Since I opened up my studio ten years ago, I have required all parents to attend a year-end parent/teacher conference. The conference is always scheduled the week after spring term ends. This year it will be the first week in June. Every parent is required to attend in order to register for lessons in the next year. Parents sign up for 30-minute time slots per child. Students that are age 15 or older may join their parents but it is not required.
I really enjoy meeting with the parents to discuss how the year went, goals for next year, and areas that are in need of improvement. Another item of business in the conference is scheduling lesson times for the following year. Usually parents are thinking ahead and know what their child’s school and activity schedule will include. Some are already asking for lesson time changes in preparation for next year. For advancing students, it may be time to discuss and recommend a longer lesson time. This really helps in jump starting my planning for the fall and eases my job in August when putting together my final schedule.