The 2022-2023 Academic Year is August 5th through May 30st.
There’s no guessing tuition cost because it remains the same each month.
There are no lessons on Holidays plus Fall, Winter and Spring Breaks. Please see School Calendar for closure dates. The tuition rate reflects the weeks we are in session. You aren’t being charged for breaks. The tuition cost takes into accounts the fact that families will most likely miss a lesson here or there or there might be a cancelation due to weather.
Tuition is not adjusted/credited for any reason. We DO prorate tuition if you start mid-School Year Session
Keep in mind that this policy is consistent with most schools, sports teams, etc. which place an importance on regular attendance & dedicated commitment.
School Year Session-first week of August – about the last week of May. You may start lessons at any time and tuition will be prorated.
Summer Session runs June and July. See “Summer Session” for more details
STUDIO MATERIAL FEE $50 /semester
DUE July 20th or when student enrolls & DUE December 20th
Non-Refundable Studio Material Fee per student is required for each academic year
Summer Studio Material Fee $35 due the end of May
Lost books will be replaced but charged to the next month’s tuition.
ENROLLMENT FEE $30 a ONE time non refundable fee due when enrolling a new student. Returning students are exempt.
TUITION
PAYMENT
Credit Card or Bank Debit Auto Payments to be processed the 26th of each month for the upcoming month’s lessons.
Except: 1st tuition payment per Semester (Aug & Jan.) is due by July 20th &
PAYMENTS & LATE FEES December 20th + mat. fee or upon enrolling.
Membership includes: Online Account to access billing/payment, scheduling, homework & practice.
Payments will be automatically billed to the credit card or bank account you select in your account.
LATE FEES:
Declined (due the 26th) or late payments result in a $25 late fee.
If tuition is not paid by the last day of the month (for the upcoming month) there is additional $20 charge.
Teacher will not be able to teach the student until the account is made current.
Returned checks will require a $25.00 bank fee.
ATTENDANCE/ MISSING LESSONS
Tuition reserves the student a weekly time slot & benefits within the studio.
Tuition remains the same each month and is based on enrollment, not attendance, reserving your child’s exclusive lesson time during the year, whether he/she attends lessons or not.
When calculating tuition for the school year a couple missed lessons are taken into account.
Keep in mind for every hour enrolled in lessons, teachers & staff invest an average of 2-3 hours of their time outside of the regular teaching schedule. AND we account for some missed lessons in the annual tuition amount.
We guarantee that every student receives much more of teacher’s and staff’s time than the 60 minutes we see you each week.
There will be no rescheduled lessons when canceled by the student due to illness, vacations, weather, or forgetfulness etc.
See options for missing lessons below.
No-shows and cancellations will not be refunded.
If the school must cancel a lesson, which happens rarely, we will reschedule with you when there is a convenient time to do so.
Voice students who have lost their voice but are not sick may still attend lessons.
We will have a “No- Singing” Lesson which covers lots of other things including theory, ear training, active listening and choosing new repertoire.
CANCEL a lesson & let teacher/staff know if student would like VIRTUAL or VIDEO LESSON Check Parent Account info. in the Survival Guide HANDBOOK for CANCELATION Instructions
Options if the student can’t attend their reserved lesson time:
VIRTUAL LESSON Can’t make it to the studio for some reason? Zoom, Skype or FaceTime online lesson during the students scheduled lesson time. Students under 7 will need a parent standing by to help.
See Virtual Lesson Setup in the Handbook for more info.
VIDEO LESSON or Assignment posted in Teacher Zone:
Students are encouraged to send video or audio of their pieces and scanned photo of their written work to their teacher through Teacher Zone Chat. This will give teachers something to work from as they create a lesson video and assignment for that student during their usually assigned lesson time. (Students are not required to send their teacher a video.)
Teacher will use the student’s reserved lesson time to send detailed feedback and/or record a Video Lesson and/or post assignment for the student to complete in Teacher Zone.
Teachers without a video from the student will refer back to the student’s last assigned lesson and create a makeup lesson plan using that information. For students that are gone for more than a week we will offer live internet lessons during their assigned lesson time.
MATERIALS/INSTRUMENT NEEDED (provided by each parent/student)
Home Instrument – please see “Choosing Instrument and When to Upgrade” & “Practice & Home Setup” documents for more details including suggested ways for students to listen to music tracks and/or CD’s. Computer, iPad or Smart phone access – Since we are a modern school we do use technology to teach and assign homework. This means a student might have an online assignment, a video from a teacher, a backing track to play along with or a teaching game to help master a music concept that requires they can access one of the devices listed.
PRORATING
New students may enroll any time. The Annual (Aug-May) Tuition will be prorated to reflect the remainder of the year.
RECITALS & PERFORMANCES
Recitals are not optional. They are a requirement of the studio. The student and his/her supporters must arrive on time and stay until ALL students have played. Community Performances and other exciting piano events occur several times throughout the year and are optional.
DISCONTINUING LESSONS
Enrolling in Lessons reserves your lesson time for the entire School Year from August through May. We understand that everyone stops taking lessons at some point. This decision should be made with thoughtful consideration and with open discussion between parent, student and teacher. This allows us a chance to fill the time slot and finish the lessons on a positive note for the student. If a student does not finish their private lessons with a 30-day written notice, there will be a one-month tuition charged to the credit card on file or family will be billed.
DISMISSAL OF STUDENT- Students may be dismissed from lessons for any of the following reasons:
Destruction or theft of property in the studio
Disrespect or uncooperative attitude toward teachers or other students
Failure to comply with studio policy
Failure to pay tuition by the due date
SUMMER SESSION: JUNE/ JULY & HOLD FEE
We highly encourage students to continue lessons over the summer months (June & July.) Taking too long of a break may require as much as a full month of review to refresh forgotten concepts. Our policies give flexibility to schedule around family activities over the summer. Keep in mind we do Skype, Facetime & Zoom Lessons if Student has access to a keyboard and an internet connection while traveling.
If a student does not continue lessons during summer & does not pay the “Hold My Spot” fee they will be put on the waiting list.
If a student does not continue lessons during summer & does not pay the “Hold My Spot” fee they will be put on the waiting list.
1. STAY UP TO TEMPO! I like consistency – let’s keep doing lessons so we don’t lose all that we’ve learned!
Summer Session is 8 regular weekly scheduled lessons with discounted tuition if paid in full by May 28th.
2. I NEED TO CHANGE IT UP. A more flexible schedule works better for us in summer.
Attend specially scheduled lessons based on your summer availability (scheduled by mid-May) paying only for the lessons you schedule. Payments must be made by May 28th and June 28th. Ask for current rates.
3. GIVE US MORE! My kids have too much free time on their hands. I want them to do something productive & fun this summer!
– Extends your lesson time just for summer time.
– A specialized lesson plan (Summer Session plus the special lesson plan.) Try 15 minute or half hour add on!
– Siblings or friends can attend the extra time together- a great way to try some group activities such as duets, games or music theory.
4. I’LL BE BACH…I MEAN BACK. We will be out of town for the whole summer. Don’t let our spot go!
-Student takes a break from lessons during the summer months (June & July) by paying the “Hold My Spot” fee. This fee is a non-refundable deposit of $75 per student and will be applied to your first month’s tuition in the fall. This helps us plan ahead and means we all aren’t scrambling when school starts back up.
Payment of the Hold Fee means the student will continue to receive the benefits of studio membership including:
Keeping their lesson time in the fall or priority scheduling
Continued Piano Maestro and Teacher Zone Memberships
Access to special summer course (worksheets and videos.)
NO Hold Fee REFUND given if student cancels/ does not return after spot is held.
POLICY CHANGES
We reserve the right to update or modify these Studio Policies at any time and without prior notice, by posting the revised version of these Studio Policies on our website.
Your use of the Site following any such change constitutes your agreement with all posted Studio Policies updates, and you will be subject to the terms of the revised Studio Policies.
You may access the current version of these Studio Policies at any time on our web site.
Ready to Enroll in Lessons??? Complete the following steps to be assigned a lesson slot.
1. Complete Online Enrollment Form & Agreement to Private Lesson Terms & Conditions
2. Create your Parent Account Profile (you will be contacted with lesson openings)
3. Pay Tuition & Studio Fee. Plus $30 Enrollment Fee due for new students
PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Please arrive on time. See Before or After Class below. If your child needs to use the restroom before the lesson please come early enough to allow time for that. We recommend that you arrive 5 minutes early to do a bathroom break or hand washing as needed.
Arriving late means the lesson will be shorter and will still end as scheduled.
Parents may wait in the waiting area during their child’s lesson or (as most parents choose) can wait in their vehicle. (Please see Parent Lesson Attendance below for more details.)
Provide a home instrument (if you have questions about instrument details let us know so we can help you choose), music books, a working metronome and other materials as requested. See Home Setup
Provide quality listening music for your child to help them to become aware of different musical styles and provide a broad background and knowledge of classical music.
Provide time, support, encouragement, and discipline for regular & consistent practice. Make sure that your child practices the piano each day. Many students will not take the initiative to do this on their own and need to be reminded. Be involved in your child’s practice at home. Particularly with younger students or beginners, parents will need to help the child organize. It is helpful to review the lesson assignment with your child to ensure reasonable preparation for lessons.
NOTE TO PARENTS: It’s likely that at some point over the course of your child taking lessons they will start saying something to the effect of “I don’t want to practice” or “I’m too tired to go to my lesson” or I don’t want to go.” That’s normal and even professional musicians have days (or weeks) like that!!!! Please be aware that your child’s interest in lesson may not be 100% consistent, but to be successful you will beed to be consistent in your encouragement and commitment to their music education. In most cases, it is a temporary road block and will pass. Please keep us in the loop so we can try to re-inspire them and provide them with some extra encouragement.
PARENT LESSON ATTENDANCE
Please make sure you are available the last minutes of each lesson (see below for amount of time) so the teacher can make sure you understand homework in order to be helpful for students at home practice.
It’s also a good idea to periodically check the announcements board in the waiting area.
If your child is age 6 or under: Attend the last 5-8 minutes
If your child is age 7-9: Attend the last 3 mins. for the first 6 months
Ages 10 and up: You don’t need to attend the end of lessons but please check your child’s assignments in Teacher Zone to see if there are any notes/questions for you
Before or After Class:
If student arrives early for their lesson and the teacher is teaching another student/class, please wait in waiting area. Some students are easily distracted or are very shy about playing in front of other people. We want to make sure each student gets his or her full piano lesson/class without interruption. CHECK OUT the fun, engaging things to look at or do in the waiting area.
STUDIO ETIQUETTE
Parents must bring and pick students up on time
Cleanliness- Make sure your child’s hands are clean. If your child needs to wash them please arrive with enough time to do so before your lesson starts.
FOOD/ DRINK: No food, drinks or gum in the music studios – please eat your snack in the waiting area. Closed water bottles are allowed.
Young children may not be left unattended.
Stay in the waiting area as students/parents moving about the lesson rooms or classroom is very distracting to other students in lessons.
Students MUST silence their phones during lessons.
PARKING LOT
Many parents wait in the car during lessons. If you choose to do so make sure you are back in the studio if you need to attend the end of your child’s lessons (See Parent Lesson Attendance)
Children under the age of 8 must be picked up in the waiting area. Young children are not allowed to go into the parking lot without an adult. We are located on a very busy street.
We also encourage you to have your children wear shoes because we are located on a highly trafficked area we have found rubbish in the parking lots & would hate for children to get hurt walking to or from the studio.
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Students should come to lessons well-prepared with all assignments from the previous lesson, music books & binder
Wash your hands throughly before your lesson begins
Read & practice the assignments in your Online Student account
Practice as recommended below. Each student will have a personal practice recommendation that may differ based on their level, potential, and ability. Dividing the practice time before school and after school works well
We believe and support student driven learning…
This means the more a student practices & puts in the effort to do their assignments the faster they will excel through the curriculum.
One way we encourage this is by assigning Video Challenges where the student can send videos of them performing pieces proficiently & move forward faster.
BRING TO WEEKLY LESSON:
Music Bag – big enough to carry Music Books, Binder & other supplies.
3 Ring Binder (1”- 1 1/2”)
For Handouts & sheet music
Pencil (NO PENS!!)
Capped Water bottle (optional)
