Beginner Mahjong Lessons, Privately
Fifty dollars an hour, in Rochester, Minnesota or by video. Come sit by me, dear — you will read a hand your first afternoon.
Your first afternoon at the table
We begin with your thirteen tiles and the five headline counts, not with a rulebook. You will read a hand the first afternoon. Then the shapes, one family at a time, each with a phrase that sticks a dozen lines to your memory at once.
By the end you can sit down at any table in town, follow the play, and call your own mahjong. When you do, we will applaud loudly enough to alarm the neighbors.
Fifty dollars an hour. Ten hours bought together is four hundred and fifty, paid up front, and those hours do not expire. Typically four to six sessions is plenty.
Lessons are taught in person within twenty miles of Rochester, Minnesota, or by video over Google Meet if you are farther afield or would rather. Bring nothing at all to the first one; we supply tiles, racks and everything else. You will want your own current-year National Mah Jongg League card eventually, and we will tell you how to order one. We never photocopy, dear.
I will read what you send me, pair you with the instructor who suits what you want to learn, and she will write to you directly. Payment is collected once your lesson plan is finalized, not before.
Before we begin, dear
Nothing is charged yet, dear. Tell me what you are after and I will read it myself, pair you with the instructor who suits it, and she will write to you directly to settle the details. Payment is collected once your lesson plan is finalized, not before.
In-person lessons are taught within twenty miles of Rochester, Minnesota. Farther afield, or if you would rather, we teach over Google Meet.
Questions are never silly at this table
Am I too old to learn?
No, dear. I have taught women in their nineties and taught them well. This game rewards patience and pattern sense, both of which tend to improve with a life lived.
How long until I can actually play?
You will play, badly and happily, in your first lesson. You will hold your own at a friendly table after four or five. Reading the table well takes a year or so, and that part never quite finishes.
What if I cannot memorize things?
Then you have found the right teacher. I do not teach memorization. I teach recognition, which is a different faculty entirely and a far more reliable one. When a student tells me she cannot memorize, I already know the three different things she might mean and the drill for each.
Do I need to buy a set first?
No. Wait until you know you love it. We lend you tiles until then, and you can print a practice set at home in the meantime.
When do I pay?
Once your lesson plan is finalized, not before. Send the form, I read it myself and pair you with an instructor, she writes to you to settle the details, and payment comes after that is agreed.
Can I buy more hours later?
Of course. Book another hour whenever you like, or take ten at once and save ten percent. Those hours do not expire.
What if I need to cancel?
Write to your instructor and we will find another afternoon. Life happens at every table.