Conservatory of Music - Policies

Individual, private instruction for beginners, as well as experienced students, is available in piano, voice, and most orchestral instruments. The instruction, adapted to the student's age and experience, is offered in thirty minute, forty-five minute and one hour blocks.

Registration Fee

For new and continuing students, a non-refundable annual fee of $25.00 must accompany each registration. For additional registrations for the SAME STUDENT (e.g. one student taking piano AND voice), the registration fee is $10.00 per additional area. For continuing students, the registration fee must be paid at the beginning of the fall semester each year. An instructor will be assigned upon receipt of the registration form and fee in the Conservatory of Music. You will be notified as to when your lessons will begin and who your instructor will be.

Tuition

Tuition is payable by the semester, and the cost is $17.50 per half hour of private instruction. Tuition may be paid in full at any time before the scheduled opening of the Conservatory for the semester. If you desire, you may elect to make half of the tuition payment before the opening day, with the remaining balance due within 30 days of the opening day. Lessons will not be taught after the 30 day period until all fees are paid in full. No lessons will be made up if they are missed due to late payments, and the student will be charged the full semester fee. Additionally, there will be a 20% late charge for all unpaid balances. You may pay all or any part of the tuition and fees with cash, check, or credit card. We accept MasterCard and Visa. You may make your payments in person at the Conservatory of Music office between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM each day. If you desire to pay by check, please make checks payable to Second Baptist Church. Checks may also be mailed to us at the following address (please do not send cash through the mail):

Do NOT send payments through your instructor! Also, please do not send your payment through the worship service offering.

Holidays

Lessons occurring on single day holidays (i.e. Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, MLK Day, President's Day, etc.) will be taught as scheduled unless otherwise notified by your instructor.

Make-up Lessons

In the event that a student notifies the instructor or the Conservatory office advising as to illness, death in the family, or an unavoidable conflict that shall be deemed reasonable by the instructor and the Conservatory Administrator, every effort will be made to schedule a make-up lesson for the student. However, if a student misses a lesson without giving 24 hours notice, the instructor is NOT obliged to reschedule the lesson. In the event that the instructor has to be absent from lessons that he or she is scheduled to teach, it will be left up to the instructor to set up a day and time to make-up this lesson with the student. It is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor if a lesson is to be missed for any reason. If the instructor cannot be reached, the student should notify the Conservatory office. Failure to notify the instructor or the Conservatory office will result in no make-up lesson, and the student will not be refunded for the lesson that is missed. The Conservatory office and the instructors reserve the right to rule on whether a lesson is to be made up or not. Instructors are only required to make-up two (2) lessons per semester. After school work conflicts by the student will not be considered a reasonable conflict; therefore, no make-up lessons will be scheduled to cooperate with the student's work conflicts.

Discontinuing Lessons

If for some reason during the semester you should decide to discontinue your lessons, our reimbursement schedule will be as follows. We will reimburse you for the remaining lessons as long as you have not entered into the next paid month. Example: If a term begins on September 10 and concludes on December 10, and you decide to discontinue your lessons during September and do not take any lessons in October, you will be reimbursed for prepaid lessons not taken in October, November, and December. If you enter into any lessons in October, you will be reimbursed for prepaid lessons not taken in November and December. If you enter into any lessons in November, you will be reimbursed for prepaid lessons not taken in December. If you enter into any lessons in December, no reimbursement will be made.

Instruments

All instrumentalists are expected to provide their own instruments. Your instructor will assist you in obtaining one.