FAQS
Parking
Village Youth Conservatory is located in a building with ample parking spots in its lot. Feel free to park anywhere during the duration of your lesson that does not have a marker for the Newton-Watertown Creative Start daycare.
Trial Lessons
Trial lessons are for 30 minutes, and are free of charge, limit one per customer. Trial lessons are treated exactly like a regular lesson, with the same focus on practice, strategy and commitment, simply without the expectation of continued lessons.
Payment Methods
Most VYCo lessons are charged at a prorated $104/hour ($52/30 minutes, $78/45 minutes, or $104/hour). Select teachers may have a higher rate. Please check with the VYCo Director via the Contact page for tuition rates of Group Classes, as they will vary by class.
Payments are accepted for lessons in the forms of check, Venmo (@VillageYouthConservatory) or PayPal (@VillageYouthCo) - in order of preference. For safety reasons, we do not accept cash. Please make checks out to “Village Youth Conservatory”. Payments can be made at each lesson, or as a lump sum at the start of each month.
Cancellation Policy
If you are unable to make a lesson, please notify VYCo via email (listed below) more than 48 hours before the scheduled time. Notice more than 48 hours in advance will not be charged. Notifications under 48 hours and no-show/forgotten lessons will be charged the regular lesson fee, for the waited time. Lessons that are requested to be rescheduled on the day-of a lesson will be treated as a cancellation and a new lesson charge (so charged twice - once for cancellation, and once for the new schedule), due to the short notice and inability to offer that day-of time to another student who could have used the slot. This is in order to compensate our teachers for their time that could then not be reused for other lessons or opportunities. Exceptions are only made in cases of student illness. In case of inclement weather, lessons will be switched to online – links will be sent out ahead of the lesson time.
For Instructors’ absences, VYCo teachers will notify student families of any known upcoming absences at least two weeks in advance. In case of teacher illness, families will be notified via all available contact information as soon as information is shared. Absences missed by the instructor will be made up at a time decided by the student and instructor.
Watching Lessons
Parents/guardians are welcome to sit and watch lessons, and may record for practice purposes. Please do not post lessons online. Performance snippets are permitted. Siblings/friends are welcome to watch as well if they’d like, or meanwhile partake in a quiet activity.
Performances
Since in the Fall 2020, VYCo has held free monthly Studio Classes – casual opportunities for students to perform in-progress pieces with or without accompaniment for their classmates and peers. These are particularly useful for preparations before recitals, auditions, competitions, etc. These classes are usually announced 3-4 weeks in advance via email and are typically held the first Saturday of the month at 1PM. Sign-up for these classes are on a first-come-first-serve basis.
VYCo holds two annual Recitals (one in winter, one in summer) free of charge to students to allow for accessible performance opportunities for all. Piano accompaniments, if needed, will be provided for the performance and the hour before the recital begins, to run through the piece. Students needing additional rehearsal time should contact the VYCo Director for the pianist contact information to set up a separate rehearsal time, gather fee info, etc at the pianist’s availability, or provide their own accompanist.
Media Use
Photos and performance clips taken at Recitals, Studio Classes and other VYCo events may be posted to Social Media to promote our school. If you would prefer to maintain your student’s privacy and not have their image shared on promotional media, please don’t hesitate to let VYCo know and we’d be happy to accommodate.
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Any additional questions and comments are always welcome! Please contact us here for a prompt response.
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