Our New Program Policy

Hello everyone! I am excited to announce that we are making some changes in regards to the expectations for both teachers and students moving forward, for the benefit of all parties involved.

From the beginning, our goal has always been to:

1) Help our students fall in love with music, and

2) Help our students actually get good at what we are teaching them!

It has been a constant learning process for myself and our wonderful teachers on how to become the best teachers we can be. In fact, it always will be, because to be the best teacher, one must also become the best learner.

While I have spent a lot of time learning more about music and teaching, I am still VERY new at running a business, and because of this, I have made many mistakes. Hopefully you all know that I don't view mistakes as a bad thing, they must happen for us to learn, and the best kind of learning brings changed behavior.

One of these mistakes has been my lack of communication regarding how we prefer scheduling, practice, and preparation for each lesson to go. Your teachers have recieved training on these things, but I was not smart enough to pass the information on to you! This has led to scheduling issues, a lack of progress for our students and a rather unprofessional relationship with each of you, and for this I sincerely apologize.

Moving forward, I'd like to change this behavior to one of over-communicating so that everyone is on the same page. So, the rest of this article will define our expectations and policies in full. They are carefully crafted to ensure the success of our students and respect for teachers' time.

I strongly encourage you to read through it (I'll keep it short), and let us know if you have any questions!

THESE CHANGES WILL TAKE EFFECT FOR ALL LESSONS/CLASSES, STARTING APRIL 14, 2025.

WEEKLY STUDENT EXPECTATIONS- It is important to the success of each student in class each week to arrive on time, with the required materials for class. If there is a conflict, it is the student’s (or parent/guardian’s) responsibility to notify the teacher (either via text or through Fons) a minimum of 48 hours in advance. If this does not occur by the specified time period, a $15 “no show” fee will be applied to next month’s tuition, per occurrence. The Studio reserves the right to waive this fee at the Studio’s discretion, depending on the good standing of the client and the circumstances surrounding the miscommunication. At the teacher’s discretion, they may reschedule the missed lesson for another day of the same week, provided that they were given 48 hour notice as previously mentioned.

WEEKLY TEACHER EXPECTATIONS- Teachers are expected to arrive on time, with the required materials for class. If there is a conflict in their schedule, they are expected to let you know via Fons AND text message a minimum of a week in advance. In the event that this does not occur, you will not be held financially responsible for that lesson, and you will pay a prorated amount for next month’s tuition, OR you will be refunded the value of the missed lesson if this is the last month of the course you are currently taking. If your teacher does not communicate effectively, please let Kayden know!

TUITION EXPECTATIONS- It is required that the first month be paid in full before lessons can begin. You will receive an email asking for payment info and outlining the details of your monthly tuition. Moving forward, tuition will be the same regardless of the number of lessons during the month. There will be no refunds for missed lessons, though class may be extended past the agreed 12 weeks to ensure that each student finishes the course at the teacher’s discretion. The day that tuition is due can be found in Fons. A $5 late fee will be applied to the tuition if it is more than 7 days late. We strongly encourage you to use the payment processor in Fons to avoid these fees, though we do accept all forms of payment. Leave payment with your teacher the first day of class if you are not using online payment through Fons.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS- We organize our curriculum in 14 Week cycles, with 12 weeks of instruction (accounting for 2 missed lessons, on average). For the 14 weeks we charge 3 months of tuition. You may do as many as you wish, depending upon each students’ desires and goals. It is expected that students take lessons for the entirety of the 14 week cycle, and each student will be held financially responsible for all 3 months, regardless of how many lessons they attend. The Studio reserves the right to prorate or waive tuition at their discretion, depending on the circumstances for each student.

STOPPING LESSONS- If you are no longer wishing to continue with lessons for any reason, please give Kayden a text/call/email BEFORE the next billing cycle, which can be found in Fons. We will schedule a 15-minute “exit call” to discuss next steps for the student on their musical journey and to get valuable feedback from you!

CARE FOR FACILITIES- Though the facilities are a work in progress, we do ask that students treat them with respect. Any damage caused by students will result in immediate dismissal, and they or their parent/guardian will be held financially responsible.

STUDENT SHOWCASES- Performances are optional but highly encouraged! We do charge admission, (currently $8) to get in for those over 12 that are not performing, it is a big production and my goal with each concert is to break even 🙂

STUDENT SUCCESS- Parents can come to lessons as often as they would like to, we recommend at least monthly, if possible. We also recommend helping your student find a specific time to practice, uninterrupted 3-5x a week. What they should practice and for how long will be specified on their Practice Plan. Please let Kayden know if your student is not getting one of these every week (They can be found in the book for those taking a group course).

CONCLUSION- It is very important to me that we communicate so that I can answer any questions or solve any concerns that you may have. Please feel free to reach out by phone/text at (801) 554-1806 or by email at kaydent@skylinemusicstudio.com.