Lesson scheduling: how teachers and students sync up without KakaoTalk
OrchMate Team · · 5 min read
Key takeaways
- Lesson scheduling is least confusing in three steps: share available times first, one person proposes within them, and the other confirms.
- Setting a change deadline (e.g. 24 hours before) reduces the awkwardness around same-day cancellations.
- If lesson fees come in sets of 4, labeling each lesson 1/4, 2/4… keeps both of you clear on when payment is due.
- What you hear in a lesson should be left as homework (passage, tempo, deadline) so practice carries on until the next lesson.
Booking lesson times in private lessons takes more back-and-forth than you'd think. A teacher has the same conversation with ten students, and students ask again whether the time set last time still works. Setting a few principles cuts most of it.
1. Open available times first
Teachers share the days and hours they can teach, and students share the times that work for them. Available times are 'for information,' not 'commitments.' You can propose other times too, as long as both of you know the other person may find them hard to fit.
2. One proposal, confirmed by the other person
Throwing out several options makes the conversation long again. Send one time within the available times, and it's done when the other person taps 'confirm.' If it doesn't work, they send back one different time.
3. Confirm recurring lessons once, with numbering automatic
- For recurring lessons like once a week on Tuesday at 7, confirm the day and time once and the coming weeks are set automatically
- If lesson fees come in sets of 4, number each lesson 1/4, 2/4, 3/4, 4/4 and mark 1/4 as 'lesson fee due'
- With two lessons a week, the numbering cycles twice as fast, so it helps when the labeling is automatic
4. Set change rules at the start
| Situation | Common rule |
|---|---|
| Change deadline | Changes allowed up to 24 hours before the lesson |
| Student cancels after the deadline | Decide in advance whether it's recorded as a 'same-day cancellation' and counts toward the session |
| Teacher's circumstances | Propose a make-up time first |
5. One minute after the lesson: leave homework
When the lesson ends, wrap up 'next time + homework' in one go. The more specific the homework is, like 'which piece, which passage, at what tempo, by when,' the easier it is to practice. Even better if you can ask and answer about a bar right on the score.
FAQ
- How many hours before a lesson can I change the time?
- 24 hours before is the most common. It varies by teacher, so agree at the first lesson, and decide together whether a cancellation after the deadline counts toward the session.
- How are lesson fees usually paid?
- For hobby lessons, paying in advance for 4 lessons (about a month) is common. Showing the session number together, like 1/4, 2/4, keeps you from mixing up when payment is due.