STUDIO POLICIES
Materials
You will be asked periodically to purchase materials such as books, rosin, strings (but usually not if you are renting an instrument) and a metronome. A metronome is a mandatory practice tool.
Practice
For students to successfully advance on an instrument, it is necessary for them to spend quality time practicing. Of course, we will provide feedback and very specific instructions each week, however, since we cannot supervise students’ practicing at home, parents must make sure that their child is practicing at home daily. This is the key to improvement whether learning to play an instrument or learning to speak a new language. Correct repetition requires diligence and focus. After all, that is one of the valued benefits of learning to play an instrument. No matter what the reason is for playing a musical instrument, the main objective should always remain the same – steady progress. Go to our Parent Resource page at www.advancedartsmusicstudios/keys-to-success.com for more information on how to help your child succeed in playing their instrument.
Payments
Payments are due on the first lesson of every month. In the event that your payment is not presented at this lesson, the lesson will still be given. However, you must either send the payment via mail or bring it to us within a four-day period from the day of that lesson. After that four day grace period, a $15 late charge per week will be applied (due along with, and added to, the original tuition payment) until the payment is received. We accept payments made by cash, check or through the use of PayPal if you have an account at www.paypal.com. (Paypal fees will be applied.) At this time, credit card payments are not accepted.
Attendance
Please sign your initials in the attendance log before each lesson so that we have a record of it. This will serve as a very easy way to count the number of lessons which a student has received in any given month or during the school year and summer. Students who begin taking lesson at the beginning of the school year are required to take at least 38 lessons during the school year. This takes into account the major holidays and spring break. We do encourage you, however, to continue your child’s lessons during and around some of the holidays if you in town and as long as we are available to teach.
Studio Etiquette
Please arrive on time but not before your scheduled lesson. When you arrive, please pull up to the front as far away from the mailbox as possible so that you do not impede the mailman from being able to deliver the mail nor prevent the neighbors from being able to drive up to their mailbox. Both mailboxes are attached to one brick structure.
While entering the studio, please be very quiet as there may be a lesson in progress in the front room. Also, set cell phones to vibrate (or turn them off) and do not take calls during the lesson so that your child can benefit from an uninterrupted thought process. Your instructor will greatly appreciate your efforts.
Food and drink will not be permitted in the studios.
Cancellations and Make-Ups
If you need to reschedule a lesson, you must give us 24-hours of notice. This is because you are purchasing a time slot which, if you do not use, cannot be used by anyone else without enough advanced notice. Lesson times are at a premium due to the nature of available hours in each day in which we can teach. Please tell your children to let you know as far in advance as possible when they are notified of any activity that may conflict with a lesson at our studio. You can then notify us immediately and we will do what we can to find you a makeup time. It may require shifting at least one if not more students around so please keep the rescheduling to a minimum.
In most cases we cannot just allow lessons to be cancelled, however, you can make arrangements with us for a make-up lesson to be given at a mutually agreed upon time. We understand that from time to time students become ill and are not able to attend their lesson. Therefore, we will do our best to make-up lessons that were missed due to unforeseen illnesses. However, any lesson that was missed due to a reschedule or sickness must be made up within three weeks of the date of the missed lesson. If we have attempted to find a mutually agreed upon makeup time for the missed lesson but you are unavailable within that three week period, you will have to forfeit the lesson.
A family vacation taken during the school year is not eligible for a makeup (please refer to the Plano Independent School District website for the official holiday calendar at www.pisd.edu). No make-up lesson will be given for any student who fails to show up for a scheduled lesson and who did not call to notify us.
Summer Instruction
Summer lessons will begin the week following the last day of school according to the Plano Independent School District calendar. It is highly recommended that your child take summer lessons if at all possible. Learning to play an instrument well requires steady, year-round practice to master the skills required to be proficient on a musical instrument. Without scheduled lessons, students tend not to practice so much as they feel there is no goal to work towards.
Lesson Termination
In the unlikely event that you should choose to terminate your child’s musical instruction before the end of a month in which payment has already been given, a refund will not be issued. The only exceptions to this are in the case where a family is suddenly transferred from the area and traveling to the lesson location becomes prohibitive; or there is a prolonged illness in the immediate family that creates a financial burden. In these, and similar cases, you will receive a refund.
