Frequently Asked
Questions

While weekly lessons are the norm, the decision is really up to you. Many students take multiple lessons each week, using at least one of those as a guided practice session. Other students take lessons every two weeks or monthly, to fit their budgets and schedules.

Tunelark instructors offer 30-minute, 45-minute, and 1-hour lessons. The choice is up to you.

It’s completely up to you. We’re here to help you learn new skills and experience the joy of making music. You won’t feel any pressure to practice from us. In fact, many students use their Tunelark lessons as their primary time to practice, learn, and enjoy music.

For students who choose to practice between lessons, instructors will provide structure, goals, exercises, and practice techniques. Many accomplished performers take regular Tunelark lessons to further hone their craft and prepare for their auditions and concerts.

In addition, Tunelark’s educational games are available to help you learn skills like note reading, music theory, and ear training in between lessons. The online games adapt to your pace automatically so you can learn foundational skills efficiently on your own. Your instructor can give you access to the games to explore on your own, or they may give you specific assignments to inspire your progress.

Absolutely! Lessons come in all shapes and sizes depending on your musical background, learning style, lesson frequency and length, and what you want to learn.

Many of our students schedule multiple lessons per week using some of them as guided practice sessions, in which they focus on practicing and mastering a prior lesson’s material. These practice sessions with your instructor offer an effective way to accelerate your learning and improve your practice skills so that you can learn that next song or piece even faster.

For busy students who have no time to practice, guided practice sessions offer a break from everything else and a time to relax and sink into learning and enjoying your instrument.

Sign in to your Tunelark account and click on “Upcoming lessons.” For the lesson you need to change, click on “Reschedule or cancel” and complete the short form. Your instructor and Account Manager will be notified, and you will receive confirmation of the change via email.

If the match doesn’t seem right for you, simply email your Account Manager and let them know. Please be as specific as possible about what you’re looking for and they will use that information to make a better match next time. Your first lesson with a new instructor will be 50% off!

Out of respect for instructors’ time and livelihood, we require at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule a lesson without charge. We make exceptions for emergencies.

Should you need to cancel or reschedule an upcoming lesson, sign in to your Tunelark account and click on “Upcoming lessons.” For the lesson you need to change, click “Reschedule or cancel” and complete the short form. Your instructor and Account Manager will be notified, and you will receive confirmation of the change via email.

Call or text your instructor if you have difficulty connecting to your lesson. Their phone number can be found in the calendar invite for the lesson. We recommend emailing them too. If you cannot connect with your instructor, give us a call at (510) 775-2184.

After your introductory lesson is scheduled, you will receive an email with a link to sign in to your Tunelark account and add a payment method. For your convenience, future lessons will automatically be charged to this card in the morning before each lesson.

If you prefer to pay manually before each lesson, please sign in to your Tunelark account and click “Billing.” From there, you can click “Pay now.” You will then have the option to switch to a different card before making your payment.

Instructors set their own rates, so it depends. But you can calculate an estimate on our pricing page. As part of the matching process, your Account Manager will send you info about instructors’ rates along with links to their profiles so you can learn more about them.

First, we review information from applicants regarding their teaching experience, music degrees, teaching certifications, music teacher organization memberships, teaching style, physical studio environment, and more.

Next, we require video submissions to demonstrate applicants’ performance skills on their primary instrument.

For the small number of applicants who are still under consideration at this stage in our vetting process, we then focus on gathering testimonials from their former and current students to assess their teaching skills and style. We also run a background check on them.

Finally, we conduct a two-round interview process to evaluate instructors’ teaching experience, educational background, musical knowledge, and personality / pedagogical style. Interviews are conducted by experienced music educators on our admissions team.

Successful applicants who become Certified Tunelark Instructors have the full endorsement of our team. They have stood out throughout the vetting process as accomplished musicians who are also exceptional, experienced instructors who bring professionalism, patience, and warmth to each lesson.

Our experienced admissions team carefully vet each Tunelark instructor to ensure they have mastery in all the instruments they teach and proficiency in the art of instruction. Instructors with advanced degrees in performance and pedagogy, as well as many years of experience in education, enter the roster as senior instructors. Their advanced expertise commands a slightly higher rate. Instructors not classified as senior instructors can eventually become senior instructors by continuing their professional development, honing their teaching skills over time, and consistently earning glowing testimonials from their students.