Impact Music Academy 

Impact Music Academy

Winter/Spring Private Lessons Contract

2025

Lessons

• Please plan to arrive 5 minutes early to drop off your student, let them find their assigned place in the classroom and get settled as we meet and greet everyone.

• Please pick-up your student at the scheduled end time. You are welcome to pick them up at their class, or we are happy to walk them out to the lobby and front doors for pickup.

• We will have lots of time for play and experimenting with musical instruments, but we encourage you to talk to your student about how there is a time for play, but there is also a time to pause to listen to the instructor. Remind them this is so we can all learn and have fun together without being a distraction to the other students.
  
  

Use of Bathrooms and Water Fountains 

• For this semester's lessons, we will be permitted to use the bathrooms and water fountains in the hallway beside the auditorium. Students must not go beyond that point so we can know where they are at all times.

• If students need to use the bathroom during lesson time, they are welcome to use it anytime. Please encourage your child to speak up and let us know when they need to go.

Use of Other Rooms

• During the semester the nursery and toddler rooms have been available for younger students to play while waiting during their sibling’s lesson.

• If you would like me to get permission for you so that you can take younger siblings into another room (especially for the preschool-2nd grade classes), please let me know so I can get that scheduled for you.

Registration and Payments 

• Private lessons for the winter/spring 2025 semester are $20 per half hour lesson.

• We offer discounts for families with multiple children taking lessons and are happy to discuss this with you! 

• We will be ordering materials a week before lessons begin (if necessary), so registering at least a week in advance so we know how many of each item to order is advised. However, we will not turn away students if they want to join at the last minute.

• Payments for lessons will be due the day of the scheduled lesson, however you are more than welcome to pay in advance.

• Our lessons have a fixed rate for materials and for our childcare needs, so please be sure to check the cost of each lesson before committing to the lesson. We have arranged for lesson prices to be as low as we can reasonably make it.

• Refunds will not be available.

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lesson Attendance

• Lessons will be held at the time and day of your choosing. With this said, you must acknowledge that this is a time set aside for you, therefore the student is expected to be present and on time.

• If students arrive early for their lesson, the lesson will still begin at the agreed upon time. 

• Students must sign-in upon arrival (see “Sign-in Information” for more information”).

• If a student is more than 15 minutes late to their lesson, the lesson will be canceled.

• If you have a scheduled lesson (example: 4:30pm-4:55pm) and the student is late, the lesson will still end promptly at the agreed upon time (example: 4:55pm). Due to the large amount of new students we obtain every school year, our schedule must be strictly organized to allow back-to-back lessons.

• Our lessons are available in 20, 25, 30, 45 and 55 minute timeframes. 55 minute lessons are only available to students who are taking lessons for two instruments.

• Depending on the length of the lesson, 5-10 minute breaks are set between each of our student lessons. This is so we can communicate with parents, take notes and transition to our next lesson smoothly. 

• Lessons cannot be rescheduled if a cancellation must be made because of our very full schedule at this time. Out of courtesy, please contact your instructor at least 24 hours in advance of your lesson time so we can adjust our schedules.

• If more than three cancellations must be made in the span of two months without letting us know in advance, the student will be dropped. We spend a great deal of time preparing for our lessons and managing our schedules to teach our students, so you are expected to be respectful of our schedule.

• If a student repeatedly misses lessons, even with adequate notice, the student will need to be removed from our roster so we can contact those who are on our waitlist.

• Please note that this contract applies to any other classes or group lessons. 

• Students must come with their music bag, binder (if applicable) and any materials assigned every week.

• Students may use their phones to record lessons, or use a recording device. This is an excellent option so they can listen to their progress, practice exercises along with the recording, and to learn their music.

• Students must come fully prepared with the week’s assignments for their lesson; however, if they have not practiced at home, they are still encouraged to come to their scheduled lesson.

  • Inadequate practice time will result in a strike on their warning chart. After four weeks of inadequate practice a semester, they will be removed from our roster.

• Practice time at home will need to become a part of your daily routine. At least 10-30 minutes a day is required. For younger students, you will need to remind them to spend a few minutes a week reviewing what they learned in their last week’s lesson. Young students cannot be expected to remember to practice on their own. We recommend placing a set time to practice during the day so it becomes a part of your child’s daily routine. Some options for practice time may be when they come home from school, while dinner is being made, etc.

• Lessons do not count toward practice time. Practice time must be done at home.

Incentives

• Stickers will be placed on each song your child has mastered in their books.  We’ve found that students enjoy seeing their progress this way and enjoy collecting more and more stickers in their books.

• For younger students we have come up with a reward system to help them complete their weekly assignments. We typically give them 2-3 reasonable assignments and write them down on a homework sheet for them to keep in their notebook, or via the website. If they complete each of those assignments before their next lesson, they will get a sticker that we will keep in a weekly chart in our lesson folder. If they earn 4 stickers for completing all of their weekly assignments for the month, they will get to choose a prize out of our “treasure box” at the end of the month. They can choose from prizes such as bubbles, jump ropes, games, crayons, coloring books, small watercolor set, etc.

The First Lesson

• At the student’s first lesson we will give you a contract and any other information needed. We will be happy to answer any questions you have. The contract must be signed and returned to your student’s teacher the following week. 

• We will spend some time getting to know the student, test their musical ability, ask them where they want to improve, make an accurate judgement on what level of books they need for their lessons, and set goals to accomplish during future lessons.

• During the first lesson we will get to know your child and get a better understanding of his or her musical ability. We want to get a solid grasp of where they are musically and how we can help them develop.

During the Lesson

• Students are expected to bring their lesson materials (ie. sheet music, flashcards, music books and/or lyric sheets) in a binder, folder, large pencil case to hold flashcards, pencil (and a water bottle for vocalists) to every lesson. A backpack or bag to carry their items in has been very helpful for our students as well.

• We recommend that you send your child with a recording device to each lesson, whether it is an actual voice recorder, or app on a cellphone, however it is not mandatory. This is especially helpful for voice students so they can hear their progress.

• We chose to fill out a score sheet after every lesson during the school year. Our students are graded on attendance, preparation, practice during the week, attentiveness during the lesson, and respect and attitude toward the teacher and the material given to them. They will be scored from poor to excellent. This sheet will also include the student’s practice requirements for the week, musical or behavioral struggles, improvements we made during the lesson, what the main focus of the lesson was, and any additional notes from the teacher. This is helpful so parents can have a record of how their children are behaving in their lessons, keep track of what they are doing, as well as keep track of weekly assignments. This sheet must be returned to the teacher the following week so we can keep track of the student’s progress. 

• Depending on the age of the student, your child will receive a student evaluation once or twice a year. This will include how much they have improved during their lessons, what we have accomplished, a word of encouragement to the parents, and what we can do to help them improve even further.

• Before and after your child’s lesson time, we are not responsible for your child. You are entirely responsible for your child when they are out of our classroom.

Recitals

• We typically hold end of semester recitals Bridge in the sanctuary. These recitals have been limited to friends and family in the past, but they will now be open to all members of the congregation who would like to attend. We have a tentative recital date in November, but we are unsure of what the future holds in regards to recitals at this time

• We will not ask our students to participate in these recitals if we believe they are not ready to perform in front of an audience.

• Additional performance opportunities may be available throughout the year.

Waiting on Student Lessons

• Please note that we are not responsible for your child if they are not in our classroom. 

• Bridge Christian Church (“Bridge”) has been kind enough to allow us to use the children’s wing for our music lessons and we are so grateful for their support of our studio. In return we want to be respectful and follow specific guidelines we have placed to help ensure that we utilize the building properly. 

• Students must enter and exit through the side parking lot entrance. Because of the cameras available to us throughout the lobby, that will be the safest option for your child.

• If you choose to wait inside the church building during your child’s lesson, there are several options available for you. You may wait in the main lobby, in the waiting area we have created that is near the classrooms, or you are more than welcome to wait in your car. Families with young children who will also be waiting during their siblings’ lesson time may be interested in playing in the nursery. 

• If you choose to drop off your child and pick them up later, please be sure to be on time to pick them up. If you will be late, please contact your child’s instructor. 

• If you are early for your child’s lessons, or you have younger kids that will be with you during your child’s lesson, you may wait and play in the nursery or toddler room. A parent or guardian must be in the room with them. If both rooms are being used for a church event, please wait at the table outside our classrooms. 

• Please communicate to your children that the items in the nursery need to be handled with care, which includes cleaning up after they are done playing. Picture diagrams are present on bins and cabinets so items can be put away appropriately. 

• Snacks in the nursery and toddler room cabinets are off limits.

• Dirty diapers must not be thrown away in the trash cans in the nursery. They must be taken out and thrown in the dumpster. 

Use of Bathrooms

• There is a bathroom available beside the nursery. Students and students’ siblings are not permitted to leave the children’s wing under any circumstances unless they are leaving with a parent or guardian. The bathroom in the hallway next to the sanctuary is off limits.

• If students need to use the bathroom during their lesson, they are welcome to use it anytime. Please encourage your child to speak up and let us know when they need to go.

Private lessons available:

• Voice 

• Piano

• Guitar 

• Bass

• Ukulele 

• Drums

• Songwriting

• Group lessons available:

• -Toddler music class (ages 2-3) - TBD

• -Music fundamentals (ages 4-6) - TBD

• -Songwriting - TBD, (Based on interest) 

• -Advanced Piano- Saturdays, TBD  (Invitation only. Audition required for new students). 

• -Theology of Worship - Saturdays, TBD (open to all students 12 years and older)

• -Advanced Voice - TBD (Invitation only. Audition required for new students) 

Teacher Cancellations

• We will let you know at the end of the month of lessons if we have any vacation days coming up for the following month. You will not be expected to pay for that week unless we find a substitute teacher to take over those lessons.

• If we have to cancel a lesson because of sickness or an emergency, you will not be expected to pay for that week. 

• Lessons will be canceled due to bad weather conditions if needed. If school has been canceled due to the weather, you can expect that their music lesson with us will be canceled as well.

Charissa’s contact information:

Cell phone number: 513-967-4205

Email address: charissawines@gmail.com

Tyler’s contact information:

Cell phone number: 614-519-9421

Email address: twines18@gmail.com

Church address: 1275 Goose Creek Rd. Fishersville, VA 22939

Website: impact.mymusicstaff.com