NOTE: We do have a couple afterschool spots open with Michael currently, which usually doesn’t happen until summer – so if you want those spots, ask for them quickly!

Originally from New York, Michael Boyd now lives just outside Austin in Cedar Park, and has been teaching guitar and bass since 2000. Rather than follow a set lesson plan, Michael works to find songs students enjoy, while also teaching the theory behind those songs – an approach that not only teaches how to play an instrument, but encourages a love of music. Michael’s also an excellent resource for music school students, offering tutoring in music theory, sightreading and audition preparation.

Michael plays both guitar and bass in bands regularly, focusing largely on rock, jazz, and improvisation – although he’s played everything from blues, to country, to hip-hop. Students will find him a gifted teacher, highly trained enough to improve even the best guitarists and bassists, and patient enough to work with the most novice. (Kids love him too!)

Michael is the original GuitarAustin.org instructor and our only bass teacher. (Most of the year, we’re on a waiting list for lessons with Mike, so if you’re on the fence and there’s a spot available, we recommend deciding quickly!) Michael teaches six days a week.

Born and raised in Brownsville, Texas, Amanda is an accomplished singer, songwriter, and guitarist who was crowned “Acoustic Hero of Austin” in 2007. She is also the founder of Austin’s own video-game music tribute band, the Descendants of Erdrick, performing in Austin and at gaming conventions across the country. Amanda teaches all ages and students, but particularly enjoys the opportunity to introduce young girls to the wonders of guitar.

Amanda currently teaches on Tuesday and Thursday evenings.

Josh Pearson is our newest instructor, but possibly our most experienced guitarist. As a lead guitarist in several notable Austin bands, including Moving Matter, Dimitri’s Ascent, Toast and A Live One, Josh stays busy with music, focusing on improvisation and rock. Prior to teaching with us, he’s had experience teaching advanced guitar, but enjoys working with novice players as well.

Josh currently teaches on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

The following rates apply to all new students starting in or after August 2011:

• Half hour lessons with Michael each week: $95/month
  Hour lessons with Michael each week: $180/month
• Half hour lessons with Amanda or Josh each week: $80/month
  Hour lessons with Amanda or Josh each week: $150/month

We do offer discounts for parent-child or sibling combos, provided they take lessons together or back-to-back on the same days. Just ask!

(Note: For a student’s FIRST MONTH only, the charge will be based on the number of lessons remaining in the month when they start, so if a student starts on the 2nd lesson of a 5-lesson month, they will still be charged for four lessons, or a full month’s rate. All months after that will be the flat monthly rate.)

Our Vacation Policy
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We take four paid vacations per year, balanced out by the fact that each student gets four free lessons per calendar year. (Every three months, there are five lessons instead of four, which means a free lesson every three months, or four free lessons per year.)

Our four vacation weeks are:

• Spring Break (based on the Leander ISD schedule)
• One week during summer
• Thanksgiving week
• One week at Christmas

During these vacation weeks, there will be no lessons, but the monthly payment remains the same. (If a paid vacation week falls within a student’s first month with us, they will not be asked to pay for that missed lesson.)

Cancellations
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If a lesson is cancelled by us, students will be given the option to either credit it to their next payment, or make it up at another time. MAKEUPS DON’T EXPIRE, so they can be done whenever is convenient… next week, next month, next year.

• If a bass or guitar lesson is cancelled by a student with at least 24 hours’ notice, it does still need to be paid for, but can be rescheduled. (Please note we cannot credit lessons cancelled by students!)
• Lessons cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice do still need to be paid, and cannot be rescheduled. We use all our empty spots for makeups, so we need as much notice as possible when you’re going to miss!
• All months must be paid as normal in order to keep a weekly spot reserved, even during summer vacations or breaks from lessons. (Lessons missed during break may be made up later.) Students may take time off without paying if needed, but we can’t guarantee the spot will be held open during that time, and upon return, we’ll do our best to work them back into the schedule at current teacher rates.

We try to be as flexible as possible, but if you cancel often with only a day or two’s notice, we can’t guarantee a makeup every time, since it’s very difficult to fill spots so quickly. To give notice when you need to reschedule a lesson, email Amy at amy@guitaraustin.org. The more advance notice, the better!

Makeups
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We’ll let students know when we add a makeup to their account, but it is the student’s responsibility to schedule that lesson!

To schedule a makeup lesson, check our makeup calendar at www.guitaraustin.org/calendar to see a listing of all our open times.

• Pick a time on the calendar that works for you (all spots are half hour, so to reserve an hour, look for two consecutive times).
• Make sure it has your teacher’s name!
• Email Amy to request it

IMPORTANT: Open spots are added to the makeup calendar as students cancel, which is often last-minute. If you don’t see a spot that works for your makeup, check back often!

Other makeup notes:

• If a student quits lessons, but still has makeups on their account, there are no refunds for those lessons, but they are more than welcome to still come back and take those lessons later.
• Makeups don’t expire, but the sooner they can be made up, the better, since otherwise they can build up and be difficult to schedule.
• Hour-long makeup spots can be tricky to find, so hour lessons can be made up in separate half hour increments, if that’s all that’s available on the makeup calendar.

You’ll find LOTS more questions, answers and advice in our FAQ here!