Teaching Studio/Lesson Policy

Mark Sowlakis has 25 years experience as a private clarinet and saxophone teacher. He has taught at The Community School for Music and Arts in Mountain View, The Gorin School of Music in Mountain View, the Bethany College in Scotts Valley, and the Robert Louis Stevenson School in Pebble Beach, CA. He currently teaches three days a week at West Valley Music in Mountain View, Calfornia as well as out of his home in San Francisco.

Past students have successfully auditioned for local, state and national honor groups. Notably, in 2010 Audun Johnson of Los Altos High School was chosen as the first chair alto saxophone in the CBDA Honor Band, making him the best alto saxophonist in the state of California that year.

Past students have gained acceptance at many well known institutions, including The Berklee College of Music, The Jazz Studies Program at USC, Brigham Young University, Sacramento State University, Yale University, UC Santa Barbara, UC Berkeley, and UC Santa Cruz.

Mark’s teaching techniques and resources are gleaned from his years of studies with master teachers such as Warne Marsh, Joe Henderson, Larry Schneider, Bill Trimble, Victor Morosco. In the past ten years Mark has worked with and been mentored by legendary New York studio musician George Young. George has been the most recent influence on both Mark’s playing and teaching, and George remains an inspiration to many generations of woodwind players worldwide.

Mark has completed 4 Compact Discs of play-along studies for method books that he uses with his students, and is currently working on Method Books, Etudes and Studies for both Clarinet and Saxophone.

He remains committed to music education and working with talented students to help them pursue their goals and aspirations.

Policy Statement

Parents…..Please review my lesson policy, it forms the basis for our relationship regarding private lessons with students of all ages. Feel free to ask any questions regarding the Policy at any time. It is your responsibility to know this information, and it is presumed you will abide by both the spirit of the statement and the explicit details herein. Most importantly, keep practicing and enjoy yourself!!

I.
You are responsible for knowing when your lessons are. Please take a moment to make a note of your lesson times.
Scheduling:
Once we schedule for the month you are financially obligated for those lessons. PLEASE… Schedule your lessons carefully, watching for potential conflicts far in advance. My time is completely booked up and I cannot schedule make-ups. In addition, students booking time in September will now be committed through the second week of December to receive preferred lesson times. Likewise returning students in January will be committed through the second week of June to receive preferred lesson times. Preferred lesson time is given to students that come weekly and demonstrate good preparation, good attitude, attention to all details and promptness. If you arrive late for a lesson, you will only receive the remainder of the lesson time that day provided you are no longer than 15 minutes late. Arrival after 15 minutes is considered a No-Show and the lesson is terminated at full value.

II.
Payment:
You may now pay me via PayPal at this site. Feel free to use this option.

Monthly lesson money is due, in full for the month, at the beginning of the first lesson of each month. A $10 late fee will be assessed for late payments. I will no longer accept partial payment for the month or individual lessons from September through May unless a student or parent makes other arrangements with me prior to the lesson.

Regarding Dad’s, Nanny’s and Babysitters: On the first lesson of the month –You MUST remember to send with them the lesson payments or THE LATE FEE WILL APPLY. NO exceptions.

III.
Cancellations:
There is only ONE reason that a lesson can be cancelled without a FULL lesson charge being incurred — sickness. Still, you must call or email and inform me of this with reasonable notice as I need to be able to shuffle my schedule when necessary. A few hours can make all the difference in the world. If, for any reason, you must miss a lesson, please call me directly and, if you don’t reach me, leave a message on my voice mail, stating the reason for the missed lesson. Calling the store and leaving a message with the store does not qualify as direct contact. Neither does a last minute email. No-Shows and No-Calls will be charged.

REMEMBER: I DO NOT HAVE A 24 hour cancellation policy. You cannot, without forfeiting lesson money, call me the day before a lesson and say a soccer practice was added or your student forgot to inform you of an event and you can’t make your lesson. You are welcome to call me anytime if someone is sick, and at my discretion I will credit those lessons accordingly. Additionally, I reserve the right to stop or refuse a lesson to any student that arrives for a lesson with obvious cold or flu like symptoms. Please do not bring potentially contagious students with obvious cold symptoms to lessons.

IV.
Teacher Absence:
If I need to cancel a teaching day due to my own personal sickness, or to fulfill any professional musical obligation, a credit for any missed lesson will be extended. That credit will be good for a a period of 90 days. In all cases I will do my absolute best to not miss days and will make good on missed lessons.

ALSO:
Ask me if your student’s equipment, reeds and the like, are what I prefer that they be playing. I have inexpensive yet effective suggestions to get the most out of my work with the students, and having the right tools is a big part of the equation. Please discuss with your student the commitment to practicing, which I define as 1/2 an hour a day for middle school students and 45 minutes to an hour a day, or more, for high school students. Please do not purchase any equipment without discussing it with me first. ALWAYS take advantage of all performance opportunities, like churches, school, and various community activities, to gain experience performing.

Finally:
I reserve the right to refuse to do business with anyone for reasons I deem necessary. Thanks for your hard work and dedication to the musical art form.