top of page

Policy

The following are specific guidelines and policies for Academy of Sound students.  If you have any questions, please contact our office.

 

All Students Must Have…

  1. A quality, appropriately sized instrument for practice – For piano students, this would include a well-tuned piano or a digital piano (88 keys, touch sensitive, weighted keys with a working damper/sustain pedal).

  2. Assignment book – We sell a variety of these at the studio, or students may use a spiral notebook.

  3. All necessary lesson and repertoire books – We have these in stock so they may be purchased through the school.

  4. Metronome and/or tuner – Also available for purchase at the school. Most teachers require use of these tools.

 

Practice Requirements

  • Home practice – with it we guarantee success.  Without it, progress is slow, tedious, and discouraging.  Playing an instrument is a complex skill needing repetition and reinforcement daily.  The following are the studio’s minimum practice requirements:

Beginners 30 minutes, 6 days per week

2nd & 3rd year 45 minutes, 6 days per week

4th & beyond 1 hour-2 hours, 6 days per week

It is acceptable to “break up” these times into smaller segments throughout the day.  

  • When to practice – We highly recommend that students practice right away when they get home from their lesson, as 50% of the knowledge acquired during the lesson is lost if this is not done.

  • Practice records – You will find space for writing in the amount of time practiced each day in your assignment book.  We recommend that all students fill these in for their teacher and for their own information.

​

Competitions & Auditions

We encourage all students who are 8th grade and up to participate in WSMA Solo & Ensemble. Other competitions will be announced throughout the year. Teachers are committed to preparing students for these and other competitions and auditions, and will select appropriate music and spend time working with your child at each lesson before these events. We also prepare students for college auditions, and have an excellent record of acceptance into the students' school or schools of choice. You may have the option to purchase additional lesson time to prepare, schedules permitting.

 

Performances

We hold several performances each year.  One is a Holiday Recital in December, and Spring Recitals are in May at the Oregon Performing Arts Center.  We have other events throughout the year such as memory, honors, and summer recitals in the park, fundraiser concerts, and so on. Students will have the opportunity to sign up for these recitals as they and their teacher observe readiness. Sign-ups will have a limited number of openings and will have deadlines for withdrawal, so if you are signed up you are expected to perform.

 

Scheduling

Regular, consistent attendance is critical to succeeding at a mastery of any musical instrument. We expect families to prioritize scheduled lessons over other activities whenever possible. When choosing between your child's lesson and a conflicting activity, please keep in mind that you have paid tuition whether your child attends or not.

  1. Your time slot – The day & time you select when you register is your time slot.  This spot is reserved for you to have access to a studio and to have the dedicated one-on-one attention of a teacher. Your time will not be given to any other student.  Therefore, you are expected to pay tuition for the complete term. Whether you come to your lessons or not is up to you.

  2. Missed lessons – If the student will miss a lesson, let the office know by phone or email as soon as possible.  There are no credits for missed lessons (with the exception of #4 below).

  3. Swapping lessons – You may trade lessons with someone to avoid skipping an entire week due to an absence. Contact us and we will provide emails or phone numbers of students for possible trades. The family initiating the trade is responsible for contacting us so that preparation is made for the correct student. If you wish to opt-out and NOT have your name or contact information given to other students, please let the office know.

  4. Teacher cancellations – If for any reason the teacher is unable to teach, most times we will provide a substitute.  If no other teacher is available, a make-up time may be offered OR a credit will be given to students.

  5. Arriving late for a lesson – Lesson times will not be extended for students arriving late.

  6. Illness – Please do not come to your lesson sick.  If you are not well enough to go to school, you are not well enough for a music lesson.

    • We will not allow students who show signs of illness to participate in lessons that day. Signs of illness include, but are not limited to: fever, stomach ache, runny nose, sneezing, coughing. Please do not bring your child to our studios until they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours following an illness, or until they have been on antibiotics for at least 24 hours.

  7. No-show/No-call – Please avoid not showing up for a lesson without prior notice. Habitual no-showing is grounds for probation and could jeopardize future lessons.

  8. Discontinuance of lessons – Students are automatically enrolled through the end date listed on their enrollment (please see your enrollment confirmation email). Anyone wishing to discontinue for any reason must notify the director. A disenrollment meeting will be scheduled for the family with the director and teacher(s). There will be no refunds or release of obligation to pay off your balance. You may be given the choice to pay your balance in full at the time of disenrollment, or continue with your payment schedule until the balance is paid in full.

  9. Make-up lessons – A missed lesson is your responsibility, and we have designated days at the end of the year as “make up dates,” where small group lessons and mini-workshops will be offered to eligible students. Outside of those, we do not make up student absences or no-shows.

  10. Conference Lessons – The last lesson of each semester will be a conference lesson, in which our teachers invite parents/guardians so that we can discuss progress and concerns, and also show off what your child has learned.  

    • Parents are welcome to sit in to observe their child’s lessons from time to time.  For very young beginners, parents are welcome to attend each lesson in order to get the information they need to help the child practice correctly, until the child is able to do this on their own.

    • Once each year, our Managing Director will be doing teacher evaluations.  Part of this process will require observations of a few each teacher's lessons.  This may include your child’s lesson.

  11. School Closings due to weather – ALWAYS check our website/twitter/facebook to confirm whether we are open or closed. You may also check channel 15 and 27, or call us and listen to the recorded message. You also have the option to call the student in absent if you determine that travel from your location to ours is unsafe for any reason.

 

Registration Fees, Tuition Dues, Other Charges, and Payments

  1. Registration Fee – Annually $65 per family (household).  The annual fee covers September – August.

    • Registration fees are prorated in March, and June if registering after those times.

  2. Tuition – Tuition fees are listed on our website for openings, and can be verified by logging into your account and checking your family's enrollment.

  3. Due dates – If you are not enrolled in auto-pay and do not make your full payment by the due date, lessons will be suspended until payment is received, and a late fee applied.

  4. Payment Schedules – Upon enrollment, you will select a payment schedule. Choices are: 15th of the month, semesterly, or annually. You may update your payment schedule at any time.

  5. Late fees – $15 will be charged for any payment not received by the due date, and lessons suspended.  $10 will be added for each additional week late. If payment in full has not been received within 30 days of the due date, the account will be sent to collections.

  6. Returned checks – A fee of $30 will be charged for all checks returned due to insufficient funds. The balance will need to be covered by another payment method before the due date.

  7. Declined credit/debit cards – You will receive two emails and a phone call almost immediately if your card is declined. You may either give us new card information by phone, or enter it yourself. If this is not done within 5 days, lessons will be suspended and a late fee applied.

  8. Payment methods – We accept checks, cash, gift certificates, and credit cards. Checks should be made payable to Academy of Sound. We require a credit card or bank account to be on file for everyone.

  9. Books – We are able to order all of the books students need through the studio.  These will be billed monthly, and will be charged automatically for those with auto-pay. Optionally, you may provide a check, cash, or credit card in person upon receipt of items. The teacher will let you know if there are other books and materials that you will need to purchase on your own.

  10. Accompanists - Students or their families are responsible to pay their own accompanist for recitals, competitions, auditions or any other event which requires an accompanist. We have several teachers who are available to accompany students, or you are welcome to find your own accompanist. Please ask your accompanist how much they charge, and pay them before the day of the event.

 

Studio Rules

  • No food, drinks, gum, candy, etc. in the lesson rooms. Water is allowed in a container with a lid.

  • Please leave wet/muddy/snowy shoes or boots in the hall on a floor mat.

  • No running, fighting, shouting, or any behavior that could be defined as such.

  • Persons not enrolled at the Academy are not allowed to attend friends’/siblings' lessons. They will need to wait quietly in our waiting area with a parent/caregiver of the enrolled student. Any unaccompanied minors will be asked to leave the building.

  • Please respect our waiting area, bathrooms, and studios.

 

Probation

This is very rare, but we include this information just in case. If a family is put on probation, it will be for a period of one month.  If the situation does not improve within that time, the student(s) will be dismissed. There will be no refunds, and tuition will be required to be paid through the original enrollment term.  

 

Situations where a student/family may be put on probation include, but are not limited to:

  • Behavior or language that is inappropriate or distracting during lesson time.

  • Not meeting the practice requirements.

  • Mistreating equipment or materials in the studio.

  • Being disrespectful to teachers and/or other students.

  • Purposely interfering with the normal activities of other tenants in the building.

  • Vandalism.

  • Habitual no-shows

  • Paying late two or more times in a year.

 

A Student will be immediately dismissed:

  • If parent/student refuses to pay (in full & including late fees), or if parent withholds payment for any reason not previously discussed with the director.

  • If parent/student threatens, harasses, or tries to intimidate any teacher or other student.

  • For stealing.

  • When there are two no-shows in a row, a student is considered to be giving notification of discontinuance of lessons.

  • Any of the above situations will result in immediate dismissal, but will not cancel any obligation to pay tuition through the end of the term.

 

We hope that you will find that these guidelines make Academy of Sound an enjoyable place for you and your children to learn. Please stay in close contact with the directors and your child's teacher about any concerns, questions, or feedback.

bottom of page