Hart Music Studios
Studio Policies (In-Home lessons)
Last Updated: October 02, 2018
Tuition: Tuition guarantees a timeslot in your instructor’s schedule for your lesson. Additionally, tuition also covers the cost of the instructor’s time spent on lesson planning and repertoire selection, instructor’s’ fuel and auto insurance, and the instructor’s teaching materials in addition to standard operating expenses such as taxes and insurance, credit card processing fees, etc. Tuition is calculated on a monthly basis for September through June depending on how many lessons are scheduled for the month (see the Calendar below) and is based on a per-lesson rate of $50/30-minute lesson or $75/45-minute lesson.
Enrollment/Deposit: An enrollment fee of $40 applies to all new students. This fee includes the initial books and instructional materials that are determined by the instructor. A deposit in the amount of 1 lesson will also be due upon enrollment. This deposit will be returned to you as long as you provide written notice (email/text is sufficient) to the studio by the 15th of the month that you are discontinuing studies. For example, if you notify the studio before February 15th that you will not be continuing lessons in March, you would receive your deposit back by March 15th. If you notify the studio on February 16th or later that you will not be continuing lessons in March you will forfeit your deposit. Students who study the entire year will receive the deposit credited back to them on their final invoice of the year.
Billing: Tuition is billed monthly; all clients are required to have a valid credit card on file. On the 1st of the month, your invoice for the month will be emailed to you and your card on file will be charged the applicable tuition for the month. If you prefer to pay by check or cash, you can do so; however, all payments must be received by the last day of the previous month, or your card on file will be charged.
Student Cancellation: If you cannot make your scheduled lesson time for any reason (prior commitment, illness, etc.), please let the studio know as soon as possible. You will be issued a make-up credit for a missed lesson as long as you provide notice by 12pm on the day of the scheduled lesson. No make-up credits will be issued for lessons canceled after 12pm. There will be no refund or credit for the next month for missed lessons; only make-up credits will be issued (exceptions may be made in extenuating circumstances).
Make-up Lessons: Make-up lessons can be scheduled when an instructor has an opening in their normal teaching schedule due to a cancellation. If you have a make-up credit, you will be notified when a make-up slot becomes available. Make-up slots are first-come, first-serve , and are booked through MyMusicStaff. Make-up lessons will often consist of supplemental instruction (i.e. music theory, ear training, music history, sight-reading, etc.) that will not interfere with normal instruction and can occur in the same week as your scheduled lesson.
Make-up Credits: Make-up credits do not expire and can be rolled over from year-to-year. Make-up credits have no cash value and are forfeited upon the discontinuation of monthly lessons. Make-up credits can be only be used for summer lessons to extend a paid-for lesson (i.e. pay for 30 minutes, receive 1 hour). If a scheduled make-up lesson is missed, the make-up credit is lost (i.e. there is no make-up make-up lesson ).
Teacher Cancellation: If the instructor cannot make your scheduled lesson time for any reason, you will be notified as soon as possible. The studio will aim to provide you 24-hours notice, but please note that extenuating circumstances may arise in the instructor’s life as well. If the instructor misses your scheduled lesson time for any reason, the studio will issue you a credit or refund for that lesson, no questions asked.
Calendar: The 2018-2019 teaching year follows the Tenafly Public School Calendar and begins on September 4th, 2018 and ends on June 14, 2019. If schools are open, lessons are scheduled for that day (with the sole exception of Halloween). Any closures that do not coincide with the Tenafly Public School Calendar will be announced with as much advance notice as possible.
Summer Lessons: Summer lessons are available certain weeks for students who wish to continue studies while school is out. Summer lessons are on a pay-by-the-lesson basis and are charged at the normal tuition rate. If you need to cancel a scheduled summer lesson, notice by the prior evening is required or else payment is still due for that lesson. Exceptions will be made for extenuating circumstances at the studio’s discretion.
Inclement Weather: The studio will be closed for inclement weather based on the school closings schedule of the Tenafly Public Schools. You will receive a credit for these lessons towards your following month’s tuition.
Lesson Start Time: Please note that your assigned lesson start time is approximate; due to the unforeseen circumstances that can arise when travel is involved (detours, traffic, etc.), clients are asked to allow a 5-10 minute window for the instructor to arrive past the scheduled start time. If the instructor is more than 10 minutes late and is unable to teach the full duration of the lesson, the fee for this lesson will be prorated.
Leave of Absence: If you decide to take a month (or more) off from lessons, the studio cannot guarantee your time slot will be available when you return.
Cleanliness: In the interest of keeping both the student and instructor healthy, all students are asked to have their hands washed before beginning their lesson.
Illness: Students who are ill SHOULD NOT attend lessons. If you are too sick to attend school/work, you are too sick to attend your lesson. Please notify the studio by 12pm if you are ill and cannot attend your lesson in order to receive a make-up credit.
Instrument: Students must have an acoustic piano or an electronic keyboard to use for lessons and for practice. Acoustic pianos should be regularly tuned (I can recommend an excellent tuner if needed) and both acoustic pianos and electronic keyboards should be of sufficient quality (electronic keyboards must have 88 weighted keys).
Materials/Books: As students progress in their lessons they will require additional lesson books, supplemental music, etc. Your instructor will communicate with you when new books or materials are needed. The studio can order the materials needed and invoice you for them, or you can order the materials yourself.
Recital: All students are required to participate in the end-of-year recital that will occur on May 19, 2019. A $25 non-refundable recital fee per student will be applied to April’s invoice to help defray the expenses associated with the recital.
Social Media: From time to time, the studio features students and their achievements on the studio Facebook and Instagram pages. The information posted is restricted to photo/video, first name, and age. If you do not consent to this information being shared on social media, please inform the studio in writing.
Communication: Hart Music Studios maintains an open-door policy and encourages parents/students to reach out when there is a question or concern. For non-urgent queries, please send an email to hms@hartmusicstudios.com. For urgent communications, you can text or call the Studio at (201) 701-0831 between the hours of 9am and 8pm , and someone will get back to you as soon as we can. Please note that questions regarding all studio policies and procedures, scheduling issues, instructor issues, etc. need to be directed to the Studio. Queries regarding instruction and/or students’ progress can be addressed to the instructors; however, please be aware that instructors are on a tight time schedule and will need to answer these queries outside of the scheduled lesson time.
Policy Updates: Hart Music Studios reserves the right to make changes to these policies at any time. Clients will be notified of any policy changes with as much advance notice as possible.