All ESFRS policies adhere to the Suzuki Association of the Americas Aspirational Code of Ethics
Open to all:
Participation in the ESFRS program is open to all student families who wish to learn music through the Suzuki mother-tongue approach. It is not mandatory to register through the Suzuki Charter Elementary School – we operate completely independently from that institution.
Attendance Expectations:
Attendance is expected at both group and individual lessons.
Group lessons are a key aspect of the Suzuki approach to music learning. Choosing not to attend group classes will affect your ability to continue in the program.
Attendance at rehearsals is mandatory to participate in concerts.
One of the wonderful benefits of Suzuki style music learning is the development of performance confidence. The students know the material very well, so they can approach the stage without fear. Rehearsals for concert events take place during group lessons. If parents do not bring their children to group, the students have no idea what they are supposed to do at the concert. This undermines all the confidence that we have very carefully and methodically built up for them. In order to fulfill our mandate to build confident performers, we have to be strict about rehearsal attendance.
Please try to be punctual for lessons.
Choose your lesson time wisely. If you try to come too quickly after school or work you will always be late. If you are a few minutes late, not only will you be short changed on your lesson time, but the next student will probably have their lesson start late too. Try to arrive a few minutes early, and have your instrument out and ready to go as soon as your lesson starts.
Rescheduling Privileges:
Individual teachers are under no obligation to reschedule lessons that are missed by the student, but they may choose to do so, depending on their judgment in any specific situation. For more information regarding the economics of rescheduling lessons, refer to this article: Makeuplesson article copy.pdf
Here are some examples of situations in which lessons may be rescheduled at the discretion of the teacher :
- Serious emergencies and illness. Try to let your teacher know that you can’t make it as soon as you are aware of the situation.
- Conflicts with other school and music activities such as concerts, field trips, etc. if you give a minimum of one week’s notice. (If you do not give at least a week’s notice, you will be charged for the lesson whether it can be rescheduled or not.)
Lessons missed without notifying the teacher will not be rescheduled.
Students with persistent recurring absences in either private lessons or group classes may be requested to withdraw from the program to make space for a student on the waiting list.
Lessons are not rescheduled to accommodate family holidays. If you choose to take a week or two in the winter and go to Hawaii or Mexico, etc., your teacher will be happy to prepare an extra practice or listening assignment to use while you are away, the same way that your school teacher may give you an extra homework assignment.
Temporarily trading lessons with another student is a good way of dealing with minor scheduling problems. Just let your teacher know what arrangements you have made so that they are prepared to teach the correct student!
If for any reason, your teacher cancels a lesson, it will be rescheduled to a mutually convenient time. If lessons cannot be rescheduled immediately, they will be added to the end of the year.
All outstanding lessons for the current year must be finished by the end of July. Lessons will not be carried forward into the next year.
Individual teachers are responsible for their studio schedules. The ESFRS administration trusts the teachers who participate in our program to keep accurate attendance records and track any outstanding lessons in an ethical and timely manner, following the above guidelines. Any issues regarding rescheduling or missed lessons will be dealt with between teachers and student families.
Withdrawals:
Registration in the program is a commitment to continue lessons until the summer break. All fees are non-refundable after the first individual lesson is received by the student. However, sometimes there are unavoidable circumstances which necessitate a withdrawal (moving due to job transfer, death or serious illness, etc.). In such cases, a partial fee refund will be considered if notice is received in writing by the music director at suzukifluteandrecorder@gmail.com a minimum of one month in advance. In such cases, the balance of fees for unreceived individual lessons will be calculated (less a minimum of four lessons in lieu of one months notice, if necessary). Registration fees, beginner fees, and the portion of fees that cover group classes and concerts will not be included in any refunds. This policy may be adjusted on a case-by-case basis based on recommendation of the Music Program Director.