To Whom It May Concern, 10pt;"> Long Island City Academy of Music believes sincerely that the above mentioned claim does not warrant a refundHere are the reasons: - LICAM has provided group classes for the past years at PS and because of it's excellent reputation and world-class teachers we have been able to sustain the program for this long - The application form clearly stated that we do not provide refundsBecause of the extremely low tuition and LICAM's desire to pay it's teachers fairly, the profit margin for our school is minimalTherefore we need to structure classes according to students who sign up according to age, instrument and skill levelIf anyone drops out after class start the balance of an anticipated students per class will be offWe even provide classes even if we have only students per class and there is no profit margin at all because of our loyalty to PS and students that have been with us throughout all these years - I had a personal phone conversation with [redacted] in the Fall about what to expect at the end of the school yearI promised her that by the end of the school year the children will play very well at a recital in front of all the parentsExactly that happened last Saturday June **, at 10-11:am at the school auditoriumEvery child enrolled in the program performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over parents and familyThey exceeded the expectations that one could have from only group classesThey played their practiced material in rhythm with good tone and clearly understanding the musical content they were presentingEvery performance was met with generous applause - After [redacted] 's complaint about the classes I supervised the said classes personally and I found that the children who [redacted] accused of behaving badly and not following instructions did in fact followed their teacher Sammy A [redacted] instructions enthusiastically and were able to answer questions that I asked to test their progress accurately - As for the teacher: Sammy A [redacted] is beyond qualified for the job at handSammy received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she was a student of [redacted] and is now finishing up a Doctoral Degree in piano performance from Stonybrook UniversityShe is a generous and friendly teacher who is amazing at teaching group classesThe students love her and it clearly showsSammy has responded to [redacted] 's complaints promptly outlining her teaching methods and expectations for the childrenAs a result of her excellent job she has done at PSI have invited her to join our world-class faculty that includes musicians playing for the New York Philharmonic here at our main location in Long Island CitySammy will also continue teaching classes at PSin the next school year - I have offered [redacted] generously switching classes at PSas well as a package of half hour private classes at our main location, which she refused - As for the substitute teacher in the first class: our original teacher Rachel N [redacted] K***, one of the best pianists on this planet having won 2nd place in the American Chopin Competition still found herself competing in the International Chopin Competition at the time of the first classHer substitute teacher whom I personally observed teaching did an honorable job filling in on short notice and was able to teach basic elements such as rhythm, fingering and music notation to the childrenAfter a few classes that Rachel K [redacted] taught after her return from the competition we both agreed that Sammy A [redacted] would be a better teacher teaching group classesYet Rachel's teaching has been proven to be successful before since she taught the classes during last school yearThe final recital again was tremendously successfulSo in either case [redacted] 's daughter would have learned the first year stages of piano playing beyond expectation Please contact me at any time with any further questions regarding this case Sincerely, Oliver S [redacted] , Director of LICAM ###-###-#### [redacted] I am attaching mine and the teacher's responses to [redacted] complaints in the body of this e-mail: Dear [redacted] , Thank you for voicing your concerns and I am very appreciative of parents taking an active part in the lessons offeredHowever I have observed Sammy A [redacted] teaching classes, I have received commendations from other parents who are excited to continue classes for their children, I have read the generous and professional responses to your e-mails and I have to say that I have complete confidence in the effectiveness of this teacher I recommend switching to the am class if possible if you are not happy with the discipline of the other childrenI will also write to the other parents to be present in the classesAlso I will visit the am class next Saturday to observe the groupThe progress of group and private classes are not made during class time but by practicing the assigned material at homeI would say that minutes per day is sufficient for this age level As outlined in the application forms we are not offering refundsHowever I will offer private consecutive half hour classes at our main location [redacted] with one of our ten world-class piano teachers based on availabilityThis the best and most generous offer I can makeThank you very much Sincerely, Oliver S [redacted] ###-###-#### [redacted] Dear [redacted] , I am sorry to hear that [redacted] will no longer be attending class and would urge you to reconsider your decisionI wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that group piano lessons are a waste of time and money -- by design, a group piano lesson doesn't offer as much individual attention as private lessons, but it is a great way for your daughter to get an introduction to the piano and make music with other people As far as songs she has learned, [redacted] has worked on Bluebird, DEF March, and many of the songs prior to those two in the lesson bookThese short songs may not seem like big accomplishments, but they are! It takes beginner students quite a while to learn the note names, find notes on the piano, play them with the right fingers, learn basic rhythms, etc I agree with you that it would be nice if the class as a whole was more attentive, but it is important to me that the kids have fun while they learnRather than being a harsh disciplinarian or a mean teacher, I prefer to direct my students' energy into an activity that involves an aspect of music making or piano playing (for example, the marching game that we play at the end of the lesson helps the kids learn about rhythm and meter) I hope this helps to address some of your concernsIf you'd like, I am open to the idea of moving [redacted] to the 10am class -- they're working on the same songs right now, the kids are slightly calmer, and there's room in the class for one more studentLet me know if you'd like to do that Thanks, Sammy A [redacted] Dear [redacted] , If you would have attended the recitals that we had including last year you would have seen the excellent results our teachers achievedWe have many parents from Middle Village having their children taking private lessons at our Academy as a result of our high teaching standards which we have maintained throughout the years As for Sammy's classes: I have observed her teaching and I could not be happier with her professionalism, demeanor and teaching skillI am also utmost impressed with the attitude she employed responding to your criticismPrivate lessons at LICAM is the generous and ONLY offer I am making Thank you and have a nice day Oliver S [redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
*** *** *** states that he will not refund my tuition because the tuition is low to begin with and talks about the logistics of his profit margin As a customer, I agreed to pay the tuition and in return there was an expectation; yet, the expectation of the teachers and piano lessons were not met Perhaps it is this "low tuition" mentality that *** *** believes that I should not have high expectations of the lessons
During my phone conversation with *** *** in October, he never stated that a refund was out of the question First and foremost, *** *** never attended a class to check on the students that were misbehaving as he is asserting I, on the other hand, have sat in each and every class Since I also work at the school, I know the students and their parents, and as a professional, I would never accuse students of being disrespectful if they were not As my email exchange states, I even felt the need to speak out to the students during the lesson in which they were knocking over the desks and laughing - a total loss of control on the teacher's part I was very disappointed to see this and I said so to the students: "you would never knock over the desks during music class with MsKand you know better."
As far as the end of year performance, the students were - as we call in education - "taught to the test" - they played exactly what was rehearsed over and over again A piano student from this class cannot take any learned notes and apply it to any other song because there was no actual piano teaching
The teacher, Sammy A***, may be a pianist, but that does not make her a piano teacher As I stated, one entire class was wasted on each student taking a turn drawing the G clef on the white board Other classes she would begin late yet terminate on time
In one email, Sammy A*** asked me to change my daughter to the 10:class The Revdex.com should be aware that my daughter is in the beginner's class (students with no experience) and the class I was asked to switch my daughter into is the advanced class (or students with experience) The teacher states "*** *** *** ** *** *** ***" As evidence of the poor quality of the lesson, one must ask why an advanced class would be working on the same songs as the beginner's class Why is there any differentiation in the two levels How can my daughter, who has no piano experience, move into an advanced class and be successful? What is wrong with this scenario? In the second place, the instructor in the email admits that the 10:are "*** *** *** *** ** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** ***", thereby proving my complaint about the studentsI refused the private classes in lieu of a refund because as I have stated, I do not like the teaching methodology of this institution
*** *** harps on the fact that the original teacher, Rachel N*** K***, is the best pianist on the planet, hence her absence to compete in the International Chopin Competition The best pianist on the planet absolutely knew she would be competing AHEAD OF TIME, not last minute (as would be the case of someone falling ill) and yet, she never prepared a lesson for her substitute Nor did *** *** expect the substitute to prepare anything for the children ahead of time He claims the substitute taught x, y, and z, and ideally he should have, but *** *** did not observe the lesson as I and all the other parents did Again, it was an hour of hearing his apology for "only finding out late last night that I would be teaching this class today" and teaching from the seat of his pants - no clear lesson plan *** *** only came in half way through the first lesson to collect my check, and to announce that their regular teacher would be there the next week
As I mentioned in my original complaint, the best pianist on the planet, Rachel N*** K***, did attend the second lesson, yet she was so unprepared, she did not even know that it was a beginner's class - she called on volunteers to come up to the keyboard to PLAY their favorite song It was the parents who had to speak up to inform her that it was a beginner's class The best pianist on the planet then stumbled through the next hour coming up with stuff to do A real disservice to our children who have been eagerly anticipating a better piano lesson that the first one, only to be disappointed again
The Revdex.com should know that the relationship with this music academy and P.Sis such that, the school is open for Saturday school to our students, and since the school is open, it allows the music academy to use it's empty classrooms When the school is closed on Saturdays due to Monday Holidays, there are no music lessons
To Whom It May Concern,
10pt;"> Long Island City Academy of Music believes sincerely that the above mentioned claim does not warrant a refund. Here are the reasons: - LICAM has provided group classes for the past 5 years at PS 49 and because of it's excellent reputation and world-class teachers we have been able to sustain the program for this long. - The application form clearly stated that we do not provide refunds. Because of the extremely low tuition and LICAM's desire to pay it's teachers fairly, the profit margin for our school is minimal. Therefore we need to structure classes according to students who sign up according to age, instrument and skill level. If anyone drops out after class start the balance of an anticipated 6 students per class will be off. We even provide classes even if we have only 3 students per class and there is no profit margin at all because of our loyalty to PS 49 and students that have been with us throughout all these years. - I had a personal phone conversation with [redacted] in the Fall about what to expect at the end of the school year. I promised her that by the end of the school year the children will play very well at a recital in front of all the parents. Exactly that happened last Saturday June **, 2016 at 10-11:30 am at the school auditorium. Every child enrolled in the program performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 100 parents and family. They exceeded the expectations that one could have from only 23 group classes. They played their practiced material in rhythm with good tone and clearly understanding the musical content they were presenting. Every performance was met with generous applause. - After [redacted]'s complaint about the classes I supervised the said classes personally and I found that the children who [redacted] accused of behaving badly and not following instructions did in fact followed their teacher Sammy A[redacted] instructions enthusiastically and were able to answer questions that I asked to test their progress accurately. - As for the teacher: Sammy A[redacted] is beyond qualified for the job at hand. Sammy received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she was a student of [redacted] and is now finishing up a Doctoral Degree in piano performance from Stonybrook University. She is a generous and friendly teacher who is amazing at teaching group classes. The students love her and it clearly shows. Sammy has responded to [redacted]'s complaints promptly outlining her teaching methods and expectations for the children. As a result of her excellent job she has done at PS49 I have invited her to join our world-class faculty that includes musicians playing for the New York Philharmonic here at our main location in Long Island City. Sammy will also continue teaching classes at PS49 in the next school year. - I have offered [redacted] generously switching classes at PS49 as well as a package of 10 half hour private classes at our main location, which she refused. - As for the substitute teacher in the first class: our original teacher Rachel N[redacted] K[redacted], one of the best pianists on this planet having won 2nd place in the American Chopin Competition still found herself competing in the International Chopin Competition at the time of the first class. Her substitute teacher whom I personally observed teaching did an honorable job filling in on short notice and was able to teach basic elements such as rhythm, fingering and music notation to the children. After a few classes that Rachel K[redacted] taught after her return from the competition we both agreed that Sammy A[redacted] would be a better teacher teaching group classes. Yet Rachel's teaching has been proven to be successful before since she taught the classes during last school year. The final recital again was tremendously successful. So in either case [redacted]'s daughter would have learned the first year stages of piano playing beyond expectation. Please contact me at any time with any further questions regarding this case. Sincerely, Oliver S[redacted], Director of LICAM ###-###-#### [redacted] I am attaching mine and the teacher's responses to [redacted] complaints in the body of this e-mail: Dear [redacted], Thank you for voicing your concerns and I am very appreciative of parents taking an active part in the lessons offered. However I have observed Sammy A[redacted] teaching classes, I have received commendations from other parents who are excited to continue classes for their children, I have read the generous and professional responses to your e-mails and I have to say that I have complete confidence in the effectiveness of this teacher. I recommend switching to the 10 am class if possible if you are not happy with the discipline of the other children. I will also write to the other parents to be present in the classes. Also I will visit the 11 am class next Saturday to observe the group. The progress of group and private classes are not made during class time but by practicing the assigned material at home. I would say that 15 minutes per day is sufficient for this age level. As outlined in the application forms we are not offering refunds. However I will offer 10 private consecutive half hour classes at our main location [redacted] with one of our ten world-class piano teachers based on availability. This the best and most generous offer I can make. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Oliver S[redacted] ###-###-#### [redacted] Dear [redacted], I am sorry to hear that [redacted] will no longer be attending class and would urge you to reconsider your decision. I wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that group piano lessons are a waste of time and money -- by design, a group piano lesson doesn't offer as much individual attention as private lessons, but it is a great way for your daughter to get an introduction to the piano and make music with other people. As far as songs she has learned, [redacted] has worked on Bluebird, DEF March, and many of the songs prior to those two in the lesson book. These short songs may not seem like big accomplishments, but they are! It takes beginner students quite a while to learn the note names, find notes on the piano, play them with the right fingers, learn basic rhythms, etc. I agree with you that it would be nice if the class as a whole was more attentive, but it is important to me that the kids have fun while they learn. Rather than being a harsh disciplinarian or a mean teacher, I prefer to direct my students' energy into an activity that involves an aspect of music making or piano playing (for example, the marching game that we play at the end of the lesson helps the kids learn about rhythm and meter). I hope this helps to address some of your concerns. If you'd like, I am open to the idea of moving [redacted] to the 10am class -- they're working on the same songs right now, the kids are slightly calmer, and there's room in the class for one more student. Let me know if you'd like to do that. Thanks, Sammy A[redacted] Dear [redacted], If you would have attended the recitals that we had including last year you would have seen the excellent results our teachers achieved. We have many parents from Middle Village having their children taking private lessons at our Academy as a result of our high teaching standards which we have maintained throughout the years. As for Sammy's classes: I have observed her teaching and I could not be happier with her professionalism, demeanor and teaching skill. I am also utmost impressed with the attitude she employed responding to your criticism. Private lessons at LICAM is the generous and ONLY offer I am making. Thank you and have a nice day. Oliver S[redacted]
To Whom It May Concern, 10pt;"> Long Island City Academy of Music believes sincerely that the above mentioned claim does not warrant a refundHere are the reasons: - LICAM has provided group classes for the past years at PS and because of it's excellent reputation and world-class teachers we have been able to sustain the program for this long - The application form clearly stated that we do not provide refundsBecause of the extremely low tuition and LICAM's desire to pay it's teachers fairly, the profit margin for our school is minimalTherefore we need to structure classes according to students who sign up according to age, instrument and skill levelIf anyone drops out after class start the balance of an anticipated students per class will be offWe even provide classes even if we have only students per class and there is no profit margin at all because of our loyalty to PS and students that have been with us throughout all these years - I had a personal phone conversation with [redacted] in the Fall about what to expect at the end of the school yearI promised her that by the end of the school year the children will play very well at a recital in front of all the parentsExactly that happened last Saturday June **, at 10-11:am at the school auditoriumEvery child enrolled in the program performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over parents and familyThey exceeded the expectations that one could have from only group classesThey played their practiced material in rhythm with good tone and clearly understanding the musical content they were presentingEvery performance was met with generous applause - After [redacted] 's complaint about the classes I supervised the said classes personally and I found that the children who [redacted] accused of behaving badly and not following instructions did in fact followed their teacher Sammy A [redacted] instructions enthusiastically and were able to answer questions that I asked to test their progress accurately - As for the teacher: Sammy A [redacted] is beyond qualified for the job at handSammy received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she was a student of [redacted] and is now finishing up a Doctoral Degree in piano performance from Stonybrook UniversityShe is a generous and friendly teacher who is amazing at teaching group classesThe students love her and it clearly showsSammy has responded to [redacted] 's complaints promptly outlining her teaching methods and expectations for the childrenAs a result of her excellent job she has done at PSI have invited her to join our world-class faculty that includes musicians playing for the New York Philharmonic here at our main location in Long Island CitySammy will also continue teaching classes at PSin the next school year - I have offered [redacted] generously switching classes at PSas well as a package of half hour private classes at our main location, which she refused - As for the substitute teacher in the first class: our original teacher Rachel N [redacted] K***, one of the best pianists on this planet having won 2nd place in the American Chopin Competition still found herself competing in the International Chopin Competition at the time of the first classHer substitute teacher whom I personally observed teaching did an honorable job filling in on short notice and was able to teach basic elements such as rhythm, fingering and music notation to the childrenAfter a few classes that Rachel K [redacted] taught after her return from the competition we both agreed that Sammy A [redacted] would be a better teacher teaching group classesYet Rachel's teaching has been proven to be successful before since she taught the classes during last school yearThe final recital again was tremendously successfulSo in either case [redacted] 's daughter would have learned the first year stages of piano playing beyond expectation Please contact me at any time with any further questions regarding this case Sincerely, Oliver S [redacted] , Director of LICAM ###-###-#### [redacted] I am attaching mine and the teacher's responses to [redacted] complaints in the body of this e-mail: Dear [redacted] , Thank you for voicing your concerns and I am very appreciative of parents taking an active part in the lessons offeredHowever I have observed Sammy A [redacted] teaching classes, I have received commendations from other parents who are excited to continue classes for their children, I have read the generous and professional responses to your e-mails and I have to say that I have complete confidence in the effectiveness of this teacher I recommend switching to the am class if possible if you are not happy with the discipline of the other childrenI will also write to the other parents to be present in the classesAlso I will visit the am class next Saturday to observe the groupThe progress of group and private classes are not made during class time but by practicing the assigned material at homeI would say that minutes per day is sufficient for this age level As outlined in the application forms we are not offering refundsHowever I will offer private consecutive half hour classes at our main location [redacted] with one of our ten world-class piano teachers based on availabilityThis the best and most generous offer I can makeThank you very much Sincerely, Oliver S [redacted] ###-###-#### [redacted] Dear [redacted] , I am sorry to hear that [redacted] will no longer be attending class and would urge you to reconsider your decisionI wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that group piano lessons are a waste of time and money -- by design, a group piano lesson doesn't offer as much individual attention as private lessons, but it is a great way for your daughter to get an introduction to the piano and make music with other people As far as songs she has learned, [redacted] has worked on Bluebird, DEF March, and many of the songs prior to those two in the lesson bookThese short songs may not seem like big accomplishments, but they are! It takes beginner students quite a while to learn the note names, find notes on the piano, play them with the right fingers, learn basic rhythms, etc I agree with you that it would be nice if the class as a whole was more attentive, but it is important to me that the kids have fun while they learnRather than being a harsh disciplinarian or a mean teacher, I prefer to direct my students' energy into an activity that involves an aspect of music making or piano playing (for example, the marching game that we play at the end of the lesson helps the kids learn about rhythm and meter) I hope this helps to address some of your concernsIf you'd like, I am open to the idea of moving [redacted] to the 10am class -- they're working on the same songs right now, the kids are slightly calmer, and there's room in the class for one more studentLet me know if you'd like to do that Thanks, Sammy A [redacted] Dear [redacted] , If you would have attended the recitals that we had including last year you would have seen the excellent results our teachers achievedWe have many parents from Middle Village having their children taking private lessons at our Academy as a result of our high teaching standards which we have maintained throughout the years As for Sammy's classes: I have observed her teaching and I could not be happier with her professionalism, demeanor and teaching skillI am also utmost impressed with the attitude she employed responding to your criticismPrivate lessons at LICAM is the generous and ONLY offer I am making Thank you and have a nice day Oliver S [redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID# ***, and have determined that my complaint has NOT been resolved because:
*** *** *** states that he will not refund my tuition because the tuition is low to begin with and talks about the logistics of his profit margin As a customer, I agreed to pay the tuition and in return there was an expectation; yet, the expectation of the teachers and piano lessons were not met Perhaps it is this "low tuition" mentality that *** *** believes that I should not have high expectations of the lessons
During my phone conversation with *** *** in October, he never stated that a refund was out of the question First and foremost, *** *** never attended a class to check on the students that were misbehaving as he is asserting I, on the other hand, have sat in each and every class Since I also work at the school, I know the students and their parents, and as a professional, I would never accuse students of being disrespectful if they were not As my email exchange states, I even felt the need to speak out to the students during the lesson in which they were knocking over the desks and laughing - a total loss of control on the teacher's part I was very disappointed to see this and I said so to the students: "you would never knock over the desks during music class with MsKand you know better."
As far as the end of year performance, the students were - as we call in education - "taught to the test" - they played exactly what was rehearsed over and over again A piano student from this class cannot take any learned notes and apply it to any other song because there was no actual piano teaching
The teacher, Sammy A***, may be a pianist, but that does not make her a piano teacher As I stated, one entire class was wasted on each student taking a turn drawing the G clef on the white board Other classes she would begin late yet terminate on time
In one email, Sammy A*** asked me to change my daughter to the 10:class The Revdex.com should be aware that my daughter is in the beginner's class (students with no experience) and the class I was asked to switch my daughter into is the advanced class (or students with experience) The teacher states "*** *** *** ** *** *** ***" As evidence of the poor quality of the lesson, one must ask why an advanced class would be working on the same songs as the beginner's class Why is there any differentiation in the two levels How can my daughter, who has no piano experience, move into an advanced class and be successful? What is wrong with this scenario? In the second place, the instructor in the email admits that the 10:are "*** *** *** *** ** *** ** *** *** *** *** *** ***", thereby proving my complaint about the studentsI refused the private classes in lieu of a refund because as I have stated, I do not like the teaching methodology of this institution
*** *** harps on the fact that the original teacher, Rachel N*** K***, is the best pianist on the planet, hence her absence to compete in the International Chopin Competition The best pianist on the planet absolutely knew she would be competing AHEAD OF TIME, not last minute (as would be the case of someone falling ill) and yet, she never prepared a lesson for her substitute Nor did *** *** expect the substitute to prepare anything for the children ahead of time He claims the substitute taught x, y, and z, and ideally he should have, but *** *** did not observe the lesson as I and all the other parents did Again, it was an hour of hearing his apology for "only finding out late last night that I would be teaching this class today" and teaching from the seat of his pants - no clear lesson plan *** *** only came in half way through the first lesson to collect my check, and to announce that their regular teacher would be there the next week
As I mentioned in my original complaint, the best pianist on the planet, Rachel N*** K***, did attend the second lesson, yet she was so unprepared, she did not even know that it was a beginner's class - she called on volunteers to come up to the keyboard to PLAY their favorite song It was the parents who had to speak up to inform her that it was a beginner's class The best pianist on the planet then stumbled through the next hour coming up with stuff to do A real disservice to our children who have been eagerly anticipating a better piano lesson that the first one, only to be disappointed again
The Revdex.com should know that the relationship with this music academy and P.Sis such that, the school is open for Saturday school to our students, and since the school is open, it allows the music academy to use it's empty classrooms When the school is closed on Saturdays due to Monday Holidays, there are no music lessons
To Whom It May Concern,
10pt;"> Long Island City Academy of Music believes sincerely that the above mentioned claim does not warrant a refund. Here are the reasons: - LICAM has provided group classes for the past 5 years at PS 49 and because of it's excellent reputation and world-class teachers we have been able to sustain the program for this long. - The application form clearly stated that we do not provide refunds. Because of the extremely low tuition and LICAM's desire to pay it's teachers fairly, the profit margin for our school is minimal. Therefore we need to structure classes according to students who sign up according to age, instrument and skill level. If anyone drops out after class start the balance of an anticipated 6 students per class will be off. We even provide classes even if we have only 3 students per class and there is no profit margin at all because of our loyalty to PS 49 and students that have been with us throughout all these years. - I had a personal phone conversation with [redacted] in the Fall about what to expect at the end of the school year. I promised her that by the end of the school year the children will play very well at a recital in front of all the parents. Exactly that happened last Saturday June **, 2016 at 10-11:30 am at the school auditorium. Every child enrolled in the program performed in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 100 parents and family. They exceeded the expectations that one could have from only 23 group classes. They played their practiced material in rhythm with good tone and clearly understanding the musical content they were presenting. Every performance was met with generous applause. - After [redacted]'s complaint about the classes I supervised the said classes personally and I found that the children who [redacted] accused of behaving badly and not following instructions did in fact followed their teacher Sammy A[redacted] instructions enthusiastically and were able to answer questions that I asked to test their progress accurately. - As for the teacher: Sammy A[redacted] is beyond qualified for the job at hand. Sammy received her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music, where she was a student of [redacted] and is now finishing up a Doctoral Degree in piano performance from Stonybrook University. She is a generous and friendly teacher who is amazing at teaching group classes. The students love her and it clearly shows. Sammy has responded to [redacted]'s complaints promptly outlining her teaching methods and expectations for the children. As a result of her excellent job she has done at PS49 I have invited her to join our world-class faculty that includes musicians playing for the New York Philharmonic here at our main location in Long Island City. Sammy will also continue teaching classes at PS49 in the next school year. - I have offered [redacted] generously switching classes at PS49 as well as a package of 10 half hour private classes at our main location, which she refused. - As for the substitute teacher in the first class: our original teacher Rachel N[redacted] K[redacted], one of the best pianists on this planet having won 2nd place in the American Chopin Competition still found herself competing in the International Chopin Competition at the time of the first class. Her substitute teacher whom I personally observed teaching did an honorable job filling in on short notice and was able to teach basic elements such as rhythm, fingering and music notation to the children. After a few classes that Rachel K[redacted] taught after her return from the competition we both agreed that Sammy A[redacted] would be a better teacher teaching group classes. Yet Rachel's teaching has been proven to be successful before since she taught the classes during last school year. The final recital again was tremendously successful. So in either case [redacted]'s daughter would have learned the first year stages of piano playing beyond expectation. Please contact me at any time with any further questions regarding this case. Sincerely, Oliver S[redacted], Director of LICAM ###-###-#### [redacted] I am attaching mine and the teacher's responses to [redacted] complaints in the body of this e-mail: Dear [redacted], Thank you for voicing your concerns and I am very appreciative of parents taking an active part in the lessons offered. However I have observed Sammy A[redacted] teaching classes, I have received commendations from other parents who are excited to continue classes for their children, I have read the generous and professional responses to your e-mails and I have to say that I have complete confidence in the effectiveness of this teacher. I recommend switching to the 10 am class if possible if you are not happy with the discipline of the other children. I will also write to the other parents to be present in the classes. Also I will visit the 11 am class next Saturday to observe the group. The progress of group and private classes are not made during class time but by practicing the assigned material at home. I would say that 15 minutes per day is sufficient for this age level. As outlined in the application forms we are not offering refunds. However I will offer 10 private consecutive half hour classes at our main location [redacted] with one of our ten world-class piano teachers based on availability. This the best and most generous offer I can make. Thank you very much. Sincerely, Oliver S[redacted] ###-###-#### [redacted] Dear [redacted], I am sorry to hear that [redacted] will no longer be attending class and would urge you to reconsider your decision. I wholeheartedly disagree with the idea that group piano lessons are a waste of time and money -- by design, a group piano lesson doesn't offer as much individual attention as private lessons, but it is a great way for your daughter to get an introduction to the piano and make music with other people. As far as songs she has learned, [redacted] has worked on Bluebird, DEF March, and many of the songs prior to those two in the lesson book. These short songs may not seem like big accomplishments, but they are! It takes beginner students quite a while to learn the note names, find notes on the piano, play them with the right fingers, learn basic rhythms, etc. I agree with you that it would be nice if the class as a whole was more attentive, but it is important to me that the kids have fun while they learn. Rather than being a harsh disciplinarian or a mean teacher, I prefer to direct my students' energy into an activity that involves an aspect of music making or piano playing (for example, the marching game that we play at the end of the lesson helps the kids learn about rhythm and meter). I hope this helps to address some of your concerns. If you'd like, I am open to the idea of moving [redacted] to the 10am class -- they're working on the same songs right now, the kids are slightly calmer, and there's room in the class for one more student. Let me know if you'd like to do that. Thanks, Sammy A[redacted] Dear [redacted], If you would have attended the recitals that we had including last year you would have seen the excellent results our teachers achieved. We have many parents from Middle Village having their children taking private lessons at our Academy as a result of our high teaching standards which we have maintained throughout the years. As for Sammy's classes: I have observed her teaching and I could not be happier with her professionalism, demeanor and teaching skill. I am also utmost impressed with the attitude she employed responding to your criticism. Private lessons at LICAM is the generous and ONLY offer I am making. Thank you and have a nice day. Oliver S[redacted]