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!