Admissions

PROCEDURES

As an applicant to any class at SSA it is your responsibility to request and provide all materials necessary to complete the admission process. Enrollment deposit of $50 must be submitted prior to the first lesson with an instructor. Additionally, a behavior contract, student emergency form and photograph release form must be submitted prior to the first lesson. The steps to admission are as follows:

  1. Schedule a visit to observe a private and a group lesson (All students)
  2. Schedule an audition (transfer students only)
    1. Attend a free Suzuki Seminar (beginner parents only)
    2. Take the Introduction Course, including prep classes for parents and parents with children (beginner parents & students only) when that course is being held.
  3. Download, fill out, and mail in the Enrollment application form 2010 which includes Emergency Medical Release Form, Behavior Contract Form, Release Form, Policy Agreement Form (All students)
  4. You will be contacted on your admission status.

VISITING THE SCHOOL

To begin the admissions process, all parents are encouraged to observe both a private and a group lesson. Appointments are provided with coordination from the teachers. Please contact our Parent Coordinator, Sandra Hodzic (shodzic@sycamorestringsacademy.com) for arrangements.

AUDITION

Transfer students, who already are taking instrumental lessons at any other program, Suzuki or regular music instruction, or any other student interested in transferring to SSA must undergo an audition. For the audition, the student will prepare a piece of own choice. Students from Suzuki book 2 or equivalent elementary level and up will be asked to prepare a scale in one, two or three octaves, depending on each individual level. In some cases, a sight-reading sample will be provided at the audition (only on advanced level). Contact the Parent Coordinator for appointments.

INTRODUCTION COURSE

For families with a beginner student it is required before enrollment to undergo a short Orientation Period, including

  1. Observations of a lesson and a group lesson,
  2. A free Suzuki Seminar, and
  3. Introduction Course. See our Policies page for detailed information.

TUITION & FEES

Regular Year-Around Music Instruction Classes

Each student is enrolled for an entire school year consisting of 42 weeks of instruction, starting in the fall of each year. See Instruction Calendar for detailed and updated dates of session. If you must withdraw prior to the end of the school year, please contact your teacher or SSA director as soon as possible. A 30 day minimum notice of withdraw is required.

Tuition will be required on a per semester basis. Payments in two installments can be arranged at no extra cost for invoices of $600 or more. Please let the SSA office know if you prefer to pay in full or use the installment plan. Payments in more than two installments can in certain cases be arranged at an extra fee.

  • Fall Semester: 17 weeks of instruction. Late August through mid January
  • Spring Semester: 18 weeks of instruction. Mid January through early June
  • Summer Session: 7 weeks of instruction. Mid June through early August. (Summer Sessions can differ in weeks from year to year.)

Tuition

  • Individual lesson, 30 minutes, $30.00, 45 minutes, $45.00, 60 minutes, $60.00
  • Group/ensemble, 30 minutes $15.00, 45 minutes $20.00, 60 minutes, $25.00

Fees

  • Enrollment Fee, $50.00. Sibling’s Enrollment Fee: $25.00. A one-time-only fee.
  • Performance Fee, $35.00. Charged per student per semester. New students will be charged the performance fee at time for enrollment.
  • Late Fee, $25.00. Added to invoice not paid on or before due date, plus 7 days grace period.

Discount Programs

  • Sibling Discount: $100.00 discount per semester
  • Volunteer Discount: $100.00 discount per semester. A few volunteer positions exist. Please, inquire at the SSA office about available positions.
  • Recruiting Discount: $100.00 discount deducted from the current semester invoice once a recommendation from a SSA student family has resulted in a new student completing his/her enrollment to SSA.

SSA Classes Other than our Regular Year-Around Music Instruction Classes

  • SSA offer special Summer Classes during seven summer weeks, June – August. See separate page and brochure about content, tuition, dates & times, requirements. Usually published in January of each year.
  • SSA arranges a summer youth symphony orchestra, LASYO, in partnership with the local symphony, LAS, Livermore Amador Symphony. See separate information and link about LASYO, published in January of each year. Tuition for the summer youth orchestra will be collected by LAS.

Prompt payment of the SSA tuition is essential. All our budgeted expenses are dependent on regular payments in due time each semester in one or two installments, and summer session. Invoices will be sent out by email or regular mail approximately three weeks ahead of each semester and summer session. No separate invoice will be sent from the 2nd installment and on.

  • Due date will be two weeks past date of any invoice issued on a regular basis. Invoices issued due to a later starting date or other reason  might have to get a shorter time before the due date.
  • When payments in two installments for a semester invoice has been arranged (only for invoices of $600 or more), a second due date will be determined.
  • Other installment plan other than two payments can be arranged for an extra fee. Please, inquire at the SSA office.
  • Tuition not paid by the 7th day past any of the due dates will be considered overdue and a reminder will be mailed or emailed with a late payment charge of $25.00.
  • Overdue tuition payment of 30 days and more will cause a termination of the student’s place in the academy class and all instruction will end.

CANCELLED LESSONS

Teacher is Absent:

If the student’s group or individual class is cancelled due to teacher illness or other hindrances to attend the class, you will receive a credit on the next quarter’s invoice. If a long term interruption of a teacher’s presence would occur, a substitute teacher might be hired to take the classes.

Student is Absent:

If the student is absent from any individual or group class, there are no credits. If the student knows in advance about an upcoming absence from an individual class, he or she can 1) Trade or sell the lesson to another student of the same teacher, or 2) Declare the missed lesson a “Student Holiday” with a 50% deduction of tuition for that lesson. See POLICES: Missed Lessons, for more details about these options.

If your child is promoted to a longer length or type of lesson during an ongoing quarter, an extra invoice will be sent for the balance, and the next quarter payment will reflect the new tuition amount as agreed upon.

PAYMENT

All payments and forms must be mailed to:

Sycamore Strings Academy
P.O. Box 2106
Livermore, CA94551-2106

Please, we prefer mailing the payments to our mailing address in lieu of giving them to teachers or staff.

ADDITIONAL FEES

New Student Enrollment Fee

$50 non-refundable enrollment fee. It is a required payment once the student has been admitted to the program after attending observations, auditions, or/and the Suzuki Seminar. After the enrollment fee is paid, you will get an account with SSA and the scheduling process will begin.

Siblings enrolling

$25 non-refundable enrollment fee for siblings to join SSA.

Late Fee

$25.00 Late Payment Fee for payments postmarked seven days after the due date of tuition.

Bounced Check Fee

$25.00 Bounced Check Fee will be charged for returned checks.

Performance Fee

$35.00 Performance Fee per student per term, due in January and June.

Uniform Fee

$20.00 Uniform Fee per student for red cummerbund and red bow tie or rosette ($10.00 for each of the items.)

TUITION

Tuition is figured out mathematically based on length, type, and combination of classes, plus when one of the discount programs is applicable. Tuition is due three times annually, two weeks before the start of each semester, plus the summer session: Late August, late December, and late May. Our offered installment plan of two 2nd due dates per semester in effect will add two more due dates, one in late October and one in mid March.

Individual Lessons

  • 60 minute individual lesson: $60.00
  • 45 minute individual lesson: $45.00
  • 30 minute individual lesson: $30.00
  • 20 minute individual lesson: $25.00

Group & Ensemble Lesson

  • 60 minutes: $25.00
  • 45 minutes: $20.00
  • 30 minutes: $15.00

Discount Programs

  • Sibling Discount: $100.00 discount per semester
  • Volunteer Discount: $100.00 discount per semester. A few volunteer positions exist. Please, inquire at the SSA office about available positions.
  • Recruiting Discount: $100.00 discount deducted from the current semester invoice once a recommendation from a SSA student family has resulted in a new student completing his/her enrollment to SSA.