Academy Policy

Registration and Membership Tuition

A non-refundable one time registration fee of $50 is due upon sign-up for each NEW student. 

New Students: First-month tuition is prorated based on the number of lessons. All following months are billed at a flat rate.

Flat Monthly Tuition: Tuition remains the same each month, whether there are 3, 4, or 5 lessons. Our calendar guarantees 46 lessons per year, averaged into equal monthly payments. There are no make-up lessons issued for planned Academy closures, as these have already been accounted for in our annual calendar.

Auto-Pay & Billing Schedule: Tuition is collected via AUTO-PAY and processed 10 days before the 1st of the month (e.g., February tuition is charged January 21st).

Charter School Students: A valid Purchase Order or out-of-pocket payment must be received before the 1st of the month in order to receive lessons.

If your tuition is paid by a 3rd party including charter schools, you are responsible for any unpaid tuition by the 3rd party. Payment method on file is mandatory for all students, no exception. By agreeing to these terms and conditions, you authorize Applause Music Academy to charge any unpaid tuition.

Charter schools may not cover summer or winter months; parents will be responsible for any payments not covered. Prorated POs are only accepted for the last month of the school year.

Late Payments: Tuition must be paid in full before the month begins. If tuition is not received by the 1st of the month, a $25 late fee will be applied. Lessons will also be terminated, and the student will lose their reserved lesson time. This policy applies to all students. If terminated for non-payment, all credits are lost upon termination.

Re-Enrollment: To resume lessons after termination, students must re-enroll and pay the $50 registration fee. This applies to all students. 

Tuition is NON-REFUNDABLE. No exceptions will be made.

Canceled and Missed Lessons

The lesson end time remains the same, regardless of tardy arrival by students.

No tuition credit or refund will be issued for missed lessons.

Lessons canceled with at least 24 hours before the scheduled lesson.

Lessons must be canceled at least 24 hours in advance to receive a make-up credit.

Cancellations must be made through the student portal, or by text, call, or email only —not directly to the teacher.

A make-up credit will be issued automatically, unless you have already reached the limit of 2 unused credits at a given time per subscription.

Make-up credits do not expire and can be used with your teacher or any available instructor.

Make-up lessons cannot be rescheduled once booked. No make up credit can be issued for a make up lesson. 

Credits may be used to try another instrument or shared with a family member. Contact us to schedule.

Late Cancellations & Missed Lessons

Lessons canceled with less than 24 hours’ notice, including due to illness, are not eligible for a make-up credit.

If a student is unavailable to attend in person but can attend online, they may request an online lesson through the student portal, call or text at their scheduled time.

If a student cannot attend in person or online, the teacher will record a lesson according to the lesson plan. The student will receive an email link for the recorded lesson.

If a student is more than 10 minutes late to their scheduled lesson, the teacher will proceed to record a lesson based on the planned curriculum for that day.

Substitutions:

If your teacher is unavailable, a substitute will be arranged.

The standard cancellation policy applies to substitute-led lessons.

No make-up credit is issued for last-minute substitutions.

Membership Termination: 

Cancellation requests must be submitted to the Academy by the 15th of the month to take effect at the end of that month. No exceptions will be made to this policy.

Example: Request received February 15 → lessons end February 28

Request received February 16 → billed through March, lessons end March 31

A registration fee is required to re-enroll once termination takes effect.

Unused make-up credits expire 30 days after the termination date. 

Active membership is required for recital participation. Students must have an active status at the time of the recital to perform. Membership is also required to participate in Academy events and exams. All registrations will be withdrawn upon termination, and access to member benefits will be removed.

Tuition is NON-REFUNDABLE when stopping lessons. No exceptions will be made.

Academy reserves the right to terminate membership, in which case prorated tuition will be refunded.

If terminated for non-payment, all credits are lost upon termination.

Hold & Summer Vacation Policy (June, July, August):

Applause Music Academy operates year-round and does not close for summer. For absences of three weeks or more see Full Terms and Conditions. 

Materials & Fees

Students will be informed of required music materials during lessons.

Students are responsible for obtaining materials either from Applause Music Academy or other sources.

Costs for materials, festivals, evaluations, competitions, and other activities are not included in tuition and will be charged separately.

Exclusive Opportunities for Active Members

All these enrichment opportunities are included in your monthly tuition as a benefit of enrollment. Separate registration may be required for participation in events or examinations outside of Applause Music Academy. For further details, ask the front desk. 

Students are expected to:

Treat teachers, other students, and Academy property respectfully.

Bring required lesson materials and books to each lesson.

Complete practice and written assignments as instructed.

Parents:

Parents are welcome to attend and quietly observe the lesson in the room. However, if a parent’s presence is disruptive to the student's concentration and efforts, the parent may be asked to kindly wait in the waiting area until the end of the lesson.

To ensure your child’s safety, please be sure to pick him/her up promptly after class/lesson time. Faculty and staff are not responsible for supervising children outside of designated teaching time.

Siblings of students may not be left at the Academy unattended.

All instructors at Applause Music Academy are highly qualified, trained professionals contracted exclusively through the Academy. Solicitation of current or former Applause Music Academy instructors for private instruction outside of Academy-authorized programs or locations is strictly prohibited for all current and former students. Violations of this policy may result in immediate termination of services and forfeiting remaining lessons and credits. 

For further details or questions, please contact the front desk.