THE FOLLOWING POLICIES APPLY TO ALL REGISTERED STUDENTS, CHILD AND ADULT:

TUITION PAYMENT

Tuition is payable in full, on or before the first lesson of each term, unless otherwise arranged.

REGISTRATION FEE

There is a one-time registration fee of $30 for the year. This is so that the necessary preparation and paperwork for enrolling a student may be done by the teacher.

ATTENDANCE AND MAKEUP LESSONS

All lessons must be paid for, whether taken or missed. Regular weekly attendance is expected. If a student absolutely must miss a lesson, and provides a minimum of a 24 hour notice, there is a makeup week planned at the end of each term. A lesson missed only for reasons of emergency or illness may be made up at this time. There are no makeup lessons for missed group lesson weeks. Makeup lessons are limited to one per student per term. Snow days or lessons missed by the teacher will be made up or credited to the student's account.

CANCELLATION OF ENROLLMENT

If a student needs to discontinue lessons because of illness or other unavoidable circumstances, the studio will retain a pro-rated portion of the tuition for each week through the fourth (4th) week, after which no refunds will be made. The date of discontinuance will be the date on which the studio is notified in writing.

PRO-RATING OF TUITION

A new student, when first enrolled, may take a partial term of lessons with a pro-rated tuition, as long as the calendar allows for it. Due to scheduling intricacies, this option is not available for continuing students.

MATERIALS PURCHASED BY STUDENTS

Students are responsible for purchasing necessary books and materials when they are needed. The teacher will provide names, authors and publishers of materials to be used.

LENDING LIBRARY

Tuition includes unlimited use of materials from the lending library, which contains many musical books, magazines, records, tapes, scores and MIDI files. Students are responsible for the care and return of all materials checked out in their name. Replacement costs will be billed to the student's account.

OBSERVING LESSONS

The student may occasionally bring a visitor or parent to the lesson if desired. Parents are encouraged to attend children's lessons, from time to time. A visitor other than a parent requires the approval of the teacher at least 24 hours in advance of the lesson to be observed.

STUDENT PERFORMANCES

Students are encouraged to attend recitals and concerts. Any and all piano performances by the student should first be discussed with the teacher. This is so that the student will be well prepared, and have an enjoyable and successful performance.

PIANO TUNING

Students' pianos should be tuned at least once a year. Names of local piano tuners are available from the teacher.

NON-DISCRIMINATION

Capestro Music Studio does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, national origin, sex, age, or physical handicaps in its admission, educational programs, or activities.


SCHEDULING

HOW THE LESSON YEAR IS ORGANIZED

Fall term begins on the Monday after Labor Day. There are three terms of lessons: fall term, winter term and spring term. Each term is 11 weeks long, with an extra week at the end of each term for makeup lessons if needed. The studio calendar generally follows the public school calendar, with vacations marked similarly, such as the February vacation week and the April vacation week. The year's calendar is distributed to each student, along with the following year's tuition rates, in the summer preceding the start of the fall term. Tuition includes one 30 or 45 minute private lesson each week, the group lesson during group lesson week and the makeup week, if needed. During the summer, special classes and/or occasional lessons may be offered.

FINDING A PIANO TEACHER SOONER RATHER THAN LATER

It's important for me not to overload my teaching schedule. Private teaching is demanding, and I want to be sure I can give my undivided attention and best energies to each and every student. My schedule often fills up rapidly, and there's a list of students waiting to come on board. I'm glad to maintain this list and call people as spaces become available. However, having a "waiting list" goes against my grain, so to speak, because I believe if someone wants to take lessons, they shouldn't have to wait. For these reasons, I'm more than happy to help someone find another teacher if they don't want to wait. Other good sources for piano teachers are directories published by the Music Teachers National Association, the Massachusetts Music Teachers Association and the New England Piano Teachers Association.