Studio Policies

Registration

Registration begins by filling out a registration form which can be downloaded from the reachforthestarsmusic.com website or from the studio.  Please fill out the registration in its entirety and be sure all contact information is current and correct.  All students must submit a current credit or debit card account number, expiration date, and CVV security code and zip code for the studio to have on file, which will be billed for monthly tuition.  There are no exceptions to this policy.  We do not accept cash or checks.  We have a secure accounting system where your account information is stored, and hard copies of registration forms are shredded upon being entered into the system.

Funds Unavailable Fee:  $25.00

Materials Deposit Account

If your training requires method books or supplies, we will set up a materials account.  Students will need to submit $50 into the account upon registration.  All books and supplies will be deducted from this account.  If your account falls below the $15 point, you will be notified by email and your credit/debit card will be billed for the difference back up to $50 along with your next month’s tuition amount.  Upon withdrawal of student from the roster, the studio will refund the balance of the materials account within 30 days of withdrawal.

Communication

RFTS send updates and reminders and messages by email, so it is important that we always have your correct email address on file. 

Faculty

The school will assign a teacher deemed best suited to the student’s needs.  You will have the same teacher each week.  Faculty are professional musicians and teachers.  All faculty have been hired with criteria specific to experience and level of success, and are screened through various references and criminal background checks.

Schedule

The school calendar runs yearly from September through August.  Registration for fall students is during the month of August.  There are 44 weeks per year in which the school is open.  The studio is closed for a total of 8 weeks periodically throughout the year for holiday breaks or summer breaks.  Students pay for 38 lessons, one lesson per week, but actually receive 44 lessons in total throughout the year.  These 6 extra lessons are worked into the schedule and are free of charge in case you have to miss a lesson from time to time due to student or teacher illness, or for inclement weather, or any other situation. Tuition is non-refundable and non-transferable, and summer lessons are included in the annual lesson package. 

If you need to change your lesson day or time, you are required to give the studio 7 days advance notice of your current lesson time.  We cannot guarantee that we can accommodate any requests for a particular day and time.  We can only offer you a choice of available lessons times.  Group classes must meet a minimum enrollment, so if a student who is dropping a class brings the enrollment under the minimum requirement, then the remaining students will have to change to a private lesson.

Tardy Arrival

Students arriving late will not have their lesson time extended.  Students who arrive by more than half their lesson period will be considered absent.  Teachers have specific lesson plans structured for your lesson time and need to stay on schedule with subsequent lessons.  If you miss certain parts of your lesson, you will need to schedule a time to get the missed information.  Please allow plenty of time to get to your lesson each week.

Missed Lessons

Students are asked to inform the studio ahead of time if they will be missing a lesson.  If a student is ill, they should NOT attend their lesson.  Teachers may also fall ill from time to time, and we don’t want them to expose any student to an illness.  You will be informed if a teacher is ill and cannot teach a lesson.

Remember, there are 6 free lessons per year which can be used in case you have to miss a lesson, so you can be assured to get what you are paying for.  Teachers may choose to offer a make-up lesson if a lesson must be canceled.  This will depend on how full his/her weekly schedule is.  There are no credits to client accounts and/or no refunds paid out to clients in case of missed lessons. 

If you are in a group class, you must arrange to pick up your lesson as soon as possible to stay up with the group training.  Students who are in group classes must understand that they are responsible to their group, and not cause their group to fall behind.  Students who miss too much class time with their group and are constantly falling behind their group will be pulled from the group and rescheduled to a private lesson. 

Inclement Weather

In case of bad weather, please check our website for updates.  We follow the local ISD for closings.  If our district’s school closes for inclement weather, we will also be closed that day. 

Discontinuing Lessons

Most students are with us for several years, and we hope you will be, too.  Our end of season is the end of August.  Please let us know by May 31st if you will not be continuing with us after the end of August.  If you must withdraw prior to the end of the season, you will need to fill out a Withdrawal Form, available at the Studio, or you can request that we email you a copy to download.  We require 30 days prior notification from the first of the month to suspend the automatic tuition charges.  Do not email, fax, or attempt to phone your request to withdraw.  These methods are not reliable ways for us to receive notification.  Your request must be made in writing and you must be sure RFTS is in receipt of the withdrawal paperwork.  When we receive the paperwork, we will send you a confirmation via email.  If a 30 day notice is not provided, the fees and outstanding tuition (including tuition fees for the entire month) are still due and payable.  Any balance in your Materials account will be used toward the last payment, and your credit/debit card will be charged for the difference.

Home Instruments, Books, Metronomes, Tuners

Please maintain your instrument in good repair.  If you are a piano student, be sure your piano is maintained and tuned regularly, and that all keys and pedals work properly.  All piano teachers recommend their students are practicing on real acoustic pianos rather than any type of keyboard.  For more information about this, please see your teacher.  Students are required to bring all music books assigned by the teacher to your lesson.  If you lose your book, please inform us immediately and we will order a new copy (at your cost).  If you forget to bring your music, you may not be able to participate.  Teachers do not always have duplicate copies of all music.  Please bring any metronomes or tuners to class, if your teacher requires it.

School Instruments and Equipment

Students are expected to treat RFTS pianos, keyboards, and other instruments and equipment with appropriate respect.  Young students will be taught how to use all instruments and equipment safely.  Students/families are responsible to fix or replace and damaged or broken instruments and equipment due to misuse or abuse by students.

Parent Visitation and Progress Reports

Parents are encouraged to attend student’s lessons from time to time.  The last 5 minutes of classes or lessons is reserved for any parent questions or teacher assignment clarification.  Twice a year, parents will be offered for parents to receive updates on students’ progress.

Practice

Learning a skill requires DAILY at-home practice.Students are expected to follow their teachers practice suggestions.All young students should have a positive practice incentive program in place at home, and parents are asked to sit in on lessons to observe – you may call us for practice program ideas.It is normal to have ups and downs in practice motivation throughout the year.We all have busy lives, but learning music is a discipline, and the best way to learn is to have disciplined daily practice sessions. Practicing just 15 or 20 minutes every day will gradually increase skill and confidence.Our BEST students always find time to practice every day.We also believe, in most cases, it is detrimental to a student’s progress to use bargaining techniques to get students to practice.We believe we have a unique partnership with the parent and student and teacher.We want to work together to help your student keep progressing and to remain motivated.If you are having a hard time with this, please contact us.Call us before you start bargaining with your student.We want to help