Ballance Talent Education

Gig Harbor, Washington

Policy and Tuition

 

Tuition

We have a twelve-month tuition system for this coming school year. You will pay the same amount each month from September 2020 through July 2021. In August you will pay a $100 deposit to reserve your lesson time for the school year. The deposit is deducted evenly from your monthly tuition during the following 11 months (September-July). In exchange we will schedule thirty-five violin/cello lessons according to our calendar between September 5, 2020, and June 15, 2021, and then we will schedule five summer lessons for you at mutually agreed upon times between June 15, 2021 and August 31, 2021. The tuition amounts include the group class fees. If you start lessons for the first time with us after the week of September, 2020, your tuition will be prorated.

Payment Procedure

In an effort to streamline our accounting and make it easier than ever for you to pay on time, we have two payment options for you to choose from.
1) You may have your bank send your monthly payment to our home address, due by the 7th of each month, September through July.
2) You may give us a letter-sized envelope with your name on it in August containing eleven post-dated and signed checks for the amount of your tuition, each one dated between the 1st and 7th of the month for which it is written.

Violin/Cello Lesson Tuition

Violin/Cello lesson tuition covers 35 school year lessons, 5 summer lessons, and 35 group classes.

Beginners through end of Book 1:

30 minute lessons

End of Book 1 through Book 2:

45 minute lessons

Book 3 and beyond:

60 minute lessons

75 minute lessons

90 minute lessons

$204 per month for lessons and group classes

$274 per month for lessons and group classes

$344 per month for lessons and group classes

per month for lessons and group classes

per month for lessons and group classes

Lessons: $60/hour + Group: $20/week for 35 weeks + Building rental of $25/hour of lesson time per month + $10 per hour for travel costs
(Group is not optional unless you are a Skype or adult student.)

There may be additional fees for recitals to pay for accompanists and venues.


You will also be responsible for paying rental or purchase fees for instruments and for buying materials (books, recordings, metronomes, music stands, strings, etc.) which you need, as well as any instrument maintenance not covered by your rental agreement.

You may also have the opportunity to attend master classes, workshops, or institutes, which would have associated costs.

Additional Summer Lessons

You may schedule and pay for additional summer lessons at the following rates: $35 for a 30-minute lesson, $55 for a 45-minute lesson, and $70 for a 60-minute lesson. If you are planning to be out of town and cannot take six weeks of lessons in the summer, you may take longer lessons or multiple lessons during the weeks when you are in town, or you may forfeit those lessons. You may also be able to schedule video conferencing lessons over the internet at your teachers’ discretion.

Payment Structure

If you are starting lessons with us for the first time, you will pay a $10 start fee in addition to your tuition for that month. Your monthly payment will be due by the 7th of each month of September 2020 through July 2021. You are welcome to pay in advance. If you pay after the 7th of the month, you will need to add a $10 late fee. If your check is returned for insufficient funds or any other reasons, you will incur a $20 returned check fee. We can accept payment in cash, check, or bank check. You may pay in person or send your payment in the mail to:
Ruth Marie or Jared Ballance
804 Dayton Ave NE

Renton, WA 98056

 

Reserving Your Lesson Time for the School Year

You will be asked to let your teacher know your availability for your school-year lesson time via email by July 1, 2020. Please do your best to answer the questions in the email as completely as possible, taking into account sports or other extra-curricular activities you plan to participate in during the year. We will announce our lesson schedule with your specific lesson times on it by July 24th. In order to reserve your time, you’ll need to send us a deposit of $100 by August 1, 2020. That deposit willbe evenly deducted from your monthly tuition for the following 11 months. If we do not receive your deposit, we will assume you are not planning on taking lessons and will release your assigned lesson time to a new student.

Absences

Your tuition pays for your specific lesson time with your teacher and reserves that time in our schedule. Please do your best to let your teacher know at least 24 hours in advance if you will miss your lesson. We regret that we will not be able to offer make-up lessons for student absences. If you would like to trade lessons with another student, you will be given the lesson schedule with phone numbers to try to arrange your own switch.

If your teacher needs to miss your lesson for any reason, we will do our best to let you know 24 hours in advance, and we will give you a make-up time; if a make-up is impossible, we will refund your tuition for that lesson.

Discontinuing Lessons

If you need to discontinue lessons for any reason, please let your teacher know at least one month in advance of your final lesson. You are financially responsible for the balance remaining for the four lessons which come after the notification of the teacher. Because tuition is amortized over 11 months, you may need to pay a larger fee your final month.

Group Classes

Group classes are an important part of Talent Education; weekly attendance at group class is one of the best things you can do for your child’s motivation and musical development! Group classes meet on Tuesdays, and will be divided by levels and ages as needed.

Lesson Location

Angus Dei Luthern Church
10511 Peacock Hill Ave NW
Gig Harbor, WA 98332

Parents’ Importance

You are vital to your child’s music education! You should plan to attend every lesson with your child. You will be responsible for monitoring and assisting in your child’s daily practice routine and their daily listening to reference recordings. You will have the opportunity to closely watch your child’s progress and to help him or her in lessons by providing a supportive smile, taking notes, and physically assisting with certain exercises as needed. Teenagers still need your support, but you will not need to sit in their lessons. Parents of every student should read Dr. Suzuki’s book Nurtured by Love. Parents of young beginners will take lessons with their child at first, learning some of the basics of the instrument ahead of their child so that they will be comfortable guiding at home.

Instruments

It is very important that your child have an instrument that fits well and is up to the task of being played beautifully, and we want to help you get the best instrument for your needs. Please do not rent, purchase, or borrow instruments or bows without consulting your teacher first.

Performances

We will schedule solo recitals and group concerts for your students, and will advise you of the dates and locations as soon as those are finalized.

Contacting Your Teacher

Please contact your teacher by email or by phone. If you must call, do not call before 8 am or after 9 pm. If you need to contact your teacher during the night or early morning, please send an email.

 

 

Please email us at jballance AT gmail DOT com.

Ballance Talent Education