MEMBERSHIP

• Annual membership fee at the Richmond Music School is $50.00 per household. Membership fee registration after January 1 is prorated to $25.00 per household. This fee includes the annual Society fee allowing one vote per family member at the annual general meeting.

• Membership fees are annual effective from July 1st to June 30th and are non-refundable. Lessons will not commence until this fee has been paid.

• If students want to secure their Teacher yearly, then the membership must be paid on July 1st of the next school term. We do not guarantee the same time slot.

 

REGISTRATION OF TUITION FEES

• Tuition fees for private lessons are payable in advance by one school term. Please refer to Term Calendar as stated on our website. This enables the school to book the fixed scheduled lesson times with the teacher for the whole term. 

• Fees must be received prior to the start of lessons. If payment is not received, Richmond Music School reserves the right to cancel all upcoming lessons and the student risks the loss of the current teacher and time slot.

• Group lessons/programs are payable by one-time payment for the course fee. 

• We accept payments by e-Transfer, Debit Card, Visa, and Master Card. Fees with pre-authorization made by credit card will automatically be charged. Students/Parents will not be notified for approval. By signing the Registration/Membership form you are approving this charge.

• Each academic year runs from September to the following  June. A student is automatically enrolled for the entire academic year upon registration and payment of a tuition fee. Payment is made in three terms. 

• Any student who does not intend to return for the following term must notify the office in writing.

• All withdrawals must be made with at least two weeks' notice.

• Late or non-payment by the beginning of the next term does not result in automatic withdrawal.

• Any unused balances on fees/credit in the student account will be considered forfeited within 12 months from the end of the school year.  For example, the unused balance incurred in the school year 2022-23 will be considered forfeited if it was not used up on or before June 30, 2024.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

• One-Time Payment — Suitable for paying for group lessons or trial lessons.

• Term Payment — Please refer to the term dates on our website for a number of weeks per term.

• Full School Term — This payment reflects the start of the lesson to the end of the school term on June 30th and must be paid in full for the whole session prior to the first class.

• Summer Term — This payment reflects lessons starting on July 1st and ending August 31st and all lessons scheduled must be paid prior to the lessons during this term. 

​

ADMINISTRATIVE FEES

• Late payments may result in the suspension of lessons and possible loss of Teacher

• All returned payments maybe charged a $25.00 handling fee. This includes unauthorized payments on credit cards.

• Enrollment is only accepted from those returning students whose fees and accounts are paid up to date and in good standing. Any arrears must be paid in full before subsequent enrollment is accepted.

​

SCHOOL CLOSURES

• Our programs run from September to June. There are several times during the year when the music school is closed. Students are not invoiced for these times.

• Two-week Christmas/New Year period.

• Richmond School District Spring Break.

• Statutory Holidays and the Easter weekend, including Easter Monday.

 

​LATE ARRIVALS

Zero tolerance for late arrival, your lesson will end at scheduled time.

​

CANCELLATIONS, REFUNDS AND WITHDRAWALS (UPDATED POLICY effective April 6, 2023) 

• Cancellation of a lesson made AT LEAST one Business Day prior to the scheduled lesson time may be eligible to receive a make-up lesson. Notice must be given by email to the school office and cc to the teacher. The School is under no obligation to provide refunds or make-up lessons unless the lesson is cancelled by the teacher. Absence of notification will result in charging the student account for the missed lesson. Nonattendance at lessons does not constitute withdrawal.

• No shows or failure to notify the school/teacher within one Business Day is considered a forfeited lesson. Students will be charged for forfeited lesson. Special cases may be approved for exemption by the Principal in writing.

• No more than 2 cancellations OR make up lessons are permitted per school term per student (Definition of school term, see calendar on website.)

• No refunds for all group lessons within 15 days prior the start date. 

• Due to the continuous nature of group lessons, missed classes cannot be made up and withdrawal from classes cannot be refunded.

• In the event of student withdrawal 15 days’ notice must be given. This notice must be given whether or not the student attends these lessons. There will be no refund of fees for this period of notice. Any pending make up lessons will be forfeited.

• Requests for a change of teacher must be submitted in writing to the office and Principal stating the reason(s) for the transfer request prior to being assigned to a new teacher.

• Lessons cancelled by the teacher – Most of our teachers are performing artists. This means there may be some disruptions to the normal lesson times. The teacher will do everything possible to find a mutually agreeable time to make up any lessons they cancel due to illness or professional commitments. If a time convenient to both parties is not found, credits or refunds will be
  issued at the end of the term. 

• In the event the lesson(s) is cancelled by the teacher, the school reserves the right to substitute the class with a qualified teacher. 

•  Business Day means Monday through Saturday, except for all statutory holidays.

•  This policy is not applicable to Beginners' Piano/Violin Program.

​

MAKE-UP LESSONS/SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS

• If individual lessons are cancelled by the student/parent, it is at the sole
  discretion of the teacher to determine whether the lesson will be eligible for
  make-up lesson. Teachers are under no obligation to do so but will try their
  best to reschedule a make-up lesson.

• In the event of a medical emergency with less than 24 hours' notice, the
  School may require from the student a doctor's note for proof of absence to
  be eligible for a make-up lesson. If the teacher cancelled due to medical
  reason without offering a make-up lesson, then the lesson may be credited.

• Make-up lessons are offered only once, if a student misses or cancels a
  scheduled make-up lesson, the lesson will be considered completed. All makeup
  lessons are to be completed by June 30. 

ADDITIONAL COSTS

• Materials such as music books, metronome and instruments are chosen at the Teacher’s discretion to match the level of the student’s development, and should be supplied by the student or parent.

• There is no charge for participation in recitals for our registered students. 

​

LIABILITIES

• The School accepts no responsibility for personal injury or illnesses occurring at any School activity (including transportation to and from the activity) nor for any damage to instruments or personal property, however caused. RMS's health/ safety protocol strictly follows the BC Health Authority policy.  Each student attending in-person class should adhere RMS's safety and Covid-19 protocols.  All students are responsible to ensure his/her own safety while on school property.  RMS is not responsible for any incident that is not caused by RMS negligence. 

• RMS reserves the right to charge any cleaning, repair, or replacement expenses to the student, parents, or instructor for damages to school property, including pianos and other musical instruments.

​

PRIVACY

Music school events may be photographed, audio or video recorded by the Richmond Music School. Registered members including Parents/guardians/students hereby grant permission to the School to take photos and video recordings for promotional purposes and for use in social media channelsand website. Those who wish to opt out must notify the School in writing by sending the notice to info@richmondmusicschool.ca. No student will receive monetary reimbursement for use of such photographs or recordings unless authorized in advance by the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors' decision will be final.

​

Richmond Music School Society reserves the right to change or update any of the terms and conditions at any time. School policy posted on this webpage will be considered the most updated version, and it will supercede any previous versions (digital and printed inclusive).