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Student and Family Policies
ENROLLMENT
For private lessons, Allegro accepts enrollments all year! Once lessons are started, enrollment is considered to be for the academic year. If an exception is necessary, a month’s notice is required. There is an enrollment fee of $25 for new families. An annual re-enrollment fee of $15 per family is due at the first lesson in September. This fee holds students a place in the studio. It also partially offsets the costs incurred in preparing and printing studio materials, maintaining the teaching pianos, building the music-teaching library and paying for music subscriptions and licensing fees, designing and printing studio recital programs, and allowing our teachers to participate in professional music teacher events.
All students who use a professional accompanist will pay a $20 accompanist fee. This will cover one short rehearsal and the performance.
TUITION & MAKE-UP LESSONS
Tuition is charged to the card or bank account on file on the first of the month. Card transactions incur a 3.1% fee to cover processing. Tuition for weekly, 30-minute lessons is $135.00 per month and a discounted $240.00 for 1 hour/week. Three lessons (1 ½ hours/week) are discounted further at $340.00 monthly. Four lessons (2 hours/week) is $420 per month. Please be aware this is NOT a per-lesson charge; it is a 9-month tuition payment plan. Tuition remains the same from September through May no matter how many weeks there are in the month. See our school calendar for planned school closings.
The periodic fifth week is also included in the monthly tuition. It serves as a built-in make-up lesson for an occasional student absence. Payment is expected for lessons not attended, and no refunds are given. If you cannot attend your lesson, please let us know as soon as possible. In case of scheduling conflicts, students are encouraged to trade lesson times with other students. Because of the teaching load of our teachers, we are unfortunately unable to offer reschedules or make-up lessons. Feel free to request a virtual lesson if your student needs to be at home! Virtual lessons are convenient but less effective than in-person lessons, so we do not recommend them long-term.
A qualified substitute teacher will occasionally teach lessons instead of a student's regular teacher. Due to the nature of life, the other professional commitments of our teachers, and occasional family or medical emergencies, we may not always be able to let you know ahead of time that you will have a substitute. If a qualified substitute teacher is unavailable, you will be offered a make-up lesson.
Allegro Music School is closed for Labor Day, a week for Thanksgiving, two weeks for Christmas/New Year, and a week for Spring Break (date determined by individual teachers). We often schedule a performance, group class, festival, masterclass, or other event to serve as a make-up class; however, this is not guaranteed. Monthly tuition is not discounted for these scheduled closings.
In the event of a weather-related closing, you will be notified as soon as possible, either by text or email. We will also post school closings on our social media. Your teacher will offer either a virtual lesson, or a short, recorded lesson with practice assignments for the week or will reschedule at their discretion. In the event of a virtual or recorded lesson, you may need to text/email your teacher pictures of your assignment sheet/sticky notes and the pieces you are working on.
PRACTICE EQUIPMENT
Good quality instruments are essential for your, or your child’s, progress and enjoyment of music lessons. Rental keyboards are available for $20 a month, (not recommended for the long term), but the student must rent or purchase any other instrument. We will happily refer you to local music stores that offer quality instruments for rent or purchase. Regular instrument maintenance is also crucial to students' success. We recommend a minimum of once-a-year tunings for pianos. Your teacher will guide you in maintaining and caring for all other instruments and will happily refer you to qualified technicians who can help your instrument stay in optimum condition. Students will be asked to purchase or download a metronome for use in practice. The purchase of music is a service we offer our students. We will either purchase music for you or text you a link with music for you to purchase online. Reimbursement for music or other materials will be charged with the following month’s tuition.
PRACTICE
To reap the many benefits of music lessons, students must practice regularly. At Allegro, we expect students to practice at least five days a week and come to each lesson well-prepared. If a student comes to two or more lessons ill-prepared, we may request a practice record be kept with a parent’s signature. A parent/teacher conference will be held if the student is still not progressing. Parents are responsible for ensuring quality practice is happening at home. Teachers may request a parent attend lessons if they feel this would benefit a student’s progress.
SUMMER LESSONS
Students are asked to take at least 4 - 6 lessons during the summer session. These lessons allow the student to keep progressing and reduce the time spent reviewing the following semester. Other summer opportunities may include partner lessons, group classes, and camps. Students who take summer lessons have priority in the fall schedule.
LESSON TIPS
* Keep your nails trimmed. If nails are long, it inhibits proper hand position as you play.
* All hand jewelry (rings and watches) should be removed for instrumental lessons and performances.
* Piano students: Wear only thin-soled shoes for pedaling. If you come to lessons in tennis shoes or boots, plan on taking them off.
* Come to your lesson on time and bring all your music books and your assignment book to each lesson!
* During lessons, we will clap rhythms together, say things and count out loud, sing melodies, and use the metronome. These things are a normal part of music lessons and help to make good musicians. These tricks help tremendously; you will want to use them at home!
* Parents are allowed and encouraged to sit in on lessons. This provides greater accountability for correct practice at home.
GROUP LESSONS AND CLASSES
Periodically, group lessons will be offered to our private students. These will be fun times in which we will learn or review theory concepts, practice performing in front of each other, prepare for an upcoming event or festival, learn music history, etc. Sometimes, a 60-to-90-minute group class will be offered instead of a student’s weekly private lesson.
We also offer Beginner I and Beginner II Piano Group Classes. Enrollment is by the semester. The cost is anywhere from $300 - $400 per semester (Fall: September-December, Spring: January- May), depending on the length of the semester. The cost includes the book and lab fee. Class size ranges from 4 - 6 students, each with their own keyboard. A keyboard or piano at home is required for practice. Keyboards can be rented from Allegro at a minimal cost.
We also offer Beginner Group Guitar classes at similar tuition costs. Students must provide their own guitars.
PERFORMANCES
We offer students many performance and ensemble playing opportunities throughout the school year. These performance opportunities include duets with a teacher or another student, formal recitals, fun group classes, theory classes, small group performance classes, and masterclasses.
Depending on their readiness, we aim to enter as many students as possible in each event. If a student is not practicing or making consistent progress on their performance piece, a parent-teacher conference will be held one month to two weeks before the performance, and the student may be told they are not ready to perform. We want all students to feel confident and well-prepared and to have a great performance experience!
Many performances will be memorized, but you should always bring your music when performing. We consistently find that even the most reluctant students receive satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment from a well-played recital. It is exciting to see these performances boost a student’s confidence.
Students should arrive at least 10 minutes before the start of the recital so we can begin on time. Strings students should arrive 30 minutes early to tune and warm up with their accompanist. Voice students should arrive already warmed up and ready to sing.
The dress code for most recitals is formal concert/Sunday wear. If there is an exception, we will be sure to inform all teachers and parents.