YourPlace Music School Policies 2024-25

Cancellation

Students are given their invoices ahead of the month at which time they can cancel any of those lessons outright. Once the month has started all lessons are locked in and students will be charged whether or not they attend them. However, any lessons cancelled with reasonable notice will be issued a makeup credit which lasts 60 days. This makeup credit must be used outside of normally scheduled lessons, and is the responsibility of the students to arrange.
For example, if you know you're going away on vacation you just cancel those classes ahead of the month which allows us time to fill the timeslots if need be. However if you have to miss a class due to being sick or something last minute, you still pay for it (and the teacher still gets paid) but you get a makeup credit which you can use at a different time (outside of normally scheduled lessons).

There are a couple reasons for this policy: one is that we want our teachers to have a reasonably predictable income and the second reason is that infrequent music lessons have diminishing returns. That commitment to a certain number of lessons per month is required to really see growth and this provides students incentive to keep on track even in the event of illness or scheduling issues.

Lesson Times

Working with an in-home lesson system can be a bit complex when it comes to scheduling and logistics. We will do our best to run our schedules as tightly as possible, but we are also willing to stay late if a student is just in the middle of grasping a concept, and sometimes traffic can play a huge factor. As such we ask that you please allow a 10 minute grace period before and after scheduled lesson times. Regardless of the start time, we will always teach the full lesson.

Attendance

We know that life gets busy for everyone, that’s why it’s a good idea to lay the groundwork to build healthy expectations. We are willing to be flexible and adaptable to most circumstances but this is a good starting point to make sure that everyone’s interests are served.

We require 24 hours notice for any student cancellation to be eligible for a make-up lesson. However, when it comes to illness we’d rather be safe than sorry: if a student is ill and the cancellation is within 24 hours we’ll do our best to accommodate.

Instructor attendance

We believe in hiring instructors who are active musicians in the community. Touring, out-of-town gigs, or their own schooling may be an unavoidable consequence of this lifestyle. Instructor-cancelled sessions will always be given 24 hours notice (except in cases of illness). If an instructor cannot make a lesson, we will offer a few options:

A substitute teacher will attend the agreed-upon lesson time.
A makeup lesson will be scheduled at a mutually agreed-upon time between you and the instructor
The balance will be carried forward to your next invoice.

Payment

Lesson fees are pre-paid and due the first day of each month (excluding students who start mid-month.)

Invoices will be emailed 7 days before the 1st of the month; students will have an opportunity to make adjustments as needed.
Payments are due on the 1st of the month.
A past-due reminder gets emailed on the 5th of the month
On the 10th of the month a $15 late fee is added.
Unclaimed credits expire after 60 days.

Payment methods include:

Automatic e-transfer
cheques
Credit Card through the MMS platform.

Recitals/drop-in/listening parties.

Depending on the interest level of students, bi-annual recitals will be offered for students to showcase what they’ve been working on and get some experience performing in front of crowds. Other events will include more casual drop-in/listening party days to try different instruments, showcase their own performances or music they enjoy, and meet other students. Details will be provided throughout the year.

Respectful Workplace

The school is dedicated to fostering a respectful, professional, and supportive environment, free from any form of harassment, be it physical, psychological, or verbal.
Harassment includes verbal aggression, insults, unwelcome comments or actions, and any inappropriate conduct or comment that can be reasonably expected to cause intimidation or distress. This policy applies to staff, directors, contractors, faculty, parents, students and visitors.
This can also include behavior that’s not intended to be harmful, including initiated unwanted affection or touching; making romantically suggestive or racially-charged comments, objectifying jokes or banter.
Intention and impact can be different, but both are worthy of consideration.

Stopping or Pausing Lessons

If at some point you decide to stop lessons altogether, we require 4 lessons notice before your planned withdrawal. Payment is required up to the withdrawal date.

Pausing lessons still beyond two weeks requires a deposit equal to four lessons but lessons can be stopped immediately and that deposit can be used when returning or for another student. Deposits will be forfeit at the end of the calendar year unless alternate arrangements are made. To reserve your specific day/time slot during an absence, an additional hold fee per month applies - otherwise, returning students will be placed based on availability.

This policy exists because holding a lesson spot reserves your teacher's time on an ongoing basis - even during absences, that time can't easily be filled, and these terms help us maintain consistent scheduling and fair compensation for our teachers.

Summer break (July-August) is exempt - all lesson slots are automatically held and resume in September without a deposit or hold fee.

*Lesson Payment will be considered agreement to these policies*

YourPlace Music School Policies 2024-25

School

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