Frequently Asked Questions

What ages do you work with?

We start private lessons at age 5 or 6 (depending on the instrument) and go all the way through adults.

What instruments do you offer?

We offer most band and orchestral instruments, as well as piano, guitar, ukulele and voice.

Do you offer a trial lesson?

Yes. We offer 1 free 30-minute trial lesson. We require a credit card to hold the trial (we only charge if you do not show up for the trial). If you would like to schedule a trial on more than 1 instrument, the first trial is free and each additional trial is $45.

Do you have multiple locations and do you travel to homes for lessons?

Our primary location is in Worcester. We have a second location in Holden (available by appointment only). We do not travel to homes for lessons. All lessons take place at the school or online.

Do you have parking?

Yes. In Worcester we have a parking lot behind our building on Clinton St (off of Pleasant St). There is also metered street parking out front. In Holden there is a parking lot for the building.

Do you offer any discounts?

Yes. We offer a family discount. The first family member pays full tuition and each additional immediate family member receives a 5% discount.

Do you offer makeup lessons?

No (unless a teacher needs to cancel). If you cannot make your lesson, you can do an online lesson instead (ie. if you are sick and can’t come in-person), attend our weekly extra makeup music class on Fridays at 5:30pm (online or in-person), or submit a video to your teacher by 2pm on the day of your lesson so they can review and give you feedback.

Do you offer online lessons?

Yes. We offer both online and in-person lessons (depending on the teacher and instrument).

What if I’m sick or have COVID?

Please do not attend lessons if you have any illness symptoms or have COVID. You must be at least 72 hours symptom free (without medications) to return to in-person lessons. In the case of COVID, you cannot return to in-person lessons until you’ve completed our 5 day isolation period. We also ask that you stay home if any family members are sick or if you’ve had a direct COVID exposure. If you come to your lessons with any symptoms, you will be asked to go home. You may do an online lesson, attend our weekly makeup class (online if still sick), or submit a video to your teacher if you are sick and need to stay home.

What if there is bad weather?

If we decide to close the building due to bad weather, we will switch to online lessons for the day. If a teacher decides not to do online lessons, we will make up 1 cancelled weather-related lesson for the school year only. Please check our website and social media pages for updates on closures as we do not always follow the public school closures.

How do I pay for lessons?

Payments can be made by cash, check or credit card. Payments are due by the 1st of each month and any payment received after the 10th of the month will be charged a late fee.

What if I need to stop lessons?

If you need to stop lessons for any reason during the school year (September through mid-June), you must give us 30 days notice. You are responsible for the next 30 days payment (whether you take the lessons or not). If you need to stop temporarily but plan to resume late, we will do our best to save your time, but we cannot guarantee that it will be available when you return. If you want to guarantee that your spot will still be available, you must continue to make monthly payments to hold the spot.

Do I need an instrument?

Yes. You need to have your own instrument for your lessons and to use at home to practice between lessons. Pianists and drummers do not need to bring an instrument to their lesson (other than drumsticks for drummers) as you will be able to use ours during your lessons; however, everyone else will need to bring their own instrument to your lesson each week. If you do not have an instrument and would like to rent or purchase one from us, please let us know. You can request a rental contract by filling out this form. If you are unsure of what you need for your lessons, we are happy to give you advice and recommendations.

How does your summer program work?

We do operate differently in the summer. You choose how many weeks of lessons you want and we bill you and schedule those lessons accordingly. Payment in full is due before the start of lessons. Should you decide to stop lessons at any point during the summer, there are no refunds. Refunds will only be issued if you notify us before your 1st lesson that you would like to cancel your lessons (minus the non-refundable $50 annual registration fee).

How much should I/my child practice?

We encourage you to talk with your/your child’s teacher about practicing. They can give you advice on how much to practice, how often, what to work on, how to practice and ideas on how to get young children to practice. Practicing can be a challenge, especially for a young beginner, but the effort is worth it if you stick with it! In general though, consistency in practicing (meaning almost every day) will produce better results than practice once the day before your lesson.

How long will it take to learn my instrument?

By far the most difficult question we get! That depends on you – what your goals are, how often you practice, how fast you learn – these all affect how long it takes to learn your instrument. We encourage you to talk with your teacher at your first lesson about what your goals are so they can create a lesson plan to help you achieve your goals.

We look forward to
welcoming you to our family!