My Studio
I am available for lessons either for perspective college students or if you're just getting started! If you or anyone you know are interested in studying with me please leave me a message through my contact page.
Lesson Policies
By taking a private lesson, online or in person, you are agreeing to the following policies.
Bassoon lessons will be offered either completely online, in a hybrid format, or completely in person at the discretion of the school, student and/or parent. Any lesson that is via the online format will be conducted on FaceTime, Google Meets, or Zoom, and it is recommended that students purchase an external microphone so that the quality of sound is better registered through the computers. In person lessons will take place either at the student’s school or at the student’s home with social distance procedures in place at the discretion of the teacher and/or parent. Students will be responsible for the following for all lesson formats:
A working, well maintained bassoon
At least 3 working reeds--
"Working” will be determined by the private instructor, and if deemed not acceptable, the student will have to purchase a new reed made payable to the instructor
A music stand
A chair
A PENCIL
At least one swab to clean out the instrument when finished
Tonal Energy Tuning App, or a metronome/tuner of equal capacity.
It is highly recommended and well recognized that consistent, weekly lessons is the best way to learn an instrument. However, if you do not want to partake in online lessons and would only like to take in person lessons, you may enroll for lessons every other week. In order to maintain the same output as weekly lessons, it is highly recommended that you enroll for 60 minute lessons if you decide to go every other week.
Online Lessons:
Online lessons will take place over FaceTime, Google Meets, or Zoom. An invite to these meetings will be sent at least five minutes before the scheduled start time. You may get on calls earlier, but I will start the lesson when your scheduled time begins.
If you have an issue with any link, text me as soon as possible. Do not continuously try to get the link to work. If you wait until you receive my “missed you” email, it is too late. I cannot extend your lesson time past the scheduled time because I have other students and obligations surrounding your lesson. If you text me as soon as a problem occurs, I can send you a new link and we can get started right away. Don’t forget, Zoom requires a password to enter a meeting.
Payment and Absentee Policies:
Lessons will be scheduled for a recurring, consistent time each week, regardless if the lesson takes place in person or online. Teacher absences will be made up later the following week. Planned student absences will be made up as time and availability allows. No call no show lessons, defined later, will not be refunded, made up, nor rescheduled.
Lesson payments are due before the start of each lesson. It is highly encouraged that you pay for lessons at the beginning of the month for the full month. You may pay with cash, a check made out to “Rachel Frederiksen”, with PayPal (RachelFrederiksen89), Zelle, or Venmo to the username @RachelLFrederiksen.
PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR LESSON RATES!
Notice: When you sign up for a “30 minute lesson” you are signing up for a 30 minute time block. For example, if your lesson is from 3:00-3:30, you have reserved a 30 minute time block. Your lesson will begin at 3:00 and end at 3:30. In order to preserve the schedules of other students, if you are late and arrive at 3:05, your lesson will still end at 3:30.
Please notify me with an eight hour notice if you are going to miss your lesson to avoid a no call no show label. If you are feeling ill, we can always change your lesson to online with no problem.
Lessons will NOT occur on school holidays. Lessons scheduled to occur on a school holiday will only be made up by request of the student.
I will notify you when scheduling for a semester begins. Claiming a lesson time will be first come, first serve.
Reeds:
As stated above, I expect all students to have 3 functional reeds. For a bassoon reed, functional means that you are able to make a “crow” on it, and there are no cracks or chips on the blade itself. If the reed physically appears undamaged, but the student fails to make a crow, then I will take time in the lesson to either adjust the reed myself or instruct students how to if working online. The source from which you buy your reeds does not matter to me, but it is highly recommended that you do purchase reeds from me as I know any quirks about them and can adjust accordingly.
If the student shows up to a lesson with a nonfunctional reed that cannot be adjusted, and the student has less than 3 other reeds to choose from, then the teacher will supply a new reed that the student or parent will need to pay for by the end of the lesson day. Reeds are available through my new Etsy store:
Bluebonnet Bassoon Reeds
No Call No Show Lessons:
A no call no show lesson is defined as the following:
Being over ten minutes late to your lesson.
Not notifying me of your absence eight hours in advance.
In the event of a no call no show lesson, I will email parents and the band teacher, when applicable, ten minutes into the scheduled lesson time to make sure everything is alright and to notify you about the missed lesson. Once this email is sent, the lesson is over and it will not be rescheduled, made up, or refunded.
If you accrue three no call no show lesson in a semester (roughly a four month period), we will reevaluate scheduling regularly recurring lessons.
Please note: The no call no show policy is designed to protect your time and mine. A few minutes notice is not enough time and will still count as a no call no show. I create my entire schedule around lessons and if you simply do not show up, that’s time I could have, for example, spent making reeds. Each case of no call no shows will be taken into consideration individually.
Practice Habits:
Lessons will move at the student’s pace and they will always meet you with where you are. However, a bassoon lesson is not practicing, it is a check-in with how your practicing is going in order to continue to help you grow. In order to be the most successful on an instrument, you will need to practice regularly. I recommend practicing six days a week for the length of your lesson time. If you are enrolled in a 30 minute lesson, please plan to practice 30 minutes a day. Only practicing for hours the day before your lesson, will not help you become the best musician you can be.
Performance Opportunities:
To become a well-rounded musician, it is important to seek out regular performance opportunities and participate in events like solo and ensemble, solo competitions, community performances, and, possibly, studio recitals. I will provide an opportunity, pending enough students sign up, to have a studio class at least once a month so that students have an opportunity to meet other bassoonists in the area, and to have a chance to play for others. Afterall, why play music if no one is there to listen to all the hard work you have put in!
Email of acknowledgement:
Lastly, this document serves as an understanding between students, parents, and private instructor to protect time and money on both ends. Please email me an acknowledgement that you have read and understand all parts of this document (and can certainly be tied to another thread!) to [email protected]
This is not an abiding contract! If for whatever reason you or your student is not happy with lessons and wish to discontinue studying with me, then there is no obligation for you stay. However, I am very open to working out a solution or changing something in the way I teach to meet the needs of students, so please do not hesitate to ask questions!
Bassoon lessons will be offered either completely online, in a hybrid format, or completely in person at the discretion of the school, student and/or parent. Any lesson that is via the online format will be conducted on FaceTime, Google Meets, or Zoom, and it is recommended that students purchase an external microphone so that the quality of sound is better registered through the computers. In person lessons will take place either at the student’s school or at the student’s home with social distance procedures in place at the discretion of the teacher and/or parent. Students will be responsible for the following for all lesson formats:
A working, well maintained bassoon
At least 3 working reeds--
"Working” will be determined by the private instructor, and if deemed not acceptable, the student will have to purchase a new reed made payable to the instructor
A music stand
A chair
A PENCIL
At least one swab to clean out the instrument when finished
Tonal Energy Tuning App, or a metronome/tuner of equal capacity.
It is highly recommended and well recognized that consistent, weekly lessons is the best way to learn an instrument. However, if you do not want to partake in online lessons and would only like to take in person lessons, you may enroll for lessons every other week. In order to maintain the same output as weekly lessons, it is highly recommended that you enroll for 60 minute lessons if you decide to go every other week.
Online Lessons:
Online lessons will take place over FaceTime, Google Meets, or Zoom. An invite to these meetings will be sent at least five minutes before the scheduled start time. You may get on calls earlier, but I will start the lesson when your scheduled time begins.
If you have an issue with any link, text me as soon as possible. Do not continuously try to get the link to work. If you wait until you receive my “missed you” email, it is too late. I cannot extend your lesson time past the scheduled time because I have other students and obligations surrounding your lesson. If you text me as soon as a problem occurs, I can send you a new link and we can get started right away. Don’t forget, Zoom requires a password to enter a meeting.
Payment and Absentee Policies:
Lessons will be scheduled for a recurring, consistent time each week, regardless if the lesson takes place in person or online. Teacher absences will be made up later the following week. Planned student absences will be made up as time and availability allows. No call no show lessons, defined later, will not be refunded, made up, nor rescheduled.
Lesson payments are due before the start of each lesson. It is highly encouraged that you pay for lessons at the beginning of the month for the full month. You may pay with cash, a check made out to “Rachel Frederiksen”, with PayPal (RachelFrederiksen89), Zelle, or Venmo to the username @RachelLFrederiksen.
PLEASE CONTACT ME FOR LESSON RATES!
Notice: When you sign up for a “30 minute lesson” you are signing up for a 30 minute time block. For example, if your lesson is from 3:00-3:30, you have reserved a 30 minute time block. Your lesson will begin at 3:00 and end at 3:30. In order to preserve the schedules of other students, if you are late and arrive at 3:05, your lesson will still end at 3:30.
Please notify me with an eight hour notice if you are going to miss your lesson to avoid a no call no show label. If you are feeling ill, we can always change your lesson to online with no problem.
Lessons will NOT occur on school holidays. Lessons scheduled to occur on a school holiday will only be made up by request of the student.
I will notify you when scheduling for a semester begins. Claiming a lesson time will be first come, first serve.
Reeds:
As stated above, I expect all students to have 3 functional reeds. For a bassoon reed, functional means that you are able to make a “crow” on it, and there are no cracks or chips on the blade itself. If the reed physically appears undamaged, but the student fails to make a crow, then I will take time in the lesson to either adjust the reed myself or instruct students how to if working online. The source from which you buy your reeds does not matter to me, but it is highly recommended that you do purchase reeds from me as I know any quirks about them and can adjust accordingly.
If the student shows up to a lesson with a nonfunctional reed that cannot be adjusted, and the student has less than 3 other reeds to choose from, then the teacher will supply a new reed that the student or parent will need to pay for by the end of the lesson day. Reeds are available through my new Etsy store:
Bluebonnet Bassoon Reeds
No Call No Show Lessons:
A no call no show lesson is defined as the following:
Being over ten minutes late to your lesson.
Not notifying me of your absence eight hours in advance.
In the event of a no call no show lesson, I will email parents and the band teacher, when applicable, ten minutes into the scheduled lesson time to make sure everything is alright and to notify you about the missed lesson. Once this email is sent, the lesson is over and it will not be rescheduled, made up, or refunded.
If you accrue three no call no show lesson in a semester (roughly a four month period), we will reevaluate scheduling regularly recurring lessons.
Please note: The no call no show policy is designed to protect your time and mine. A few minutes notice is not enough time and will still count as a no call no show. I create my entire schedule around lessons and if you simply do not show up, that’s time I could have, for example, spent making reeds. Each case of no call no shows will be taken into consideration individually.
Practice Habits:
Lessons will move at the student’s pace and they will always meet you with where you are. However, a bassoon lesson is not practicing, it is a check-in with how your practicing is going in order to continue to help you grow. In order to be the most successful on an instrument, you will need to practice regularly. I recommend practicing six days a week for the length of your lesson time. If you are enrolled in a 30 minute lesson, please plan to practice 30 minutes a day. Only practicing for hours the day before your lesson, will not help you become the best musician you can be.
Performance Opportunities:
To become a well-rounded musician, it is important to seek out regular performance opportunities and participate in events like solo and ensemble, solo competitions, community performances, and, possibly, studio recitals. I will provide an opportunity, pending enough students sign up, to have a studio class at least once a month so that students have an opportunity to meet other bassoonists in the area, and to have a chance to play for others. Afterall, why play music if no one is there to listen to all the hard work you have put in!
Email of acknowledgement:
Lastly, this document serves as an understanding between students, parents, and private instructor to protect time and money on both ends. Please email me an acknowledgement that you have read and understand all parts of this document (and can certainly be tied to another thread!) to [email protected]
This is not an abiding contract! If for whatever reason you or your student is not happy with lessons and wish to discontinue studying with me, then there is no obligation for you stay. However, I am very open to working out a solution or changing something in the way I teach to meet the needs of students, so please do not hesitate to ask questions!