Tuition
Tuition must be paid by cash, zelle or check (made payable to Kelley Dale) at the first lesson of the month. A late fee of $10 is required for tuition paid after the 10th of the month without prior consent of the teacher. Tuition refunds are not granted for students who withdraw from lessons in the middle of the month.
Rescheduling and Canceling Lessons
Lombard Music Lessons maintains a very forgiving lesson cancelation policy compared to many other private lesson studios. Canceling without 24 hour notice (or by 9 am in the case of illness) is considered an unexcused absence, but as a courtesy—life is hectic and sometimes people get sick in the middle of the day–each student will be given three “freebie” make up lessons per year for unexcused absences. After the third unexcused absence, no make-up lessons will be scheduled until the next calendar year (September 1-August 31.)
| Excused Absence Can be rescheduled with a make-up lesson | Students must text or call at least 24 hours in advance to reschedule (“make-up”) a lesson. In the case of illness, lessons may be cancelled by 9 am the day of the lesson. If you are sick, please do not come to your lesson. |
| Unexcused Absence Only three unexcused absences per calendar year (Sept 1 to August 31) can be made up. | “No-shows” or canceling with less than 24 hours notice (or after 9 am in case of illness) |
Piano Student Practice Requirements: Piano students who do not practice regularly cannot be expected to progress, and end up wasting most of the money spent on their lessons. To avoid this, all Lombard Music Lessons piano students must fill out weekly practice cards, to be signed by parents and brought back to their next lesson. Practice cards must be shown to the instructor each week and will be collected at the end of each month. Any student practicing less than the minimum weekly practice time will be dropped from the studio. Practice recommendations and requirements are as follows:
| Grade | Recommended Daily Practice | Minimum Weekly Practice |
| K – 1st | 10 – 15 minutes daily | 20 minutes per week |
| 2nd – 3rd | 15 – 20 minutes daily | 30 minutes per week |
| 4th and up | 20 – 25 minutes daily | 40 minutes per week |
Any student not adhering to above practice requirements will be subject to the following:
Strike 1: One month of practice not meeting the weekly minimum practice requirement. Reaching Strike 1 will result in a verbal or e-mail reminder to the student and parent.
Strike 2: Two months of practice not meeting their weekly minimum practice. Reaching Strike 2 will result in a teacher/student/parent conference regarding the student’s goals in learning a musical instrument.
Strike 3: Three months of practice not meeting the weekly minimum practice. Reaching Strike 3 will result in the student being dropped from the Lombard Music Lessons studio. Tuition refunds will not be granted in these cases!
Voice Student Practice Requirements: Voice students do not have a required number of practice minutes, but it is highly recommended that they bring a device to record audio of their vocal warm-ups or entire lesson, and listen to/sing along with the recordings at least twice a week.
Studio Calendar: A student’s tuition does not change whether they receive 3, 4, or 5 lessons in a month, because over the course of the year, the calendar averages out to 4 lessons per month. After one calendar year of lessons, a student will be granted a make-up lesson(s) if it is needed to bring their “lesson balance” up to four per month. (Students with Monday lesson times should be mindful of the number of lessons they have received, as most holidays fall on Mondays.) The following are studio holidays for the 2024-2025 academic year:
Monday, September 1, 2025 – Labor Day
Wed, November 26, 2025 through Sun, Nov 30, 2025 – Thanksgiving
Mon, December 22, 2025 through Sun, January 4, 2026 – Winter Break
Monday, March 30, 2026 through Sunday, April 5, 2026 – Spring Break
Monday, May 25, 2026 – Memorial Day
Private Voice and Piano Lessons 