Centre for Musical Minds

Studio Handbook and Policies  - "Extraordinary Results in Every Student!"

Parent Expectations and Responsibilities

1. Support the fulfillment of your child’s responsibilities. Consistency is the key to learning a musical instrument!  This means showing up to lessons, practice and performances.
2. Encourage progress. Many small steps throughout the year yield big results!
3. Remind your son/daughter of daily practice and help them to schedule this practice time in their daily routine.  Better yet, have a practice chart.
4. Provide a practice environment that is free from interruptions (family, friends, TV, computer or phone).
5. Be financially responsible and pay tuition ON TIME. Late payments result in late fees. For questions regarding tuition and your account, login to your account, Tuition Question - online payments are accepted!
6. Communicate with the teacher about any questions or concerns you have regarding the student, music, practicing, festivals, recitals or lesson content.

 Student Expectations and Responsibilities

1. Schedule 15-30 minutes of practice each day for at least five days per week. Two of those days must include the day of and following the private lesson. Remember: playing is not practicing!
2. Complete all assignments the teacher has written down on the assignment sheet. Practice steps are included verbally in the lesson, and on the lesson assignment sheet.
3. Review carefully any suggestions or instructions given in the previous lesson. Teachers will write the main goals of each assignment on your assignment sheet.
4. Arrive promptly at your lesson time. You reserve the time slot, not the number of minutes.
5. If questions arise, be sure to ask your teacher questions during lessons; We want you to understand the assignment and expectations.

Teacher Expectations and Responsibilities

1. Provide each student with the personal attention and respect necessary to develop his/her individual talents.
2. Guide each student to a greater understanding and enjoyment of music.
3. Guide each student towards an awareness of her/his capabilities – clearly communicating short-term and long-term goals. This may be verbal or written communication.
4. Encourage a feeling of success at each student’s individual rate of learning.
5. Guide each student towards Musical Independence and Initiative through a balanced program of theory, technique and repertoire.
   • Theory - studying the “grammar” of the language of music.
   • Technique - the physical mechanics of the instrument
   • Repertoire - a list of pieces to be learned based on standard classical, jazz and popular music essential to gaining an understanding and appreciation for music of many different kinds
6. Report the progress of the student to the parent, listen to any concerns and answer any questions that the parent and student may have.

Attendance

Students are expected to attend all scheduled lessons per each spring and fall semester. You are scheduling a specific time period, on a specific day, each week.  

CMM has a specific number of weeks on the calendar which you are invoiced for. Our tuition and enrollment fees are non-refundable and makeup lessons are not scheduled. Please plan lesson times and social engagements accordingly. In the event that an emergency should take place, please contact our Executive Director to discuss possible (though not guaranteed) options. Send Email

Summer participation in lessons will be expected and scheduled on an individual basis. Each student is learning a new language and without reinforcement, new ideas, a change of pace and practice – they lose the very skills they have worked so hard to attain over the course of the past nine months. The investment you as parents have made is too great to take months off and expect to pick right back up where we left off. 

Practice

"You don’t have to practice every day, just on the days that you eat."

This is good advice, but not always the most practical. The most important time for the student to practice is immediately following the lesson – or at least on the same day as the lesson, after the student has received instruction. Research indicates that retention rate is as high as 90% on the first day, whereas it drops to almost 60% if the students waits just 24-hours.

We at CMM say aim for six and expect five days of practice. If a student has 30 minute lessons, a good daily practice session would last between 15 and 20 minutes each day. If a student has a 45 minute lesson, a good daily practice session would last between 30 and 45 minutes each day.

You get out of it what you put into it – what we require is consistency and the results speak for themselves.

Absence

No makeup lessons are scheduled or guaranteed. At the conclusion of each semester there will be a group class your child can participate in, in place of the missed lesson.  Missed lessons under no circumstances, will be refunded. 

Drop-off/Pick-up

Prompt drop off and pick up are expected. It is unacceptable for a student to be waiting more than 5 minutes for the parents to pick up, as we do not provide a daycare service and cannot be responsible for the student after their lesson is finished. Parents are welcome to wait in the waiting area.

Private Lesson Tuition 

30 minute lessons

In full: $550 or $137.50 monthly due ON or BEFORE the 1st of each month, in advance

In full: $608 or $152 monthly for Miss Kristin, Mr. Neeki

45 minute lessons - Best value!

In full: $776 or $194 monthly due ON or BEFORE the 1st of each month, in advance

In full: $840 or $210 monthly for Miss Kristin, Mr. Neek. 

• Students will not be allowed to participate in lessons should tuition be past due more than 10 days. Parents/guardians are responsible for tuition for the remainder of the semester.
• In July of each year there is a $130 enrollment fee per student. This enrollment fee covers any additional costs such as flash cards, music, recital rental fees, etc…This fee does not include festival registration or competition registration.

Ever wonder where your tuition dollars go?  Parents often ask how much we charge "per lesson".  Well...we don't have a 'per-lesson' fee.  We'd like to give you some insight on what your semester/monthly fees cover though, so you can better understand what exactly we as a music school provide for you.

Recitals and Public Performances

Each student is expected to participate in at least two performances per year. Please see calendar for more specific dates!

Festivals, Certificates and Theory Exams

Each CMM student has the option of participating in our annual Fall Performance Evaluation and/or our Spring Achievement Auditions. Each event will be judged by well respected pianists with the highest credentials and reputation. The Centre for Musical Minds distributes theory evaluations to each student based on their level - NOT based on their grade in school. These evaluations are fair, based on practical theory for ALL musicians, and take place during their December group class. 

CMM students also have the option of taking The Achievement Program examinations, endorsed by Carnegie Hall and based on The Royal Conservatory.  The Achievement Program is a rigorous international standard curriculum and teachers at CMM are well-equipped to facilitate and implement this curriculum, should a family decide to participate. More information can be found at The Achievement Program.

Inclement Weather

Should the need arise to cancel lessons due to bad weather; the lessons will be made up.  The lesson may be made up in the form of a master class, group class or individual lesson.

Summer

 In order to reserve a space in the studios for fall, all students are required to register for our summer program.  At CMM this means Summer Private or Music Camp.