The Conservatory is intentional when selecting instructors to serve musicians at the Conservatory. Our instructors understand this is to be a long-term commitment and that turnover is detrimental to our mission.
All instructors have an extensive background in the instrument(s) they desire to offer study for.
Because our teaching schedule is quite busy, it’s impossible to hold a student’s lesson only every other week.
Enrollment is on a month-to-month basis. To experience true growth in the instrument of choice, we recommend studying for six months to one year. Most students are able to perform a recognizable song within three months.
Tuition varies depending on the type and length of the study. Please visit our tuition page for a listing of our rates and discounts.
In order to become proficient on an instrument, students should schedule in their practice times just as they do with homework or any other responsibility. We suggest 10-15 minutes daily for beginners.
For more advanced students, 30-45 minutes minimum is required to truly put into practice what was covered in the lesson.
Additionally, it is proven that our students retain more if they practice the same day, but after their lesson. A lesson does not count as practice!
Lastly, studying at the Conservatory is to learn new concepts. Students should always come prepared having mastered (or almost mastered) what was taught the previous week. In the event students haven’t practiced in the previous week, the lesson will then become a practice session. This means new material may not be taught, therefore causing a delay in progress.
What does this mean? Practice if you want to progress!
A student’s age depends on the instrument of choice. We understand a five-year-old probably shouldn’t learn to play the tuba just yet. But aside from size, elements such as attention span, maturity, and the ability to comprehend are considered when determining the age to begin studying music.
All of our instruments have age-appropriate restrictions but a student may be exempt on a case by case basis.
We have Baby Bops classes for younger students birth to age five.
Students who seem to love music but are still on the young side, we invite them to enroll in our Kidz Rock Band. This class is a great indicator of whether or not a child is ready for private study!
Student tuition covers preparation and instruction time offered by the instructor. This includes the selection and purchasing of select repertoire, the development of the tailored curriculum, researching best practices for individual learning styles, the instructor’s training and experience, cost of the Spring recital, supplemental materials such as tuners and metronomes, and memberships to organizations which will ultimately catapult the student to new levels of performance.
Additionally, students are afforded amenities in the Conservatory to enhance their experience and excitement while learning music.
While tuition covers everything listed above, there are a few things tuition doesn’t cover:
Your enrollment fee includes your Onboarding Package: welcome package, t-shirt, and personalized on-boarding experience.
The online learning fee is added to the cost of the monthly tuition. This fee helps to cover supplemental materials purchased to deliver an engaging learning experience to the musician.
In-Studio students have the option to temporarily switch to virtual learning in the event of an illness or travel with a fee of $5.00 per occurrence.
We absolutely believe the connection is the most important aspect of studying music! After all, music is EMOTION. It’s hard to be free when there is no connection between student and instructor.
Should there be a lack of connection, our first approach is to try and resolve through understanding the needs of the student and how we can better serve them. If no resolution is reached, we will pair the student with another instructor if one is available.
Students enrolled in the private study are afforded three make-up lessons per year. (Based on the students anniversary date)
Continuity is one of the most valuable components of study and it’s important for our students to understand that studying music is a commitment if you want to truly experience growth. After the third make-up lesson, missed lessons are forfeited.
There are some exceptions where more than three make-up lessons are provided which include, but are not limited to illness, emergencies, honor ensemble rehearsals, and performances outside of the Conservatory.
The make-up policy is to deter families from canceling for convenience. Aside from continuity, with the number of students we serve, scheduling becomes rather difficult for both students and the instructor.
Missed classes must be forfeited due to the nature of the offering.