Piano Studio


W E L C O M E TO "MELODY", MARINA AGREST PIANO STUDIO
FOUNDED IN 1967 in ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA. since 1992 IN CHARLESTON, SC

87 Droos Way
Charleston, South Carolina 29414
Phone: (843) 556 - 2997
http://www.cofc.edu/~agrestm/INDMAR.HTM
AgrestM@CofC.Edu

MARINA Y. AGREST
Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance & Pedagogy,
Rimsky-Korsakov College of the Arts (1964 - 1968)
St. Petersburg, Russia.

Master of Music in Piano Performance & Pedagogy,
Rimsky-Korsakov State Conservatory, (1968 - 1973)
St. Petersburg, Russia.

MEMBER OF CHARLESTON MUSIC TEACHER ASSOCIATION.
SOUTH CAROLINA MUSIC TEACHER ASSOCIATION
NATIONAL MUSIC TEACHER ASSOCIATION.

LISTED IN THE "WHOíS WHO AMONG AMERICAíS TEACHERS" FOURTH EDITION, 1996

OCCUPATION: Piano Teacher, "Creative Spark" Fine Arts Center.

Piano Teacher and owner, Melody, Piano Studio

S T U D I O POLICY

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:

MUSIC is that what makes your Life Colorful. I have lived in the world of music my whole life and I would like to share my experience with you. Taking music lessons you will have a lot of joy and fun, but this is not the main goal of my studio ( you can get a lot of fun just going to any Circus ). You can get real joy and fun only if you invest some time and efforts practicing every day and working hard at what will make you able to bring joy to other people.

Your Parents are your best friends and the closest people to you. They will help us to achieve our goals. So, we'll make a great team: You, your Parents and I - your Teacher. All of us will have some responsibilities.

THE TEACHER.

As a Teacher I will provide an individualized program based on the student's skills, his/her success in practicing and on his/her preferences. The program will include different styles of music.

The Teacher will do the best to provide a schedule as convenient as possible.
Any lessons missed by the Teacher will be rescheduled. One can lose his/her skills if one is not working toward improving them. I often attend professional seminars, workshops, and master classes. I'll do my best to cultivate a positive and enthusiastic environment for growth and understanding. I am going to communicate regularly with Parents as one of the important members of our Team in order to achieve our goals.
It is important for a musician to communicate with other musicians and of course with the audience. I organize at least two concerts - presentations of my Studio where the students are encouraged to participate.
The successful students of the Studio are encouraged to participate in auditions and competitions at the City of Charleston and the State of South Carolina etc.
Inga Agrest, my daughter is a Senior of the College of Charleston with Major in Music, Piano Performance and Composition, is working at the Studio as a teacher of her students and as an accompanist. Inga might substitute me when I have a leave and/or some emergency. Inga's resume is available upon request.

THE PARENTS.

The Parents should read this Policy carefully. The Parents can contribute much to achieve our goals. The Parents should cultivate a positive and enthusiastic environment for the student's education and development at home.
Show your interest in the students success.
Encourage the student to practice every day.
Encourage the student to perform for friends and relatives when they visit you .
Books, audio and video cassettes about composers, famous musicians and music in general help a
lot when they appear in your home. Please let the Teacher know if it seems that your child has any problem with music either at home or at the lessons.

Some formal responsibilities for the Parents:

1. The tuition fee must be submitted at the first lesson of each month. There is $10 fee for the late payment. 2. A one time additional fee of $20 will be charged to each student for registration, books, tapes and music loaned. this also covers all copies made for students. This fee is due with the first tuition payment. This fee will cover the depreciation on books, etc., and will enable the teacher to purchase new materials which may be borrowed 3. The Teacher must be informed about interrupting the lessons one month ahead. 4. The Teacher must be informed about canceling a lesson not later than 24 hours ahead. The Teacher might have no opportunity to reschedule the lesson at short notice because of time limits. If a student misses a lesson without prior notification, no make up lesson will be scheduled. A student will be charged an additional $5 fee if a make up lesson will be scheduled for a weekend. A make up lesson cannot be rescheduled.

THE STUDENT.

The student should read this Policy carefully. As soon as the student will accept the philosophy of the Studio, the result will become apparent immediately. Please, don't forget: Your parents invest money and time; You invest your time attending Piano lessons; The Teacher invests her time. We do not want to just waist these investments. We would like you to learn a lot besides having fun. Here are some rules which will help you to achieve the expected results:
    1. Attend all lessons. If you miss one lesson, then the break between lessons becomes equal to an entire week (for 2 times /week students), two weeks (almost 1/2 month) - for one lesson per week students.
    2. It takes many years to become a true musician. In my 30 years of teaching experience, I have found that breaks for longer than 2 - 3 weeks are detrimental to the students' progress. That is why we expect a 12 month studying from September through August each year. Summer lessons are required for all students. However, we will be very flexible in the Summer in order to accommodate vacations, camps, etc. You may schedule 2 or 3 lessons per week or one lesson, which will be lasting longer to make up for the time you are out the town. We will do what we can to help you to schedule all your Summer lessons.
    3. Set up a target for your home practicing according to the notes in your assignment book. Achieving this goal will never make your practicing boring.
   4. Be prepared for the lesson; think about the lesson ahead of time and
    - you will never be late,
    - you will never forget to bring your assignment book,
    - you will never forget to bring your music books,
    - you will never forget to wash your hands,
    - you will never forget to cut your fingernails,
    - you will never forget to practice every day, make it your necessity (like watching TV, having Lunch, talking to your Best Friend!)

H A V E S U C C E S S I N M U S I C

You can reach me by e-mail at: agrestm@cofc.edu (Mikhail Agrest)

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