Policies

Registration/Enrollment

All registration forms must be accompanied with full payment, and a student is not enrolled until the process is completed.

Classes for which enrollment is limited will be filled in the order registrations are received.

The UDCMS reserves the right to modify or cancel any class, lesson, or course due to insufficient enrollment or extenuating circumstances.

Missed Classes and Lessons

Student Absence:

Private Study: If a student must miss a regularly scheduled lesson, twenty-four hours notice must be provided to the teacher. If twenty-four hours notice is provided, teachers will make up one lesson per semester.

Group Class: No make-ups are available if a student must miss a class.

Tardiness: Instructors are not required to wait more than ten minutes for late students. Students that arrive later than ten minutes after the scheduled start of a lesson will be counted as unexcused.

Teacher Absence:

Any lesson missed as a result of a teacher’s absence will be made up. A substitute teacher may be provided in the case of teacher illness, or the class will be made up at the end of the semester by the regular teacher.

Inclement Weather

In the event of inclement weather, if the University of Delaware closes, all UDCMS classes and lessons are canceled. Otherwise, in the case of inclement weather, private study students will be contacted by their individual instructors. Group classes will be contacted via email.

Instruments

Students must provide their own instrument and have access to a practice instrument. For piano students, an acoustic piano is strongly recommended for practice. The University of Delaware does not rent or sell instruments, and the practice rooms in the Amy du Pont music building and Roselle Center for the Arts are for university music majors only.

Discounts

Each student is only eligible for one discount at a time.

Sibling Discount: A five percent (5%) discount may be taken when two or more siblings are registered in separate classes or lessons per session.

Multiple Class Discount: A five percent (5%) may be taken if student registers for more than one class or series of lessons per session.

UD Faculty/Staff/Student Discount: A five percent (5%) discount may be taken for current UD faculty, staff, their children, and UD students. The UD ID number must be entered on the registration form.

Senior Citizen Discount: A ten percent (10%) discount may be taken by senior citizens aged 65 or older enrolled in classes or lessons.

Bring a friend Discount: A ten percent (10%) discount may be taken on one class or series of lessons by an existing student if they refer a new student who registers with UDCMS. Or a $50 discount may be taken by an existing Choir or Music for Young Minds student when they refer another student to enroll in the same class.

Scholarships

UDCMS will provide sliding-scale scholarships if financial need is present. Scholarships will only be provided for no more than one activity per child.

Aid funds are limited, so please be sure to apply early. Please collect an application from our office or print one from our website.

Withdrawals and Refunds

Full refunds will be made if the UDCMS cancels any class/lesson due to insufficient enrollment or teacher illness.

Any request to withdraw from classes or lessons must be made in writing to the University of Delaware Community Music School office. Nonattendance or verbal withdrawal to a CMS faculty or staff member does not constitute an official withdrawal. The date of withdrawal will be considered to be the date when written notice is received in the UDCMS office. Upon withdrawal, a full refund will be made only if written notification is received at least one week prior to the start of the first class.

Once a class or series of lessons has begun, refunds will only be made in extreme cases involving serious illness, death, or relocation at the discretion of the Director.

A ten dollar ($10) processing fee will be charged for all refunds.

Non-Competition Clause

UDCMS faculty is prevented by contract from teaching any former UDCMS student in any capacity other than through UDCMS.

Safety

All UDCMS lessons and classes will take place on the University of Delaware campus typically in the Amy E. du Pont Music Building and the Roselle Center of the Arts.

To ensure your child’s safety, please be sure to pick him/her up promptly after class/lesson time. All children 13 and under must be dropped off and picked up directly to CMS Staff.  Children 14 and up may arrive and leave on their own if a parent or guardian has completed a release form and submitted the form to CMS Staff.

UDCMS faculty and staff do not supervise children waiting in hallways before and/or after classes/lessons. Children are under supervision during their instruction time only. Neither instructors nor administrators are responsible for supervising children outside of teaching time.

To continue to ensure your child’s safety, our policy is not to have teachers alone with students; however, in private study lessons, one teacher will be alone with one student in a music practice room. We ask parents to be involved in keeping their children safe in these situations. All practice rooms have windows in the doors, and parents are encouraged to peek in on lessons at random intervals and monitor your child’s comfort level with their teacher.

Non-Discrimination Policy

UDCMS complies with all laws prohibiting discrimination in the conduct of its operations and programs. UDCMS admits students of any religion, race, color, national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, color, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, scholarship programs or other school administered programs.

Receipts for Child Care Tax Credit

It is the responsibility of the participating family to maintain documentation for end-of-year tax records. UDCMS does not provide yearly itemized accounts of payments received. The University of Delaware Federal Tax ID is # 51-6000297.

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