Below you will find valuable information for students and families of Mike Risko Music. We have also included best practices for virtual lessons below. Since much of the info applies to everyone, take a minute and familiarize yourself with everythig.
Registration: To register for any programs click here. Registration is accepted over the phone or in-person. We like to meet with new students to ensure that they are placed for lessons properly and with all the right tools. We offer 2 semesters during the school year and one in the summer. Students register by the semester. There are no registration fees and registration is rolling so while we strongly recommend that students register at the beginning of the semester to get a spot, you can register anytime and we will pro-rate our session. *We usually fill to capacity so be sure to register early.
Books: To start lessons you will need books and a manuscript notebook, all of which we sell here at the Mike Risko Music Store. Pick up books prior to your first lesson. Not sure what books you need? Call us and set up a consultation. Keep all your books in a bag and always bring a pencil too.
Instruments: You need an instrument at home so you can practice. We sell and/or rent all instruments in our store and on our E-commerce site. Unless you are playing piano or drums, you must bring your instrument to your lesson so it is important that you have one. When you bring your instrument to your lesson, make sure it is tuned and/or ready to play so you can start your lesson in a timely manner. Also always make sure your instrument is in a case so that it is protected.
Covid-19 Health and Safety Protocols: We have detailed our Covid-19 protocols here. Make sure that you read them and if you are sick or exposed, stay home and ask for your virtual link. Wear a mask if you want to, it is totally up to you and we respect everyone's comfort level.
Waiting for your student: We have a waiting area in our music store and we also have an outdoor waiting area set up on nice days. You may wait for your student or drop your student off. If you are dropping off, you must bring your student in for lesson and at the end of the lesson, come back inside to get them. Since the teacher will be writing out a clear and concise lesson plan for parents, you will find all the information you need to help your child practice in your child’s assignment book. Please make sure not to congregate in the music store, as we get very busy and we try to keep traffic moving. Please make sure to always come inside to get your child, our parking lot can get busy and no students should go out to the parking lot without being accompanied by an adult
Sick Days/Weather Days/Quarantine Days: If your child is sick, please keep your child home from lessons. We will provide you with a code so you can take your lesson virtually. If you beleive that your child has come in contact with someone with Covid or if there is a possibility your child has Covid, play it safe and ask us for a virtual code. (read all Covid Protocols here). On designated bad weather days, we will always do virtual lessons for the day. If we cancel in-person lessons due to inclement weather, you will receive an email notification followed by a code. We will also be providing you with a code if a teacher is ill or quarantined. If this happens, if the music school is open, you will be able to take your lesson from the music school or take your lesson from home. If you wish to schedule a virtual lesson in place of your in-person lesson, please give us adequate notice to create a code and make sure we have virtual rooms available.
| When the lesson is over: Make sure you or your child has all your things and that you understand your assignment. If you have questions about the assignment or the lessons call 914-762-8757 anytime.
Cancellations: We encourage you to take your regularly scheduled lesson each week and try not to change the lesson time. We do understand that sometimes you need to make a change, so if you do need a makeup, please keep in mind that we require 24 hours notice. With adequate notice, we will schedule a makeup lesson. Makeup lesson times are based upon teacher and lesson room availability. If there are no in-person times available, we will offer you virtual lesson times for your makeup. Please work with us to ensure that your child can take their makeup with any availability that we have. All scheduling is done in the office, teachers do not do any scheduling. Please call the office at 914-762-8757 to do any scheduling or email our lesson coordinator at lessoncoordinator@riskomusic.com (for advance cancellations only). Please keep in mind that the lesson coordinator is only available during business hours to email and respond to emails. You can email anytime but make sure to note that you will not receive an answer until we are open and please allow at least 24 hours for a response. Due to the volume of emails, you will not get a confirmation of your email but it has been received.
What happens next: Each week your lesson is scheduled at your regular time. We send general emails from the music school, but you do not receive a weekly reminder about your lesson since it is a recurring lessons. Please put your lesson in your calendar so you remember to come to your lesson each week. Please make sure that our email addresses are in your address book so we don’t go into your spam or promotions folders. We send really informative emails with many different engaging musical opportunities for our students including showcases, shows, clinics and more and we don’t want you to miss a beat so be sure to check for our emails. Also make sure to follow all our pages on Facebook and Instagram (Mike Risko Music School, Mike Risko Music Store and Mike Risko Band on Facebook and Mike Risko Music and Mike Risko Band on Instagram)
Recitals and Showcases: We have very unique programming at Mike Risko Music. We do not have a yearly recital, we have lots of shows and recitals throughout the year and they are free to all students. Participate in one or all. We also have a lot of opportunities for our students to be audience members too, be sure to take advantage of all those opportunities and come see a show. The more you watch musicians, perform, and collaborate with other musicians, the better you will get at music. You and your family will be inspired by all we have to offer.
Clinics: We weren’t named The Music and Sound Retailer’s winner for Best Clinics in 2021 for nothing! We are so proud of our clinics. We offer all kinds, from virtual to in-person, from pedal workshops to ukulele meet ups. Find one that you love and join us. They are so much fun. Look for email updates and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
We love our community and look for ways to help whenever we can. We were humbled to win the Global NAMM Best Community Music Retail Store award in 2021 for all our community work! Ask us about our many drives, from hats and gloves to toys and pj's, there are plenty of ways you can contribute. Want to help musically? Participate in one of our many fundraisers for some awesome organizations. Be on the look out in our emails for these fun ways to help us give back to the community!
Have questions? Call us at 914-762-8757
You will find that we are quick to respond and we are always ready to answer all your musical questions. Enjoy your music lessons!
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