure everyone's safety, so please click here to give it a look to make sure we're all on the same page. While I will make a few tweaks in the coming weeks, I don't foresee the need to change the overall approach--even if things get somehow even worse than they are--but I'll be sure to let everyone know if that comes up.
As always, y’all feel free to ask me any questions and voice any concerns!
For online lessons:
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Please be sure to log in to the lesson at the time of your lesson and wait for me to admit you. Please don't log on before your lesson time, as it blocks the view of my current student; I wish Google Meet had a waiting room & perhaps someday they will, but thanks for rolling with this for now!
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As it is still your responsibility to show up to your lesson even though they are now online, if I don't see a request to join from you after 15 minutes, I'll assume you can't make it, mark you as absent, and plan on seeing you the following week.
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Please feel free to call or text if you have any issues!
For in-person lessons:
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You should have gotten all the necessary details in a separate email from me. Just holler if you have any questions!
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Please be sure you are aware of the health and safety policies as stated in my lesson policies