Frequently Asked Questions
Get StartedWhy does At Your Door Music only offer hour long lessons?
Because of our unique approach to helping students develop a creative relationship with their instrument, we’ve discovered that a short lesson is inadequate to convey the balanced, quality music education upon which we’ve built our reputation. Years of our collective teaching experience has shown that 30 minutes is barely enough time to cover the basics of reading and playing, even less so when making a house call. If you’re concerned about your child’s attention span, my staff and I share pedagogical strategies to keep even our most restless students engaged throughout the lesson. In most cases, our students enjoy their lessons so much that the hour flies by.
My child is very busy with his/her sports schedule. Also, we don’t even know when the practices and games are being held until a couple weeks before the season starts. Can we move our lesson if it conflicts with the sports schedule?
Many of our students play on at least one sports team. We will always accommodate a change of lesson day and time if our schedules allow. At the same time, please understand that because weʼre obliged to plan our schedules months in advance sometimes teachers are booked to capacity once the school year gets underway. In those cases weʼve found that sports conflicts are as short-lived as the sports seasons and can be accommodated by missing an occasional sports practice or music lesson.
Does AYDM run background checks on the staff?
Yes. Every teacher is screened prior to joining the staff. We run extensive background checks through the Massachusets Criminal Offender Record Information database (CORI) and with the U.S. Department of Justice National Sex Offender Public Registry. Needless to say, every music teacher on staff has a squeaky clean record.
Can we meet the teacher before we decide to enroll? Can we have a trial lesson?
Because At Your Door Music makes housecalls exclusively and our teachers work very busy schedules, it’s logistically complicated to arrange for a meeting prior to enrollment. However, teacher pictures, bios and sound clips can be accessed on our staff page.
How often should my child be practicing?
As a group, the At Your Door Music teachers have liberal practice guidelines. However, we do require that our students practice enough to move forward with each lesson. There are many different ideas about how frequently a music student should practice their instrument. Age and skill level are big factors and there’s no uniform answer. The more time a student spends practicing in-between their lessons, the quicker progress they’ll make.
In an effort to keep music an enjoyable pursuit, my personal philosophy is that if a student will just make some time each day to be with their instrument, practice will develop organically. We’ve heard from many parents in our program that their children will often practice on their own initiative, a sign that they’re enjoying learning music. Students and parents who desire more structured practice guidelines can work directly with their teachers and/or call the At Your Door Music office to discuss the issue with us personally.