Private Music Lessons

Princeton Day School has an outstanding adjunct music faculty available to students for private lessons. Lessons are scheduled once a week at a mutually convenient time for student and teacher.

Lessons are available for the following: strings (violin, viola, cello), guitar, piano, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, flute, trumpet, drums, and voice (grade 8 & up). Lessons start in September.

If your child is interested in taking lessons, please send an email to Dr. Tomasz Rzeczycki and include the student's name, grade, instrument/voice, current instructor (if any), any requests for lesson day/time, and preferred parent contact information.

Please note that requests are taken into consideration when setting the schedule but cannot be guaranteed. There are limited number of students who can be accommodated in the lesson program; returning students will be scheduled before students new to the program. Rates and policies for private music lessons are found in the Private Lesson Contract.

• Students can begin string instruments in first grade.
• Students can begin piano or harp in second grade.
• Students can begin all wind and percussion instruments in fifth grade.
• Students can begin voice lessons in eighth grade.

When and where are the lessons?

• Lessons take place in one of the four practice/teaching studios in the lower level hallway that connects the gym to the Performing Arts area.
• Any lesson can take place before and after the school day.
• Lower School string students take lessons during the school day.
• Upper School students can schedule lessons during a free period.
• Lessons cannot begin until the school receives a contract signed by teacher, parent and student.

Why do we have to commit to eight lessons?

• In order to bring high quality music teachers to PDS, we need to ensure that their schedules remain consistent. Many of our adjunct music faculty would not be able to commit to travelling to our campus without this assurance.
• We believe eight lessons is a reasonable number for our faculty to expect from each student for whom they reserve space in their schedule.
• We also believe eight is an appropriate number of lessons for students to commit to in order to give the experience a fair amount of time. Sometimes the teacher and student need several lessons to learn how to work most effectively together.
• Eight lessons is the most reasonable number of lessons to try to fit into a PDS trimester. It allows for the possibility of holidays, snow days, illness, etc. and gives plenty of time for a make-up lesson if necessary.
• Containing lessons to a single term makes expectations, scheduling and billing much clearer. This system cuts down on confusion and provides a definite beginning and end point for the contracted lessons.
• If a student finishes 8 lessons before the end of a trimester, extra single lessons can be added for an additional fee (same rate). These would be billed separately, and would not be part of the next set of eight.

If there is more than one teacher, can we switch?

• Absolutely. However, the switch must be made at the beginning of a new trimester. Students must always complete a set of eight lessons with their original teacher.

How do I pay for lessons?

• Once a signed contract is received, lessons are billed to your PDS account through the business office.