Hello Everybody!

Please read this important update, as it contains a lot of very important information about everything at ABC from now looking ahead through next school year.

 

DID YOU KNOW?  In-Person is Hybrid!

Since October 2021 we have been running fully hybrid.  Your lessons are automatically set up to be online if you can’t make it.  This means that if a student does not show up for a lesson we check their online studio to make sure they are not also there.

If you can’t make it in-person, you can always fall back to digital.  We prefer if you call us and ask for a Home-on-Demand Lesson so we can let your teacher know and not have them going back and forth between the lobby to check on you.

DID YOU KNOW?  We’re back in Person!

We have also been back in person for fully vaccinated students since October.  If you haven’t come in, you can!  Just follow the health procedures listed below and on our website and you can start to come to lessons and classes in person.  Your teachers are looking forward to seeing you!

Health Procedures Through June 2022

Please note the different procedures for Lessons and Classes below.

LESSONS

  • Masking becomes optional on May 1st, 2021.  If a student or teacher requests that this remain in place during your lesson we ask that we all mutually respect this, as may people interact with vulnerable people, or are vulnerable themselves.
  • Vaccination Proof and use of the CovidAlert App remains in place at least through our next update in June 2022.
  • Lawrence Park lessons are still all online through June 2022.

MUSIC TOGETHER

  • Masking becomes optional on May 1st, 2021.  If a student or teacher requests that this remain in place during your lesson we ask that we all mutually respect this, as may people interact with vulnerable people, or are vulnerable themselves.
  • Vaccination Proof and use of the CovidAlert App remains in place at least through our next update in June 2022.
  • Both parents and family members now welcome to join the class as long as the above procedures are met for new family members.
  • Demo classes will not be offered in person (still digitally delivered) to keep our classes cohorted

Online Improvements

Online lessons and classes have come a long way in a short time, and many families are electing to stay fully digital on a go-forward basis.

We have felt that digital lessons have been about 90% of the in-person experience, and we have been consistently looking for a way to close the gap.  If we are able, we may test some new software with some teachers this summer as an add-on to Zoom which will effectively eliminate the delay in sound between teacher and student.

This is a big deal, as it means that student and teacher could effectively play together in real time. If this works it will be a real game-changer for taking lessons online.  Stay tuned.

Looking ahead, you can decide and choose to have your lessons online exclusively, just let us know when we do registration shortly.

Summer & Lesson Reports/Recommendations, Recital, Re-Registration

We are now in the home stretch for our school year.  This means we will send our student progress reports shortly, which will give you information about our recital on Sunday, May 1st (this is a change from your calendars!!), and our registration for Summer and Fall.

Your lesson reports may include a recommendation to increase your lesson length for the Summer & Fall. We make these recommendations at appropriate developmental moments when your students are ready to embrace new challenges.

The recital will be fully digital again this year for maximum safety.  Information will follow in a separate email, so be sure you are watching for that.

Summer lessons will fall on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Music Together class schedules will be available later in the spring.

ONLINE VS. HYBRID

When we do re-registration this year we will be asking you about whether you would like to do your lessons In-Person/Hybrid (the new normal), Purely Online, and whether or not you would be open to purely online.  A lot has changed in the last two years and we are trying to determine whether you feel that digital serves your needs better on an ongoing basis.  We look forward to your thoughts, and will continue to do our best to meet your needs.

Schedule changes – More Lessons Next Year

We are restructuring how we do our Master Schedule next year, which will focus our Make-ups onto Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays in December and June.  This will effectively add 2 more full teaching weeks to the schedule for students and teachers.  March Break will be the same as before, with lessons being scheduled on regular days and times.

As a result, your monthly tuition will be based on the new average of total lessons over the school year.  This will make it look higher.

Click here for the 2022-23 Lesson Schedule for home printing.

Tuition Rate Increases

LESSONS

In addition to the increased number of weeks, we are also raising our tuition for Lessons and Rock Band by 5%, effective on your next registration (for Summer or Fall).

As always we are sensitive to your individual needs as a family.  If you need any ongoing, one-time, or special consideration, please let us know when we speak to you about re-registration.  We continue to be committed to supporting your interest in music and understand that we serve many different kinds of families and students.

MUSIC TOGETHER

Changes to Music Together tuition may be announced later in the spring.