Pricing and Policies
2022-2023 Rates
Students beginning after September will have their tuition prorated by the amount of lessons remaining in the school year.
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$3,528 for 40-week school year
($3,370/year plus $158 annual enrollment fee)· First installment of $832 (first/last/annual enrollment fee) paid by check or direct deposit
· Remaining balance paid by automatically recurring direct deposit only in eight monthly installments of $337
· Payments are due by the 3rd of each month -
$3,460 for 40-week school year
($3,302/year plus $158 annual enrollment fee)· Paid in two installments by check or direct deposit
· First installment of $1,809 (first semester/annual enrollment fee) due September 3rd, 2022
· Second installment of $1,651 remaining balance due February 3rd, 2023 -
$3,393 for 40-week school year
($3,235/year plus $158 annual enrollment fee)· Paid in one installment by check or direct deposit due September 3rd, 2022.
60-minute timeslot · 40-week school year
30-minute timeslot · 40-week school year
(for beginners only)
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$2,488/40-week school year
($2,330/year plus $158 annual enrollment fee)· First installment of $624 (first/last/annual enrollment fee) paid by check or direct deposit
· Remaining balance paid by recurring direct deposit only in eight monthly installments of $233
· Payments are due by the 3rd of each month
The annual enrollment fee is $158 per student, included in the rates above. This fee covers customized spiral books, group events, recital costs, studio supplies, and additional work outside of lesson time.
There will be a $25 fee for late payments.
Tuition does not cover the purchase of sheet music, journals, or other learning supplies. The cost of these can be included in the sheet music purchasing budget or bought by the student.
Year-end balance: on July 1st of each year, Miss Tess will send a detailed list of studio credits for: lessons canceled by Miss Tess; an invoice for extra lessons scheduled by the student and amounts spent using the sheet music purchasing budget. If a balance is owed from Miss Tess or the studio family, this payment is due by July 15th. Studio credits can be applied to summer, fall, or cashed out at that time.
Studio rates increase each September based on core inflation produced by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics as of June in the same year plus 2%.
2022-2023 Studio Contract
All studio families sign a new studio contract each year. The studio contract can be found here.
Studio Hours
The studio operates during these timeslots only. There are twelve 60-minute spots and four 30-minute spots. Please contact Miss Tess for current availability. Group events, introductory lessons, and extra lessons are held on Sundays.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3:30-4pm | 3:30-4pm | 3:30-4pm | 3:30-4pm |
| 4pm-5pm | 4pm-5pm | 4pm-5pm | 4pm-5pm |
| 5:30-6:30 | 5:30-6:30 | 5:30-6:30 | 5:30-6:30 |
| 6:30-7:30 | 6:30-7:30 | 6:30-7:30 | 6:30-7:30 |
Why 60-minute lessons?
With a full hour in the studio, students have the time to develop musicianship, cover music theory, process emotions, and prepare for new assignments together with Miss Tess. Most 30-minute lessons are task-oriented, moving through ideas with less time to dive in deep.
All of the studio’s long-term students take a full hour. That is where the studio does its best, most encompassing work. Students require attention in multiple areas, and each one of these is important. This luxury of time in the studio creates as magical an experience as possible.
30-minute lessons are available for young beginners with the expectation that they will bump up to an hour as soon as they are ready.
Studio Calendar
The studio’s 40-week school year begins in September and continues through June.
The studio is closed for two weeks in December/January for winter break and one week in April for spring break. These weeks are not included in the 40-week school year.
Summer lessons operate on a separate system and are available in July and August for returning students only.
Mondays and Thursdays: The studio is closed on Labor Day and Thanksgiving. This results in Mondays and Thursdays being on a 39-week school year. Tuition rates remain the same for these days as a 40-week school year, so a time slot on Mondays or Thursdays is 2.5% more expensive. Any studio credits issued on July 1st will reflect this alternate rate.
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At the start of the school year, Miss Tess makes one annual customized notebook for each student. This spiral book contains studio-licensed sheet music chosen for each individual, a booklet for studio challenges, photos for inspiration, pages for writing, and manuscript paper for composing.
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Each studio family chooses an amount allowable for Miss Tess to purchase special pieces for the student outside of the studio’s current digital sheet music library. Any amount Miss Tess spends from this budget will be invoiced in the year-end balance on July 1st. The majority of these purchases will go in the student’s spiral book for the Witching Hour and Winter Forest group events and the Spring Recital. Studio families may opt out of this, but they will need to order and print their music on their own, and it will not be included in the student’s spiral book due to formatting.
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There will be no make-up for lessons missed or canceled by studio families.
A student has fifteen minutes from the start time of their scheduled lessons to arrive for the lesson or contact Miss Tess about being late. If there is no communication prior to the lesson or during those fifteen minutes, the remainder of the lesson is forfeit.
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Lessons are available online via Zoom or FaceTime. Students can use these options in case of inclement weather, illness, or travel. Students who are feeling unwell should have their lesson online. If a student shows signs of being sick in the studio, they will be sent home.
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Tuition includes access to all group events as part of the annual program. All group events are optional.
The Spring Recital is held in early June, and all students are expected to participate.
Discontinuing lessons
When students enroll for a weekly timeslot in the studio, the expectation is that they are committing to the studio for the full 40-week school year. If a student decides to stop lessons, aside from studio credits, refunds from payments are not given, and it is logical to end lessons at the end of the current installment payment, whether monthly, full-semester, or full-year. Families needing to leave mid-year will be taken on an individual basis.
Miss Tess reserves the right to discontinue lessons at any time. If Miss Tess terminates lessons, any prepaid and unused tuition will be refunded.