Policy Sheet for all "JAM" Students 2023 / 2024

email: jeanacademy@gmail.com

Tuition

  • Tuition for lessons is due on the 1st lesson of each month either by CHEQUE, MASTERCARD, VISA, DEBIT, ETRANSFER, or CASH. Not all locations offer debit.
  • Unless arrangements are made with the office, fees paid after the 15th of the month will incur a late fee penalty of $40.00.
  • When paying by credit card, please be sure to come in at the beginning of the month and at the beginning of your child’s lesson time.
    An additional fee of 2% will be added to the monthly fee to help offset some of the cost of processing credit cards

    If you want to have you your number on hand to be charged at the beginning of each month, please note I assume no responsibility for issues that may occur. The office uses Square and the information is stored there only. An additional fee of 3% is added for using cards on file due to the extra fees charged by Square.

  • When paying by cheque: ten post-dated cheques are required. (September through June.)  The amount will be determined by the office and provided in the registration confirmation letter you will receive in August.
  • The cheques should be dated for the first day of each month from September through June inclusive. It is policy that fees are payable in advance unless other arrangements are made with the office.
  • Cheques: made payable to 0767273 BC Ltd.
  • Should a cheque be returned from the bank for any reason, JAM will charge the payer $40.00.

Registration

An annual registration fee of $35.00 per individual or $65.00 per family is required at time of submission of registration form.  A form without the fee fails to secure a lesson time.  The registration fees are used for the following services:

  • administrative costs
  • photocopied materials
  • use of extensive lending library
  • recital expenses

Studio Courtesy

  • Please wait quietly in the waiting room/area, and make your way to the piano at your scheduled time. Do not interrupt the lesson underway in the studio while waiting.  (waiting rooms are not available at all locations and specific guidelines will be provided to you at those)
  • To maintain the service of provided magazines and books, please return materials to the rack or box. Clean up all toys pulled out in the waiting area.Put recycling in the bin.
  • Please wash your hands and use the hand sanitizer provided before approaching the piano.
  • Do not chew gum or eat candy during your lesson.
  • If you are eating in the waiting area, please clean up all wrappers and food dropped on the floor and wipe down the table.  Please clean up your garbage.
  • Thank you for your support in making the studio operate smoothly!

Group Activities

  • There will be yearend recitals.  Participation is strongly recommended.
  • Up to five group activities, piano labs may occur during the year.  The dates will be on the JAM calendar. The individual lessons for that week will be replaced by these activities.  These are available via Zoom if in studio isn’t an option.  The office will organize and group students by their levels and or age.
  • Monday students have their regular lessons that week as well as the group event.

Missed Lessons

  • If the student is sick and unable to attend the studio due to the studio guidelines, the lesson can be held at the regular time using one of the following:  Skype, FaceTime, or Zoom. If the student is too sick for that, a makeup lesson will be scheduled for another time.
  • Make up lessons can be scheduled at the end of lessons in June, during the summer, or at a different time that is mutually convenient.  It is your responsibility to make lesson arrangements for that day.  Again, you are required to contact the teacher should a makeup lesson be needed.
  • IF FAMILY VACATIONS ARE PLANNED FOR TIMES OTHER THAN THE SCHEDULED BREAKS, LESSONS WILL BE FORFEITED and FEES ARE STILL TO BE PAID.
  • If a student cannot attend the lesson for reasons other than sickness, the lesson is forfeited unless a “swap” with another student can be arranged.
  • If the teacher cannot attend a lesson and is unable to arrange an alternate time or substitute, the office will refund the fee for that lesson.
  • Note: make up lessons are only offered for sickness and family deaths.  Birthday parties, school events, extracurricular activities and other reasons for missing lessons don’t qualify for make ups.
  • In our busy lives we often have conflicts arise, but please remember that as teachers our lives have more in them than teaching and we have busy schedules as well. We do our best not to mess with the lesson schedules unless absolutely necessary so we request that you also respect our lives by limiting your requests for changed lesson times unless you have an emergency.  You will be allowed a maximum of 2 of these changes annually for non-emergency.

Private Lessons

  • Children, ages 4 and 5, and beginners for year 1 & 2, may have 30 minute lessons although longer lessons are more beneficial.
  • In order to foster musical growth, 45 minute music lessons are recommended for students until the completion of RCM Level 4.
  • Level 5 to 9 benefit from 60 minute lessons whenever possible.
  • Level 10 and ARCT students ideally require 75 – 90 minute lessons if possible.
  • Important components such as sight reading and ear training are often sacrificed in shorter lesson times.
  • JAM offers two alternate satellite studios. These studios offer guitar, voice, and violin as well as piano.  With the strong emergence of virtual lessons, our geographical location is no longer a limitation.

Summer Lessons

  • Students are not expected to continue lessons throughout the summer, however, a minimum of 3 lessons, available on a flexible basis, are highly recommended. (Without practice or maintenance of some kind, students generally spend from September through November getting to the same position they were at in June.)
  • Theory group crash courses are being offered through the JAM main location.  These are offered in person as guidelines permit as well as via Zoom.  The courses prepare for RCM theory exams for levels 5, 6, 7, and 8 and will be held during the month of July and early August.

Parents' Involvement

  • We wish to work in conjunction with parents in educating their children. Lesson attendance by parents is optional.
  • A waiting room with some toys is provided at the main location.
  • We appreciate and encourage communication from parents.  All comments and concerns will be addressed.
  • You are invited to discuss the progress of the student privately at regular intervals at a mutually convenient time. Please do not come at the end of your child’s lesson when it is interrupting the next student’s time.  If you need to talk to your teacher that day, please come at the start of your child’s lesson.

General Information

  • All students are required to have a well-maintained instrument.
  • It is vital for the student to have a metronome or an app that is available at practice time.
  • All students must have short fingernails, cut as short as possible, flush with the end of the finger. Students who arrive for their lessons with long fingernails will use lesson time to cut their nails.
  • Students are expected to complete the year of study, but if withdrawal is necessary, one month's notice or one month's fee in lieu of notice is required in most situations.
  • It is best that the termination of lessons be made under comfortable circumstances, so please use all possible discretion when such an event is unavoidable. To facilitate this transition, care must be taken to observe mutual: respect, courtesy, and honesty.
  • Reasonable practice is required for each student. A student not applying him or herself will be given a period of probation.  If the situation has not improved after that time, and a thorough review has taken place, the student will be asked to find a new instructor.  The parents will be contacted before the period of probation is set.
  • Notification of exam application deadlines will be given well in advance and will be found on the “JAM” calendar. Students should make their application online by visiting rcmusic.ca
  • The monthly Newsletter will provide information regarding the group lessons a month prior to the event.  The dates will be indicated on the 2023/2024 “JAM” calendar.
  • JAM will purchase the music books required for each student and invoice accordingly.

Parking

Please respect the properties where in studio lessons occur.

Main Location:  Trafalgar St.

Since this is a townhouse complex there are specific parking guidelines we are all required to adhere to.  To be accepted in my studio, I need everyone to follow the parking as outlined below:

  • There are 2 entrances to the complex.  Please enter at the most southerly one.  So if you’re approaching from Maclure Rd, please enter on the 2nd entrance to Whispering Pine Meadows on your left.  If you are approaching from George Ferguson, take the 1st entrance to your right.
  • There are 6 visitor parking places to the south of the clubhouse as well as a stall for #42.  Please use one of them and then walk down to unit 42.  This is the 2nd unit past the clubhouse so it’s not far.
  • If you are dropping off or picking up your child, please park in the driveway, not on the roadway.
  • If it is dark when your child’s lesson is scheduled, please feel free to drop off and pick up from my driveway.
  • If there is bad weather, please drop off and pick up from my driveway.
  • Please use caution and adhere to posted speed limits. **Please avoid entering and leaving the complex in a hurry……many of the residents are elderly, so be a defensive driver!

Note:  failure to comply with the parking guidelines puts me in conflict with the other residents in the complex as well as exposes us to fines.  Each of you plays a role in my ability to teach out of my home.  Thank you for your cooperation!