Policies & Tuition
Thank you for taking the time to carefully read this document—please call or email if you would like clarification on a particular point. Keep this policy sheet handy as you may need to refer to it in the future. Updates may be made periodically to the Pianimals policies. When you sign the enrollment form. you are agreeing to this set of policies
To register for a class, fill out the registration form and send to the address at the end of this document along with the appropriate fees and tuition:
Tuition Schedule 2006/2007
***Note: The following classes meet September through January.***
Toddler Tunes
Plan A: One registration fee of $10.00 + books/materials fee of $20.00. One semester payment of $245.00. Registration and semester payment due before the first class.
Plan B: One registration fee of $10.00 + books/materials fee of $20.00. Four monthly payments of $65.00. Registration and first payment due before the first class and three payments due the 1st of each subsequent month.
Music in Me/More Music in Me
Plan A: One registration fee of $15.00 + books/materials fee of $25.00. One semester payment of $270.00. Registration and semester payment due before the first class.
Plan B: One registration fee of $15.00 + books/materials fee of $25.00. Four monthly payments of $72.00. Registration and first payment due before first class and three payments due the 1st of each subsequent month.
***Note: The following classes meet August through May.***
Harmony Road, Young Musician, Keyboard Prep
Plan A: One registration fee of $25.00 + books/materials fee of $50.00. One annual payment of $648.00 (10% savings). Registration and annual payment due before the first class.
Plan B: One registration fee of $25.00 + books/materials fee of $50.00. Three quarterly payments of $228.00 (5% savings). Registration and first quarterly payment due before the first class. Subsequent payments due December 1 and March 1.
Plan C: One registration payment of of $25.00 + books/materials fee of $50.00. Nine monthly payments of $80.00. Registration and first payment due before first class and eight monthly payments due the 1st of each subsequent month.
Payment of Tuition:
Payment is due by the 1st of each month and is considered late if paid after the 10th. This includes payment due over a break or holiday time. If you must make a late payment, please let me know as soon as possible.
There is a $30.00 returned check fee.
No refunds/transfer of funds for missed classes.
Payment is made for class as a whole—not for the number of individual lessons in a month or semester.
A two-week notice is required to withdraw from the program. Students withdrawing from the program shall pay tuition through the end of the month or quarter for which they are enrolled. No refund or transfer of funds is made for tuition already paid. I reserve the right to suspend students for non-payment of tuition.
Referrals:
I want to reward current students for referring new students to me. If you refer a registering/paying student (new students only, non-immediate family) to Toddler Tunes, Music in Me, or More Music in Me, (and if the class actually convenes) you will receive $10.00 credit towards your tuition.
If you refer a registering/paying student (new students only, non-immediate family) to Harmony Road, Young Musician, or Keyboard Prep (and if the class actually convenes), you will receive $20.00 credit towards your tuition.
Materials:
Toddler Tunes: You will receive:
- Class book
- CD of class music
- Carryall bag folder for weekly take-home papers
Music in Me and More Music in Me: You will receive:
- Class book
- Class workbook
- CD of class music
- One small package of water-soluble markers (eight is plenty!)
- One small notebook for writing notes and assignments for class
Harmony Road, Young Musician, Keyboard Prep: You will receive:
- Class book
- CD of class music
- Dry erase magnetic board with dry erase pen
- Music bag
- Two sharpened pencils (for student)
- Small pencil sharpener (with container for shavings)
- Notebook for assignments (for parent)
Adjustment Period
Most children adjust very quickly to the piano class setting. Please allow at least 6-8 weeks for your child to “get the hang of things” in class. It is important to me that your child has a fun and comfortable Pianimals experience!
Punctuality, Attendance, and Missed Lessons:
Punctuality is extremely important to me and to the flow of the class. Important material is covered in the first few minutes of class. Late arrivals are disruptive and it takes several minutes before the late-arriving student feels oriented to the on-going class. Please make every effort to come a bit early to get “settled in” as I will begin class on time. If you are and your child are going to be more than five minutes late and I do not know in advance about your late arrival, I ask that you do not come to class. “In advance” means notifying me before class begins. This includes the parent who comes in more than five minutes late after a child has already been in class. You may leave messages for me at Schmitt Music or The Culture House front desk. I know that most of you will be wonderful about punctuality—certain delays are unavoidable and your communication to me about such things is appreciated.
If a child misses a class, I email or call with the lesson assignments within a few days of that class. If you know in advance that you will be unable to attend a lesson, you may ask to attend another class of the same level. Class space is limited and while there may not be room at a keyboard for your child, they may participate in the other activities in a makeup class.
Inability to attend another class does not result in tuition reimbursement. One missed class is not significant in that class material is repeated throughout the course. If you decide your child needs additional help, you may pay for a private lesson in addition to the missed lesson. A private lesson is any instruction that lasts more than five minutes outside of regular class time or a series of short instruction periods outside of regular class time. Because time is brief between classes, please email or call me at home for further consultation. Notification of the inability to attend a lesson is a courtesy to the teacher, but does not excuse tuition payment. No refunds are made for missed classes.
Practice:
I will have specific guidelines each week concerning your child’s review and practice at home. Encourage your child to review all the lesson material at least once a day. The length of time students practice is not as important as covering all the material regularly. For Music in Me and More Music in Me—review should be a brief, fun experience—never more than 10 minutes at a time unless your child is wanting to do more. For Harmony Road, Young Musician, and Keyboard Prep, practice will begin early in the semester at about 10-15 minutes and gradually increase as the semester moves on. Encourage your child to break practice into small manageable steps. A regular practice time is strongly recommended. More on this in class.
Parental/Sibling Attendance:
Parents or caregivers are required to attend class with students through the 3rd grade or until the student is reading and writing proficiently. Many parents choose to stay longer because they find it is beneficial to their child and they enjoy the class experience. The adult attending class needs to be the same person as often as possible as they will be responsible for overseeing practice and answering questions at home. It is best to have one adult with each child when there are two siblings in the same class.
Nursing babies are the only other siblings allowed in class with the parent. I ask that they stay with an outside caregiver once they become mobile and more “high maintenance”. At Schmitt Music, older siblings may wait in the reception area and do homework or read quietly. At The Culture House, there is space in part of my room as well as chairs outside the room in the hallway for older sibs to also sit quietly. There is also a play area downstairs for younger sibs who are watched by an older caregiver. Please do not bring an extra child to class who can not occupy themselves for the ENTIRE class time.
SnowDay/Personal Day/Holidays:
Class students will receive a minimum of 34 and a maximum of 36 weeks of lessons per calendar year. A rehearsal takes the place of regular class during the week of recital.
The following holidays will be observed (no class) at Pianimals:
- Labor Day
- Halloween (evening classes only)
- Thanksgiving Break (Wednesday through Saturday)
- Winter Break Start date TBA—January 7. Classes Resume Monday January 8
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- President’s Day
- Spring Break March 18—24
- Memorial Day (Recital Week)
Toddler Tunes, Music in Me, More Music in Me:
If a class has to be missed due to inclement weather or because of teacher absence, the class will continue the next week where we left off until we have fulfilled a complete sixteen weeks of class in Toddler Tunes, Music in Me and More Music in Me.
Harmony Road, Young Musician, Keyboard Prep, Keyboard Musician:
I have allotted two snowday/personal days for myself per Pianimals school year for all classes. These days, if taken, are not made up and are extra days included into the regular Pianimals calendar. If I choose not to use these days, you will not be charged for extra lessons. If more than two allotted days are used during the year, classes will be made up at my convenience.
I will follow the Olathe school district cancellation schedule for morning classes, but may have classes in the afternoon/evening if the weather clears. I will call all students about class cancellations—morning classes by 8:30 am, early afternoon classes by 12:00, and late afternoon/evening classes by 3:00 pm. If no call is made or message left for you, you may assume class is meeting as usual. You are welcome to call me and ask the status of a class. I will also leave a message at either the Scmitt Music or The Culture House front desk
A Few Last Items
- Please turn your cell phone off or to vibrate when you enter the classroom—tell family members to call only for emergencies during class.
- Please see that your child has had a meal or snack before piano class—it really helps with student concentration. A nap in the afternoon is a good thing too for young children participating in evening classes. Please leave all snacks and drinks outside the classroom.
- Please have students use the restroom before class starts.
- Please have your child wash his hands before coming to class.