The Home for Wayward Accordions

Music Instruction

Lessons

InstrumentsStylesDetails
  • Piano Accordion
  • English Concertina
  • Tinwhistle
  • 5-string Banjo
  • Irish & Scottish
  • English Country Dance
  • Appalachian Old Time
  • Contradance
  • French Canadian
  • Klezmer & Eastern European
  • Scandinavian Dance
  • Washington DC area
  • Adults and children 8+
  • 45 minute lessons
  • Scheduled on the hour
  • No Saturday lessons
  • Weekly, biweekly, monthly,
    erratically, or one time only
  • You'll get more value from your studies if you have a tape recorder and blank tape at each lesson. I recommend you tape the entire lesson, including your own performance, for later review. Bring a notebook and pencil, and music writing paper, to take notes or make charts.

  • I prefer to teach by ear (except beginning piano accordion). You may bring books to work on specific material. I can also help you learn to read and write music. HMT has many fine instruction books, also music writing paper and theory books.

  • Parents who wish to audit their child's lesson may do so.

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Payment | back to menu

  • $50 per 45 minute session at my home
  • Advance payment requested, one month of lessons at a time
  • Payment for the upcoming month is due by the last lesson of the current month

  • Only prepaid lessons time is guaranteed
    • Primetime slots (evenings after 6 pm) are most in demand
    • Advance payment secures the time you want

  • Payment by check preferred.
    • Payable to Wendy Morrison
    • Indicate scheduled dates in memo portion
    • Notify me via email if mailing check
    • $50 charge for returned checks

Cancellations | back to menu

Please read carefully and print out for your records.
I understand that everyone has a busy schedule, and conflicts can come up suddenly. I offer the following cancellation policy as a courtesy to my students.

Prepaid Lessons
  • Minimum 24 hour notice requested.
  • Can be rescheduled once: no reschedule or credit for makeup lesson
  • One reschedule allowed per quarter

Same day cancellations are not eligible for reschedule or credit. If you are called out of town, can't get a babysitter, can't start your car, or have to work late, the courtesy of a phone call is appreciated, but there won't be a makeup lesson.

Exception: Hazardous driving conditions (ice storm, sleet, blizzard, hurricane, power outage). Light snowfall or rain does not qualify for exception.

  • May cancel on same day.
  • Can be rescheduled once; no reschedule or credit for makeup lesson
  • One reschedule allowed per quarter

Lessons scheduled but not prepaid

  • Missed lessons with no advance notice will be billed at regular rate
  • One cancellation and/or reschedule allowed per quarter, with advance notice, at no charge.
    Further cancellations will be billed at regular rate
  • For your protection and mine, please prepay for all scheduled lessons as outlined above

If I need to cancel a lesson, you will receive full credit for any prepaid lessons.

To schedule lessons, send an email to wendy "at" wendymorrison.com

How to cancel or reschedule (in order of preference) | back to menu

  1. By speaking with me directly by phone, with follow-up email to confirm agreed schedule.
  2. By leaving a phone message at home, with follow-up email to request reschedule.
  3. Email alone is not reliable for cancellation. My ISP has aggressive spam filtering and some emails may not reach me in time, if at all. If I have not responded to your email, please phone me to be assured a credit for the lesson.

Refunds: If you have unused prepaid lessons time and you discontinue lessons, you will receive a full refund, by check, immediately upon request. Same day cancellations and any makeup lessons scheduled will not be refunded. In the absence of a refund request, credits will be kept on file for 3 months from date of payment, at which time they expire.

Instruments, Rentals

Your instrument should be in good playing condition before the first lesson. The House of Musical Traditions offers repair services, and rents all of the instruments I teach: banjo, accordion, and concertina.

References and Credentials

"Wendy Morrison is a miracle worker. In four short lessons she taught me to play two songs on the accordion. She not only made it seem easy but fun. Of course, you have to practice but with her methods even that is enjoyable. She is patient and uses the time brilliantly. I was very impressed . . ."
-- Floyd King, Studio Theatre

"Wendy is a no-nonsense teacher . . . stays basically on task, and imparts an amazing amount of information in a short time. Those individuals who are truly good players and can also teach the instrument are rare, indeed."

"Wendy is a GREAT instructor...she plays like a dream, is so friendly, patient and helpful."

"I have to say what a great time I had. I appreciated your teaching style. You made it fun and interesting and I learned more than I could ever have imagined."

Credentials - Wendy's lessons page at HMT.

Are You Too Old? | back to menu

People often ask "Am I too old to learn a musical instrument?" They might be 40, or 55, or 75. I can't imagine a better answer than this post made on the Banjo-L mailing list by Texan Bob Wilkerson:

You are never too old for any kind of musical interest/instrument. If you want one, you NEED one! If you really like it, the banjo (or playing any music for that matter) will be so much fun and so rewarding that you won't believe it! . . . If you teach yourself, you will easily triple your time to achieve learning/playing objectives. Your chances of quitting will increase greatly. If possible, find an instructor YOU LIKE, or find people to play with to keep your interest up. . . Make music a part of your life. It will open a door to your soul.

For further info, send email to wendy "at" wendymorrison_dot_com
The Home for Wayward Accordions