Summer Lesson Invoice, New School Year Begins

Welcome back!

First, a quick apology for the lateness of the current invoice.  Family, and then my husbands work schedule conspired against us in the beginning of July and then in August.  We have combined June and July invoices in the past, but we do try to avoid it.  Hopefully we can do better next year!  

And speaking of summer lessons, I was so happy to have so many of you taking this year.  And so much progress was made by all of you, it makes me so proud!

Of course, we've already started setting up schedules for this fall.  I'm adding some new schools, which means navigating new schedules and LOTS of new students.  So, just as always, flexibility is key.  I will do my best to make sure I get everyone in for lessons each week, but I will undoubtedly need to move things around a bit as I work through the inevitable, unexpected scheduling issues.

Speaking of new students, WELCOME!  I'm so excited to have you as a student, and I'm looking forward to all the fun we will have as you learn about music and flute!  I know you certainly have lots of questions I probably haven't answered yet about lessons, so I have two blog posts that are specifically for new students.  The links to them are below.

I can't wait to see all of you!!!

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2025/06/flute-lessons-with-lynne-hudson.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2025/06/how-to-pay-for-flute-lessons-with-lynne.html

Looking forward to Summer!

I can't believe we're already at the end of another school year.  And what a great year it has been!  I'm so proud of all my students, and all of their successes, big and small.  I must also thank all of you parents for supporting your child.  I may teach them about music and playing flute, but you make their success possible.

I have already been asked by many students and parents about summer lessons.  Yes, summer lessons are available, and I am taking sign ups now.  Summer lessons are great for students as we are able to focus exclusively on the needs of each individual student without the distractions of contests and chair tests and all the other band stuff. Don't get me wrong, those things are good in context, but without them, it's much more about the individual.  Every year, I am amazed at how much progress can be made in such a short period of time by so many of my students.

So, here's what you need ot know about summer lessons:

• I plan on starting summer lessons as soon as I can get access to the schools.  Some schools will have access during the last week of May, while others won't start until June.  
• I schedule summer lessons on a week-to-week basis, with no set recurring schedule.  This allows us, me and you, to maintain flexibility for all our, mine and yours, summer activities.
• I offer 45 and 60 minute lessons, in addition to the normal 30 minute lessons, to those students who would benefit from that.  
• And, as I do every year, students who take summer lessons with me get first choice when scheduling lessons with me in fall.

As far as billing for summer lessons is concerned, there are some important differences of which you need to be aware.  Here are the important points:

• You need to pay your full April invoice amount due before starting summer lessons
• Where I normally expect you to pay for lessons in advance or when you receive your invoice, for summer lessons, I will expect payment at the time of the lesson, and I will do my best to remind you of this when we schedule lessons.  The reason for this is the unpredictability of the schedules, and helping all of us to keep track of the payments so that nothing is missed.
• I will only schedule lessons for the next month if your previous month's lessons have been paid.
• You will still receive an invoice on or around the first of the following month.  If we have done what we need to up to that point, your invoice should reflect a $0 balance. 

I hope all of this makes sense.  Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

I look forward to seeing all of you for lessons this summer!

Happy New Year!

Hello 2026!

I hope all of you had a good and restful holiday break!

We've already started lessons back up this week.  Yep, you heard correctly: lessons start back up this week!  I am sending out reminders, and for most of you, lessons will be at your regularly scheduled time.  I am looking forward to seeing all of you!

The spring semester is always the busiest of the school year with lots of contests and concerts.  Most of my students will have already begun working on the solos for Solo & Ensemble contest, depending on when your school has theirs.  And of course bands have their UIL and other competitions coming up as well.  If you're a beginner, hold on tight, as you will be amazed at how much your playing will improve this semester, and you'll start to get an idea of what band will be like in the years to come.  And best of all, it is so much FUN!

There are a few dates coming up that we will need to schedule around.  MLK Day in January, TMEA convention in February, and Spring Break in March, along with the other school days off for staff development...and I might take a couple days for me to take a trip out of town, dates TBD.  In all cases, we will follow our normal routine:  I will be in touch with you about any schedule changes I know about, you should let me know about any other changes that I might now know about, and I will do my best to get everyone scheduled for a lesson each week.  As always, flexibility is key!

I have added a few new students over the last couple of months.  If this is you, here are links to a couple of my previous posts that you may find helpful in getting started with lessons.

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2025/06/flute-lessons-with-lynne-hudson.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2025/06/how-to-pay-for-flute-lessons-with-lynne.html

November Lesson Info - The Holidays are Coming!

 Hello all my wonderful students and parents!

The fall has been flying by, and now we're getting into the holiday season, cooler weather, as well as time off from school, which will be the focus of this month's post.

But, before we get into that, I want to congratulate all of the middle school students who participated in their All-District and All-Region Band auditions.  I'm proud of every single one of you, and the hard work you put into being prepared.  For those who made the bands, you have some great experiences to look forward to.  High School All-Region auditions are right around the corner, and I know those students are working hard and looking forward to their day to shine. 

And that brings us to the upcoming holidays.

I plan on taking tine off for the entire week of Thanksgiving as most of the schools I teach at will be off for that time as well.  Similarly, I plan to be off in December and January, according to each school's scheduled days off.  However, I will probably only be teaching a few lessons the final week before winter break to avoid final exams schedules for those who have them.  I may teach a few lessons over the holidays for those students who are participating in All-Region or All-State auditions that come after the break.  I will work out the schedule with those students when the time comes.

I'm so proud of all my students right now!  It's been a great year so far, and I have high expectations for the rest of it!

Welcome Back to School! Fall lessons info

We're 3 weeks in on the new school year, and what a great start it has been!  I love seeing all my students, new and old, and all the excitement of a new year of school and band.  Summer seems to pass so quickly, but not as quickly as these last few weeks.  And my favorite part of this time of year, as always, is welcoming all of my new students into the studio!  I can't wait to get to know all of you, and see all of you having fun playing flute in band, especially for the beginners!

My schedule is shaping up nicely, and I do have just a few slots available at a few schools left.  I think I have the basic schedule figured out, so most students should have a time slot with me that shouldn't change too much.  As always, it's important for all of us to be flexible, as there will, inevitably, be some changes that we don't expect, and we will just have to adjust accordingly.  I will do my best to keep everyone in the loop when that stuff happens.  And, with that in mind, I would politely ask that if you our your child hear about any changes to the school or band schedule that will impact lessons, please let me know.  While most band directors do their best to keep me informed of changes, it's not always possible for them to do so.  They are very busy, after all, so any help you can provide in area is greatly appreciated. 

And, just a reminder/FYI about the changes I adopted this past summer about the invoices and payments.  I put that all into a couple of new blog posts explaining all of it, and you can find links to those below.

I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2025/06/flute-lessons-with-lynne-hudson.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2025/06/how-to-pay-for-flute-lessons-with-lynne.html

Summer Lessons Begin! - New policies and payments info - Please Read!

Wow!  Summer is here!  Despite all the rain and lovely, cool weather, I'm sure things will warm up soon.  We are in Texas, after all!

We have already started our summer schedule this week, and I'm so happy to see so many of my wonderful students!  I think I've reached out to all of my current students about scheduling summer lessons at this point.  It's never too late, though.  If you want lessons, even just a few, over the summer, feel free to reach out.  I will have room for everyone who wants a lesson.  As I have stated many times in the past, summer is a great time to take lessons as we can focus on each student's individual needs better that we can during the school-year when, understandably, band music and tests and contests take precedent.  And, don't forget, I give students who took summer lessons first choice on lesson times when I set up my schedule in the fall!

As promised, we have posted new lesson and payment policies.  I've never been one for formal policies or lessons contracts and the like.  But, as my studio has grown, and I have so many more students than I used to, and the differing information students and parents receive from their band directors, it seems like having all of my polices in one place would be helpful.  And, as I have needed to change how we are handling the invoices and payments going forward, now seemed to be the time to do it.

Below you will find links to my two new blog posts regarding general lesson information and policies, and updated "How to Pay" information.  I ask that everyone read both posts, please.  I know that they are long, and I apologize for that.  If you are new, you should definitely read them both, as many questions that inevitably come up are addressed.  If you have been with me for a while, you should at least read the new billing and payment policies, as you will be noticing those changes soon.  I hope they are helpful, and, as always, please reach out with any questions or concerns.

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2025/06/flute-lessons-with-lynne-hudson.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2025/06/how-to-pay-for-flute-lessons-with-lynne.html

I look forward to seeing all of you soon!

Flute Lessons with Lynne Hudson - Policies and General Information - 2025 Update

 Hello Parents and Students!

This post contains the most up-to-date general information about how flute lessons with me work.  In the past, I have shied away from having formal “policies,” but as my studio has grown and spread out over the last decade or so, I feel like I need to make some expectations a little clearer going forward.  I will be merging that information with the content of my previous post for new students, so that there is one spot with everything we need for reference.

And, with new students in mind:  If you are new – WELCOME! I’m so excited to start lessons with your child!  Learning flute and music can be such an exciting and fun adventure.  Thanks for letting me share this time with them!

The Team – My Husband and I

First, you should know that my husband, Paul, helps me with this blog and with my billing.  So, if you email or text me with a question about your invoice, he is probably the one who will respond.  He started helping me with this a few years ago so I could focus on managing my schedule, giving your child the best possible lesson experience, and giving you the feedback you want about your child's progress. He, like all of us, is a busy guy, and only volunteers a few hours a month to help, so if there is an issue with your account, please give us a few days to look at it.

Scheduling

Flexibility is one of my hallmarks when it comes to many aspects of scheduling and billing.  Over 20 years of experience teaching lessons in schools has taught me to expect the unexpected.  There are always unexpected interruptions in our schedule. It used to be fire drills and picture days, but we often have unexpected testing days and the like as well.  Of course, we still have doctor appointments and the usual life-happens type of stuff.  So, I plan with flexibility in my schedule, and will rearrange things to make sure your child gets a lesson every week to the best of my ability.  That means, occasionally, I will switch your child's lesson day to make that all work, and the reason for that might involve things that are happening at schools, other than your child’s, where I teach.  I do keep track of each lesson your child takes, and on the invoice the following month, you will see an accounting of the dates your child received lessons.  If, for some reason, your child receives more or less lessons than what you have paid for, you will see a credit or charge for that on the next invoice.

Cancelling, No-Shows, and Rescheduling

As I said above, I believe strongly in being flexible, and that goes with when you have to cancel  lessons for any reason.  I do try to keep a regular week-to-week schedule as much as possible, but as I make changes frequently to get everyone worked in every week, I have been in the habit of sending reminders the night before when there are changes.  So, if you know that your child will not be at their lesson, please try to let me know the day before if at all possible.  When I can, I will work another student at your school into that spot, and that may leave me a spot for a make-up lesson for your child on another day.  And, of something happens last minute, like your child wakes up sick that morning, just let me know as soon as you can, and I'll still do what I can to reschedule them.  In most of these cases, I will not charge you for a missed lesson.

That leads me to the next policy, and I want to be clear: this is a very rare occurrence, and almost never happens.  But it does sometimes, and I have enforced it when needed.  This is just the first time I felt I needed to have it here where we can all see it. So here it is:

If your child misses multiple lessons, and I have not received proper notice before the time of their lesson that they will not be there, I may charge you for that lesson.  I may try to reschedule that lesson for another day, at my convenience.

I hope that makes sense.  Remember: I'm very flexible, and try to be kind and understanding.  So, if there's an issue, please talk to me!

Billing (New Policies!!!)

We used to try to bill lessons for the month in advance.  Billing in advance is the common practice for lessons, and most school districts' private lesson guidelines expect that.  I understand the reasoning behind those guidelines, but over the years, I have found that billing in advance causes confusion in some circumstances, especially if we are not able to get the invoices out exactly on the first of the month, and is completely unworkable in the summer when most students don't take lessons on a regular weekly schedule.  Accordingly, I send invoices at the end of the month. 

However, this summer we need to adopt a pay-as-you-go policy.  I want to say at the outset that this policy isn’t because of anything any of you have done wrong.  It’s really an attempt for my husband and I to keep a better eye on who has paid and who hasn’t, and being able to remind those who have forgotten.  We understand: everyone forgets sometimes.  We just want to be helpful in sending friendly reminders so that no one ends up so far behind that it is an issue to get caught up. 

The expectation, therefore, is that you will send payment for each lesson as it happens, or will pay the full balance for each month’s lessons before the end of that month, just as if I had billed you in advance.  For example: if your child has two lessons in June, then you would have sent the payment for each lesson on the day that the lesson happened, or you would make sure to pay the full amount for those lessons by June 30.  That means when I send the invoice for June on or after the first of July, your invoice should indicate a $0 balance due.  I am still very flexible, however, in making payment arrangements with you if you need to because of unexpected circumstances.  In that case, please let me know what payment arrangements work for you, and we'll work it out. If, however, I have not heard from you in advance, and you don’t respond to my texts, emails, or calls when I’m giving you that friendly reminder, I may suspend lessons for your child until we have communicated and set up a payment arrangement.

This policy is going to be our year-round policy going forward. 

Payment

I accept various forms of payment, and I mention those on the invoices.  I have a blog post that covers all of the different payment options.  Please be sure to read this updated version here: https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2025/06/how-to-pay-for-flute-lessons-with-lynne.html

 

I hope this helps with understanding how lessons work.  Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

And, as always, thanks for letting me share my love of music and flute with your child.

 

How to pay for Flute Lessons with Lynne Hudson - 2025 Update

Hello Parents and Students!

This post contains general information about how to pay for your child’s flute lessons.  Prior to COVID, lessons were mostly paid for through check, but now electronic payments represent over 90% of the payments I receive each month.  This is great in some respects, but has presented difficulties at times.  As I used to with my previous post about payments, I will update this post with the most recent information as needed.  Thankfully, we haven’t had any major changes for the last couple of years, so I hope that this will not need any revision for a long while.

As before, I am not including any payment usernames or email addresses here as this blog is visible to the whole world.  Please see your invoice for that information.

I am adding a section about gifts, so let’s start with that!

GIFTS

I’m just like everyone else: I LOVE getting gifts.  But with the ubiquity of electronic payments, getting gifts through those electronic payments makes things a little tricky for me and my husband, and our accounting of it.  While I don’t make a ton of money teaching lessons – its probably far less than you might think – it is enough money that the IRS does pay attention.  If you’re like me, and have been self-employed for almost 30 years, you probably know what I mean.  As these electronic payments are easily traceable, we make sure to include every penny of it in our business income.  And the same goes for bill-pay and paper checks.

So, if you want to send a gift by an electronic method, bill-pay, or a check, that is fine, but just know that I’m paying taxes on it.  And, unless you specify on the transaction or on the check that it is a gift, it will show up on your account balance, and that can get confusing later on.

I would ask, then, that if you want to send me money as a gift that you consider doing one of these:

• Send cash
• Send a gift card (any store card or a VISA gift card is fine!)
• Make sure you identify any check or electronic payments as a gift on the transaction itself if that is the only option for you. 

Personal Checks

This is still our preferred method of accepting payments, but it will require you to send the check to me with your child to the lesson, or in the mail.  Just let me know if you would like to mail a check to me, and I will send you my mailing address.

Bill Pay from your bank

Most banks offer a BillPay service that will withdraw the amount form your checking account, print the check, and send it postage free.  Most of the time, all you need is to give them my name and mailing address, which I will provide to you.  Recently I was asked to give a phone number and email address, and for those you can use the number and address from which you receive notifications from me.  If they ask for bank names or routing numbers, I'm going to have to pass, though.  I hope you understand.

Don't Send Cash in the Mail

I'm sure that doesn't need explanation.  Just don't do it.  If you are sending cash with your child for me, please put it in an envelope with their name and the amount enclosed written on the outside.

Venmo

You may send payments to me through Venmo using the “Friends and Family” option to my Venmo username which is on your monthly invoice.  Please be sure to include your child's full name on the payment info. 

I do not accept payments to my phone number.  If you attempt to send a payment to my phone number, it will not work, and you will have to resend it.

Also, please read the PayPal payment info below about using the “Friends and Family” option, and always paying with your account balance or a bank account to fund the transaction.  I DO NOT PAY VENMO/PAYPAL PROCESSING FEES, and will add those fees to your next invoice.  Venmo is a PayPal company, so it works the same way.

Zelle

You may send payments to my through Zelle by using the email address which is on your monthly invoice.  Please be sure to include your child's full name on the payment info. 

I do not accept payments to my phone number.  If you attempt to send a payment to my phone number, it will not work, and you will have to resend it.

PayPal

You may send payments to me through PayPal using the “Friends and Family” option to my email address which is on your monthly invoice.  Please be sure to include your child's full name on the payment info.  Always pay with your account balance or a bank account to fund the transaction.  I DO NOT PAY VENMO/PAYPAL PROCESSING FEES, and will add those fees to your next invoice.

Below is information that I have sent in the past to those that were using PayPal at the time.  [EDIT 2025: When PayPal was the only electronic payment we accepted.] It's long, but it explains clearly my reasons for accepting PayPal the way I do.  The important points for using PayPal are:

• You can avoid fees by using the "Friends and Family/Pay a Person" option
• Use your PayPal balance or a bank account to fund the transaction if you can
• Using a credit card always carries a fee
• Any fees that we incur on our end of the transaction will be charged to you on your next invoice
• Include your child's full name on the transaction

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good Evening!

If you have not and do not plan on ever sending payments through PayPal, you may disregard this message.

I want to say up front how much I appreciate all of you, and love teaching your children.  It's hard for me to send an email like this, so know that I'm not at all upset or even worried, but I do have some important requests to make.  I'll give the short version first, and then explain more after for those who need it.

1. When you send money for lessons through PayPal, please use the Friends and Family (Personal) option.

2. Please be sure to put your child's full name in the "Notes" section.

I know that some of you who are making PayPal payments have done this right every time so far.  But, I have had some that did it right for a while, and then did it incorrectly all of the sudden and vice versa.  So that is why I'm sending this to everyone.  If you don't need further explanation, feel free to stop reading now. =)

Number 2 is the easy one, so let me start with that: If you don't put your child's name in the notes, it can be very difficult for my husband (who is helping me with my billing this year) to credit the payment properly on our spreadsheet, especially if the email address that you are paying from is different than the email address or phone number to which we send your invoice, or if the parent's name is different from the child's.  I have a lot of students this year.  I'm sure you can imagine his confusion since he doesn't know your child like I do, and doesn't always communicate directly with you like I do.

Now to Number 1: When you send the payment using the "Pay a Bill" (Business) option, I get charged a fee, and don't receive the full amount.  The fee is small, and I don't worry about it at all, but since I didn't receive the full amount from you, I am putting that amount on your balance forward for the next month.  So, if you are wondering, "Why did you only credit $X amount when I paid $Y?" this is probably why.  If you pay that to me the next time, I really appreciate it.  If not, I'm not going to make a big deal about it, but it will remain on your invoices.  

I can see where this may be confusing, because, yes, I am sending you a bill, and technically I am in business.  However, unlike other businesses, I do not set the rate at which I am paid for teaching lessons.  The school district or school where your child attends sets the private lesson payment rate, and when I teach lessons, that is the amount I should receive.  I'm sure you agree that it's not right if I teach Sally a lesson and receive $20, but only receive $18.80 from Billy, even though Billy paid the same.

Also, I only offer PayPal a payment option for your convenience in a world where electronic payments are the norm. Our bank is not compatible with Venmo Zelle or many of the other common payments services, so PayPal is our only real option do accommodate this.  It's not a choice that we are completely comfortable with as we have had some unfavorable experiences with PayPal in the past, and we did not do any business through PayPal for several years as a result.  We're not at a point of making any similar decisions right now, but I hope you can understand my reasoning.

If you have any questions or concerns about this at all, please email me back.  Either my husband or I will gladly answer.  We want you to feel comfortable with using PayPal for lesson payments just as much as we want to as well.

I apologize for the very long email.  I hope that it was helpful.

-Lynne and Paul

 

April Invoice - Summer lesson plans

Wow!

It's hard to believe it's May already.  The school year has flown by so fast, and what a great year it has been!  In my own life, we have experienced so many major life events this year, and for my students, it's been a great year with so many successes, large and small.  I'm so very proud of all of you!!!!

And to those students who are graduating seniors, or who are moving away, I want to let you know that you will always be special to me, and I wish you all the best for your future endeavors!!!

I will be wrapping up with normal school-year lessons over the next week or two.  When it comes to finals week, most schools either don't allow lessons during this time, or it just becomes logistically unfeasible for me to navigate the various schedules.  There will be some students, particularly those getting ready for auditions for summer camps and college, that I will do my best to work in lessons times during that week.  I will be in touch with all of you individually, as usual, to make plans for your child's lesson schedule.

After almost 30 years of teaching flute lessons, I am convinced that summer is one of the best times to take lessons.  Without the pressures and expectations of regular school band activities, concerts, and contests, we can focus on the individual needs of every student with greater intensity, and students can make a lot of progress in  a short period of time.  With that in mind, I also offer 45 and 60 minute lessons, in addition to the normal 30 minute lessons, to those students who would benefit from that.  And, as I do every year, students who take summer lessons with me get first choice when scheduling lessons with me in fall.

I plan on starting summer lessons as soon as I can get access to the schools.  Some schools will have access during the last week of May, while others won't start until June.  I have already received many requests for summer lessons, and I will have room for any students that want them.  For those who are new, I schedule summer lessons on a week-to-week basis, with no set recurring schedule.  This allows us, me and you, to maintain flexibility for all our, mine and yours, summer activities.  

If you are interested in summer lessons, and haven't already, please let me know.  I will also reach out to each of you individually over the coming weeks about summer lessons

As far as billing for summer lessons is concerned, there are some important changes of which you need to be aware.  Here are the important points:

• You need to pay your full April invoice amount due before starting summer lessons
• Where I normally expect you to pay for lessons in advance or when you receive your invoice, for summer lessons, I will expect payment at the time of the lesson, and I will do my best to remind you of this when we schedule lessons.  The reason for this is the unpredictability of the schedules, and helping all of us to keep track of the payments so that nothing is missed.
• I will only schedule lessons for the next month if your previous month's lessons have been paid.
• You will still receive an invoice on or around the first of the following month.  If we have done what we need to up to that point, your invoice should reflect a $0 balance. 

I hope all of this makes sense.  Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

I look forward to seeing all of you for lessons this summer!

February Invoice - Looking towards the end of the school year

 February was a great month for me and my family.  I had a great time at TMEA supporting my students who were involved, got back to Denton, and promptly began preparations for my son's wedding, lots of family in town, and at our house, and then gained a new daughter-in-law.  My husband and I are beat! So happy, but oh so tired!

Next week begins spring break season, with some districts having that week off, and others the week after.  I will teach a little bit both weeks and try and get everyone in for a lesson during the week they have school.  I will be out of town for a couple of days, but that shouldn't affect scheduling lessons much.

As I said in my previous post, we are in UIL season.  If you know that there are special rehearsals scheduled on your normal lesson day, please let me know.  Band directors do their best to keep us lesson teachers in the loop about changes, and most won't mind having a student attend lessons on those days, but just in case, I like to clear those expectations with them in advance when I can.

After that, there will be some students working on solo and ensemble music still depending upon when your school decided to hold that competition.  

Other than that, it is a good time to start thinking about summer lessons. I will be following up with each of you about that as we get closer.  I don't expect any major changes from the past couple of summers: scheduling lessons on the day your school is open for them, and the possibility of scheduling lessons with you at a different school if you're not available on your school's day.  I encourage all students to get as many lessons as they can each summer.  I know most of you will be traveling at lease at some point during the summer, but we can schedule lessons on the weeks you are in town.  Summer is a great time to get ahead on flute fundamentals that help making next year's music that much easier, and, as a bonus, I give those students who took summer lessons first pick for lesson times in the fall.

I look forward to seeing everyone soon!

December Invoice - Looking Towards Spring

I hope everyone had a great holiday season, and how about that snow...and sleet...and freezing rain!!!  I hope everyone's travels were safe for all of it!  We had family in town for both holidays and we just sent the last of them away this past Saturday.  Having everyone at home was very special for us.  Now we're back to our empty nest, at least for a few weeks.

I want to congratulate all of my students that made one of the All-District, All-Region, or All-State Bands!  I am incredibly proud of all of you!

Looking forward to the upcoming semester, depending upon your school's schedule, we will be preparing for Solo & Ensemble festivals, as well as UIL Band Concert and Sight-Reading.  Some of you, particularly the older students, may already have a solo picked out, and I will be helping with the rest of you as appropriate.  As far as UIL is concerned, the biggest issue for us will be scheduling lessons around any special rehearsals that may arise.  Most of the time, scheduling lessons during rehearsals is fine, but every now and then a director will ask that we not have lessons during a particular rehearsal in advance of UIL.  I do my best to communicate with the directors about these things, but just in case, if you hear about a special rehearsal with no lessons allowed, please let me know as soon as possible.

In February, I will have some interruptions with the TMEA convention, and family coming into town for my oldest's wedding!!!  I promise I will do my best to get in as many lessons as possible around those events.  Just be prepared to have some schedule changes and maybe a lesson or two less than normal.

I'm so happy to be back teaching all of you!  It's going to be a great semester!

October Invoice, looking froward to the Holidays!

Wow, what an October!

First off, I just want to congratulate my middle school students who won a spot in their All-District and All-Region bands.  I'm so proud to see so many of you get the reward for your hard work.  And to all who auditioned and didn't make it this year, I know each of you gave it your best effort, and so many of you were so close to making it into the band.  Keep up your great attitudes and keep trying, and next year you will do better!

For you beginners, the All-District and All-Region band auditions are something to look forward to for next year.  It's a great experience, especially if you make the band. So practice those scales I'm making you do, as that will be one of the best things for you to do now if you want to make the bands next year.

Congrats to all of the High School bands that participated in their marching band UIL performances!

As we look towards the end of November, and into December, we have Thanksgiving break, High School All-Region auditions, and then Winter break.  I will not be teaching any lessons the week of November 25.  I plan on teaching my full schedule the first two weeks of December, but will prioritize lessons for those high school students getting ready for their auditions.  After that, as we approach winter break, I will stop most lessons except for those high school students who have progressed to Area auditions, and any others that have other upcoming auditions for college, competitions or performances.  As always, I will be in contact with those students as we get closer to those dates.

And for those of you who are new to my studio, or are just looking for more information, here are a couple of links to some of my previous posts that may help you:

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/10/welcome-new-flute-students.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/04/how-to-pay-for-lessons-in-remote.html

August Invoice Info, Welcome new students!

Well, here we are.  School has started, summer is over, and we're off to the races!

And what a whirlwind it has been.  After a couple trips out of town, I was so happy to have so many returning and new students.  I don't think I can remember a year when my schedule filled up so completely and so quickly.  As I have mentioned many times, I always keep a very full schedule, and I do my best to fit in every student I can, and when I get full, I sometimes have to start a waiting list for new students, and I am at that point at most of the schools I teach at at this point.  

Thankfully that has meant my schedule is pretty much set at this point, and there shouldn't be too many major changes.  Yes, I will still try and get every student a lesson each week, and will move things around to accommodate things like assemblies, picture day, fire-drills, etc., when I know about them in advance.

Just a reminder that if the cost of your child's lessons has changed since last year, that change will be reflected on this invoice.  Usually this happens when the school district changes lesson rates, or the student moves from middle school to high school, or from shorter to longer lessons.  If you see a change and have any questions about it, please feel free to send an email.

If you are a new student, or an existing student who is looking for more information, here are two previous blog posts that you may find helpful:

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/10/welcome-new-flute-students.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/04/how-to-pay-for-lessons-in-remote.html

It's been great seeing all of my kiddos, and I seeing them make progress each week.  Now onto All-Region etudes!

June/July Invoice and New School Year Info

 And, just like that, in a flash, the summer is almost over!

I hope everyone has had a great June and July.  I have enjoyed seeing so many of my students over the last two months, and seeing the progress they have made getting ready for the coming school year.  Summer is great for working on flute basics that we don't always have time for during school, and that means going into the band for the first time at school with added confidence!

As we have done the last few years, we have combined the June and July invoices.  As I said in the previous post, we were not planning on doing that, but it seems every year we get caught up in preparations for the 4th of July holiday, and gatherings with family and friends, and by the time we (that's my husband, Paul, who helps with the billing, and I,) find time to sit down and go through it, it's already mid-July, and at that point, it doesn't seem reasonable to do it then.  So, my apologies for any inconvenience or confusion that may cause.  As always, please reach out if you have any questions.

Looking forward to August and the start of school, I will not be teaching any lessons next week, and for most of the following week.  At that point, all of the schools I teach at will be in session, so I will begin setting up my schedule for the fall semester.  And, with that in mind, here are a few points to remember, as we do every year:

• Flexibility is the key to getting a schedule that works for everyone.
• Your child's lesson schedule may change often for the first few weeks of school while I work out all of the various schedules.  I will communicate with you about any changes as soon as I can.
• Students who took summer lessons will be the first to be contacted, and will have first choice in lesson times.
• All other students who took lessons from me previously will be contacted next.
• New students will be added in where my schedule allows.  (There will be MANY!)

As always, I have a few new students that started lessons with me this summer.  If that's you, I have a couple of previous blog posts that you may find helpful:

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/10/welcome-new-flute-students.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/04/how-to-pay-for-lessons-in-remote.html

I hope all of you enjoy your last few days of break before school starts.  I look forward to seeing everyone later in August!

May lessons, looking forward to summer

 Wow, here we are.  Only a couple of weeks from the end of the school year.  I am so proud of my students!  Such wonderful people, and so many accomplishments; too many to list here for certain!

So, as we wind down the school year, there are some things we need to keep in mind:

While I do my best to check with band directors about changes to the schedule for the many and various activities that happen (pep rallies, awards ceremonies, final exams, field trips, etc.,) they are not always aware of everything that your child is involved with.  So, if your child can not make it on the day that we schedule lessons, please let me know as soon as possible.  While I try to be flexible, I do reserve the right to charge for cancelled lessons where sufficient notice is not given.  This is usually not a problem as my students and their parents are AWESOME!!  Where I do know ahead of time, I will usually avoid teaching on campuses on days that have finals or an altered schedule.

Looking froward to summer, I will be teaching pretty much the next week after school ends depending upon the district.  Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested in summer lessons.  I am not planning as many out-of-town trips this year as I have the last few, so I should be available every week that the schools are open for lessons.

I know that many of you will be planning out of town trips, and we will be able to work around those.  For summer, you schedule lessons on a week-to-week basis, or you can schedule for the month, or the whole summer in advance.  Your time may vary from lesson to lesson, and if we can't work out a time to meet at your local school, it may even be possible that you could meet me at another school I am teaching at on a different day if that works best with your schedule.

One other thing that you should be aware of, is that I need to have payment for each summer lesson as it happens, and I will require any past due balances from the school year to be fully paid before starting summer lessons.  You will still receive an invoice at the beginning of the next month as you usually do.  But, if we've done everything right, that invoice should show a zero balance due.  Over the past few years, I have combined the June and July invoices, but I will try to avoid doing that this year.

Thanks to all of you for your support of your child in their pursuit of music and flute playing!  I look forward to hearing from all of you soon about summer lessons!

February Invoice information, looking towards the spring

 Am I the only one that's amazed at the weather over the last few weeks?  I was pleasantly surprised to see the pear trees blossom last month.  I can only remember a couple times since I've lived in Texas where they blossomed that early.  And pear blossoms can only mean one thing: Spring is upon us.  And that means Spring Break, UIL contests, and testing.

For the first tie in many, many years, all of my schools have the same Spring Break this year!  YAY!  I get a whole week off with my family!  That's good for all of us, as it means there's no weird schedules for lessons.  We will come back from break on March 18 and pick up where we left off.

All of my schools will be going to UIL contest over the next 6 weeks or so. (Good luck to the middle schools in Region 2 that are going TOMORROW!!!)  After that, there will be festivals, STAAR testing, and the typical end-of-year activities.  These all mean changing schedules, and students away from school on days they normally have lessons.  I'll repeat the mantra I start with every year: Flexibility is key!  As I always do, I will try my best to get each of my students in for a lesson each week, and I will do what I can to work around the varying schedules as they come up.  Though most of the band directors I work with are very good about communicating changes to their schedule with me in advance, it would be very helpful to me if you could let me know about these things too, just in case.

I hope everyone has a great spring break!  I look forward to seeing all of you after!

November-December Invoice Information

 Good Evening!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season!  

I apologize for combining the November and December invoices, and any confusion or concern that may have caused.  As I'm sure many of you can relate, we had quite the busy 5 or 6 weeks over the holidays.  We had family in town for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then my husband, who helps me with the billing, and I both ended up with some extra performing opportunities in December.  Neither of us has pursued many freelance jobs over the last 12 or so years while our boys were in middle school and high school as we focused on supporting them and their activities.  But, since we are empty nesters now, except for the holidays it would seem, we took some jobs this year that we wouldn't have previously.  But that meant that he and I pretty much didn't see each other very much for about three weeks.  And since we have to work together to get the billing done, and billing in the middle of the month always causes a lot fo confusion, we decided that it would be best to just wait until January and bill for both months.  I think we did the same thing last year.  I'm not sure that it's going to become an annual occurrence.  I hope not!

I want to say congratulations to all of my students that participated in the various all-region and all-state band auditions.  While I had many make all of the bands at every level, including 6 high school TPSMEA/TMEA all-staters, I'm very proud of all who tried out.  A lot of work goes into preparing for auditions, and all of you are to be commended for your effort and progress.

And a big THANK YOU to parents for supporting your child.  Thank you for letting me be a part of their exploration and love of music!

October Invoice and looking forward to the holidays

Whew!  What an October!  So many marching contests and the beginning of region band auditions!  I know we've all been so busy, and that will continue while school is in session.  I don't know about you, but I will be THANKFUL for THANKSGIVING break which is just a few short days away.

I apologize for the lateness of the invoice this month.  With the 1st landing on a Wednesday, and a busy weekend, my husband and I were unable to make enough time to work on it.  As always, your patience and flexibility is much appreciated!!!

With the holiday coming, and different dates for that depending upon the school district, I may be asking to meet for lessons on unusual days.  And, as high school students prepare for their various region band auditions, and I am leading masterclasses in various locations, that variability will likely continue through December as well.  As always, I will strive to meet each student once a week if it is at all possible.  And where I can't do that, I will try and have make-up lessons for those students at a later date

While my schedule has been very full for some time, I have still managed to add a few more new students to my schedule.  For them, I would like to extend a very warm welcome.  I have a couple of my previous blog posts that will be helpful to you in getting started with lessons. Here are the links to those posts:

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/10/welcome-new-flute-students.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/04/how-to-pay-for-lessons-in-remote.html

Have a great Thanksgiving, and a restful holiday!

August Invoice and Welcome New Students!

What an amazing start to the school year!  It has been great seeing so many of my old students return, and getting to know the many new students starting lessons this semester.  I'm looking forward to great things from my students!

Here are some reminders about the August invoice you just received:

• If your lesson rate changed for this school year, it is reflected on this invoice.  Most of the schools I teach at did raise lesson rates this year, so most of you will see that change.
• Some schools have different rates for middle school and high school lessons.  If your child graduated to high school, then that rate increase is also reflected on this invoice.  I know that can be a bit of a jump when combined with the base rate increase.  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about that.
• If you plan to use Zelle to pay me for the first time, please be aware that I only accept Zelle payments through my email address, not my phone number.  We have had a number of issues when Zelle asks for a phone number in addition to the email address.  I don't know why it has started doing this, but please just skip that part.  If you want to send a small test payment first to verify that it is me you are paying, that is fine.  Just let me know.

Looking forward to September:

• My schedule is already very full, but I have several new students signed up and looking for spots.  I know I say it all the time, but flexibility is key!  My schedule will change and evolve throughout the year.  I will always do my best to give every student one lesson each week, and I will keep you apprised of changes as they happen.  There will be bumps in the road, but as long as we take them in stride, everything will work out.
• Some schools are already conducting various assessments at this time.  While most band directors are very good at keeping me in the loop about these things, it would be a good idea if you would let me know if you know in advance.  I will work my schedule around these as much as I can.

Collaboration with Christine Davis - Principal Flute in the Buffalo Symphony

Christine and I go way, way back to my childhood in Buffalo.  She and I have reconnected over the last few years, and I went to Buffalo in August and spent some time working with her, and she is preparing some teaching videos geared towards high school students and audition preparation based on our collaboration.  I will be sharing those videos with the appropriate students as they arrive.  Don't worry middle-schoolers - You'll get to see them when the time is right for you.

Welcome New Students!

I can't wait to meet and get to know all of you!  I know you probably have a lot of questions about lessons, so I have a couple of blog posts that you should read to help you get started:

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/10/welcome-new-flute-students.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/04/how-to-pay-for-lessons-in-remote.html

June-July Invoice and Beginning a New School Year

Wow!  What a summer!  I hope everyone had a fun and relaxing time!

I want to apologize right away for the weird billing for June and July.  I was out of town for almost two weeks straight in June, and then we had family at our house for about 2 weeks after that, and with all busy-ness, it was almost half way through July before my husband and I could catch our breath to think about the billing. So he made the executive decision (because he does the billing for me) to just combine the two months and wait until now to do it.  I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause any of you.

So with that in mind, here are some things to keep in mind as we start a new school year:

• If you have a past due balance at this time, I will not schedule more lessons until your full balance is paid.
• If your school or district has raised private lesson rates, that new rate will start with the August bill, which we will send out NEXT month.
• A reminder that if you use a credit card or select the "Pay a Bill" option with PayPal or Venmo that the credit card fees I am charged will be added on to your next bill.  We are looking at setting up a webpage with a storefront that will make the payment options more clear, and will add that fee for you up front, but it will be a while before we get that done.
• As I set up my schedule, I will give preference for lesson times to those students who have been with me for a long time, and those who took lessons over the summer.
• I will be out of town for a few days the week of August 14, so I will not be teaching a full schedule until the following week.
• As always, flexibility is key.  I will undoubtedly add several more new students than I expect, and will run into unexpected scheduling issues, so my schedule may go through several revisions for the first couple months of school.

And on that note, I want to welcome the several new students who started lessons with me this summer.  Here are two previous blog posts that will help you:

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/10/welcome-new-flute-students.html

https://www.hudsonmusicstudio.com/2020/04/how-to-pay-for-lessons-in-remote.html

I look forward to seeing everyone soon!