Making the Most of Kindermusik Classes
1) For in-person class, plan to arrive about five to ten minutes early for class. Arriving a little before class provides time for your child to settle into the musical environment as they prepare to enjoy exploring instruments, reading books, or listening to music. You are welcome to come early and play in the play room or play in the classroom as we always have things out for your child to explore before class begins.
2) Be sure to dress comfortably and remove shoes before sitting down to join the class.
3) The most important thing you can do for your child during class is to be an active and patient role model. While we certainly encourage socialization as part of the whole Kindermusik experience, Kindermusik teachers rely heavily on adult participation during class time, especially for the Foundations and Level 1, 2, and Mixed Age classes. It is not uncommon for a child to attend several classes before feeling fully comfortable. Don’t be discouraged—what a child is absorbing in class is often evidenced in the home environment rather than in a certain level of participation in class. The understanding and consistency of the parent or caregiver in class and at home are keys to facilitating musical learning and growth.
4) You and your child will benefit enormously from the Kindermusik experience, especially if you make active use of your At Home Materials. Frequent reinforcement at home throughout the week makes all the difference in a child’s comfort and participation in the classroom.
Class Policies
Our goal for all of our families is for you to have the best possible experience in class. Here are a few class policies that were developed to help in this endeavor. We are here to serve you and your family and we hope that these policies will help make class enjoyable for all involved.
1) Due to limited class sizes and the delicacy of the younger class settings, Foundations, Level 1, and Level 2 classes cannot accommodate non-enrolled siblings (except for children 6 months and younger—those young enough to stay content in a carrier during class) on a regular basis. If at all possible, they should attend their own age-appropriate class. Of course, the Mixed Age class is the exception to this, where newborns through children 7 years of age are welcome as long as all are enrolled. Siblings of students enrolled in our older children's classes (Level 3, Kindermusik Musicians and Young Child classes) are welcome to join us for Parent Sharing Time during the last 10-15 minutes of class. At times, there may be exceptions on rare occasions, so please see us with questions or concerns.
2) In the case of the Foundations, Level 1, Level 2, and Mixed Age classes, one parent or caregiver must be in attendance with the child for the entire duration of the class. With Level 3 classes, we ask that parents/caregivers wait in the waiting room or playroom while the class is going on until the last 10-15 minutes of class when parents come into class for the Parent Sharing Time. This way you are not too far away if needed.
3) As far as food is concerned, you are welcome to bring a snack and hang out in the playroom and visit after class. But please hold off on bringing out food during class. For special occasions like birthdays or holidays, some families like to bring in treats to share with the class and that is fine. However, please check in with your teacher first in case there are allergy issues with other children or in case there are additional families doing a make-up class that day so that we make sure there are enough treats for all children.
4) If your child’s behavior is disrupting the flow of the lesson, please respect the right of others to enjoy the activities and quietly remove your child from the room until they are calm and settled enough to rejoin the class. A few, but not exhaustive list of examples would be screaming and/or throwing a temper tantrum, running uncontrollably, spitting, pushing, hitting or behaving in ways that are preventing other children and caregivers from enjoying class.
5) Please do not bring your child to class if they are ill.
Here are some good guidelines for when to keep your child home:
1) A fever of 100.4 degrees or higher indicates that a child’s body is battling an infection.
2) A child who is vomiting, who has diarrhea or who is nauseated.
3) Upper respiratory symptoms such as heavy coughing and a green or yellow nasal discharge may indicate the flu as well as the common cold.
4) A sudden severe sore throat accompanied by a high fever, swollen lymph nodes and tonsils and white or yellow spots in the throat are symptoms of a strep infection.
5) Red and irritated eyes with a yellowish discharge may indicate pink eye, or conjunctivitis. It is highly contagious.
6) An undiagnosed rash may be a symptom of an infectious disease such as measles, chicken pox or impetigo.
Enrollment and Tuition Policies
1) The preferred way to enroll is online and payment is by credit or debit card. If this is impossible, please contact us for other options. Kindermusik is on monthly subscription format for payments. Every month, a set amount is automatically debited from your account on the 1st of every month. You usually receive 4 classes within a month but not necessarily. It is all dependent on how many weeks are within that month and on holidays or other scheduled breaks that month. Some months you may have 3 classes in that month depending on holidays and other breaks, and some months you may have 4 or 5 classes. It is a set, monthly fee no matter how many classes you have that month.
2) For Kindermusik Musicians and Young Child classes during the school year, the only amount that is automatically charged from your account upfront is a materials fee which applies directly towards the purchase of the At Home Materials for your class. The Materials fee comes out immediately at enrollment. The rest of your monthly payments are automatically debited from your credit/debit card on the 1st of the month. *This does not apply to our summer classes for older children. In our summer classes your materials are digital and are included in your monthly tuition.
3) Families with multiple children enrolled in Kindermusik classes during the same semester will receive a 20% discount off each additional child's enrollment. This applies to families with individual children enrolled in varying classes as well as families enrolled in a Mixed Age class.
4) With the exception of our Kindermusik Musician and Young Child classes, all of our other classes are ongoing year-round and once you are enrolled, you continue to stay enrolled. If you do find it necessary to stop classes, all you have to do is notify us in writing at least one week before the start of the next month that you will not be continuing in the next unit and you will be un-enrolled from the class and will not be charged for the following month. Families who do not give at least a one-week notice of un-enrolling before the new month will be charged for the following month.
5) Students are welcome to enroll anytime during the year except for Kindermusik Musician and Young Child classes. Tuition prices will be prorated. We do not refund for missed classes. There may be opportunities to attend another class of the same level as long as there is space, but makeup classes are not guaranteed.
6) You are welcome to pause your enrollment at anytime throughout the year as long as we have a one-week notice before the new month. However, please know that we cannot guarantee a spot for you when you return. We have many full classes with waitlists so your spot may be filled when you return. The only way we can guarantee a spot for you is if you continue to pay for us to hold your spot.
7) Because each curriculum is developmentally specific, in most cases, your child should be at least the minimum age for the class in which you are enrolling. However, we realize there are exceptions to every rule. If you have concerns about your child's success in a class, we will gladly discuss your child's needs and work with you to place your child in the class best suited for him or her.
8) At our discretion, classes may need to be rescheduled or combined with similar age groups/classes if the minimum enrollment is not met. (Minimum enrollment is usually four children per class.) In this situation, we will certainly strive to give adequate notice and will give parents the option of choosing another class.
9) Tuition for our small group Kindermusik classes are $75 USD for Foundations, Level 1, Level 2, Level 3, and Mixed Age, and $85 USD for our Kindermusik Musician & Young Child school term classes. We also offer a 20% sibling discount for addition children. Children under a year enrolled in a Mixed Age class are FREE with enrollment of an older sibling.
Miscellaneous Info
1) No refunds or class credits will be given if you miss a class.
2) We encourage families to attend their "home class" as much as possible, but we do understand that sometimes you may need to miss your class due to illness or traveling. If you need to miss your regular class, please text the office using the Remind app to let us know and you can inquire about attending a makeup class in another class of the same level. Please understand that makeup classes are not guranteed. We have a lot of full classes and we may not be able to accomodate makeup classes. But please feel free to inquire and we will let you know what classes have space. *You may not attend makeup classes after un-enrolling. Makeup classes are only intended for the time that you are enrolled with us.
3) Kindermusik at Harmony Music School follows KUSD schools when it comes to weather cancellations. If KUSD cancels then we will also cancel classes. Please make sure you have signed up for the Remind texting app in case a class gets canceled last minute because of teacher illness, weather, etc. and a last minute announcement needs to be made. The texting app is how we will alert families of canceled classes.
4) Due to limited space, if you are enrolled in a FULL class, we ask that only one parent/caregiver attend class. The exception to this is our Mixed Age classes.
5) We do take photos regularly in our classes and we sometimes share those photos on our Facebook Page. No names are ever used. If you would rather not have photos of you posted on our Facebook Page, please let your teacher know and we will make sure to not include you in the photos.
6) Please understand that by enrolling in a Kindermusik class at HMS, you are making a commitment. We realize that there will be unexpected things that come up that prohibit you from coming to class on a particular day. However, missing 3, 4 and 5 classes in a row is not really beneficial to your child’s learning and they are not receiving the full Kindermusik experience. Consistency and Repetition are important keys to learning. Please know that we are making a commitment to provide you and your family with a high quality and enjoyable musical experience. We look forward to partnering with you! Please let us know if you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions—we are always available!