Tuition, Calendar, and Lesson Policies

Melody Tree Studios Lesson Policies 2023/2024 

Calendar

Our studio offers an ongoing, year-round (12 month) lesson program, September - August.

Studio Events

FIRST DAY OF LESSONS FOR THE 2023/2024 SCHOOL YEAR - Tuesday, September 5th, 2023

WINTER RECITAL - Saturday, December 16th, 2023

WORKSHOP DAY - Saturday, February 24th, 2024 (Students attend a group workshop in place of their regularly scheduled lesson.)

WORKSHOP DAY - Saturday, June 1st, 2024 (Students attend a group workshop in place of their regularly scheduled lesson.)

SPRING RECITAL - Saturday, June 15th, 2024

Holidays and Studio Closures

There will be NO LESSONS on the following days:

THANKSGIVING BREAK - November 20th - 24th, 2023

WINTER BREAK - December 25th, 2023 - January 5th 2024

WORKSHOP WEEK - February 19th-23rd, 2024 (Students attend a group workshop on Saturday, February 24th in place of their regularly scheduled lesson.)

SPRING BREAK - April 8th- April 12th, 2024 (If your student has a different spring break, please let me know and we can make scheduling accommodations if necessary.)

WORKSHOP WEEK - May 27th - 31st, 2024 (Students attend a group workshop on Saturday, June 1st in place of their regularly scheduled lesson.)

SUMMER BREAK - June 24th - July 5th, 2024

END OF SUMMER/BACK TO SCHOOL BREAK - August 26th - September 6th, 2024. 

Please note that these are the only weeks with no lessons.

Tuition

$160/month – weekly 30 minute private lessons

$240/month - weekly 45 minute private lessons

$320/month - weekly 60 minute private lessons

• Your tuition payment reserves your weekly lesson time, and also includes the opportunity to participate in two group workshops and two recitals each year.

• Tuition is due on the first of the month, and is payable with Zelle, Popmoney, auto-pay through your bank, cash, or a check made out to Rachel Robinson.

Books/Materials fee

A yearly nonrefundable $75 books/materials fee is due upon registration or with September tuition, and covers all lesson materials including method books, holiday music, recital music, and any other supplemental or fun music that students would like to play.

Illness Policy

If your student is sick, please keep them home from lessons. If they are feeling well enough to attend online, please let me know and we will have their lesson via Zoom. Likewise, if your teacher is under the weather but feeling well enough to teach, I will notify you and lessons will be held online.

Inclement Weather

If you prefer not to travel to your lesson due to the weather, please let me know and we will have your lesson online.

Attendance

• Please make every effort to attend all lessons, as consistency is vital to students' progress. Your tuition payment reserves your weekly lesson time in the schedule. There are no make-up lessons during the school year. Tuition is not refunded or adjusted for absences or canceled lessons. Just like university tuition, music lesson tuition is payable whether the student attends or not. As a courtesy to your teacher, please let me know as soon as possible if you will miss a lesson.

• Lessons begin and end promptly, so please be on time.

• If you know in advance that you will miss a lesson, you may arrange to trade lesson times with another student. A lesson swap sheet with names, phone numbers, email addresses, and the lesson schedule will be distributed early in the year. Please contact me 24 hours in advance if you arrange to swap lessons with another student. If you don’t want to be included on this sheet, you may opt out in the form below.

• Online lessons are always available if you are unable to make it to your lesson in person. This can help with conflicts due to mild illness, travel, transportation, etc. If you'd like to have your lesson online, just let us know!

• If your teacher has an emergency and needs to cancel a lesson, we will reschedule the missed lesson at a mutually agreed upon time.

• Lessons are ongoing and students are expected to continue with lessons throughout the year. However, if you find that you must stop lessons, a one month written notice is required.

Summer Lesson Policy

• Lessons are held year-round, September through August.

• Students must continue lessons during the summer in order to retain a spot in the studio. Consistency throughout the year is key when acquiring, developing, and maintaining musical skills.

• Students who take lessons year-round will have scheduling priority for the following year. Students who discontinue lessons will NOT be guaranteed a spot, but may resume lessons if there is a space available.

Flexible Summer Schedule Options

1) SPECIAL SUMMER MAKE-UP DAYS - During the months of June, July, and August, three make-up days will be offered. You can use these make-up days to reschedule any missed lessons that have been canceled in advance.

You may schedule up to two back-to-back 30 minute make-up lessons per student, per make-up day. I appreciate as much notice for cancellations as possible, with a minimum of 48 hour notice required if you'd like to schedule a summer make-up. Times and dates will be announced in the spring.

2) ALTERNATE SUMMER LESSON TIME - You have the option to choose a different lesson time that works with your summer schedule (camps/etc.) for the months of July and August, and return to your regular school year lesson time in September.

3) LESSON SWAP - For a one time conflict, you may arrange to swap lesson times with another family using the Lesson Swap Program.

4) ADDITIONAL MAKE-UP SLOTS - As we get closer to summer, I will add additional time slots for make-up lessons that have opened up due to student cancellations. You will receive an email when these slots have been added to the make-up calendar, and I will update available times throughout the summer.

Practice

• Regular practice is important for all music students.

• Parents, please help your child develop good practice habits by setting aside a regular practice time each day in a distraction-free environment.

• Students and parents are welcome to email me with any questions regarding practice during the week. I am happy to help!