GENERAL POLICIES FROM THE STUDIO OF
JOE SANTORO
Your schedule and my available openings will determine your permanent lesson time. Every attempt will be made to accommodate you. Once we arrive at a time it will be your permanent time, and you are expected to be here every week. If you need to change your time to another permanent time, please contact me when that need arises.
Registration may be done over the telephone. However, students will need to pay all fees in advance of the first lesson in order to secure the lesson time. Arrange a time to prepay the fees. If the fees are not in at that time, you could lose that lesson time. If there is a problem, please call me.
The registration fee is $15. The monthly tuition for private lessons is $150 per month. This is for one 30-minute private lesson per week, based on an average of 4 lessons per month. The fee for 60-minute lessons is $275 per month.
Tuition is due on the first lesson of each month or by the 7th of the month, whichever comes first. If your tuition is not paid you will not be given a lesson. If tuition is paid after the 7th of the month, the tuition will be $160.
If there is a problem with paying tuition on time, please call me in advance of the lesson. We will work out a plan, I promise.
Tuition for performance groups is extra.
Please note that missing the first lesson of the month is not an excuse for late tuition payment. The only way late tuition will be accepted is if you make previous arrangements with me.
Tuition checks are made payable to SBSMA. If you have other children studying here you can include all tuition fees on one check.
No refunds of any fees.
Tuition is based on average 4 lessons per month, 48 lessons per year. There will be months that will have five lesson days, and I usually will teach that fifth day in order to build vacation time. If you get 5 lessons in one month you can expect a month with only 3 lessons. The tuition is the same in either case.
If you are to miss a lesson, you must give 24 hours notice, unless there is a last minute illness or emergency. You can call the School 24 hours a day at 408-945-8014 or my cell at 408-839-0160.
Make-ups are given only if the lesson was missed due to illness or emergency. If you miss a lesson for other reasons, then I am not obligated to give a makeup. However, I deal with this on a case by case basis. If I have the time, I will give a makeup for reasons other than illness. In either case there is no credit for missed lessons.
Your lesson time is a permanent time, so please schedule other conflicts, like Doctor’s or Dentists appointments, around it when possible. If you can't schedule around it, then call to reschedule another lesson time for the week.
If I miss a lesson, for any reason, then I am obligated to give you a makeup. If I cannot then I will prorate the tuition for the following month.
I keep attendance on all students which show all lessons received in addition to cancellations, make-ups, etc.
Make-ups are not given for no-shows. If you are a no show for the first lesson of the month, and you fail to pay your tuition by the 7th, you will lose your lesson time. You will need to call to schedule a lesson time
Students are expected to bring their lesson binders and drumsticks each week. If for some reason you cannot, you should still come to the lesson and I will let you borrow sticks, but you will have to remember what you had for a reading assignment. Don't get in the habit of forgetting materials!
Some students have a preference for their own bass drum pedals. If that is the case you are more than welcome to bring in your own pedal and use it instead of mine. (Just make sure that you put my pedal back on when you are done with your lesson.)
Students are required to practice their lessons regularly in order to progress. With some students I will give a certain number of repetitions of a particular exercise or page. As the student progresses, I will assign a specific amount of time for practice.
Students will get Monthly Calendars. The calendars serve multiple purposes. They can be used to keep track of lessons or can serve as an advance notification of a lesson that will be missed due to my absence.
They can also be used as “practice calendars”. When necessary I may ask students to keep track of their practice time. The student will fill out the amount of practice time and the parent must initial it. In fact, parents are to initial EVERYDAY, even if the student does not practice on that particular day. This is not meant to be a “punishment” but rather a tool to get students in the habit of regular practice. Once they see their progress then will understand the importance of frequent practice. Once the lesson quality improves, the student will no longer be asked to write down their practice time.