Non-Discrimination - Study at TESS is open to all children and their families. The school does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, nationality, sex, ethnic origin, or religious belief in its admissions, student aid, scholarships, or other educational policies.
Registration - When registration forms are issued, returning students have two weeks to reserve their current slot or request a change. Payment in full is due with registration. The office generally requires two additional weeks to set the schedules and make any accommodations possible. All remaining spots are then made available to either returning and/or wait-listed students on a first-come, first-serve basis. We recommend that new students join a wait-list as soon as possible for placement.
Schedule Changes - When schedule confirmations are received by the families, the administration allows one week to be alerted to any scheduling issues, including recital and workshop times. After the deadline, no changes may be made.
Conduct at TESS - Children, parents and guests are expected to demonstrate respect for the learning environment at all times while on TESS property, in the school and at special events. It is the responsibility of the parents or caregivers to ensure that waiting children and siblings are behaving safely, appropriately and quietly at all times. Parents should especially take care in the parking lot and side streets to keep children with them at all times as the school cannot be responsible for supervising these areas. Children who demonstrate an inability to behave quietly in waiting areas will be asked to join their family in the lesson. The school reserves the right to request that siblings who repeatedly cause issues during lessons do not attend the lessons with the TESS student if they are disrupting the rights of others to have a quality learning environment.
Weather emergencies - Please check your email and/or the school's answering machine in cases of inclement weather. The school makes every effort to stay open.
Cancelled Classes - Any class cancelled by the faculty will be made up within the same semester. Private classes cancelled by the school due to inclement weather will also be rescheduled. If two options for make-ups are offered and refused, the lesson is forfeited. However, the school regrets that any group classes cancelled due to inclement weather, holiday, or by the directors cannot be rescheduled. Students are encouraged to attend a similar class on a different day to make-up a missed group class. Please call the office to notify the teacher of your planned attendance.
Missed Classes - If a student must miss a lesson, please notify the office in advance. Some teachers may publish their schedules, in which case it may be possible for the student to make arrangements to switch times with another student that week. However, no make-ups can be given for lessons missed by the student except for religious holidays when notice of seven days or more is given.
Refunds - For wait-list students: A portion of the deposit may be refunded, provided that notice of withdrawal is received within 30 days of TESS' receipt of the wait-list registration form and a slot has not been reserved for the student. The entire deposit will be refunded if placement cannot be made. Refunds may be given for lessons missed by the teacher and not made up by the end of the term (see Cancelled Classes). No other refunds are available.
Community - Every student is expected to attend classes regularly as well as participate fully in recitals, workshops, and other opportunities for music education offered by the school. Parents and students are expected to be respectful of school property, the faculty, and its staff. The school reserves the right to deny admission at its discretion.
Request to Transfer - A student who wishes to transfer from one faculty member to another must consult with both teachers and the Music Director prior to the change.
Assessment - Faculty will offer a Parent Conference around the time of registration to discuss the student's progress and plans for the next semester. Students will be evaluated by their department head at Graduation Recitals beyond book 1. All AYA participants will play an annual examination, or jury, for faculty members other than the primary instructor.
Advanced Services - As students advance, our faculty often offer to help you purchase a higher quality instrument by accompanying you on a shopping trip in NYC or Boston. In that case, the family will be billed for teacher time for both travel time and shopping time. The family is expected to pay the cost of the teacher's transportation or provide it personally. If a faculty member offers other personal time for events such as concert attendance with your student, it is expected that the family will offer compensation to the faculty according to the amount of time and effort your teacher is giving above and beyond normal lesson time.
1. Invoicing All invoices are sent via email from Jennifer Trahan. Upon receiving your email, please open the attachment to verify the accuracy of the invoice. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the invoice, please reply immediately so we can address them. No alterations or corrections will be made after 30 days. Our Basic Tuition Package includes 19 weeks of lessons (private and group), as well as services such as administration, student recitals, one rehearsal for the student recital, all group performances, and other school-wide musical events. It is the client’s responsibility to take advantage of all that TESS has to offer as prices cannot be prorated. Tuition does not, however, include any inventory materials, extra lessons or classes, graduation recitals, supplemental classes, or master classes. These will be billed separately. Tuition is due in full at registration and all other invoices are due within thirty (30) days.
Registration: When you register for lessons and/or classes, you will need to fill out and sign the Tuition & Financial Responsibility page attached to the registration form. Payment must be included with your registration. Please note that registration is not considered finalized, and lesson time cannot be reserved until this form is completed, signed and returned with payment in full. All lessons are paid for whether taken or missed. This registration form is used to create your invoice, which includes your tuition, payment and any discounts and/or late fees that may apply. You may register for an individual semester or for a full year (Fall and Winter semesters only).
Extra Services: Throughout the year, you may take advantage of other services TESS has to offer. These services, including inventory items such as books and CDs, extra teacher time and rehearsals, graduation recitals, and master classes are billed separately. When receiving inventory, you will need to sign or initial the appropriate form to confirm receipt of the item(s). Please note that all inventory items are subject to a 6% sales tax. Any extra time spent with a teacher will be billed at a pro-rated price. These charges are based upon a teacher’s submission of extra time spent. Accompanist fees are charged at an hourly rate for rehearsals and/or use of an accompanist during lesson time. Graduation recitals are billed after the recital, and include charges for the recital, your teacher’s time, accompanist fees for recital, all rehearsals in preparation for the recital, and any inventory that is necessary for study at the next level. Occasionally, students are invited to attend a supplemental class and/or offered the opportunity to sign up. Prices are included on the sign-up sheet, and signing up obligates payment for all classes regardless of actual attendance. Therefore, if you sign up for a class, please make sure you will be available to avoid paying for a class you are not able to attend.
2. Collections & Payments Tuition is due in full with your registration forms to complete the registration process. If you are unable to make payment in full, please contact Jennifer Trahan prior to the registration deadline. She will assist you with any necessary payment arrangements prior to returning your form by the deadline. Invoices for all other services and materials have a term of 30 days. Please pay your invoice by the date on the invoice to avoid late fees.
Monthly Statements & Reminder of Payment Due are sent out via email at the end of the month to any client who has a balance of more than $5.00 on their account. These are friendly reminders that you have an unpaid balance on your account. If you make payment arrangements, you will receive a friendly reminder email one week before the due date. Please note that if you have a payment plan, you may not receive a Monthly Statement.
All clients delinquent in their payments due shall receive an email notification one week after the 30 day grace period. After the initial 30 day grace period, TESS reserves the right to suspend lessons until payment has been received. TESS also reserves the right to deny special accommodations and/or future enrollment to accounts that are significantly or repeatedly delinquent.
3. Discounts & Late Fees Tuition payments by cash or check will receive a $20.00 discount. Please note that tuition must be paid in full at the time of registration and received by the deadline to receive this discount. Other discounts on tuition may be available through promotions and incentives. All discounts are subject to change.
Any Registration that is received after the deadline is subject to a late fee. All invoices that are not paid within the 30 day grace period will be subject to a $20 late fee. If an invoice is not paid, the account will be charged a late fee every 30 days until the invoice is paid in full or payment arrangements have been made. If payment arrangements have been made, the account is subject to a late fee if the payment is not received by the due date.
Payment arrangements may be made before an account is delinquent to avoid late fees. A nominal $5/month fee will be charged to any account that requests a payment arrangement. Please contact Jennifer Trahan to make arrangements.
4. Other Fees
Returned Check/Automatic Withdraw $30.00
Cancelled Payment to Credit Card/Automatic Withdraw $5.00
Credit Card Rejection $15.00
5. Payment Plans
In some circumstances, payment plans may be available. Payment Plans will only be available for registration forms that are turned in before the deadline. All payment plans will be subject to a $5/month fee. Please contact Jennifer Trahan for details.
5. Method of Payment
We accept payment by cash, check, Automatic Withdrawal, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover Card.
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