Our mission is to create a loving, nuturing, and integrated community teaching facility in the arts, for children of all ages. Offering unique opportunities for talent development through performing arts, staged theater, music, film, poetry, composing, writing, stage craft, scoring, and their respective fudions.
Equipment. Piano students must have an acoustic piano (not an electric keyboard) in their home. Try to position the piano in a location where they will not be interrupting others by playing. Vocal students must have an electric keyboard of at least two octave range for learning their pieces. Parents must attend all private lessons and take an active role in observing lessons and assisting in home practice sessions. Children six years and under are required to enroll in KinderSmarts Classes if they wish to take private lessons in Voice or Piano. Private piano study can begin at age 3 and private voice at age 6. The extent to which a child succeeds in their learning is directly related to the amount of support and help parents give their children.
Attendance is recorded at each lesson. There will be no credits given for missed lessons, prolonged vacations, or
other extracurricular activities or events. The tuition you pay buys your lesson time. This time cannot be resold;
therefore there can be no reduction in tuition for missed lessons. Extra teaching time cannot be created throughout
the year, so make-up lessons are not available. Should the instructor wish to give make-up lessons, they would be at
the instructor's discretion, on a posted weekend for individuals needing them on a sign up basis. It is the
responsibility of the parent and the instructor to track the number of lessons your child misses during the year to
insure that each student receives 36 lessons within the 10 month period (18 lessons per semester). Missing lessons
for reasons other than actual illness or valid emergencies is not condoned.
If you anticipate missing a private lesson, you may try to trade lesson time with another student by using the private
schedule provided to you at the beginning of the year. It is the parent's responsibility to keep track of missed lessons.
An un-notified absence during the mutually agreed upon scheduled lesson is considered a forfeited lesson.
All students must give 24 hours notice before a cancellation; otherwise they will be billed for the lesson in full.
Lessons cancelled due to the instructor's schedule or illness will be made up at the instructor's earliest opportunity.
Parents/guardians must attend all private lessons. Parents with children in group classes are not required to stay. It is important that you arrive at least five minutes prior to the start of your lessons. All children must be picked up promptly. Late pickups will be billed at a $1.00 a minute rate. Should you arrive more than 15 minutes late, you will receive a warning. Continued late arrivals will be cause for termination from the studio.
Shoes are removed inside the studio and placed in the shoebox. Parents, check your file box for special notes or magazines, especially at the beginning of the month. All newsletters are sent electronically. All students must wash their hands and use a hand sanitizer before playing the piano or computers. Please go to the computer labs, or wait quietly, for your lessons to begin. Please enter and leave the studio quietly. Cell phones are not allowed in the studio. If parents need to use cell phones, please do so in a separate area. There is no food, candy or gum allowed in the studio. All candy and prizes given after lessons must be opened off the premises. Do not open toys or candy in the studio, or on the outside property. Please handle all studio materials respectfully. Please drive slowly to and from the studio.
Under no circumstances can children be dropped off early and left unattended. Please pick your children up on time. The instructors are not responsible for children left unattended after their lesson is completed. Children not taking lessons must be supervised at all times. Neither the instructor nor her assistants are responsible for children who are not registered to take lessons. Please keep siblings quiet and occupied. The parents must pay for any breakage or damage to studio or household items.
All tuition based private lessons include a half-hour, 45-minutes, or hour of practical study and a half-hour of computer theory. There is one formal recital a year. Attendance is mandatory. If you can't attend due to unusual circumstances an exception will be made, however, you must provide advance notice unless it is a sickness or emergency. Recitals are extremely important. Continually missing recitals is grounds for termination from the studio. While we strive to ensure the student receies instruction from the teacher of their choice, due to illness or other unforeseen circumstances, a change of instructor during the term may become necessary.
Group activities, including five full-day workshops and field trips are scheduled throughout the year. These events are planned for your benefit. Please make every effort to attend. You will have the opportunity to meet other students who are also taking lessons, and you'll have fun while you learn. Attendance to these events is advised, but optional.
The complete studio calendar is published on the Internet under MusicsSmarts.com in late August. Print it out and keep it in your books for further reference. The teaching calendar will have special dates on it, but for the most part it follows the Livermore Valley School District schedule for vacations and holidays.
All parents are expected to volunteer for workshops, recitals, field trips and other various activities. Please fill out your volunteer form and return it with your registration packet. A $50.00 opt-out option is available to those parents whose schedules do not allow them time to volunteer. Please check off the "opt-out" box on your form and send it in with your check at the time of registration.
Tuition is based on a ten-month enrollment. If you need to dis-enroll your children from the studio, please contact Ms. McQueen thirty days in advance. This allows time to fill the space without compromising our budget for the year, as well as provides time to cancel an automatic payment before the next deduction. The tuition is due on the 3rd day of the month. Tuition may be paid either through automatic draft from your bank account, or year in full by check with a 5% discount. A registration fee and a nonrefundable deposit of one month's tuition is due at the time of enrollment. The deposit will be applied to June 2008 tuition. If a student disenrolls before June, the deposit is forfeited. The registration fee is $40.00 a year for new enrollments, and $20 a year for students re-enrolling.
Private lessons are weekly 30 minute, 45 minute or sixty minute sessions. Tuition is $120.00 a month for half hour lessons, $180.00 a month for a 45-minute lesson, and $240.00 a month for an hour lesson. There is a 5% discount for paying year in full. Registration is for the time period of Sept. 4th 2007 through June 13th 2008 during which you will receive 36 lessons. Deposit and registration fee for the following fall season are required before March 15, 2007 to insure you child's place in the fall. Enrollment for the Summer 07 and Fall 07-08 season begins March 1 of each calendar year. There is a two week grace period from March 1 - 16th 2007, for those people already enrolled in the studio and who wish to keep the slot they already have. On March 17, 2007, all remaining slots are open to the public. Scheduling after the grace period is done on a first come first serve basis. The deposit amount of one month's tuition and the registration fee are nonrefundable. It is applied to your June 2008 tuition.
KinderSmarts Classes - the tuition is $150.00 for a 90-minute class. These classes have 6/1 teacher ratio. Students receive instruction in computer music software, reading and writing in music, handbells, singing & movement and piano training. KinderSmarts students may attend all full-day workshops.
The KinderSmarts Package - is for those parents who wish to have private instruction for children between the ages of 3-6 who have not graduated from KinderSmarts. The cost for this package is $256.50 monthly.
Thirty day written notice, using a "Withdraw Form" available from Cindy Atwal, must be submitted for cessation of lessons. All withdraw forms must be hand delivered to the studio. Students will be continually enrolled, i.e. tuition will be deducted from the account on file according to terms of your agreement, until written notice to stop lessons is received. This policy is in effect throughout the academic year. This notice must be received by the 3rd of the month in order to stop automatic payment for the following month. Prepaid lessons are nonrefunable unless the client moves over 40 miles out of the area. Should a client need to stop lessons, a credit will be issued for the unused amount. Credits are good for one year from the date issued.
Repeated late arrivals, not picking up children on time, or missing more than 3 lessons per semester. Arriving late to lessons puts stress on both the teacher and the child, and creates confusion. The lesson environment needs to be a calm, and harmonious atmosphere where parents quietly observe. It is the teacher's job to teach the lesson, not the parents. Continued interference and interruptions from parents in lessons is unappreciated and only distracts the teachers from their concentration and work. Parents may take notes during the lesson and ask questions at the end of the lesson, but they mustn't overlap into another client's time. It is better to write the instructor an email if you have several unanswered questions. If you arrive late to a lesson, you will receive instruction for the remaining time. The instructor will proceed with the normal lesson protocols, no jumping ahead of the lesson routines. If you only receive instruction in technique and theory before your lesson is up, then that is the end result of being late. Instructors are not obligated to teach faster, or change our protocols in order to make up for a late arrival.
Disrespecting the instructor, or violating studio rules and policies. Disrespecting the instructor includes fighting with the instructor over assignments, criticism of methods, or having an attitude problem. Children who are disrespectful in the lesson, not listening, and not cooperating, will be counseled. Continued behavior problems and demonstrations of attitude or lack of respect will end in a dismissal. Foul language, shouting or yelling is not allowed. Cartwheels, somersaults, jumping, running, and any other types of outdoor physical activities are not allowed in the studio. Children and parents are expected to sit quietly, use the computers, do their homework, or bring their own play activities to stay occupied while waiting for siblings. In short, all members of the studio are asked to conduct themselves like ladies and gentlemen, and to treat their instructors with the utmost of respect at all times.
Coming to lessons unprepared and unpracticed. Practicing needs to be scheduled into your child's daily life just like homework and other home duties. A good way to handle practicing is to put it before homework begins. If your child is enrolled in the CM program and comes to class without their theory done, it will be done during their lesson time. Getting behind in CM training puts stress on the teacher. Parents and students must fully cooperate with the requests of the instructor if they are to be retained in the CM program. Similarly, students enrolled in other contests such as the NATS auditions, the Guild, Baroque, or Sonata contests, must demonstrate a capacity for hard work and discipline.
Violating studio/client confidentiality. Parents are not to gossip about other parents and students from the studio. Parents are not to give curriculum, supplies, and other trade information regarding SmARTSunlimited to anyone without the sole permission of the owner.
Missing recitals. Recitals are mandatory. Occasionally problems occur making attendance at the recitals impossible. However, we fully expect your child to perform twice a year. It is through the training and preparation of a performance that true musicianship is built.
Late payments. All payments are due on the 3rd of each month by ACH. If your payment is rejected, you will be charged a $25.00 fee and asked to pay by check. If your payments are not paid within two weeks of their due date, then we will assume you no longer wish to continue lessons and your slot will be given to a family on the waiting list.