STUDENT POLICIES
2023-2024
Lesson Fees:
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In Studio/Online
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In Home**
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*Please note that a slight discount is built into 45-minute and one-hour lessons. This discount will also apply to families with consecutive lessons with the same teacher. Also, please note that longer than1 hour lessons will be prorated.
** In-home students must provide a quiet space to teach free from distraction
Bill Payment
Invoices will be mailed to you by the end of the first week of the following month. Please mail a check payable to Musical Expressions to the address listed on the invoice, or leave it in an envelope in the Musical Expressions mailbox at the church studio. Please do not leave checks at the Redosier Ct. studio mailbox and do not give checks to teachers. Payment will be due by the 30th of the month following lessons billed. A fee of $25 will be charged if your check is declined due to insufficient funds. We do not offer online or credit card payment at this time.
Late Payment Fee
All late payments will be subject to a 5% late fee. This will appear on your next invoice. If late payments accumulate to more than 3 months of invoices, we may suspend your lessons until all of the payments are made and we may require you to pay in advance in the future. During a suspension, your spot may be filled from our waiting list.
Lesson Times
You will be assigned a weekly lesson time with your teacher. This will be your regular lesson time for the year. Remember, each teacher has a set schedule, so if you are late to your lesson your teacher will not be able to give you extra time.
If you have to change your regular lesson time, please notify your teacher directly. We will try to accommodate your needs, but cannot guarantee that your teacher will be able to rearrange lessons. If you decide to take a break from lessons, your time may be given to a student on the waiting list, and you will forfeit this time.
In-Studio /Online Lessons
Online lessons - Please make sure your device is set before your lesson time.
Redosier Ct. - Please do not arrive more than 5 minutes before your scheduled lesson time, and remember to pick up your child on time.
Church - Under the church’s security and safety guidelines, the front door is locked at all times. If no one is at the door, please be patient and a teacher or a student will come up to let you in. Please do not ring the doorbell. If there is a problem, you may call the Musical Expressions office.
In-Home Lessons
Teachers will always try to be on time; however, due to the unpredictable nature of traffic in the area, please allow several extra minutes in your schedule.
Lesson Cancellation and Make-Up
If you need to cancel your lesson in advance, please call your teacher directly. If you have to cancel on the day of your lesson and cannot reach your teacher, you may call the office of Musical Expressions to leave a message for your teacher. If lessons are cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice, you will be charged and make-up lessons will not be available, except in cases of illness or emergency (see below).
Limits on Advance Cancellations and Make-Ups***
You are allowed two excused cancellations during the fall semester and three during the spring semester, provided you notify your teacher more than 48 hours in advance. After this, excused cancellations will be charged, and can only be made up should your teacher’s schedule permit. Please remember that your teacher’s schedule is extremely full, and make-up times may not be available, but each made-up lesson will reduce your accumulated absences accordingly. Exclusions are: holidays, school off days, mandatory school activities, emergency and sickness. Elective activities such as sports, theater or after-school classes or appointments that conflict with lessons are not exempt.
***Any make-up lesson that is cancelled within 48 hours for any reason will be charged.
Emergency and Illness
We will not charge for lessons missed due to sickness or emergency. However, if a student is ill or comes home from school sick, please call your teacher as soon as you know. If you cancel right before the lesson or after the lesson begins, this will be considered a last-minute cancellation and will be charged. For in-home lessons, if you do not give your teacher enough notice of an illness and the teacher arrives, you will be charged.
Holidays and Snow Days
Please note that Musical Expressions does not follow the Montgomery County School schedule of Holidays and Snow Days.
Snow Days – We feel that often the weather improves as the day progresses and therefore will have no impact on afternoon driving. However, if the weather does not improve and you feel it is too dangerous to drive, please call your teacher directly to cancel. You will not be charged for this cancellation. In addition, if your teacher cannot drive to the studio or your house due to the weather conditions, he or she will call you directly.
Holidays – Please check with your teacher regarding his/her availability for holidays. It is assumed that lessons will proceed as scheduled unless other arrangements are made by you and your teacher to cancel or reschedule lessons. No-shows without prior agreement with your teacher will be charged. Please let your teachers know as far in advance as possible of any holiday plans you may have.
Calendar
However, Musical Expressions does follow the Montgomery County Schools calendar for the end of the year. For the 2020/2021 school year, this is Wednesday June 16th. This will be used as the basis for our calendar year ending (we start a week later that MCPS due to the Labor Day holiday). Those of you in other schools, please make advance arrangements if you need to end lessons at a different date. Otherwise, our summer session will follow these dates, and any missed lessons during this time will count against your excused absences total.
Practicing
The most important part of mastering an instrument and enjoying lessons is consistent, regular practice. A minimum of 20-30 minutes of daily practice is strongly encouraged for beginners, more for intermediate and advanced students, and we encourage each student to keep a practice record each day. Musical Expressions does not drop students based on ability, but if a student continuously exhibits an unwillingness to practice, we may ask him or her to reconsider taking lessons at Musical Expressions.
To Help Us Teach
The more we know about a student when determining an appropriate teacher, the easier it will be for us to match the two. We will work with you to determine the right instructor for your child or yourself. Please let us know if your child has a learning disability, as some teachers have training in special needs instruction.
Conflicts in Lessons
Our teachers are interviewed thoroughly before being contracted by Musical Expressions, and we have every confidence in their ability. To make lessons enjoyable and productive, we always try to match a student with an appropriate teacher. However, occasionally a teacher and student may not be the best match. If you are not satisfied with your teacher, please contact the office to discuss the possibility of transferring to another teacher. Similarly, if a teacher feels a student does not respond to instruction, a reassignment may be requested. This will not be done for reasons of ability, but rather if personalities don’t match.
Music Books and Lesson Supplies
Teachers will assess the student’s ability and will provide appropriate books and other supplies such as flash cards and metronomes. You will be asked to reimburse the teacher directly for the cost of these books and supplies.
Terminating Lessons
We encourage students to stick with lessons through the school year, and try to resolve any issues in-house, but should you wish to discontinue lessons, please contact your instructor as well as the Director.
***If you decide to terminate lessons prior to June 1st, your time may be given to another student on the waiting list. In the fall, this student will have priority for the lesson time. Two weeks notice must be given for all terminations.
Waiting Room
Redosier Ct. – Please park in the driveway and follow the walkway around the house to the rear entrance. If you bring other children, please keep an eye on them and do not allow them to go into other rooms or run around the house.
Church – There are normally other activities going on in the church, so we ask that you please remain in the designated waiting area at all times, and do not let children roam around the building.
Since the church door is locked at all times, please assist us in letting the next student in. However, under the church guidelines, if you see a stranger at the door, please politely ask if they are with the church. You are not expected to police the entry, and you can contact the Musical Expressions office or the emergency church number posted at the entrance to report any issues.