Absences
Teachers must be notified of known absences (concerts, sporting events, vacation, etc.) at least one week in advance of the lesson. If a student is ill, a call must be made to the teacher’s phone at least two hours prior to the lesson to be considered excused.
Only one make-up lesson is allowed (for excused absences only) per semester. If more than one lesson is missed, the lesson and lesson fee are forfeited.
If a call is not received and the teacher was not notified beforehand, that absence will be considered unexcused and the lesson fee will be forfeited. In certain cases (family emergency, extreme weather, extended illness), efforts will be made to reconcile lost time in the best interest of both parties.
Cancellations
Lessons cancelled by an instructor will be made up at the earliest convenience of both the teacher and the student.
The Academy of Music only cancels lessons due to weather when the University of Northwestern cancels events for that day. Call 651-631-5310 to find out if the campus is closed. If the student decides to cancel the lesson due to bad weather but the Northwestern campus is still open, the instructor is not obligated to make up the lesson.
Late Arrivals
Students are expected to arrive on time for their lessons/classes. Instructors will wait 15 minutes before assuming that a student is absent for a lesson. Instructors are not required to make up the lost time as a "no-show" is considered unexcused. However, an instructor who arrives late will arrange to make up any missed lesson time.
Make-Up Lessons
Only one make-up lesson is provided for excused absences. See Absences, above, for more information. If more than one lesson is missed, the lesson and lesson fee will be forfeited. The week of recitals at the end of each semester is also known as "make-up lesson week," and is a great time to fit in the make-up lessons needed!
Withdrawals
Withdrawing a student from lessons or classes requires written or verbal notification to the Academy of Music office. Students who discontinue and do not provide notification of withdrawal will continue to be considered officially enrolled and be held responsible for any tuition charges associated with an official enrollment.
Refunds will be given on a prorated basis if a student withdraws from lessons prior to the sixth week of the semester. No refunds will be given if notice of withdrawal or cancellation is given after the sixth week of the semester. In the event that all lessons need to pivot to virtual, no refunds are allowed after the sixth week. Outstanding balances must be paid in full upon cancellation.
Expectations
- Keep a regular practice routine as outlined by the instructor and (when applicable) in consultation with the parents/guardians
- Attend all lessons, classes, rehearsals, and recitals
- Bring instrument, music, and all appropriate materials to lessons, rehearsals, classes, and recitals
Behavior in the Building
The lobbies and hallways serve as both a waiting area for students prior to lessons and a meeting place for parents, students, and instructors. Students are expected to speak quietly in these areas to prevent interference with instruction in nearby studios, classrooms, and/or offices. They are also to be respectful of a professor's property hung outside their doors and on bulletin boards. Parents/guardians are responsible for curtailing, running, loud play, and any dangerous or disturbing behavior. Children must be supervised by a parent or another adult at all times.
Academy Property
The Academy provides drawers labeled "books and toys" located in the practice room hallway in Totino outside the Academy office and on the third floor music hall in Nazareth hall. These drawers are stocked with books, coloring books, games, doodle boards, and more. All Academy families are welcome to use these items while waiting for a music lesson to finish. Parents are responsible to help their children respect the property of the Academy and ensure that they return everything to the drawers before leaving the building.
Student Dismissal
Students who do not meet the expectations outlined above may be dismissed with lesson tuition forfeited.
Address Change
Changes of address, telephone, or e-mail address must be provided to the Academy of Music office in a timely manner.
By registering with the Academy of Music, families agree to pay all fees related to lessons and/or ensembles. Parents give the right to use the student's photograph or image without his or her name for Academy publications unless the office is otherwise notified.
Payments
Once registered, tuition may be paid by credit card (online or over the phone) or check.
Payments may be made in full or in monthly installments for an additional $25 fee (per family, per semester; spring payment plan fee can be waived if already paid the fee in fall AND checked 'YES' to be automatically registered for full spring semester). Monthly invoices will be sent by e-mail.
Checks can be placed in the drop box located outside the Academy office or mailed to:
Accounts Receivable
University of Northwestern
3003 Snelling Ave. N.
St. Paul, MN 55113-1598
Late Payments
Late payments will be accessed an interest charge. In the event that it is necessary to place an account with a commercial collection agency, the student/parent will be responsible for all collection costs, along with attorney fees and court costs incurred by the college.
Families with an overdue balance may not register for additional activities until the overdue balance has been paid.
Registration Fee
There is a nonrefundable $20 registration fee per family per semester. The spring registration fee can be waived if checking 'YES' to be automatically registered for a full spring semester during the full fall semester registration transaction.
Late Registration Fee
There will be a $20 late registration fee applied if a student begins lessons before registering.
Refunds
Refunds will be given on a prorated basis if a student withdraws from lessons prior to the sixth week of the semester. No refunds will be given if notice of withdrawal or cancellation is given after the sixth week of the semester. If the need to pivot to virtual lessons arises, no refunds are available after the sixth lesson. Outstanding balances must be paid in full upon cancellation.
Family Discount
Families registering three or more students or registering for lessons on three or more instruments/ensembles during the same transaction will receive a 10 percent discount off the family's total tuition per semester. The discount does not apply towards the registration fee or the monthly installment plan fee.
COVID-19 Preparedness Plan for University of Northwestern Academy of Music
As we begin our Fall 2021 semester, the health of our academy students, families, and instructors remains important, while also maintaining excellence in teaching and learning within the Academy of Music. While our intention and strong desire was to start the semester without additional mitigation measures in place, the campus COVID resurgence status was upgraded from green to yellow. The number of internal cases has increased recently, mirroring the trend we have seen off-campus as well. According to the CDC, our surrounding communities are currently in an area of high transmission.
Yellow status is intended to be short-term; just for the next month. We will continue to monitor numbers daily and consider future changes as appropriate. Our goal is to remain on campus in a face-to-face learning environment and to help prevent further spread of the virus.
Use of Face Coverings on Campus when Indoors
- Face coverings are required in all academic settings when six-feet distancing cannot be maintained. Face coverings are also required if you ride on Northwestern-provided transportation vehicles.
- Face coverings are encouraged indoors at all other times when six-feet distancing cannot be maintained. This includes instructor, staff, or student meetings, common areas, music, and theatre events.
Physical Distancing on Campus
Physical distancing is not required; however, the MDH and CDC recommend that individuals who are not vaccinated physically distance when possible. All areas on campus are set to standard distancing; however, private lessons will be held in rooms that allow 6 feet of distance between the instructor and student, when possible. Similarly, group classes and ensembles will be held in larger rooms, and students will be physically distanced as much as possible. If there is a concern with spacing in a lesson or group class/ensemble, please communicate the concern to the instructor first. If concerns cannot be resolved directly with the instructor, contact the Academy of Music office.
COVID-19 Vaccine
COVID-19 vaccines are not required for Northwestern employees, students, or guests; however, the MDH and CDC recommend vaccines for eligible individuals over the age of 12. Because vaccination is a personal and private health care decision, we encourage you to consult with your health care provider.
Notification of exposure/positive cases
If a family/household member tests positive, and you have been taking in-person lessons, we ask that you would alert us ASAP so we can notify your teacher and any others who may have been exposed. Families will not be notified of cases that are being tested unless there is an identified risk of exposure and at that time would need to be monitoring for any symptoms. We will email and call the current contact information on file with us, so please make sure to keep that updated for quickest communication.
Pivoting to Virtual Instruction
If for any reason the student or teacher doesn’t feel comfortable teaching/learning face-to-face owing to the small size of the teaching space or the potential for infection, the lessons can pivot to an online learning environment instead. If the teacher or student doesn’t feel well, has family members who are waiting on a COVID test, or feel they should quarantine for any reason, the lesson can pivot virtually until both teacher and student are comfortable resuming in-person lessons. If UNW or the state mandates that in-person lessons are no longer available, we will pivot to online instruction. You will receive an email from the Academy of Music office with details, and your private instructor will contact you to discuss the best way to move forward with virtual lessons. Changing lessons from in-person to virtual is not a refundable event. We pledge to do our best to provide you with the best instruction possible using every means available to us including virtual learning when needed. We are unable to refund lessons if the need to pivot to virtual is necessary.
COVID-19 Sickness/Excused Absence
If a teacher is sick and unable to teach even virtually, they will contact their student at least 2 hours before the scheduled lesson. Every effort will be made to reschedule those lessons to a later date. If make-up lessons are not able to be scheduled, the student will be credited for lessons that were not taught. If a student is ill, a call must be made to the teacher's phone at least two hours prior to the lesson to be considered excused. Excused absences allow the scheduling of one make-up lesson per semester.
University of Northwestern Academy of Music Mission Statement
The Academy of Music seeks to provide quality musical instruction and performance opportunities for community members of all ages and backgrounds to develop their God-given gifts.
Goal 1: Provide musical instruction and performance opportunities
- Offer private and group lessons for all ability levels.
- Offer varied levels of teacher experience and education, as well as varied costs.
- Offer a variety of ensembles to supplement the lesson experience.
- Offer performance opportunities each semester.
- Offer summer opportunities for lessons, ensembles and camps.
Goal 2: Provide supervised teaching experiences for current UNW students
- Provide valuable experience to UNW music students through teaching private lessons or assisting ensemble directors.
- Provide mentoring and professional development to student instructors.
- Provide competitive wages.
Goal 3: Recruit students to UNW
- Share prospective student information with UNW Admissions for follow-up.
- Include Academy families in Music Department and University publicity mailings.
- Develop interaction between music faculty and Academy students and families.
- Strengthen the ability of the AOM to attract and retain gifted potential music majors.
Goal 4: Maintain wise stewardship of resources
- Maintain up-to-date financial records in collaboration with the UNW Accounting Office.
- Explore grant opportunities with UNW Grants Office.
- Maintain affordable pricing structures to enable lower-income community members to participate.
- Maintain a self-sustaining budget that will adequately cover AOM expenses
- Establish funding for potential new programs.
- Use allocated space on campus and satellites wisely.
Goal 5: Communicate program to community and current customers
- Publicize program to area schools, home-school groups and churches.
- Maintain a professional, informative, and up-to-date website.
- Provide e-newsletters on a regular basis.
- Provide excellent customer service.
- Market program offerings through community advertising.
Goal 6: Provide Community Outreach
- Offer satellite locations in various area churches.
- Offer children’s concerts and other community events.
- Foster partnerships with local schools.
- Foster partnerships with local churches.