Registration & Policies

(Photos are from Kaleidoscope Orchestra.  See Classes & Ensembles.)

Registration

Registration may be completed in person at the Eastman Community Music School office, by fax, or by mail. Registration forms are available here on this page (download below), by mail, e-mail, or at the office. Information regarding faculty, content, and scheduling of courses was accurate at press time, several months prior to the beginning of the fall term; some changes may occur. Check this website for the latest updates.

Download Registration Form (requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

This is not the registration form for Early Childhood Classes.  Please call 274-1400 for that flyer or forward your request with your mailing address to community@esm.rochester.edu.

Priority registration/program cancellation/late registration for classes

Registration for courses is on a first-come, first-served basis. Priority is given to registrations received at least one month before the beginning of a term. The Community Music School reserves the right to cancel sections of classes with insufficient enrollment. In the event that a class is canceled, students will be given the opportunity to transfer into another section of the same class, into a different class, or to receive a full refund. Late registrations, when permitted by the instructor, will be billed for the full semester. All music theory classes for grades 7-adult are designed on a full-year curriculum. No new registrations are accepted after October 1.

Late registration for lessons

Priority is always given to students registering at least one month before the beginning of a semester. When studio space permits, students may begin lessons as late as halfway through a semester, and billing will be prorated.

 

Placement/reassignment of instructor

Requests for placement with a specific teacher will be honored whenever possible. If a change of instructor is recommended by the instructor, or desired by a student or parent, the issue should be discussed by instructor and student, and then referred to the associate dean for action.

Missed lessons and make-up policy

Students are charged for all lessons or classes for which they register, including those missed through student absence. As a courtesy, students are expected to notify their teachers directly of any impending absence from lessons. Some instructors offer make-up lessons under certain circumstances, but they are not obligated to do so. If a teacher is absent for a lesson, a make-up will be scheduled at a mutually convenient time, or a substitute instructor may teach the lesson. Missed music theory classes can be made up by attending alternate sections of the same class with permission of the instructor.

Withdrawal and refunds

Any request to withdraw from classes or lessons must be made in writing to the Eastman Community Music School office. Verbal requests will not be honored.

• Because of the popularity of the Early Childhood classes and the competition for placement, full refunds will be made only if notification of withdrawal is received at least 1 week prior to the start of the session. Notification must be made in writing, preferably by email to community@esm.rochester.edu.  After that time, no refund will be made.
• Elementary and older students who state their intention to withdraw from classes or lessons before the beginning of the term will receive 100% credit.

• Students who withdraw from other classes or ensembles during the first three weeks of a semester will receive 100% credit or refund for tuition. Those who withdraw from a class or ensemble during the fourth to sixth week of classes will receive 50% credit or refund. Students receive 0% refund if they drop after the sixth week of classes.
• For students withdrawing from private lessons, 50% refund or tuition credit will be granted when notification is received before the end of the sixth week of lessons.

 

In extreme cases involving serious illness, death, or relocation, arrangements for credit or refund can be made at the discretion of the associate dean.

Transcripts

The University of Rochester maintains official transcripts of all our students. At your request, they will be forwarded to the colleges of your choice.

Assessment

Studio teachers, in consultation with each student, prepare a Student Progress Report each semester. Students also receive letter grades. Assessment forms are given to the students in their lessons; letter grades are mailed home in the form of a report card. Classroom teachers also give semester grades, which are included in the report cards. In addition, every student taking lessons in the Community Music School is encouraged to play an annual examination or jury for faculty members other than the student’s own teacher. A written report will follow. Students also are asked to write an annual evaluation of their teachers. Each spring, appropriate forms for this purpose are available to every Community Music School student.

Individual instruction

Each new student requesting lessons will be assigned to an intern or instructor. Requests for a particular teacher will be honored when possible. Once the assignment has been made, the teacher will contact the student directly. The student and teacher will set up a mutually agreed upon lesson time and day at which time the lesson can start. When Community Music School studio enrollments are at capacity, student names may be placed on a waiting list.

Instruments

Students must provide their own instrument and/or have access to a practice instrument. Piano teachers strongly recommend that piano students have an acoustic piano for practice, although better-quality electronic pianos may suffice at the early level. Your instructor can help you with instrument selection.

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ID cards

The Eastman Community Music School issues identification cards to our students. These must be presented for access to the Eastman School buildings and to the Sibley Music Library. They also entitle the bearer to free admission to many Eastman School of Music concerts that are not free to the general public.

Parking

The Community Music School identification card entitles the bearer to a discount at the East End parking garage, adjacent to the School. Metered curbside parking also is available in the vicinity, and is free after 6 p.m. on weekdays and on weekends.

School music program participation policy

1) All students in Community Music School ensembles must remain in good standing in their school music programs concurrent to their participation in our ensembles. Being in good standing in their music programs means that they participate successfully in some aspect of their school program (provided there is a music program) while a student in an Eastman ensemble.

2) All school performances take precedent over Community Music School ensembles. We will work around the student’s school schedule and, when necessary, will rehearse and perform without members of our ensembles. One of the primary goals of Eastman Community Music School ensembles is to prepare students to achieve greater levels of musicianship. We expect that the skills and attitudes learned at Eastman will be shared with the students’ school music programs.

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Weather emergencies

The Eastman Community Music School will not automatically close if area schools are closed. Call our office, or listen for announcements on WXXI-FM 91.5 and other local radio stations to ascertain Community Music School closing. If we close, lessons will be made up. Classes or ensembles canceled due to weather emergencies generally will not be made up.