Updates

Posted 1.10.10

This document contains important updates and changes. Please reply to tskousen@peerymusic.com that you have read it and understand the following changes:
– Certification versus Passing
– Showcase class schedule
– Skills class location

If I do not receive your reply I will need to get in touch with you personally to go over these changes next week .

Parent Meeting Report

I am aware of the irony of trying to reduce change and confusion by communicating the changes coming down the pike. And yet, following our meeting with the parents this last December, we are doing exactly that. These changes will be the only changes we make for the next 18 months ! ! ! We thank the parents who attended for their time and feedback and are hopeful that their ideas will be of use to everyone.

The most common pain points brought up at the meeting were Certification, Communication and changing Classweek schedules.

Positives of Certification: when families follow the system, the results are predictable and fantastic.

Negatives:
1- Becoming Peery Certified is difficult and complicated. Although Certification is meant to motivate students to achieve the highest level of piano playing it can sometimes be frustrating and feel like the process is slowing progress and motivation. The system must be simplified for parents.
2- Communication must be changed to a “push” mentality viz a viz a “made available” mentality for parents trying to juggle multiple schedules.
3- Just because the system works for those able to follow the system, does not mean the Peery Piano community can’t be shared with others who have priorities other than getting Peery Certified. Certification can be exclusive rather than inclusive, especially when it is required. Although everyone can do it, not all want to choose to do it as they have other priorities and time commitments. Parents seemed to feel that their participation and enthusiasm about sharing it with others depends less on a sense of the results they are getting and more upon a sense of inclusion or good feelings they would share with others. We want to nurture this sense of inclusion and get parents feeling comfortable about bringing their friends.

Immediate Adjustments:
1- Differentiating between Passing and Certifying
As of this letter, we are instructing the guides that they have the authority to pass students on to the next level. Peery Certification is still only through Mrs Skousen. But, students are no longer required to Certify. The two terms we are using are: Passing and Certification. Passing to the next level means that the student has done the work and from a motivational perspective needs to move on. Certification means that each element of the level is demonstrated at the Peery Standard and mastery has been achieved. Bands will continue to be given to students who Certify.

All guides are required to pass all 9 Peery Habits Certifications. No student will be considered for the Mastery program without Certification for all 9 Habits bands. Other than that, there is no expectation or pressure that any student certify, absent the student’s own sense of what they want to accomplish.

Implementation of Certification
Because all students will not be interested in Certification, we won’t use regular class time to measure it. Here are the ways you can Certify:
1) Mrs Skousen will have office hours each month which will be posted online: www.peerymusic.com→Parent Section→Scheduling→ Mrs Skousen’s Schedule and How to Schedule time with Mrs Skousen. During that block, students can sign-up when they have a signed form from their teacher that they are ready to try and Certify. NO CERTIFICATION WILL BE HELD WITHOUT THIS FORM. Scheduling will be on a first-come; first-serve basis at least initially during this time. This option is included in tuition.

2) Use the peerypiano.com site. Every member of the academy as of December 2009 has a free account through August of 2010. Students joining the school after December and everyone after August will need to pay for membership on peerypiano.com. The fee to the site ($60)is similar to other Certification Fees (NMC or MTAC, except you also get three months access with multiple Certification attempt(s) Membership on www.peerypiano.com is optional. We hope you get great use out of this site and believe it will serve to accelerate your progress. The Flip video cameras that we purchased for student checkout to be used on peerypiano.com have been used fairly sparingly. We will continue offer the Flip cameras for checkout for another month, but it will be discontinued.

3) Schedule private time with Christie. You can schedule time with Christie at any time for Certification, lessons or consultation by emailing schedule@peerymusic.com. Private time will be billed at her normal rate of $30 for 15 minutes.

2- Communication:

We have tried push-type email communication in the past and found it to be disregarded. We will limit our email to two kinds of email: 1- blog updates (weekly), changes to the schedule (emergencies, or uncontrollable situation- i.e. a teacher moving. . . )

FAQs will be featured more prominently on the web site. Complete write-up of definitions/nomenclature unique to Peery will be available in the FAQs. Hopefully with our other changes, this become less of an issue, but we will try to continually improve on this front.

We have purchased bands that the kids will wear home the lesson before each ClassWeek reminding you to print-up your Showcase & Skills assignments online. This will be implemented in February.

3- Bringing Time Consistency to the schedule:

Effective immediately:

1- ClassWeek
SHOWCASE CLASSES: All Habits classes will come to Showcase and Share during class week at their regular weekly class time. In other words, if your Habits class is 3:45 on Monday your new Showcase time is 3:45 on Monday. Hopefully this will help all parents with their schedules. We will adjust the assignments with the teachers such that the assignment and structure of the activities on that day still accomplishes the Class week objectives, but logistically it will move to the consistent time.

SKILLS CLASSES: these will stay the same time, day and format. The only difference is that they will beheld at Ms. Christie’s private studio in Los Altos. The address is 1156 Miramonte Ave. Please park on the street to drop kids off. There is a place for kids to wait on the front porch until time for class to begin.

Newly formed Players classes will get there schedule with their formation letter.

OUR NEXT SHOWCASE/SKILLS WEEK IS JANUARY 18-22. Assignments are now posted online.

2- Yearly Calendar
Although we will continue with the schedule planned since the beginning of the year, beginning Fall 2010, the yearly calendar will have more consistency.
Formal Recital will be the end of January.
Ensemble Festival will be the end of August.
TM Festival will always be the middle of May.

4- Beautify Space

Even though we are working in a small space, or maybe, because we work in a small space, an uplifting environment is exceedingly important. Ongoing changes to reduce clutter, dirt, and to inspire the kids (posters) will be created. Your help in keeping our studio clean is always appreciated.

Thanks for all of your support, feedback and hard work. We truly enjoy working with you and your children.

Sincerely,

Thomas and Christie Skousen
PPA Faculty