Studio Policies

Policy of Open Communication

Interlude Music cares deeply about the people we serve. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with questions, concerns and feedback. We desire to meet the needs of our clients and we are always open to respectful and constructive dialogue with both students and parents.

Phone Consultations

All new and prospective clients may have a free phone consultation to answer questions, go over policies and discover whether or not the instructor and client are a good fit. This is also a good time to talk about goals and expectations of both the client and the instructor.

Payment Policy

There are two ways lessons may be booked at Interlude:

1. Individually-booked, at the following rate:

30 min | $65
60 min | $90

This option is best for clients who do not wish to take weekly lessons, and would rather sign up for each session as their schedule allows.

Lessons booked individually must be paid for upon booking. These slots are limited and during production seasons may not be available.

2. Weekly lessons and classes (known as our Membership)

Weekly lessons and classes are billed according to an annual tuition for lessons September-June. This tuition is split up into 10 equal bills, paid monthly.

Group classes | $1,300 tuition = $130/month
30 min private | $2,000 tuition = $200/month
60 min private | $3,000 tuition = $300/month

An annual $50 registration fee is required at the time of booking a membership.
This registration fee covers the cost of recitals and student materials, and reserves your lesson slot before you pay your first bill. Registration fees are non-refundable.

Payments may be made online via credit card, by check, with Zelle, or with cash.
There is a 3% processing fee for all credit card transactions.
Returned checks will be subject to a 10% bounce fee.

Membership Benefits

Scheduling Priority:

Members receive priority in scheduling their lessons over individually-booked lessons.

Household & Multiple Instruments Discounts:

Household Discount: If more than one member of a household enrolls, they will each receive the discount.
Multiple Instruments Discount: If a client chooses to take lessons in more than one instrument/area, they will receive the discount on each of their lessons.

The discount is as follows:

Group classes | $5/month off
30 min private | $5/month off
60 min private | $10/month off

Workshops:

Members will receive free admission to all workshops that Interlude Music holds throughout the year.

Performance and Project Opportunities:

Members perform in Interlude Music’s winter and spring recitals each year.
Members have the unique opportunity to be a part of recording our annual fundraiser Christmas album.
Additionally, members have easy access to the community music events that Interlude Music leads throughout the year. In the past, this has included:
- Music at the Maynard Farmers’ Market
- Holiday choir at the annual Sip N’ Stroll
- Monthly Teen Open Mics at the Theatre Creamery
- Jams at Maynard Jazzfest and elsewhere

Practice Materials:

As time allows, member students will receive the benefit of personalized materials (accompaniments, tracks, etc.) to help with their practicing.

Membership Payments

Payments are made monthly, due by the 1st of each month, September-June.

Clients may begin at any point during the year. Their tuition will be prorated based on when they join.

Signing up for music lessons is a commitment, and we assume that students will finish out the year. Therefore, continued enrollment from September-June is automatic. We understand however that sometimes this is not possible. If you will need to discontinue for any reason, one month’s notice is required. If one month’s notice is not possible, payment is still required for the month following notice of departure from the studio.

Late Payments
If the client’s balance is not paid in its entirety, the student may not attend unpaid lessons until payment has been made in full.

It is the responsibility of the client to inform Interlude Music of any expired cards, changes in card information, lost or stolen cards, etc. If an auto-pay card is declined you will be notified. If tuition remains unpaid for more than 3 days, the account will be charged a 10% late fee.

Group Piano Classes / Young Piano Students

Group piano classes are for students ages 9 and under. These classes take place Saturday mornings and are as follows:

9-9:45am | Intro to Piano (4-5 y/o)
10-10:45am | Piano 1 (6-7 y/o)
11am-12pm | Piano 2 (8-9 y/o)

Piano students 8 years old or younger are free to request private lessons in piano, whether that is instead of the group class or in addition to it. However, piano students 9 years old and older receive scheduling priority when it comes to private lessons. Our ability to include younger students in the piano private lesson schedule is contingent on availability.

Studio Calendar 2023-2024

Private Lessons begin Tuesday, September 5th
Group Classes begin Saturday, September 16th

Interlude Music will be closed on the following days.
Please mark these days in your calendar:

2023
Sat. 9/30 - MaynardFest
(Open Mon. 10/9, Indigenous Peoples’ Day)
Tues. 10/31 - Halloween
Sat. 11/4 - Instructors away
(Open Sat. 11/11, Veteran’s Day)
Wed. 11/22 - Sun. 11/26 - Thanksgiving Break
Thurs. 12/21 - 1/1/24 - Holiday Break

2024
(Open Mon. 1/15 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day)
Mon. 2/19 - Sun. 2/25 - Winter Break
Sat. 3/30 - Sun. 3/31 - Easter Weekend
Mon. 4/15 - Sun. 4/21 - Spring Break
Mon. 5/27, Memorial Day
(*Mon. 6/17 - Last Day of Lessons)

Important Dates (Subject to Change):
Sat. 12/2/23, 5pm-8pm | Sip n' Stroll
Sun. 2/4/23 , 4-5:30pm | Winter Recital
Sun. 6/2/23, 4-5:30pm | Spring Recital

Attendance Policy

Consistent, punctual attendance is expected at every scheduled meeting, whether in-person or virtual. If a student/client is not able to attend their scheduled meeting, prompt communication with their instructor is expected.

One of the following options will then be chosen, based on the student’s situation:

Virtual Lesson | The student may be unable to meet in person, but able to learn virtually (Ex. mild illness, transportation issues, etc.). In this case, a virtual lesson should be conducted at the same time as the scheduled in-person meeting.
Pre-recorded video & Instructor feedback |If a student cannot attend their scheduled lesson at a known future date, students may record themselves performing material as requested by the instructor. The instructor will then spend their scheduled lesson time recording written and/or video feedback for the student/client, with instructions/goals for the following week.
Material from Instructor | In the event that a student is unable to join their lesson virtually or record a video beforehand (Ex. acute sickness, family emergency, etc.), the teacher will use the student’s lesson time to create detailed practice notes, instructional videos, and/or helpful resources for the student. If time allows, the teacher may also use the lesson time to notate a student’s original composition, edit a student’s recording, research repertoire for the student, or any other task that will aid in the student’s development.
Share a Lesson | One other option, in the event of a missed lesson, is for that lesson time to be transferred to an interested family member or friend who might enjoy a trial lesson with your instructor. If this option is chosen, it is the student’s responsibility to connect the instructor with that person and to provide any necessary communication with either party on the day of the lesson.

Missing a Lesson Without Notice

If a student misses a lesson without notifying the instructor beforehand, the student has forfeited the lesson.

Makeup Lessons

Makeup lessons are not typically scheduled in response to a student’s absence. However, there are certain difficult circumstances that may warrant scheduling one. Your instructor may decide to offer you a makeup lesson, but this is not guaranteed.

Inclement Weather, Etc.

If meeting in person becomes impossible due to inclement weather, a public health advisory, etc. students will be notified and a virtual lesson will take place at the same time as their scheduled lesson. If a student is not able to attend the virtual lesson, prompt communication with their instructor is expected, and one of the above options chosen.

Instructor Absence

If your instructor is unable to attend a lesson, they will let you know as far in advance as possible. In this case, please discuss the following options with your instructor:

Rescheduling | If there is another time that is convenient for both teacher and student to meet, you may reschedule the lesson.
Masterclass | If it is agreed upon by the student, their teacher and the guest instructor, the available guest instructor may give the student a masterclass in the stead of their teacher who cannot make the lesson.

If it is impossible for either of these options to be completed within a month of the instructor’s absence, a credit will be applied to the student’s account in the value of the lesson that was missed.

*Our policies are subject to change at any time

Illness Policy

We are committed to stopping the spread of illness in our studio.

This is especially important to us for several reasons:
1. One’s ability to sing is directly impacted by illness. Something as small as a cold can make it difficult for a singer to perform.
2. We specialize in working with the elderly and people with disabilities, most of whom have compromised immune systems. Whenever we are sick, we cannot do this valuable work.
3. Several people in our studio - both instructors and students - are immunocompromised or have family members who are.

Therefore, we ask that you are diligent in not coming in person if you are sick.
For this reason, we have invested many hours into ensuring that our virtual lessons are just as valuable to our students as our in-person lessons. We are fully equipped to switch to a virtual lesson whenever we need to. When in doubt, please play it safe so that we can keep ourselves and our community safe from airborne illnesses. If a teacher is feeling ill, they will contact you to switch to an online lesson.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to give your instructor a call or text and we will be happy to talk with you.

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*Our policies are subject to change at any time