Policies

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The academic year is divided into three semesters:

FALL   August 15 - January 14

SPRING   January 15 - May 31

SUMMER  June 1 - August 14

There will be no lessons for:

THANKSGIVING VACATION    November 24 - December 1

CHRISTMAS VACATION    December 22 - January 1

Lessons will be held as scheduled for all other holidays.

We strongly advise that any lessons that are missed are made up. Missing lessons holds student's progress back, of course, and often diminishes their devotion and interest in lessons and practicing. It is also not fair to our dedicated teachers, who commit a time slot to each student.

STUDENT CANCELATIONS

Lessons MUST be canceled at least 24 hours in advance, with the exception of cancelations due to sickness or extreme emergencies.  Lessons canceled within 24 hours notice will be charged and not made up. In the case of sickness or extreme emergencies, you must cancel before the teacher arrives at your house or you will be charged without a make up offered.  

FALL AND SPRING CANCELATION ALLOWANCE:

Every student will start the fall and spring semesters with 2 cancelation allowances per semester.  Only canceled lessons that are not made up in a semester will be counted towards the allowance.  

Lessons that are canceled past the cancelation allowance will not be credited or refunded.  Every canceled lesson that is made up within a semester will not count against your cancellation allowance.

SUMMER CANCELATION ALLOWANCE:

There is no maximum cancelation allowance policy in the Summer Semester, except that we still require 24 hours notice to cancel a lesson.

1. If you are canceling in advance (before the day of the lesson), please call 866-674-3395 or email Katrina.
2. If you are canceling on the day of the lesson, please call 866-674-3395 and leave a message if you aren't greeted by us.

We will do our best to reschedule make-up lessons during the semester, in this order:

1. Lengthen the lessons for the next lesson or next couple lessons until the lesson is made up.  For example, if a 30 minute lesson was missed, a student could have two, 45-minute lessons for the following two weeks.
2. Find day and time that is mutually agreed upon between the student and the teacher for a make-up lesson.  This will depend on the availability of the teacher as well as the student.
3. If needed, we will designate two make-up days at the end of each semester, as a last chance for students to make-up lessons. 

If a teacher cancels due to illness or emergency, make-ups are optional.  This type of cancelation will not count towards your cancelation allowance and you will not be charged for that lesson if it cannot be made up.

In case of dangerous weather, Shining Star will contact students if we need to cancel. We do not go by school cancelations, so expect lessons even if school is canceled.

Students are expected to be ready for their lessons on time. Teacher will wait for 10 minutes if the student is not available.  After the 10 minute window, the student forfeits the lesson. Teachers are not expected to make up a lesson due to tardiness.

Should a teacher hit bad traffic or is otherwise late, all missing time will be made up that day if possible, or added to future lessons according to the student's schedule.

The teacher will provide all the music books for the student. The fees for the books will be added to your monthly invoice.

Students are expected to practice and finish their weekly assignments. Your teacher is available to help you understand how often, how long, and specifically how to practice. Please help your child by creating a dedicated time for practicing.