ENROLLMENT/TUITION:

A student is not enrolled until the initial tuition payment has been made. Payment is due in advance and must be submitted to the Theatre before the first scheduled lesson. 

Tuition for half-hour weekly private lessons: $129/month

Tuition must be paid before a student is admitted to lessons. A student is not considered enrolled at the Griffin Theatre until payment has been made. Tuition is non-refundable and must be paid via electronic payment each month. If a student’s payment is not successfully completed, the Griffin Theatre reserves the right to suspend and/or cancel lessons for the student, which may result in the student’s lesson time being assigned to another student.

Upon enrolling, a prorated tuition for the first month of lessons will be charged – based on how many lessons are scheduled for that month. This proration is based on an average of 4 lessons per month. Afterward, tuition is the same every month—regardless of how many weeks/lessons are in that month. Tuition is based on a rate of $32.25 per lesson for half hour lessons. There are 52 weeks in a year, but there will only be 48 lessons each calendar year (each instructor takes 4 weeks off per year). Therefore, we take the 48 lessons and divide them by the 12 months in the year, so we charge for an even 4 lessons every month. This is how we have developed the tuition structure listed above. Because these 4 weeks off each calendar year are built into the monthly tuition, the lessons these weeks will not be credited or rescheduled.

Payment is expected for all students enrolled at the beginning of the month, whether they attend lessons or not. We have a specific lesson time reserved for each student, thus payment must be made regardless of attendance. This includes illness, holidays, vacations, etc. 30 Days notice is required for withdrawal from lessons; this notice must be provided by email to info@griffintheatre.org.

We accept Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.

STUDENT PROGRESS:

We are often asked how quickly a student will be able to progress in lessons, and become proficient in his or her instrument. The answer is largely determined by four factors: 1) communication, 2) attendance, 3) practice, and 4) support.

Communication

At the Griffin Theatre we dream of every student experiencing the joy and passion that comes with expressing themselves in music, learning their craft proficiently and becoming a success in their own right. So we need to know what success in your musical studies means to you! For some students music lessons are simply a part of a well-rounded education, for other students they provide a creative outlet, and for others they may be a fun activity or a way to build self-esteem, and yet for others they provide the foundation for professional musical pursuits. We are profoundly interested in what each student wants to accomplish through lessons, so that we can tailor lessons specifically for that student!

This is possibly the biggest key to success in lessons at The Griffin Theatre. Keeping communication open between students and instructors allows instructors to be able to continue engaging the student in the learning process.

Attendance

Consistency is very important in the study of music. We certainly understand that there are schedule conflicts from time to time, and that some rescheduling of lessons is to be expected – we’re happy to accommodate this if our teacher and space is available. However, it is also important to understand that regular attendance is crucial to a student’ engagement in the learning process and development as a musician and an artist.  

Practice

It is important to understand that the amount of time that a student practices between lessons is a large factor in determining his or her growth. The bulk of a student’s progress is not typically made during the weekly lessons – rather during the days following as the student puts into practice what he or she has learned in lessons.

Because all students have varying musical goals and other commitments, we work with our students based on the amount of practice they feel is realistic for them – given their personal goals and schedules. With this in mind, we do not have a pre-determined amount of practice time that we encourage; rather, we ask students how much time they can commit to practicing each week, and we tailor lessons accordingly.

Support

Another important piece of a student’s progress is the support he or she receives at home. We want to partner with you to support the success of your music lessons. We do so by having instructors who are encouraging, patient, and positive in their approach. We also do so by providing fun, unique opportunities to learn, create and perform.

The remaining crucial piece of this support structure happens at home. It is important for parents (of non-adult students) to understand that practice time should be scheduled into a student’s routine. Otherwise, it often will not happen. It is also important to present this practicing in a positive light, as opposed to that of a chore.

Our instructors also actively look for ways to encourage students to practice, by working with them on things that they are inspired or motivated by. As always, we encourage your communication with us in this matter – if you know of something that we can do to better engage your student, please let us know!

MISSED/CANCELLED/TARDY LESSONS: 

No credits or refunds are issued for missed lessons for any reason. Permitted we receive at least 24 hours advance notice of a student’s absence, and permitted the instructor’s schedule will allow, we will do our best to schedule a make-up lesson. All make-up lessons must occur no more than 3 months from the original lesson date and are only eligible for currently enrolled students. If you withdraw from lessons or take a break, the lessons are no longer eligible for reschedule. Please keep in mind that we have a specific time reserved for each student each week, and depending on an instructor’s schedule it may not always be possible to schedule a make-up lesson.

In the event that a student anticipates an absence, he or she may notify The Griffin Theatre any of the following ways (whichever is most convenient for you!):

1) By phone,(302-202-8440 ext 203)

2) By email (info@griffintheatre.org) or

3) Or by text (302-202-8440)

It is important to note that we manage the schedules for all of the instructors, and while it is nice that a student makes the instructor aware of an upcoming absence, it is also imperative that the student inform The Griffin Theatre as described above. Please understand that all cancellations and make-up lessons must be done with The Griffin Theatre – not with the instructors themselves.

If a student is tardy to a lesson, he or she will not receive a full session. The student will only receive a lesson for the remainder of the time available during his or her regularly scheduled lesson time.

WITHDRAWING FROM LESSONS:

We require 30 days written notice, when discontinuing lessons. This notice must be provided by email to info@griffintheatre.org. If 30 days written notice is not provided, a fee equivalent to 30 days tuition will be assessed and applied to your account. Please also remember that tuition is not refundable.

SUPPLIES:

Students will be advised of the supplies/materials (method books, accompaniment tracks, sheet music, etc.) required for their lessons, and where they may purchase them. Students are responsible for purchasing these materials and for bringing the appropriate materials to each lesson.

CONTACT INFORMATION & E-MAIL USE:

We use email as our primary way of communicating with students/parents. If a student changes his or her e-mail address, it is important to notify The Griffin Theatre as soon as possible. If The Griffin Theatre does not have a correct email address on file, students may miss important notices regarding recitals, studio closings, etc. So it is very important that The Griffin Theatre has the best email address for students on file. Students should also advise The Griffin Theatre if other contact information (phone number(s), address, etc.) changes.

Students may need to add our email address as an allowed sender to his or her email, so that a spam filter does not catch The Griffin Theatre’s emails. If you do not receive regular emails from us regarding studio events (performance opportunities, studio closures, etc.), please let us know!

HOLIDAYS AND INSTRUCTOR VACATION:

The studio is closed Christmas week and Thanksgiving week. In addition, the studio is closed on each of the following holidays: New Year’s Eve • New Year’s Day • Memorial Day • Independence Day • Labor Day

Lessons that fall on scheduled holidays (as listed above) will be rescheduled upon request. Many schools and businesses observe additional holidays (e.g., MLK, Jr. Day, Presidents Day, etc.). Please do not assume The Griffin Theatre is closed because public schools or other businesses are.

We do NOT follow the public school schedules. Please do not assume The Griffin Theatre is closed because public schools or other businesses are.

In addition to our closures for Christmas week and Thanksgiving week, each instructor receives two additional weeks (of his or her choice) of vacation time each year. These two additional weeks are built into the tuition, and tuition will not be credited or prorated due to these vacation weeks. The lessons that fall during these weeks will not be rescheduled. There is a full explanation of this under the “Enrollment/Tuition” section above.

INCLEMENT WEATHER CLOSURES:

Because the weather can change significantly from morning to evening, and because we keep hours that are generally opposite of school hours, we do not follow the closing schedules of local schools.

We make an independent decision regarding whether to close in cases where the weather and/or the roads pose a threat to our staff and students. If we close the studio due to weather, we will notify affected students via email, and we will happily reschedule cancelled lessons upon request (as availability allows).

OUR INSTRUCTORS:

The Griffin Theatre reserves the right to substitute and/or change an instructor at any time. The Griffin Theatre takes care of all of the administrative aspects of the lessons, including payment, scheduling, etc. We ask students to keep this in mind when working with the instructors. If a student has any question about his or her account, about scheduling or anything administrative in nature, we ask that the student contact The Griffin Theatre by phone or email, or to talk with our admin. in person concerning any questions. This allows instructors to focus on what they do best – teaching!

PHOTOS & VIDEO:

From time-to-time, we take photos and video of students at performances or in lessons, for use in our online or print marketing. If you prefer that we not use your (or your child’s) likeness, please email us at info@griffintheare.org and we will happily honor your request.

SUBJECT TO CHANGE:

All of the policies herein are subject to change at our discretion.

MOST IMPORTANTLY:

Have fun learning! We are really excited about every student who joins The Griffin Theatre. We value every relationship, and hope that you will let us know if there is anything we can do to ensure you have a great experience with us!

QUESTIONS?

We always welcome any questions you have. Simply call or email us and we’ll be happy to help!