Dear Fort Worth Suzuki School Families, We are excited to announce that we will start reopening the school for in person private lessons on Friday, May 1st. Anyone wanting to continue private lessons on Skype is welcome to do so.
After reading this letter, please log into your account and fill out a short form letting us know if you will be coming to the school for lessons or continuing lessons on Skype. There is a link to the form at the end of the letter.
For the time being we are only reopening for private lessons. There will not be any group lessons and observations will not be allowed. We are considering small group lessons of four to six students to begin later in May. We will have more information about that in a few weeks. If you or anyone in your household is considered high-risk, please continue to have lessons through Skype. Below is a link to the Centers for Disease Control website defining who all is considered at higher risk.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention link For in person private lessons at the school we will be strictly following the Texas Department of State Health Services recommended health protocols. We will meet the minimum recommendations and in many cases exceed them in an effort to be overly cautious. Please visit the Texas Health and Human Services website link below to download and print the Recommended Health Protocols: Texas Health and Human Services link Protocols for Individuals link Protocols for Single Person Offices link Please print these protocols and check them before you come to an in person lesson at the school. To align with these protocols the following procedures will be required at the school: Lessons Students and family members will disinfect door knobs with a disinfecting wipe as you enter and leave each area of the school. After disinfecting the door knobs you will go to the restroom and wash your hands.
If a student is having a lesson before you, go to the reading room to unpack and wait for the previous family to leave the school before entering the lesson area. After the previous family has left the school, you will bring all your belongings into the new lesson area. (The new lesson area will be the area that had the iPad checkin.) After brining all your belongings to the lesson area, go back into the reading room and prepare it for the next family by disinfecting any surfaces, doorknobs, etc. Students and families will set up for private lessons in the area just outside of the music room where the checkin iPad was located. No one is allowed in the large music room for private lessons. That will keep the student and their family greater than six feet apart from the teacher at all times and still allow the teacher to see and hear the student quite well.
During the lesson siblings and other family members must stay in the lesson area, or they may also sit at the large table next to the lesson area. All other areas of the school will be off limits during the lesson. We will end the lesson a few minutes early to allow you time to quickly pack your instrument and disinfect the lesson area. As you leave disinfect the chairs, tables and music stands used during your lesson.
Beginners
Many beginners need hands on help with their instrument. Teachers will not touch students, so parents are required to be sitting very close by and ready to follow the teacher's instructions on how to help the student. This is especially important for students in Suzuki Book One and students under 10 years old. Parents with younger students in book one may also need to consider not bringing younger siblings to lessons unless the younger siblings can sit still in one place for the entirety of the lesson. It will be difficult to keep your eyes on a younger sibling while the teacher is expecting your full attention and help in the lesson.
Water We have removed the glass water pitcher from the front table. Please plan to bring your own water bottles for use during your lesson time. If you forget your water and absolutely must use one of our water cups, please wash it thoroughly with soap and water in the kitchen sink after use.
Tables The front room and kitchen tables are stocked with Clorox wipes and lysol. If you sit at the table to eat or do school work, please disinfect the area after you use it. Restroom The shared cloth towel has been removed from the restroom. There are now extra paper towels in the restroom so that people are not sharing a cloth towel. Please also use the Clorox wipes and/or lysol from the front table to disinfect the restroom after use. Reading Room The shared toys have been removed from the reading room. We do not want to risk toddlers and young children spreading illness through the shared toys. Please make plans to bring your own books and quiet toys to occupy your children while they sit quietly during lessons.
Please use the link below to log into your account and fill out the short form to let us know if you will be coming back to the school for lessons or continuing lessons on Skype.
May 1st Reopen Form link Thank you everyone for your patience while we get through this situation. Most importantly, please stay safe and healthy. Please wash your hands and disinfect. And please self isolate if you are not well! Sincerely, Matt Bethe Director - Fort Worth Suzuki School