Academic Year Studio Policy
5 September 2023 through 21 June 2024
Lessons are available from Monday through Friday, generally during the afternoon and evening.
Attendance and Billing Structure
Registration Plans and Tuition Costs
- The Studio functions as a private music school on a 10-month calendar, independent of any public or private school district calendars. The academic year is divided into two 5-month semesters: Fall/Winter (5 September 2023 - 31 January 2023) and Winter/Spring (1 February 2024 - 21 June 2024).
- The Academic Year Calendar is posted throughout the year on the Mallimo Piano Studio website and lists all recital dates as well as days when the Studio will be closed.
- Students are required to take weekly lessons. Regular attendance is expected for all other dates not marked on the calendar.
- As with other private academic or arts schools, monthly tuition payments will be billed as a consistent, uniform, flat fee. The amount due each month will remain the same independent of planned or unplanned absences, as well as any days where the Studio is closed.
- Tuition is not billed based on monthly attendance and does not simply reflect time spent with students during lessons. Aside from tending to the regular administrative responsibilities of running a business, much of the time and effort we invest in our students occurs outside of weekly lessons. Before or after a full day of teaching, and on weekends, time is spent preparing material to be taught, choosing appropriate repertory to be studied, planning a student’s curriculum, looking for resources to help learning, searching for or preparing arrangements of songs a student wants to learn, and providing or looking for performance opportunities. Additionally, tuition reflects our expertise, education, years of performing experience, years of teaching experience, and the decades of practice that we’ve invested into our own training.
- Tuition may be paid by check (in person or by mail), online through the Studio Store page, in person by credit or debit card, through Chase QuickPay with Zelle, or with Venmo. Checks should be made payable to: Mallimo Piano Studio. Chase QuickPay with Zelle payments should be addressed to: salkate@mallimopianostudio.com, Venmo payments can be addressed to: @Mallimo-Piano-Studio.
- The tuition costs listed below are what one would be charged if paying by check or Chase QuickPay. If one is paying online or with a credit card, the cost listed on the Studio Store page reflects the added convenience fees charged by the payment vendors. We are not making any extra money from payments made in this way.
- Tuition payments are due upon the first lesson of the month. If tuition is past due, then a $15 late fee will be added. If tuition is more than 2 months past due, a student will be removed from the schedule and placed on the waiting list. Once the balance is accounted for the student will be placed back on the schedule providing there is an opening.
Registration Plans and Tuition Costs
- Students may choose to enroll in a Semester Plan or a Month-to-Month Plan
- Students on a Semester Plan will pay a lower monthly tuition, but must commit to an entire 5-month semester. Students will not be allowed to withdraw between September and January, or between February and June. If a student withdraws mid-semester, they will be billed for the remaining months in a semester.
- Students on a Month-to-Month Plan will pay a higher monthly tuition, but are not required to commit to an entire 5-month semester of study. However, in order to avoid being billed for the next month, we must have 1-month's advance notice that you will be stopping.
- It is our preference that students enroll in a Semester Plan, as we are able to better structure their curriculum if we know they will attend for a longer period of time, and it shows us a higher level of commitment on the student's part. However, we understand if a student must choose the Month-to-Month option.
Lesson Length |
Semester Plan Monthly Tuition Payment |
Month-to-Month Plan Monthly Tuition Payment |
30 minutes (5 and 6 year-old beginners only) |
$200 |
$220 |
45 minutes |
$272 |
$296 |
60 minutes |
$360 |
$380 |
New Student Trial Period
Studio Expectations
COVID-19 Protocol
Student Absences
Studio Directory and Will Call List
Inclement Weather
Teacher Absences
Books, Materials, and Event Participation Fees
Summer Lesson Requirement
Recitals and Performance Opportunities Outside of the Studio
Permanent Schedule Changes
- Regardless of whether a student chooses the Semester Plan or the Month-to-Month plan, the first month for new students is always considered a trial period; that is, we won't expect a commitment to the entire semester or continued month-to-month study until after the first month. At the completion of the first month, either we or the student may decide whether or not to continue our work together.
Studio Expectations
- A student putting their best effort into their work as often as possible
- Consistently paying tuition in a timely manner
- Consistent weekly attendance
- Participation in annual recitals
COVID-19 Protocol
- Wash hands/use sanitizer before lessons
- We will wear masks when in the studio space
- We will sanitize the keyboard between lessons
- We will have "clean" and "used" pencil bins
- Students should make sure to bring their own books weekly
Student Absences
- Consistent weekly attendance must be a priority to ensure a student’s progress. With the exception of a legitimate emergency (death in the family, unexpected injury/illness, ER visits, etc.), cancellations are highly discouraged.
- All cancellations are made at the risk of a lost lesson. Make-up lessons for student absences are not guaranteed nor are they easily arranged.
- Make-ups will be scheduled only if possible.
- While we cannot make up every missed lesson, we will give serious consideration to making up lessons missed due to a legitimate emergency (death in the family, unexpected injury/illness, ER visits, etc.).
- Same-day cancellations not due to an emergency will result in a lost lesson.
- The majority of scheduling conflicts are known of before they occur: medical or dental appointments planned far in advance, school events, commitments to other activities, playdates, parties, sports, field trips, or vacations.
- If you need to miss for one of these reasons and do not want to chance forfeiting the lesson, you must contact someone on the studio directory and temporarily exchange times with them for the week in question.
Studio Directory and Will Call List
- The Studio Schedule and Directory are posted on the protected Current Students page, accessible only to those who have set up and been approved for a Member Log-In. The time and day of every student’s regular lesson is listed along with the appropriate contact person, and their email. This is always accessible to all members of the Studio. Regular use of the directory will ensure that almost no lessons are actually missed or lost.
- Should you be unable to arrange a switch you may sign up for the Will-Call List. You can list days and time windows you are generally available throughout the week during a given semester. Providing we have an unexpected opening, we will contact you and see if you'd like to come in if it happens to fall within your listed range of availability. The Will-Call List is also accessible ion the Current Students page.
- If any lessons are missed due to religious holidays during which the studio is open, it would be greatly appreciated if there is still an attempt made to switch with someone for the date in question. However, if that proves impossible the absence will be given the same consideration as an emergency.
Inclement Weather
- In case of inclement weather, we will have remote lessons in place of in-person lessons (if you normally come to the studio).
- Please do not assume that if school is cancelled the studio will be closed.
- Monthly tuition payments will not be adjusted for cases of inclement weather.
Teacher Absences
- On the rare occasion that we should need to cancel - illness, inclement weather, performances, etc. - students will be guaranteed a make-up lesson, arranged at a mutually convenient time, and scheduled before the end of the semester during which we were absent.
Books, Materials, and Event Participation Fees
- We will provide you with a link to purchase all needed books or materials, or we can purchase them for you and provide you with an invoice so that you may reimburse us.
- Often most organizations require one single check from the teacher for participation fees pertaining to any festivals, events, or competitions outside of the studio. We will submit a check from the studio covering the costs and provide you with an invoice after the fact so that you may reimburse us.
Summer Lesson Requirement
- Students who wish to return to the Studio in September 2024 must register for either the 8-week or 6-week session during the Summer Term, or the Place-Holding Fee/4-week plan. Please see the Summer Policy & Calendar for further information.
- Students not registered for the Summer Term will be placed on the waiting list with new students for the fall and run the risk of losing their place on the Studio roster.
Recitals and Performance Opportunities Outside of the Studio
- Unless it is too early in a student's work, or for some reason they are not prepared, all students will have the opportunity to play in the Annual Spring Studio Recital. Most students will have the opportunity to play in the Annual Winter Studio Recital. Some students may choose to perform in the Annual Duet Recital as well. The opportunity to play in the Annual Intermediate and Advanced recital will be presented to students who are both at the appropriate level and will make the commitment to prepare adequately.
- Students performing in a recital are not allowed to miss any lessons within the last 3 weeks leading up to a recital, with the exception of an emergency.
- Students who are not prepared may be asked to wait until the following recital to perform.
- There are opportunities throughout the year to perform in festivals and events sponsored by our teachers’ organizations for students who are interested and willing to commit to adequately preparing.
- Students who are interested and willing to commit to adequately preparing will also have the opportunity to enter competitions.
Permanent Schedule Changes
- Please don't assume that there will always be an open slot in the schedule to move to. If a permanent scheduling conflict should arise during a semester, and you do not want to take the chance of losing your place in the Studio Schedule, please consult us before making any commitments which would force you to give up your current time slot. If this is the case and you still want to make a permanent change, the only option would be to contact someone one the Studio Directory and arrange a permanent switch with them. Otherwise, if you still want to give up your place in the Studio Schedule, you will be placed on the waiting list with new students.
All policies are subject to change.