Fees & Policies
Out of this World Music School is committed to providing an excellent musical education experience for our students as well as providing an excellent work experience for our staff. Our music teachers are professionals who earn their living and support their families by teaching music lessons. For our music school to run smoothly, we must have policies in place that will respect their time, as well as yours. With this in mind, please review our policy and agree to its terms before proceeding to enrollment. These policies are fair, reasonable, and widely used at most music schools around the country. Please note that tuition is not refundable.
Office Hours
Music lessons are offered by appointment Monday-Friday 2:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. and Saturdays 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. For music lesson cancellations, please use the Student Portal, email info@outofthisworldmusicschool.com or call the school at (512) 638-0468. Voicemail messages may be left at any time. There is no need to wait until the school opens to leave a cancellation message.
Tuition
Tuition is non-refundable.
Tuition for private music lessons is as follows:
$144 per month for 30-minute private lessons, taken once a week. (Most students take 30-minute lessons.)
$216 per month for 45-minute private lessons, taken once a week.
$288 per month for 60-minute private lessons, taken once a week.
$288 per month for two family members, each taking weekly 30-minute private lessons.
Tuition is automatically drafted on the first of each month. All active students must have a valid payment method on file. We accept payment by Visa, Mastercard, Discover, American Express, and checking accounts.
Tuition is based on an average of 4 lessons per month. Students who enroll mid-month will have their first month's tuition prorated. After the first month, no tuition adjustments, prorations, or make-up credits will be issued for lessons that fall on a scheduled school closure. Holiday closures are already factored into our monthly tuition. Occasionally, students will receive 3 lessons in a month due to the presence of a holiday closure; however, all students receive extra lessons throughout the year because some months will have 5 lessons. Months with 5 lessons balance out months where a holiday causes a student to receive 3 lessons. We are open year-round and students are welcome to enroll at any time.
Transactions that are declined because of insufficient funds, past expiration dates, or closed bank accounts incur a $15 fee in addition to the month’s tuition charges. To avoid unnecessary fees, please remember to let us know if you close your account, change banks, or want to use a different account/credit card, or need to update the expiration date on an existing credit card.
Cancellation Policy
Attendance is crucial to student success. Students should make every effort to attend their scheduled lessons and avoid scheduling other activities during their lesson time. In most cases, we can convert to a virtual lesson with short notice due to illness, weather, transportation, etc. Students should never cancel because they have yet to practice. Tuition reserves a specific time each week with an instructor in a specific room. This means that your instructor and the teaching room are not available for use during your time and your instructor has prepared a specific lesson just for you in advance. With this in mind, instructors are guaranteed payment for every scheduled lesson. There are no refunds or tuition credits for missed lessons.
If you must cancel a lesson, a minimum of 24 hours’ notice is needed if you would like to receive a make-up credit. Lessons cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice are forfeited. Make-up credits may not be used to lessen tuition costs/ for recurring lessons and are a courtesy for enrolled students only. Make-up credits are non-transferable and expire 60 days after their issue date. For best results, please limit cancellations to no more than once per quarter.
For your convenience, you may schedule make-ups through the Student Portal. Make-up lesson openings are generated by student cancellations and appear on the calendar as they become available. Access the student portal here - Student Portal
You may also call, email, or visit the desk for current availability.
Late Arrival
Please note that students arriving late will not have their lesson time extended. Our teachers typically have students scheduled consecutively throughout the day, and they will not impose upon another student’s lesson time. If you arrive late and your teacher is not in the waiting area, please go directly to your teacher’s room and let them know that you've arrived. If you’re running more than 5-10 minutes late, it may be a good idea to call ahead and let us know that you’re on your way, but running late.
Virtual Lessons
Lessons may be moved online without penalty. In the case of inclement weather, road closure, a student or teacher emergency requiring unexpected travel, a student or teacher illness, or car trouble, lessons will be moved online.
Withdrawal from Lessons
Enrollment will automatically renew on the 16th for the following month unless a withdrawal form has been submitted. To withdraw from lessons, you must submit a withdrawal form by the 15th to meet the deadline for the next billing cycle. If the withdrawal form is submitted after the 15th, the student is financially obligated to the next month, regardless of attendance. Informing your instructor about your intent to withdraw is appreciated as a courtesy; however, it does not constitute a withdrawal or remove the student from lessons/billing. If students decide not to attend the remaining lessons after submitting their withdrawal form, the lessons will be forfeited. There will be no refunds or transfer of credit to another student. For your convenience, the withdrawal form can be accessed online here - Withdrawal Form
Please note that the form may be submitted at any time, including outside of office hours. The forms are time-stamped and will be processed accordingly. Please do not wait for office hours to submit.
Changing Teachers or Instruments
Should the student wish to try a new instrument/subject, please check with your instructor, as many of our staff teach several instruments/subjects. If the student chooses to change instructors, we ask that a two-week courtesy notice be given to your current instructor.
Instructor Absence
If your instructor requests off, calls in sick, etc., as much notice as possible will be provided to students during these circumstances. Instructors will likely add one or more special make-up days to accommodate for those extra make-up lessons. Lessons may be substituted with one of our available staff members in the event of your instructor's absence. We’ve found that many students actually enjoy an occasional lesson with another teacher.
Holidays
The calendar is arranged so that students receive an average of 4 lessons per month. Occasionally, a student will have a month with either 3 or 5 lessons; tuition will remain the same each month. OOTWMS does not follow a particular ISD schedule and does not close for every holiday. Typical holiday closures include the week of Spring Break, the week of July 4th, Halloween, the week of Thanksgiving, and the week of Christmas and New Year. There are no tuition adjustments or make-up lessons given for lessons that fall on the above holidays because all students receive additional lessons at no extra cost in months where an extra (5th) week occurs. Our Calendar is always available on our Student Resources page and in our lobby. When in doubt, please call or text the school office to confirm so you do not forfeit a lesson.
Student Showcases
Annual Student Showcase Schedule:
Spring Cosmic Concert: In-Person; March
Summer Satellite Showcase: Virtual; June
Fall Cosmic Concert: In-Person; September
Winter Satellite Showcase: Virtual; December
Participation is encouraged but not required. Details regarding eligibility, rules, and deadlines are sent via email in the quarterly newsletter. The newsletter can also be found in our lobby and on our website.
In-person Cosmic Concerts are held on Sundays at Hanover's in Pflugerville where students have the opportunity to perform on a real stage at a local venue.
Virtual Satellite Showcases are streamed live on our YouTube page. Students prepare a video performance or music video and submit it in advance. OOTWMS will occasionally use photos or videos taken during showcases and events for promotional material. If you prefer that images of yourself/your child not be used please inform the administrator upon enrollment.
Summer Vacation and Leave of Absence
Sometimes a student will leave town for the summer or will miss lessons temporarily. As a courtesy to the instructor and just as importantly to stop the auto draft on a timely basis, we still require the same notice to discontinue lessons temporarily as we do if the student is withdrawing from lessons. If you take time off for summer vacation and want us to hold your reserved time slot, you will need to continue making monthly tuition payments. Makeup credits will be issued with the opportunity to attend these lessons before expiration per our policy and availability. Students may also withdraw and re-enroll after vacation; however, it is unlikely your previous time slot will still be available when you return. This means you may need to change your lesson day and time or in some cases change teachers. It is sometimes possible for a student to return to lessons in their previous time slot, but we cannot “hold” or guarantee the student’s time slot will be available when the student returns from vacation. That can only be guaranteed if tuition is paid during the student's absence.
Care of Minors
OOTWMS staff are not responsible for providing care or supervision before or after class. Parents/caretakers of students under 10 are asked to remain on campus during lessons. Students should be picked up within 10 minutes of the end of their lesson. Your child’s safety is important to us. Please make arrangements to pick up your child as soon as the lesson is over
Additionally, siblings of students are welcome to wait quietly in our lobby during their siblings’ lesson time, with adult supervision. Since quality lessons require attention and concentration, we ask that children who are not in lessons remain in the waiting room and do not play or run in the hallway. Magazines, books, and crayons are available, but noisy activities are discouraged, as they could be distracting to students in lessons.
Hold Harmless Clause
As the student or legal parent/guardian of the student, I indemnify and hold harmless Out of this World Music School, and its owners, managers, employees, and contractors from and against any and all liability, claims, demands, and causes of action whatsoever, arising out of or related to any loss, damage, or injury including hearing loss that may be sustained while on the premises or any premises under the control and supervision of any of the Out of this World Music School Parties.
Out of this World Music School reserves the right to change tuition rates and/or policies at any time.
Summary
Tuition is collected electronically on the 1st day of each month. Avoid declined transaction fees by letting us know if your banking or credit card information changes.
All communications regarding cancellations, scheduling, withdrawals, and payment issues must be done by emailing us at info@outofthisworldmusicschool.com or calling 512-638-0468, not your teacher. Teachers do NOT handle withdrawals, leaves of absence, or payment issues.
Students must provide 24 hours’ advance notice for missed lessons to receive a make-up lesson. Never cancel a lesson because you have not had time to practice. Make-up credits expire 60 days after their accrual.
Your tuition reserves a place for you with a particular teacher at a specific time. Students are charged for all lessons, including those missed through student absence/cancellation. There are no refunds or “credits” to subsequent months for missed or cancelled lessons unless caused by the teacher’s unavailability.
Teachers typically have lessons scheduled consecutively throughout the day. Late arrival will result in lost lesson time.
To discontinue lessons and cancel future tuition drafts, you must submit a withdrawal form no later than the 15th of the final month you wish to be billed for lessons. For your convenience, the withdrawal form may be submitted online here - Withdrawal Form
Please do not send your child into the studio if they are sick and may expose our staff and other students to illness. Please switch to a virtual lesson instead.