Registration Terms and Agreement
1. Busy Fingers Music Studio (BFM) provides students with individual lessons, group programming, formal recitals, graduation recitals for each book level (students are presented with graduation certificates), educational support for parents (courses, meetings, and newsletters).
2. Students will receive 30 minutes one-on-one private lessons. It is expected that a student will attend all scheduled individual lessons unless notice was given at least 48hours before the lesson.
3. Parents should consult with their teacher to determine the appropriate lesson length for the coming term.
4. The registration fee and tuition payments are payable to Emi Callahan. There are several payment options available to families (Credit card, e-transfer, cheque or cash), students are provided a student portal of BFM website login information upon registration.
5. Withdrawal from BFM program: There is a NO REFUND policy for registration fees. Should it be necessary to withdraw from the program, a written notice to the teacher 30 days in advance of the withdrawal date must be provided or there will be a forfeit of one month's tuition fees.
6. If the student is absent from a lesson, there is no refund for that missed lesson. Additionally, that lesson will not be rescheduled. If a teacher must cancel a lesson, he/she will reschedule by June of the current year or arrange for an alternative lessons such as online lesson at the time of cancelation of in-person lesson.
Student and Parental Expectations
Weekly Piano Lesson length: A 45-minute piano lesson is recommended for most intermediate students. 30-minute lessons are only available to young students (4 - 10 years old) in their first 1-2 years of study.
Required Materials: Students must have a piano or equivalent keyboard available to practice on daily. A piano must be tuned and maintained regularly. A keyboard must have 88 keys and be fully weighted with hammer action keys. A metronome (or an app with a metronome feature) is also required. Beginner students will also need an audio playback device like a CD player or iPad so that they can practice along with their duet tracks. Book costs are usually around $50. All students are required to have access to equipment that would enable them to have their lessons online should the need arise.
Practicing: Daily practice goals are set at the beginning of each term for each student. Students are required to practice five or more days per week. A beginner student will be asked to practice approximately 15 minutes each day at the start of the year and build towards practicing 30 minutes a day by the end of their first year of study. A practice log will be given to the student each week to record their practice minutes. Parents are asked to initial the practice log each week if their child is under 10 years of age.
Missed Lesson Policy: Busy Fingers Music Studio is under no obligation to provide refunds or alternative arrangements of make-up/online lessons for missed or skipped lessons unless that lesson was cancelled by the teacher. Lessons cancelled by the teacher will switch to online, re-schedule or a credit towards future lessons. If a student or immediate family member is sick and 12 hours’ notice is provided by the parent/student that a lesson will be missed due to sickness, Busy Fingers Music Studio will place your name on a list and will inform you of any available lesson times that open up in the next 5 weeks. A make-up lesson is not guaranteed and you will still be charged the full amount for the missed lesson.
Registration Fee: A non-refundable $30 registration fee must accompany each student’s registration. This fee covers coordinating scheduling, studio library lending materials, photocopies, and the practice rewards program.
Service Charges: Printed materials and other learning tools provided by the instructor will be charged flat rate of $10/month. Overdue accounts will be charged a $10 administration fee per month. NSF Cheques will be charged a $45 service fee. If a student’s tuition becomes more than 30 days overdue, lessons may be discontinued and the student’s lesson time may be given to a student on the waiting list. Criminal record checks or any other fees from requirements of homeschool or other school associations will be billed to the student.
Accepted Methods of Payment
The preferred method of payment is through student portal of this website and students are requested to pay with this method if they are able to. (Credit Card accepted in addition to Cash, Cheque, e-transfer and paypal)