Signed in as:
filler@godaddy.com
Students and teachers
face different challenges and realities that may impact participation and availability. Our policies are designed to be inclusive, fair, and compassionate. We aim to keep programs accessible, ensure safety and confidentiality, and prioritize mental and physical wellness.
Please stay home, rest, and avoid making others ill.
At Grinnell School of Music, we’re a musical community and we believe in community care. If you have a potentially contagious virus or infection, please do not come to your lesson or class. If you are feeling "well enough" or think it's "just a cold" (for example, a mild stuffy nose, sore throat, cough, or other symptom that isn’t making you miserable, and you've taken a COVID-19 antigen test with a negative result), you may attend wearing a properly-fitting mask, or request an online lesson by emailing your teacher.
If your teacher or a Grinnell School of Music employee or representative notices that you have cold-like symptoms, they reserve the right to ask you to wear a mask (we have some on-hand for just this reason!) or to cancel your lesson.
Please see Public Health Precautions for more information.
There will be no regularly scheduled lessons or classes during the following breaks and holidays:
As of September 3, 2024, lessons and programs are held at 720 5th Avenue unless otherwise indicated. We reserve the right to designate which of our teaching spaces is used for your class or lesson.
The building has been designed to be ADA-compliant and all doors and passageways are barrier free. The button-activated automatic entry is located at the building's south entrance. Inside, there are two ADA-compliant restrooms.
In cases of inclement weather, Grinnell School of Music follows the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District and will close if schools close. There are no refunds or makeups for classes and lessons missed due to inclement weather.
Unless otherwise specified, regular lessons and classes are taught in-person. There may be instances (for example, weather, planned travel, illness, or public health precautions) which require a switch from an in-person to an online format, on a lesson-by-lesson or longer-term basis. On occasion, an in-person lesson may be replaced with an online lesson at the discretion of the teacher or the student, with as much notice given as possible.
If Grinnell School of Music replaces in-person programs with online lessons because of a public health crisis, all other policies will remain in effect.
Please see Public Health Precautions for more information.
Missing your class or lesson? Log in and cancel on fons and email your teacher: [firstname]@grinnellshcoolofmusic.org
For all other inquiries, email Erin - director@grinnellschoolofmusic.org
Please make every effort to arrive on time for your lesson or class. We have three waiting areas: the main reception area just outside of the Marion Austin Jones Classroom (accessible via the main entrance at the buildings north-west corner), a small waiting area outside of the teaching studios (accessible via the south entrance), and a patio waiting area along the west exterior wall.
For policies pertaining to workshops or programs that do not run through the full school year, please see General Policies and read all workshop descriptions carefully.
Lessons are considered a standing commitment, for both student and teacher. Your lesson time, once you have booked it, is yours. When enrolling in regular weekly lessons or small-group classes for the school year, students are automatically enrolled from the time of registration through the end of May. If you need to stop before then, you can do so at any time with 30 days’ notice. Please see the WITHDRAWAL section below for more details.
Tuition covers weekly lessons—except scheduled breaks and holidays—from the time you enroll through May 31. Tuition is based on the assumption of 32 regular lessons from September 3 to May 31. This allows for teachers or students to miss lessons when absence is unavoidable –for example due to illness or planned personal absence, in addition to scheduled breaks and closures.
For students who enroll mid-month, tuition for the first month only may be prorated.
For regular weekly 1:1 lessons, tuition is as follows.
30-minute weekly lessons - $130/month
45-minute weekly lessons - $160/month
60-minute weekly lessons - $195/month
Tuition for all other programs and classes is listed in the class description for those programs. Please email director@grinnellschoolofmusic.orgif you can’t find the tuition information you’re looking for
A once-annual books and music fee of $75/student enrolled in 1:1 lessons will be added to your September invoice, or your first monthly invoice upon enrollment.
This fee covers workbooks, repertoire books, printed sheet music, pedagogical resources, reproducible copyrighted materials, MP3 tracks for at-home practice, recital participation (including accompaniment fees), and more – everything you will need for one year of lessons. We can access bulk-order discounts and subscription services that save our students' money as well as the hassle of having to order your own resources.
Our tuition is based on the assumption that both teachers and students may need to miss lessons for illness or planned personal days; therefore no makeup lessons are offered.
If extenuating circumstances require a student or teacher to miss an extraordinary number of lessons, makeups may be offered and/or tuition will be reduced or pro-rated. This decision lies at the sole discretion of the Executive Director.
Please review our Illness Policy and do not come to the School of Music if you are ill. Voice students affected by seasonal allergies, vocal fatigue, or other non-contagious voice issues should still come to lessons! You can still benefit from a “NON-SINGING SINGING LESSON” which may include gentle vocal health exercises, repertoire study, active listening, music theory, or more.
Associate Teachers will do their best to avoid canceling your lessons... but please remember that they have numerous other commitments and their own families, too. Instead of cancelling outright, your teacher may also find a substitute teacher who is available at your regularly scheduled time or provide an asynchronous makeup lesson.
Please notify your teacher of unavoidable absences as soon as possible; ideally at least 24 hours in advance. Lessons can be cancelled on the online platform, fons. If you are ill and need to cancel less than 24 hours before your scheduled lesson, please email your teacher ([firstname]@grinnellschoolofmusic.org), and call and leave a message at the School of Music: 641.888.0342.
Repeatedly missing lessons, or failing to notify your teacher and/or Grinnell School of Music of missed lessons, may result in forfeiting our lesson time and/or ineligibility for financial aid.
To cancel or withdrawal from your regular lessons, 30 days advance notice is required. This allows us to fill your spot. Once notice is given, your remaining tuition is prorated accordingly. For example, if your invoice is paid on the 1st of every month and you cancel on October 15, you’ll receive four more weeks of lessons and your November invoice will be prorated accordingly.
Students enrolled in a group class (such as Mini Keys and Jam Band 101) are encouraged to consider their bandmates and any upcoming performance dates when stopping midyear. Bands work hard in preparation and it’s difficult for the whole group when a member is not able to play.
The doors to all teaching studios remain unlocked at all times and are equipped with windows. Depending on the age and needs of young students, parents may drop off and pick up students, wait in the designated waiting areas, or stay to observe lessons. Please discuss with your student and their teacher(s) any concerns you have about your students’ learning style, and whether you plan to sit in on lessons, either regularly or occasionally.
Your teacher will discuss at-home practice expectations and goals during lessons. While 15 minutes may be enough for beginning or younger students, older and more advanced students might be expected to practice 30-60 minutes a day. Parent guidance during practice is essential for young students.
After each lesson, your teacher will enter notes into the "Conversations" section on fons. You can also use this feature to log practice time, record observations, or make note of any questions that arise between lessons.
The heath and safety of students, families, and teachers is our top priority. The Grinnell School of Music will observe all federal and/or state-recommended public health guidances, including cessation of in-person activities.
Grinnell School of Music reserves the right to implement a mask mandate at any point.
Our new facility at 720 5th Avenue has brand-new HVAC with Energy Recovery Ventilation system. Ductwork to each of our our small teaching studios runs to a main line, minimizing air exchange between the rooms. Whenever possible spaces are equipped with portable true HEPA air filters appropriate to the size of the room.
We encourage all students who are eligible to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19, influenza, and other common illnesses. Please consider notifying your teacher if there are extenuating circumstances that prevent you from being vaccinated. Your teacher may request that you wear a mask or take other precautions.
Copyright © 2024 Grinnell School of Music - All Rights Reserved.