|
Download a pdf of the policies right here -->
|
| ||
Studio Semester and Number of Lessons
The Fall/Spring semesters are based on a 9 month calendar (mid Sept. – May). Fall semester has 13 lessons and Spring semester has 19 lessons for a total of 32 lessons in a given academic calendar. Most studio breaks coincide with the school systems in the New York City metropolitan area, but some holidays (e.g. Columbus Day) are not observed and lessons will occur. See Holidays / Studio Breaks section below.
During the summer semester, lessons are offered in flexible packages to allow for vacations and time off. The summer schedule/offerings will be announced in the middle of the spring semester preceding it.
For lesson rates, please inquire at j.ripka@gmail.com.
Tuition Payments and Schedule
Tuition reserves your weekly time slot and studio membership. It also covers the cost of:
- Instructional time
- Lesson planning and repertoire selection
- Recital venues and programs (Zoom recitals included)
- Teacher professional development and training
- Incentive programs and game materials
- Technology
- Lesson materials, scans, print-outs
Tuition does not include the cost of music method books, scores, or additional sheet music (though occasionally sheet music and books will be lended or provided, if possible). Students should expect to spend approximately $50 per year on repertoire.
Heroes of Harmony accepts checks, cash, and credit/debit (online payment) via paypal, Zelle, or Venmo. Invoices are sent out one week prior to payment dates.
Tuition payment can be collected either per academic school year upfront or divided into equal monthly installments. For those choosing to pay in full, a discounted rate of 5% off the total cost of tuition will be offered, and payment is due prior to or at the first lesson of the year (September). Monthly payments are due on the 1st of the month. Payments that haven’t been made by the 10th of the month are subject to a 10% late payment fee.
Missed Lessons
If a student will be missing their lesson for any reason, they should inform the teacher by text or email, with as much notice as possible. If there’s an open time slot that week (such as another student’s cancellation) it’ll be offered, although availability isn’t guaranteed.
Missed lessons cannot be carried over into subsequent weeks. If the student simply doesn’t show up to an appointment, the student will forfeit that lesson and no make-up will be scheduled that week.
If for any reason the teacher has to cancel the lesson, a make-up lesson will be offered for a later time. If a suitable time can not be arranged and the requisite number of lessons hasn’t been met in a given semester due to teacher absence, the cost for the missed lesson will be refunded.
Punctuality
Students (and the teacher) are expected to be on-time for each lesson, either online or in-person. A 10-minute grace-period will be offered, after such, if the student isn’t present, they will forfeit the lesson for that week. Lessons will end at the scheduled time.
Holidays / Studio Breaks
Please Note that the studio isn’t closed on every national holiday. The studio is ALWAYS closed on:
- Yom Kippur
- Thanksgiving/Black Friday
- Christmas Eve/Christmas Day
- New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day
- Memorial Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- 4th of July
- Labor Day
Additional studio breaks are announced on the studio calendar, which is accessible to students via the Calendar section of the portal (www.joelripka.com).
Discontinuing Lessons
In the event that the student/parent chooses to discontinue lessons, the cancellation will go into effect in the coming month. Students may wish to complete their lessons through the end of the month, but the monthly payment will not be refunded.