Summer Term
The Summer Term runs from Monday 27 June through Friday 2 September 2022.
Tuition is due in full by Friday 8 July 2022.


​Lesson Policy and Calendar

Policy
  • Students who wish to return to the studio in September 2022 must be registered for the Summer Term.
  • Students not registered for the Summer Term will be placed on the waiting list with new students for the fall, no exceptions.
  • If a student takes the entire summer off there is no guarantee they will have a place in the fall schedule.

Benefits of Summer Study
  • Prevents students from needing to use the first 1-2 months of the fall semester to review.
  • Allows for retention of concepts and good habits learned during the year.
  • Provides a low-stress period for overall development.
  • Provides a low-stress environment for experimentation with new ideas.
  • Provides an opportunity to reinforce concepts or address necessary issues.
  • Students begin to see the piano as a part of their lives and not simply another activity.  

Calendar
  • The Summer Term runs from Monday 27 June  - Friday 2 September 2022.
  • The Fall Semester begins on Tuesday 6 September 2022.
  • Fall Registration begins on Monday 25 July 2022.  All Fall 2022 Registration Forms are due by Friday 19 August 2022.

Scheduling
  • Summer Term 2022 lessons are held Monday through Friday, usually during the afternoon and evening.
  • Lessons will not be scheduled on Saturday or Sunday.
  • Depending on demand, it may be possible to schedule lessons earlier in the day. 
  • ​Academic year cancellation guidelines still apply. 
  • Make-ups are not guaranteed and will be scheduled only if possible. 

Tuition Guidelines
  • Tuition may be paid at once or in two monthly installments. 
  • Tuition can be paid online through Venmo, the MPS website, in person by credit/debit card, through Chase QuickPay, or by check.
  • A $15 late fee will be added if tuition is received after the due date. 
  • Please note checks may be held and deposited throughout the summer.  

Lesson Package Options
  1. 8 Lessons in 10 Weeks (1st Priority Fall Registration)
  2. 6 Lessons in 10 Weeks (2nd Priority Fall Registration)
  3. Place Holding Fee/Up to 4 Lessons in 10 Weeks (3rd Priority Fall Registration)
  4. Unregistered (student relinquishes their place on the studio roster for waitlisted/new students; only allowed back in Fall 2020 if there is space)

  • If you’re here for only 3, 5, or 7 weeks please round up to the next lesson plan; time from the missed week will be factored into other lessons.
  • The Place Holding Fee is not a deposit which will be credited in September.  Rather, it covers the student’s absence over the summer and maintains their place in the studio come the fall (while allowing them to take up to 4 lessons when/if available during the summer) and prevents us from giving away their space in the studio to a new student who may wish to start during the summer.

Tuition Costs
  • While tuition costs for the 8-week session are comparable to the regular academic year monthly tuition, the 6-Week Session and the the Place Holding Fee/4-Week Session differ.  They are comprehensive, flat fees which take into consideration that students registering for these plans are missing virtually half of the 10-Week Summer Term, as opposed to the 8-Week Students who are averaging the usual "4-Week Month."  Consequently, we need to ensure we have enough income to meet expenses over the summer despite varying degrees of attendance.​
Lesson Length
8-Lesson Plan
6-Lesson Plan
Place Holding Fee/4-Lesson Plan
30 minutes
$360
$345
$305
45 minutes
$504
$453
$377
60 minutes
$680
$585
$465
Registration FAQs
  • Why must a current student register for the Summer Term in order to preserve a place in the following academic year's schedule? The easier pace of summer vacation often makes it a good time for curious students to begin lessons.  However, to be fair to any new students who may want to start over the summer, we must make sure that we can continue to teach them in the fall.  Therefore, it is crucial we know what our fall teaching load will be at the beginning of the summer.  If we had a full schedule during the previous academic year and all of our current students plan to return in the fall, then we must tell any new students who inquire about beginning lessons over the summer that we have no openings, and place them on the waiting list. 
  • I can understand why a student who may have recently begun would need to register for the summer in order to keep a place in the studio schedule for the following academic year, but why should a student who has been studying for many years not be automatically guaranteed a place in the studio schedule regardless of summer attendance?  Summer registration is equally fair to longterm students, new students, and to us as well.  If many students took the summer off we would be forced to take new students to make up for lost income.  Given all of the effort and time we invest in our students throughout the academic year, during the summer we would like to avoid being put in this position.  If we were forced to accept many new students as a result of low summer attendance, then at the end of the summer, we would have to choose to either continue teaching new students who recently began or take back current students who took the summer off.  From this perspective, it is impossible for us to make any decision that is fair to either new or returning students.  New students and returning students both rightfully expect and deserve to be able to continue, and at the outset, we want to be able to make an honest commitment to our students that we can uphold.  In addition, while current students may plan on returning in the fall even if they take the summer off, it is possible that things can change unexpectedly.  If this happens and current students cannot return the following year, then we at least know that we've done the best for everyone involved at that moment given the circumstances: returning students know we kept a place for them to return to, new students who may have begun over the summer will know they were not mislead, and we know that we were able to make any and all decisions we made in good faith and with everyone's best interests at heart.   
  • Why is fall registration priority contingent upon summer attendance?  This puts everyone on an equal playing field.  Longterm students who may have been away for most of the summer don't feel that new students who may have attended more during the summer were given preference over them.  Additionally, new students who may have attended more consistently don't feel that the recent dedication they may have demonstrated was overlooked in favor of a returning student.  Lastly, if both new and longterm students attend for an equal amount of time there is no distinction made between their work and dedication over the summer.  
  • What is the difference between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Fall Registration Priority?  At the beginning of every academic year, we must start with a blank slate when making the schedule: last year's schedule can't simply be repeated.  New students who may have begun over the summer were never on last year's schedule.  Also, if last year’s schedule doesn’t work for one returning student the following year, it doesn’t work for the whole studio. When we make the fall schedule, not only are registered students guaranteed a spot in the fall, but most of the time we are able to accommodate everyone’s first choice regarding their time requests.  Having said that,  if we have to make adjustments and move to second choices, we will usually start with students who were registered for the Place-Holding Fee/4-Lesson Plan (3rd Priority Fall Registration). 
All policies are subject to change.
Register for the Summer Term