Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, and Recording Lessons with Matt Morton
Before Your First Lesson
These reminders will help your first lesson go smoothly.
Parking
Please park either on the street or on the left side of the driveway so that my wife can still get her car into the garage while I'm teaching.
Please Be On Time, But Don't Come In The House Early
Usually it shows good manners to show up a little early for an appointment, and I definitely encourage you to allow enough travel time to arrive a little ahead of schedule. But because the waiting area is in the same room as where I teach, it's disruptive to the student before you if you come inside early. Most of my students are beginners, and beginners are already very self-conscious about their playing. Having someone they don't know in the room can give them full-on stage fright. The other reason to not come to the door early is to respect my (usually very limited) break time. So if traffic is light and you get here early, please watch your cell phone time (it's usually more accurate than your car's clock) and wait until exactly your lesson time to come to the door. I know it sounds a little extreme, but you'll appreciate it when the person after you does the same.
Should we knock or come right in?
Please come right in, leave your shoes at the door, and come down into the studio at your lesson time. I know it's weird to just walk into someone's house, but you'll get used to it : ) Not having to come to the door for every student lets me keep lesson times a little longer.
What To Bring
All you need is your guitar or bass, any music you've worked on previously with another teacher, a pick, your payment, and your new student info sheets (see below). You don't need to bring your amp, cable, or buy a book for lessons. If you have a tuner or amp that you'd like me to show you how to use, you're welcome to bring it, but otherwise, I will have an amp, cable and tuner here for you to use.
Please Print, Fill Out, And Bring These .PDF Files With You
You can save time at your first lesson if you print these out ahead of time and fill them out:
1. Student Info Form (.pdf) - This information is helpful in case we have to cancel a lesson at the last minute or if there is a medical emergency during a lesson. I will never share or sell your personal information.
2. Lessons Policies (.pdf) - Please read these, sign the bottom, and return to me.
Payment
Please bring a payment to at least cover your first lesson, and preferably to cover the remainder of the month. If you're starting mid-month, you can prorate your tuition by the number of lessons you've missed (my monthly billing is based on an average of 4 lessons per month). For example, if you're starting weekly lessons on the second tuesday of the month, you've missed one lesson, so instead of $80, you would pay $60. If you're unsure how much to prorate it, you can contact me.