Private Lesson Program

SpeakMusic Faculty reserve time on their schedules, plan for your lessons, and invest in the long-term development of each student during our year-round private lesson program from September to August

In the 2023/24 season, Private Lesson students receive 48 weeks of music training including:

• Regular, weekly lesson time with SpeakMusic professional teaching artist faculty.  View our academic calendar for planned holiday and event closures.  
• Participation at our SpeakMusic Community days and Performance Workshops
• Access to teaching and practice studios with professional instruments
• Preferred pricing for classes and ensembles
• Student and Faculty Recitals (fees required)

Private Lesson Tuition:

• Tuition for our 48 week season is a flat monthly fee.   Most months have four lessons, however some have three or five lessons and the tuition payment stays the same
• Tuition is due by the first day of each month and will be charged through our monthly payment system via credit or debit card.
• Payments overdue past the 5th of the month will be charged a $25 late fee.
• Students’ lessons and classes will be interrupted if accounts fall behind in payment.
• Educational materials, music books, instrument rental and other accessories are available separately from many
• Private lesson students may purchase additional exam or recital preparation lessons.
• Tuition is prorated, depending on start date.
• Tuition and registration fees are not refundable.

Attendance for Lessons, Ensembles and Classes:

• Regular attendance is expected
• Students late to their lessons receive only the remaining amount of their lesson time
• There are no makeups for ensembles and classes.

Missed Lessons:

• Lessons must be cancelled with a minimum of 24 hour notice through your online account to receive Makeup Lesson credit.
• Cancellations made with less than 24-hour notice will not qualify for a Makeup Lesson credit
• Makeup Lessons expire within 3 months of the absence (Schedule the lessons ASAP to ensure continued progress!)
• Private Lesson students receive 5 makeup lessons for our season (September – August).
• It is the students responsibility to schedule the makeup lesson via their online account
• Makeup Lessons cannot be rescheduled.
• If a student is sick with less than 24 hours notice, please use the online chat function with the faculty member to send a recording of the student’s playing to receive feedback and items to practice for the week.
• No tuition credit or refunds will be provided for missed lessons and classes.

Pausing your Private Lesson Membership in June, July or August:

• You may put pause a private lesson membership with a Leave of Absence for up to two months during June, July or August with a notice by the 15th of the preceding month.  For example:  If you are travelling in the month of July, fill out a leave of absence by June 15th so that we can modify your account for July lessons. 
• Holds requests received after the 15th of the month, will be subject to a service fee of 50% of the monthly tuition that can be applied to account credit to be used within 90 days.
• Your lesson time and teacher will be reserved only by pre-paying tuition for the returning month. (Latest resume date is September 1st).
• Students on private lesson membership hold, may not use makeups during that period.
• While on summer hold, members may purchase individual lessons.

For students taking a vacation during the September-May months be sure to cancel your lessons in advance and book your makeups!

Withdrawals from Private Lessons:

• To withdraw from Private Lesson Membership, contact the office by the 15th of the month.  Requests received after will be processed effective for the next month.
  • For example, to withdrawal for April, you must submit the withdrawal by the March 15th.  
• Unused lesson or account credits expire at membership end
• There are no refunds
• Membership cannot be transferred

Withdrawals from Classes and Ensembles:

Every student counts with the small size of our classes.  Account credit will be given to students withdrawing after the first class session minus a 25% withdrawal fee.  No credits are provided after the second class session.

Request a schedule change or new placement:

Students receive a weekly lesson day and time. If a change of schedule or instructor is required, please email the office.  A minimum of two weeks notice is required to process a schedule change request.  Lessons missed due to late schedule change requests are not eligible for makeup.

School closing

In the event of a weather emergency, up-to-date status information will be available on our website and social media accounts via Facebook and Instagram.

Class Cancellation Policy

SMC reserves the right to cancel classes and ensembles with insufficient enrollment.  In the event of cancellation, a full refund will be issued.

Substitutes

On the rare occasion that a SMC Faculty member is unable to teach their scheduled lesson or class, a qualified substitute teacher will be provided to ensure continuity and progress.

Student Safety

To ensure your child’s safety, please be sure to pick him/her up promptly after class/lesson time. SpeakMusic Conservatory faculty and staff do not supervise children waiting in SpeakMusic Conservatory’s hallways before and/or after classes/lessons. Children are under supervision during their instruction time only. Neither instructors nor administrators are responsible for supervising children outside of teaching time.

Families should also provide the school with any special medical needs the student might have, as well as information about allergies that may be pertinent during their lessons.

Student Conduct

It is expected that students maintain appropriate behavior with SMC faculty and staff throughout their enrollment at the school.

No food will be allowed inside the classrooms nor can drinks be consumed.  Drinks with a closed lid/cap will be permitted inside a teaching studio, provided they remain unopened.  Under no circumstance can food or liquids be left on top of pianos or any instrument.

The student and families agree to treat all the materials provided by the school with care. The family will be responsible for any damage to the facilities or instruments by a student.

No guest, student, or family member will enter in any music room without permission from the SMC faculty/staff.

As a reminder, the waiting area and hallways of SMC are a quiet space for students and families to await their lesson time.  Please be considerate of other students and families. Keep cell phone conversations to a minimum and no running or shouting is tolerated.

We reserve the right to terminate enrollment at SMC with no refunds should this list be violated after a warning.

Health Protocols

We care deeply about keeping our entire community healthy and improved our ventilation systems before our 2022 reopening.  Please help us by:

1. Every student must wash hands before their lesson
2. No Cold Policy! Students with symptoms of any kind should not come to lessons and will be denied entry.
3. Any student that has tested positive for any other infectious disease whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, in the previous five days, please contact the office for virtual lesson.
4. Instructors are permitted to refuse lessons in the event of failed compliance to our guidelines.

Photo and Recording policy

SpeakMusic Conservatory reserves the right and may give permission to appropriate staff or outside media, to photograph and record (video or audio) classes, programs, and participants at all our facilities and properties. Please be aware that these photos or recordings are for promotional purposes and may be used in future print or electronic publications and media communications. By participating in SpeakMusic Conservatory programs, you consent to the video or audio recording or taking of photographs for these purposes.

Payment methods

We only accept credit and debit cards via our online payment system.

updated 8/1/2024