Enrollment Fee

All new students and returning students are required to pay a $50 enrollment fee. The enrollment fee is non-refundable. Books, accessories, and recital fees are charged separately.

Payments

East Valley School of Music requires tuition payments to be collected automatically. Tuition payment must be received in full before the first lesson in the new month, and East Valley School of Music reserves the right to report unpaid tuition payments to a collection agency. Customers are required to fill out the Payment Method Form attached to this contract in order to enroll in lessons. Payment methods are listed below:

• Bank Account: Customer provides a bank account and routing number. This method is preferable due to periodic changes in credit/debit cards, such as expired, cancelled, or declined cards, and clients who sign up with bank account payments will receive a $20 discount off their first payment, but must continue with this payment method for a period of at least 6 months or the $20 discount is forfeit. This discount does not apply for group lessons.
• Credit/Debit Card: Customer maintains current credit or debit card information on file. If a card is declined, invalid, or expired, East Valley School of Music will contact customer.

Late Fees and Late Tuition Collection

A $25 late fee will be added if tuition is not received by the last day of the month (tuition is due on the 25th day of each month). If payment is not received by the 7th day of the next month, then tuition will need to be collected prior to student’s next lesson. If payment is not received by the 14th day of the next month, student will be dismissed from the school due to non-payment.

A La Carte Lessons

Schedule short-term private lessons with one of our experienced instructors to brush up on your skills or prepare for an audition!

• No enrollment fee or contracts!
• You can choose from 1 to 4 private lessons.
• Lessons must take place in consecutive weeks.
• Lessons must be scheduled on the same instrument with the same instructor.
• Payment must be made in advance to schedule lessons and is non-refundable.

Policies

Communication

East Valley School of Music sends out periodic emails with important announcements and updates. Please read these emails to stay informed and do not unsubscribe from our email list. Upon enrolling in lessons, you will be given your instructor’s contact information, including phone number and email address. If you need to cancel a lesson, please contact your instructor directly.

Scheduling

If you need to change your scheduled timeslot, please contact your instructor. If your instructor is unable to find a timeslot that works for your schedule, it may be necessary to reassign you to another instructor. Due to difficulties in scheduling, we are unable to accommodate frequent timeslot changes. Student is expected to stay committed to the same weekly timeslot.

Missed Lessons

East Valley School of Music does not give refunds for missed lessons. Students who miss a lesson for any reason will have the opportunity to attend a group make-up class that will be held by their instructor. Lessons cancelled by EVSM instructors will be rescheduled privately or taught by a substitute instructor.

Adult Students: For adult student absences, instructor will attempt to reschedule missed lessons due to sickness, emergency, or mandatory functions. Make-up lessons must be scheduled during instructor’s assigned teaching days/times. There are no guarantees that instructor will be able to reschedule all missed lessons.

Student Illness/Injury Policy: If a student becomes seriously ill or injured and is unable to practice or play the instrument, East Valley School of Music allows one skipped monthly tuition payment (a total of 4 weeks). If student is still recovering by the 5th or 6th week of missed lessons, instructor will privately make up one or two lessons. A doctor’s note is required to confirm illness or injury.

Instrument Requirement

Before enrolling in lessons at East Valley School of Music, student is required to have an instrument as well as other necessary accessories. Having the proper instrument and accessories is essential to students’ progress. Students will also need to purchase sheet music as necessary. Please read the following requirements for each instrument:

• Piano: Student is required to have an acoustic piano or a full size 88-key digital piano/weighted keyboard with music stand, bench, and pedal to enroll in lessons. Within two years enrolled in lessons at East Valley School of Music, it is strongly recommended to upgrade to an acoustic piano.
• Voice: Student is recommended to have a piano or keyboard. Student may need to purchase additional materials upon instructor’s request.
• Guitar/Ukulele/Bass: Student is required to have an instrument in order to enroll in lessons. Student must also have a music stand, tuner, extra strings, and guitar picks (for guitar only).
• Strings: Student is required to have a working instrument with bow, rosin, and cleaning cloth in order to enroll in lessons. Cello students must have a rock stop for performances. Student must also have a music stand, and tuner. East Valley School of Music offers rentals for violin, viola, and cello. Please speak with your instructor before purchasing an instrument.
• Woodwinds: Student is required to have a working instrument in order to enroll in lessons. Reed players are required to have a minimum of 2 working reeds at all times. Student must also have a music stand,  and tuner. East Valley School of Music offers rentals for flute, clarinet, and saxophone. Student may need to purchase additional materials upon instructor’s request.
• Percussion: Student is required to have an acoustic snare drum and/or practice pad to begin, as well as sticks and a music stand. It is also recommended to have a drum kit. Student may need to purchase additional materials upon instructor’s request.

Waiting Area & Lesson Observation

Children under the age of 10 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. Please keep children in the waiting area and do not leave children unattended in the hallways. While in the waiting area, please keep noise to a minimum. Parents are welcome to sit in on lessons at any time, but siblings, infants, and friends of students are not permitted to sit in on lessons as it is a distraction to both the student and the instructor and compromises the learning environment. Anyone other than parents or the student taking the lesson will be asked to leave the room.

Little Pianist Program Completion

Students ages 4-6 are eligible to enroll in the Little Pianists Program. Students will work through a primer level curriculum, usually the My First Piano Adventure series. Upon instructor recommendation or upon completion of the primer level curriculum, students are required to enroll in 45-minute lessons in order to continue piano lessons at East Valley School of Music.

Practice Requirement & Probation

Student is required to attend lessons regularly and practice consistently. Music lessons are a serious commitment, and East Valley School of Music cannot hold timeslots for students who are unable to attend and/or practice on a regular basis. Student is responsible to practice the minimum minutes assigned by instructor 5 days a week. Parent is responsible to sign off on lesson assignment sheets to verify practice time for students age 4-12. Instructor will notify parent if student is consistently absent, not practicing, not completing theory assignments, or misbehaving during lessons. If issues are not resolved, student will be placed on a 4-week probationary period, after which they may be dismissed from East Valley School of Music. Students who miss 3 consecutive lessons without communicating with their instructor or the office will be dismissed with no refund.

Recital Participation, Preparation, and Guidelines

East Valley School of Music offers several recitals and performance opportunities for students throughout the year. Please visit
our website for a complete list of all recitals and performances.

Formal Recitals

Formal recitals include our annual Holiday Recital and Graduation Recital, which are held in our performance hall.

• Student is expected to have recital repertoire performance-ready in advance. Students who are not prepared will not be allowed to perform. Memorization of repertoire is left up to the discretion of the instructor.
• Student is required to arrive at least 10 minutes early to all recitals. Depending on the instrument, student may be required to arrive up to 30 minutes early to prepare and warm-up per instructor’s request. Students who do not arrive in time to tune their instrument and/or warm-up may not be allowed to perform.
• Student is required to follow recital dress code, which is formal.
• Student is required to stay for their entire performance set as a courtesy to the other performers.
• Instructor will go over performance etiquette with each student prior to recital. Student is required to announce their name and piece and bow/curtsy after performing.

School Performances

East Valley School of Music offers various public performances throughout the year.

• Student is expected to have recital repertoire performance-ready in advance. Students who are not prepared will not be allowed to perform. Memorization of repertoire is left up to the discretion of the instructor.
• For school performances, time blocks are assigned to instructors to help control the flow of attendees. Students are expected to perform during their instructor’s assigned time block if possible.

Instructor Reassignment

Due to the nature of coordinating the schedules of instructors and students, it may be necessary to reassign a student to another instructor. Students assigned to an instructor who leaves EVSM will be reassigned to another EVSM instructor. In accordance with the instructor independent contract agreement with the school, instructors are not permitted to teach EVSM students privately apart from the school.

Summer Travel Policy

East Valley School of Music continues lessons year-round. Students who withdraw from lessons for summer travel will not be guaranteed a timeslot when they return and will be assessed a $50 enrollment fee to re-enroll. Under the Summer Travel Policy, students who take 4 to 8 weeks off pay half the tuition amount in order to hold their weekly timeslot and stay enrolled. Student is also eligible to attend group make-up classes. (No private make-up lessons will be given for the missed lessons) This policy applies to the months of May, June, July, and August, and the discounted tuition will be reflected in the July invoice. If you need to take time off during these months, please talk to the office and fill out a Summer Travel Policy form.

30-Day Notice of Withdrawal

East Valley School of Music requires a 30-day notice of withdrawal from lessons at any time. For this reason, an initial 2-month commitment is expected. To withdraw, you must inform the office. You also are required to complete a Notice of Withdrawal Form, which is available upon request.

Extra Lessons Accrued: Extra (5th) lessons that may occur during some months are financially balanced by billing the same rate each month, even during months with a one-week break. This helps us to keep the billing as simple as possible, however, if a student discontinues lessons prior a one-week break, they may need to be billed for an extra (5th) lesson if one has accrued.