Dear Students, Parents, Friends,
I hope you and your families & loved ones are all safe & healthy. Things are going well at Maplewood. Here is an update.
Lessons are available throughout the summer and we are glad that so many of you are continuing (with occasional time out for vacations). Students who continue year round are obviously ahead of the game come fall. But regardless of your summer plans, as we do every year, we invite all students to pre-register for the spot you would like on the fall schedule.See “Pre-Registration” below.
Faculty
We are very happy and proud to have all our fabulous faculty members – most of whom have been with us for many years – and we are delighted when more excellent teachers join our faculty. We are very glad to have Josh Faia with us as a second brass teacher (and he gave a great trumpet performance at our faculty concert in April). Of course, we are always very sorry to lose excellent teachers. Craig McIver (drums) left us in August. Julian Hartwell Horner (piano) left us in March as he plans for his move to Montreal. And Larry Cohen (piano & bass), who has been a major force at Maplewood for decades, has been out (for medical reasons) since February. We very much hope, that, after a full recovery, he will be back. Sometimes it takes a while to find the teachers we need. Right now, we could use another piano teacher and a great voice teacher. Also, a drum teacher for Ch. Hill and another violin teacher would help. Please let us know if you have any recommendations.
Maplewood Music Studio Faculty Concert for Debbie Syzdek Scholarship Fund
I want to thank everyone who helped make our concert on April 26 a great success. As always, the music was great & the spirit was high. Thank you to the teachers who performed so well and with such a unified purpose. Thank you to the large, attentive & appreciative audience who supported this event with their hearts. Thank you to David Braverman & Le Bus for once again supplying plentiful & delicious food for the reception – as he has for every year since 2009!
Finally, thank you to everyone – those in attendance or not – who have so generously donated to our Debbie Syzdek Scholarship Fund. Since its inception in March 2009, we have raised a total of $73,136 for our Scholarship Fund. This includes all donations, payments for concert DVDs and my matching funds. A total of 79 students – age 4 through 17, have benefited from scholarships so far – many for multiple years. Scholarships cover half the fee for lessons or classes at Maplewood Music Studio. If you’d like to donate to the scholarship fund, as so many of you have in the past, we would be very appreciative. Checks may be made out to “Debbie Syzdek Scholarship Fund” and mailed to 47 Maplewood Mall, Phila., PA 19144. Though donations are not tax deductible because we do not have charitable status, 100% is used as financial aid for students 18 & under who couldn’t otherwise afford lessons. Scholarship applicants may contact us now for summer or fall lessons.
Student Recitals
Our recitals are always a big thrill for students, teachers & audiences. We are delighted to report that we had a very successful student recital in December & children’s recital in March! We look forward to our next recital – on June 14 – for teenagers & adults. These fun & free events are highly recommended for all our hardworking students. We are now live-streaming these events & posting the videos on our Facebook page.
Visit Maplewood on Facebook & now, on Instagram
Help us reach more musicians, parents, and future students by ‘liking’ us on Facebook and check in regularly for the latest updates! It is public – meaning that you do NOT have to join Facebook to view it. You can also view the great videos we have posted there – including the April 26th faculty concert. We invite students to submit short performance videos. With your permission, in addition to home-made videos, we may also use clips from past student recitals.
And now – check us out on Instagram! Thanks to Carly Mayer for making that happen!
Visit our Website!
Visit us at www.MaplewoodMusicStudio.com to read faculty bios and get an overview of what we offer. And, of course, please mention it to anyone who may be interested in lessons.
Pre-Registration (for lessons beginning September 2026)
In June, we offer current students (including those who have already stopped for summer) an opportunity to pre-register for fall. This will guarantee the studio location (Germantown or Ch. Hill), teacher and schedule you want (depending, of course, on your teacher’s availability). Starting July 1, anyone may pre-register. To make sure no one takes the spot you want, pre-register soon! Students who are pre-registered for weekly, private lessons by July 1 will get a credit for a free lesson (1 per family).
Most folks take in-person lessons. But virtual lessons remain a good option for some – allowing students to avoid possible traffic or parking issues and allowing students who live far away to take lessons at Maplewood. There is also some increased scheduling flexibility for virtual lessons. And for those taking in-person lessons, an occasional virtual lesson works well when a student (or teacher) is unable to get to the studio.
To pre-register for private lessons for fall, we ask that you update your contact information (or let us know that it is unchanged), pay the registration fee and authorize automatic payments to be scheduled for September lessons. (Students who are not on auto-pay must pay by July 1 for at least 4 lessons that start in September.) If you are interested in pre-registering for a piano or drum class for fall, in addition to registration, a $50 deposit must be paid by July 1.
The yearly registration fee is $30. Since some students and families are relatively new to Maplewood, and have recently paid their 1st registration fee, we are prorating the pre-registration fee for next year according to this schedule:
Prorated Pre-Registration Fees for September 2026 – August 2027
If you paid a registration fee in May or June, 2026, your fee is just $15.
If you paid in April, 2026, your fee is $20.
If you paid in March, 2026, your fee is $25.
If you paid before March 1, 2026, your fee is $30.
Lesson Fees & Calendar
Please see the enclosed PDF files with our staff and fees for next year. Choose the correct insert (Germantown/Virtual or Ch. Hill) and the fee page that applies to you (Private Lessons, Semi-Private Lessons & Classes, Private Lesson Info. for non-EFT students or Students of Rich Rudin). There is also a registration form. If you need any help, please ask us. There is also a calendar (PDF file) with important information including tentative recital dates for next year.
Please note: There is no charge for EFTs from a checking account, which we encourage. For any payment made by credit or debit card, we add a 3% fee to the payment. As most of you know, the fees for lessons in Ch. Hill are a bit higher than those in Germantown. This is to help make it possible for us to be in Ch. Hill.
T-shirts
Maplewood Music T-shirts are available (for $14) in a variety of colors & sizes. Colors available now: pistachio (light green), orchid (lavender), sky (light blue), vegas gold, tan, tangerine orange (rust), blue dusk (navy), charcoal. Sizes available: small through extra large. If you want a color or size that we don’t have at the moment, we will order it for you.
Office
The studios in both Germantown and Chestnut Hill are open by appointment only. Ian Mayer handles much of the office work & is helped in that effort by his wife Carly. We encourage you to use e-mail when a conversation is not necessary. Voice mail messages & e-mails will be responded to ASAP, certainly by the next business day. We invite you to contact the office if you would like to make a suggestion, ask a question, or discuss scheduling.
Thank You
We appreciate you being part of the Maplewood Music Studio and hope that as we continue to grow, we will continue to serve your needs better and better. As always, talk to us. We welcome your questions and your suggestions.
– Rich Rudin
Germantown/Virtual:
Ch. Hill:
Rich Rudin, Director
Maplewood Music Studio
215-848-8353www.MaplewoodMusicStudio.comClick to visit us on Facebook & Instagram
(in Germantown) (in Chestnut Hill)
47 Maplewood Mall 8509 Germantown Ave.
Phila., PA 19144 Phila., PA 19118
