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Summer 2021 Policies

Registration

All registrations will be on a first-come, first-served basis.  A student will be registered only when fees for a summer program have been received in full.  All summer programs have minimum enrollment requirements which must be met in order for the program to take place.  If you have registered for a program that does not meet its minimum enrollment, you will be notified ahead of the scheduled date and any fees paid will be fully refunded. All instructors are subject to change.

Payment

Due to COVID-19 we are typically only accepting credit cards or Visa-Debit as payment for registration. If you would prefer to pay in cash, please get in touch with us and we can organize a time to drop off cash. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Sick Policy

To ensure the safety and health of our students, faculty, and staff, we ask everyone to self-monitor for potential symptoms of COVID-19, and if you or a family member is experiencing any symptoms, do not enter the VSO School of Music Building and call or email us letting us know. Potential symptoms of COVID-19 include: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat and painful swallowing, stuffy or runny nose, loss of sense of smell, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, and loss of appetite.

Withdrawals

Your tuition payment guarantees your spot. Refunds will be provided up until 1 (one) week prior to the start date of the program, as long as there is another participant who can take the spot. If nobody on the waitlist can take the spot, the withdrawing student will receive a school credit. Once a program or camp has begun, we cannot provide credits or refunds.

Sep 2021-Jun 2022 Policies

Becoming a VSOSoM Student

• Group classes can be enrolled in through our website or by calling our office at 604-915-9300 ext 100. Registration for private lessons takes place through the School Registration team by filling in this form.
• Students may sign up for and begin private lessons at any time during the year.
• Special schedules, e.g. bi-weekly lessons, may sometimes be accommodated at the discretion of the teacher.  Please contact the Registrar to discuss your scheduling needs.

Sickness Policy

To ensure the safety and health of our students, faculty, and staff, we ask everyone to self-monitor for potential symptoms of COVID-19, and if you or a family member is experiencing any symptoms, do not enter the VSO School of Music Building. Please call our office or email info@vsoschoolofmusic.ca to let us know you are unable to attend your lesson/class. Potential symptoms of COVID-19 include: fever, chills, cough, shortness of breath, sore throat and painful swallowing, stuffy or runny nose, loss of sense of smell, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, and loss of appetite.

Payment Options

• Due to COVID-19 we are typically only accepting credit cards or Visa-Debit as payment for registration. If you would prefer to pay in cash, please get in touch with us and we can organize a time to drop off cash. Cash payments must be in full for the term. We apologize for any inconvenience.
  
• When enrolling in a group class or special activity, payment must be made in full at least one week before participation begins.
• When enrolling in a full-year ensemble, payment can be made either in full, or in three termly installments. The first installment is due when enrolling, and the other two will be automatically deducted from a credit card on November 17 and March 19.
• When enrolling in private lessons, you can either pay in full before beginning your lessons, or provide payment options in advance to be deducted monthly. Remaining installments are automatically charged to a credit card, 14 days prior to the 1st of each month. Each payment covers the amount of lessons occurring in that month.
• Private instrumental instruction only: a $55 registration fee applies, which covers the whole school year (Sep-Jun).
• A $25.00 service charge will be applied for any payment from accounts with insufficient funds (NSF).  More than one NSF will result in the loss of cheque-writing privileges.
• If a student has failed three credit card payments in a school year, they will lose the option of automatic monthly installments for the remainder of that school year, and will be required to pay a term at a time, at least 14 days in advance.

Attendance

• Unfortunately, we are not able to provide make-up classes or refunds for group classes or ensemble rehearsals missed by a participant.
• If the instructor is sick and no substitute instructor can be found, the class will be cancelled, and a prorated amount for that class will be credited back to the student’s school account.
• For the benefit of all students, class sizes must be limited to those enrolled. We are not able to accommodate unregistered siblings as participants in classes.
• For private lessons, if a student is aware of an upcoming absence – e.g. vacation – the student should inform the Registrar at the time of registration and, with the Instructor’s permission, the number of lessons can only be adjusted at the time of registration. *For full year registrations, the number of lessons can be adjusted one month prior the start of each term
• Once a student has committed to a specific number of lessons, the teacher reserves these times for the student.  Students are expected to attend each lesson he/she has reserved with the teacher.  Make-up lessons are not guaranteed, and lessons missed by the student will only be made up under special circumstances (not including vacations, school events etc.), at the discretion of the individual teacher. Giving maximum possible notice of an impending absence may increase the chances of the instructor agreeing to give a make-up lesson.
• Members of the faculty are active performers in the field. From time to time, their performance schedules may necessitate rescheduling a lesson.
• If an Instructor is absent, every effort will be made to provide a make-up lesson at a time that is suitable to both the student and the Instructor. If the Instructor is unable to make up a lesson, the student will receive a credit to be applied to future lessons or classes. 
• Refunds/credits for Instructor absences will be issued only upon written notice from the Instructor.

Changing Instructors

It is highly recommended that students do not change instructors during the school year, in order to avoid a negative impact on their progress. While the VSO School of Music cannot guarantee transfers between instructors, every effort will be made to ensure students are placed appropriately with a teacher that meets their individual needs.

Two weeks’ written notice to the student’s current Instructor is required when transferring to another VSOSoM Instructor.

Withdrawals, Credits and Refunds

Group Classes / Ensembles

• If a student needs to withdraw from a group class up to two weeks before it has started, then any fees paid will be transferred to a school credit. No credits will be issued if a student withdraws from a group class less than two weeks before the start date.
• If a student’s behavior is deemed consistently disruptive to a class, after consultation with the parents, the teacher will have the right to refuse entry to the class.
• Group classes and ensembles need to meet a minimum number of enrolled participants to run. Activities may have to be cancelled if they fail to meet their minimum number. In this instance, participants will be notified at least one week in advance, and will receive a full refund.

Private Lessons

• If a student wishes to withdraw from private lessons, one month’s written notice to the Instructor and to the administrative team is required. The date of notice will be the date the Instructor submits a withdrawal form to the School’s administration.  Automatic payment schedules will be suspended only once payment is received for lessons up until the official withdrawal date.
• Lessons that are missed during a term that cannot be made-up will only be credited after that particular term has ended, with the instructor’s written permission to the school’s administration. Please note we are not able to offer refunds from previous school years

Holidays and Closures

The School is closed on all statutory holidays. Please check our online calendar for holidays and other important term dates. Statutory holidays are taken into account in the number of lessons booked at the time of registration. Lessons will not take place on these dates. Private lessons missed due to a School closure, such as a snow day, will be made up if possible.

Practice Rooms

• We are limiting solo practice sessions to designated rooms so that we can keep physical distancing as much as possible: two Grand Piano studios, and five Upright Piano rooms.
• Practice Sessions will also have pre-determined times that you can book:

• This schedule allows us to control the number of people in the building and to schedule in cleaning/sanitizing between uses.
• No bulk-booking. Requests can only be made no more than one-week in advance of the requested date.