Playing music is fun, but teaching is also a business. Please understand that it is our livelihood and cancellations greatly affect our income. If you are interested in becoming a student, please take the time to download and read through our policies. Thank you!
Payment
* At this time, teachers accept payment in the form of cash or check only. Some teachers accept alternative forms of payment like Venmo, PayPal, and Square. If you prefer these methods, inquire about them. You will pay your teacher directly for each lesson and payment is due at the time of your lesson, unless your teacher requires payment in advance. We are thinking about moving towards a unified system of paying a monthly tuition using automated online payments and will notify you of this policy change when it occurs.
Rates
* Our teachers are independent contractors, not employees of the school and are allowed to set their own lesson rates. Lesson rates are between $25-30 for half hour lessons, $45-50 for 45 minute lessons, and between $50-60 for hour lessons, depending on the teacher.
Cancellations
* Students are asked to give notice of cancellation 24 hours in advance of their scheduled time slot. If notice is not received, the student will be charged and forfeit their lesson.
* If proper notice of a cancellation is provided, a make-up lesson can be scheduled. Students can contact their teacher to make arrangements to do so. All missed lessons must be made up within 30 days and only four make-ups will be allowed per year. Make-up lessons are dependent on your teacher’s schedule and availability and are up to the student to schedule.
* We expect students to make learning music a priority and to show up consistently for their lessons. Frequent cancellations will be evaluated by teachers on an individual basis. Depending on the reasons and circumstances, students may lose their spot due to frequent cancellations.
* If a student misses a lesson without notifying their teacher, a “no show,” the student will forfeit the lesson and no make up will be provided. If any student misses two consecutive lessons without notifying their teacher, the time slot will be made available to other students.
* If your teacher needs to miss a lesson, they will notify you as soon as possible. If you paid in advance, they will provide a make-up lesson or give you a refund. Again, make-up lessons are dependent on your teacher’s schedule and availability.
* Students who are more than 5 minutes late for their lesson will not get their full time. Most lessons are scheduled back to back and our schedules are full. Your lesson will end when it is time for the next student’s to begin. If your lesson starts late because your teacher's schedule is running behind, you WILL get your full time.
Snow
* In the event of bad weather, contact your teacher to see if lessons are still on. Lessons may be canceled during snow storms, depending on the severity. Public and private schools may let out early due to the threat of snow, but we will continue to do lessons, as long as the roads are still drivable. We prefer to take a “wait and see” approach to bad weather. You will be charged for your lesson if you cancel due to snow prematurely.
Holidays
* We remain open during most school holidays and breaks, with the exception of Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Forth of July, Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, and Labor Day. All other holidays, such as Columbus Day, President’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, etc., we operate on our regular schedule. If you plan to take any of those holidays off, please give us notice.
Terminating Lessons
* If you need to stop taking lessons, we ask that you give us two weeks written notice sent to rhinebeckschoolofmusic@gmail.com. We are always looking for feedback, so if you can, please provide your reason for stopping, so we can better assist others in the future.
Summer Vacations
* If you plan to take a vacation or break during the Summer months, please consider letting us know in advance, so we can plan for it.
Workshops
* If you sign up and pay in advance for a workshop, group lesson, or master class, there are NO refunds.
Thank You
* We are committed to working hard and doing our best to help you achieve your goals. Please respect our policies and understand that as much fun as music is, it is also how we make our living.