Student Policies
Lesson Fees & Payments
Trial Lesson: When signing up for lessons, your first lesson is considered a trial. If you or your teacher decide it’s not the right fit, you have no commitment to continue lessons with The Northerly. The trial lesson is $40 for 30 minutes and is due at/before the lesson.
Single Lessons: Single lessons are offered for students who are preparing for a performance, honing in on their skills, or are just interested in a couple lessons. $45 per half hour or $90 per hour.
Monthly Lessons: Monthly lessons are offered to students who can only commit to a month at a time or are only needing 4-5 lessons in total. $40 per half hour or $80 per hour.
Monthly payment plans begin on the 1st day of the month and end on the final calendar day.
Quarterly Lessons: Quarterly lessons are offered for students who are wishing to have ongoing instruction with their instrument. We recommend signing up for quarterly lessons as it has the highest potential for growth and an understanding of your instrument. Many of our students are ongoing and have been taking lessons for over a year. $35 per half hour or $70 per hour. You can start lessons at any point during the quarter and we will prorate the invoice accordingly.
The quarters are:
January 1 - March 31
April 1 - June 30
July 1 - September 30
October 1 - December 31
*Note: Northerly Owner, Kyle Orla, only takes students periodically. Reach out for his current rates.
The Northerly is closed for the following holidays:
2024
September 2 (Labor Day)
November 27-29 (Thanksgiving)
December 23 - 31 (Winter Holidays)
2025 *will update fall and winter when 2025/26 school year calendar comes out
January 1 (New Years Day)
January 17 - 20 (MLK Weekend)
February 27 - 24 (Presidents Day & Winter Recess)
March 31 - April 4 (Spring Break)
May 26
June 5 - 6 (Last day of school)
June 19 (Juneteenth)
July 4th
Lessons on the above dates are not held and students will not be charged, unless otherwise agreed upon by both the student and teacher.
Invoices will be emailed on the 20th of preceding month and payment is due on the 25th of the preceding month.
All payments must be made online by debit or credit card. You can set up automatic payments through My Music Staff. Automatic payments will be withdrawn on the 25th of the preceding month.
We charge a 5% late fee for payments that come in 7 days after your first lesson of the month/quarter.
If you have not paid by the 15th of the month, your lessons could be canceled for the quarter and the full fee would still be due.
Student Cancellation Policy
If you need to miss a lesson, please cancel the lesson in the Student Portal and we will notify your teacher. (To cancel a lesson, login to the Student Portal, go to the calendar, click the lesson you are going to miss and click cancel).
There are no refunds for a missed lesson and we do not offer make-up lessons. A virtual lesson may be possible at your scheduled lesson time, if approved by your teacher. You also may send someone in your place for the missed lesson (a spouse or sibling, for example), this also must be approved by your teacher and The Northerly.
Teacher Cancellation Policy
If your teacher needs to miss your lesson, The Northerly will communicate this in as much advance as possible.
We will:
A) offer virtual lessons when available, or
B) provide a substitute teacher when available.
If we are unable to provide a virtual lesson or substitute, we will send you a credit for the missed lesson to your next bill. If you choose not to accept a virtual lesson or substitute, you will not be refunded.
Inclement Weather Closings: The Northerly generally closes the studio if schools are closed for inclement weather. Students may choose to:
Meet virtually at their regular time
Reschedule the lesson (when possible), or
Take a credit for the following quarter/month
If there is a situation in which you are granted a make-up lesson, that lesson MUST occur in which the lesson was missed.
*Discontinuation of Lessons*
All lesson payments are final. The Northerly does not offer refunds for students who end lessons before the close of the month/quarter. Please let us know if there is something we can do to ensure your continued enjoyment of music lessons.
If you wish to end lessons, you must let us know via email or by filling out this form by the 15th of your final month of lessons.
Practice Expectations
It is expected that the student will practice at least 1-hour each week. This is incredibly important to get the most out of your lessons. If the student is a child, it is the parents responsibility to ensure their child is practicing. Please don’t hesitate to ask your child’s teacher for clarification about their practice plan so you can support them between lessons.
Required Materials
Students are expected to have an instrument, tuner, notebook, and pencil. Your teacher may request you purchase a music book they recommend. Some items are available for purchase or rental through The Northerly if needed.
Scholarships & Equity
We are building an equity fund to offer musical enrichment to more of our community. If you would like to make a regular donation or a one-time donation to our equity fund, please let us know and we can add it to your invoice. Any amount is helpful and beneficial. If you are a marginalized community member due to your race, gender orientation, or income level, please feel free to fill out our Scholarship fund to apply for subsidized lessons.
Rental
We have a limited supply of instruments for rent. They are available first-come, first-serve. If you’d like to rent an instrument please send us an email.
Instruments potentially available: guitar, fiddle, banjo. $30 per month or $80 for a quarter.
Repair Discount
Students receive 15% off of instrument repair services through K.O. StringWorks.
Note for Parents
We have a lovely waiting room for parents to wait in while their child is in their lesson. Please help yourself (not just parents!) to any beverages or snacks that are offered.
If your child is under 16 years of age, they must be accompanied by a parent or caregiver in the waiting area unless approved by a staff member at the Northerly.
While your child is in the lesson, please do not interrupt even if your child is not behaving as you hope. Our teachers are skilled with working with children and if they need parental assistance, they will come to you.
It’s also important to know that our teachers will spend time getting to know your child so that the child feels comfortable learning music with them. Our teachers are mentors- not just in music- and sometimes that looks like chatting about things other than notes and theory.
Recital/Showcase
We offer the opportunity to showcase what you have learned! We will send out dates prior to the recital to sign up. You are not required to perform what you’ve learned, but it is really great if you can and we encourage it!