Home › Who We Are › Our Policies

Our Policies

Student Policies | Scholarship Policies | Financial Aid Policies

2021-22 Student Policies

Payment of fees assumes acceptance of all MANC Policies

The Music Academy of North Carolina is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants based on age, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, or handicap.

  1. Registration is on a first come, first served basis. To ensure placement with the instructor of your choice and a convenient lesson time, it is advisable that students register at least three weeks prior to the onset of each trimester. Spring schedules will presumably stay the same as the fall, if tuition of continuing students is received at least three weeks prior to the onset of the trimester, unless the instructor needs to change. Lesson times will be scheduled before the beginning of each trimester by the teacher.
  2. If a student has not registered and paid by Friday, September 7 for the fall trimester or by Friday, January 25 for the spring trimester, a $15 late penalty will be charged to the student’s account, and the teacher will be instructed to suspend lessons until the account is current.
  3. Students must register for full terms (or full remaining terms, if registering after the onset of a trimester) unless registering for an Introductory Lesson Pack. Students wishing to register for fewer lessons must have approval in advance from the instructor. The instructor must notify the Director of Student Relations in writing of any students taking fewer than the full term.
  4. An Introductory 4-Lesson Pack option is available to new students wanting to sample an instrument or prepare for an upcoming audition. No registration fee is charged.
  5. We encourage students to use our online registration form on our website (https://musicacademync.asapconnected.com/Default.aspx). Please contact the Director of Student Relations if needing to register in person or by phone. Monthly payment options are available.
  6. The registration fee per family is $12 for summer; $25 for fall; and $25 for spring. The registration fee is waived for students who pre-register and pay in full for the entire year in the summer. The registration fee is not charged for assessment lessons or for students who register for the Introductory Lesson Pack option.
  7. We request that all payments be prompt. Payment received 10 days beyond the due date will be assessed a late fee of $15.00. There is a $30 fee for each returned check.  Once a payment is two weeks overdue, the parent/student and teacher will receive will receive a notice that lessons will be suspended until the account deficiency is corrected. Once lessons have been suspended, teachers are not responsible for maintaining class availability for the student(s).
  8. Prior trimester account balances must be paid in full before registering for a new trimester.
  9. Discounts: Students are able to receive the following discounts: a) Students may earn $20 tuition credits (no cash will be paid) for each referral that results in a new student who enrolls for a minimum of 15 private 30-minute lessons or full special offering (combo, ensemble, etc.); b) The registration fee is waived for students who pre-register and pay in full for the entire year in the summer; c) Employees of the Guilford County Public School System receive a 10% discount on MANC tuition upon presentation of proof of employment (GCS Employee Badge); d) The registration fee is waived for any student who presents a FaithAction ID card upon enrollment.
  10. Students are expected to continue lessons for the full trimester. If it becomes necessary to withdraw from instruction for any reason, the student must provide written notice of termination to the Director of Student Relations.  Refunds will only be issued during the first 14 days of enrollment, and The Music Academy will only refund the tuition paid (registration fees are non-refundable), and the refund shall be reduced by the cost of two lessons. No refunds will be issued to any student who withdraws after the second week of lessons. Tuition credits may be offered in cases of withdrawal due to special circumstances and will remain on the family’s account for one year. Families on the payment plan are responsible for paying the remaining balance on their account.  Any discounts applied due to full year registration (see discounts b) in #9, above) will be reversed before applying tuition credits.
  11. Students/parents reserve the right to request a teacher change at any time in the trimester. Requests should be made to the Dean of Faculty.
  12. Missed lessons: As a courtesy, the student should notify the teacher if a lesson needs to be canceled. For the protection of our students and teachers, we request that students who are sick refrain from coming to lessons. However, prior notice of lesson absence does not exempt students from payment, nor exclude them from the no-make-up policy. Teachers do not provide make-up lessons for student cancellations. However, should a teacher miss a lesson due to any circumstance, that lesson will be made up at a time which is mutually convenient with the student and teacher. Teachers may arrange for a substitute teacher. The Music Academy will attempt to notify students prior to substitute lessons, but it cannot be guaranteed that time will allow for such notification.
  13. Smoking and illegal drugs are not allowed in The Music Academy.
  14. Parents must arrange to have children dropped off and picked up within 15 minutes of lesson time. Once a student enters The Music Academy, he/she must remain inside The Music Academy until his/her transportation arrives.  A late fee of $25 will be charged to students in our partnership classes and summer camps who are not picked up within 10 minutes of the end of class.  This fee is payable directly to the instructor of the class or camp.
  15. All students are expected to be on their best behavior while at The Music Academy. Students are expected to treat each other, parents, faculty, and staff with respect and to refrain from playing in the halls or bathrooms, running, and/or being loud enough as to interrupt lessons and Music Academy business. Students who are disruptive will be reprimanded, and parents will be notified. We reserve the right to terminate, without refund, the lessons of any student who is disruptive to others at The Music Academy.
  16. Students may use The Music Academy phone for emergencies only, and only with staff assistance.
  17. Inclement Weather:  In the case of inclement weather, The Music Academy often remains open. The Music Academy will close if conditions become dangerous. A decision regarding morning classes/lessons will be made by 7:30 AM followed by an update for afternoon classes (if needed) by noon.  Announcements of closing will be on The Music Academy’s website, announced via email, and posted on WFMY-2, WGHP-Fox 8, WXII-12, and Facebook.
  18. Lessons and Classes held at The Music Academy: The Music Academy guarantees one make-up lesson if lessons or classes are canceled due to weather conditions. Additional make-up lessons due to closure will be at the discretion and scheduling availability of the teacher. No refunds will be issued. If The Music Academy remains open but a student chooses not to come, the teacher is not responsible for scheduling a make-up lesson.
  19. Inclement weather policy for students who take lessons and classes off-site at a partnering school: Off-site lessons and classes follow the cancellation decision of the partnering school with the following exception:  in the case where The Music Academy remains open when the partnering school has closed, private lessons will be moved to The Music Academy, but group classes will be canceled. If The Music Academy remains open but a student chooses not to come, the teacher is not responsible for scheduling a make-up lesson. Â The Music Academy guarantees one make-up lesson if lessons or classes are canceled due to weather conditions. No refunds will be issued.
  20. The Music Academy reserves the right to use student names and photographs for promotional purposes unless the Dean of Faculty receives a statement in writing to the contrary.
  21. All student information is confidential and not shared with individuals, organizations, or businesses. Hardcopies are shredded when no longer needed for Music Academy purposes.
  22. Students who register for instruction at The Music Academy will be included in MANC listings for routine mailings, including solicitations. We will delete a student’s name from the mailing list (or any other list) at the student’s request.
  23. The Music Academy of North Carolina makes every effort to maintain the schedule and meeting times of our partnership classes and lessons.  We do reserve the right to cancel any classes that do not make minimum enrollment as determined by The Music Academy.  We also reserve the right to change or substitute faculty as necessary throughout the duration of the class or lesson period.  Decisions to cancel a class that has not made minimum enrollment will be made and communicated with all registered families 72 hours before the start date of the class.  A full refund will be issued.
  24. The Music Academy provides wireless network access for our faculty, students, and families.  Use of the wireless network should be professional, respectful, and polite, and should refrain from violating any federal, state, or local laws.

Scholarship Policies

  1.  Merit scholarships are awarded for outstanding effort, talent, and proficiency.  Only partial scholarships are available. Only students who have been studying for a full year or more may be recommended for a scholarship.
  2. Auditions for merit scholarships are held annually on a Saturday in the spring. Auditions are limited to 5 minutes of performance time. Due to time restrictions, the judging panel may not hear the audition repertoire in its entirety.
  3. If a student is unable to perform at the audition day, a recorded audition is acceptable, with the following conditions: auditions must be recorded at MANC on the designated recording date and must conform to all requirements of live auditions. There will be a $10.00 recording fee. Designated faculty must be present for the recording on the recording day to assure high quality recording as well as consistency and fairness in the competition.  Each student must bring an original copy of his/her audition music and submit a photocopy with the recording.  No recordings will be accepted after the designated recording date.
  4. A new student who auditions for a merit scholarship must first have a MANC teacher recommendation. There is a non-refundable $31 fee for teacher assessment for non-MANC students.
  5. All candidates for a merit scholarship must perform two compositions or movements of contrasting styles. Please see repertoire guidelines for each department. Each student must provide an original copy of the score at the auditions.
  6. Students needing an accompanist are encouraged to make prior arrangements. If they are choose not to do so, a faculty member on the panel will be available to play. If a student uses a member of the judging panel, rehearsal time will be not be available prior to the audition, and copies of the music must be submitted with the recommendation form.
  7. The auditions are judged and scholarship amounts are determined by a faculty panel of Master Teachers and Associate Master Teachers representing each department.  This panel is supplemented with other faculty members and/or an outside guest judge as needed.
  8. Dollar amounts of merit scholarships will not be made public.  Specific information concerning monetary awards will be mailed to the recipients within two weeks following the audition date.
  9. Merit scholarships are primarily applied to the instrument on which the student auditioned. A portion of the merit scholarship may be applied to another instrument or supplemental musicianship class upon recommendation of the primary teacher to enhance musical development. The student must be enrolled in lessons for the primary instrument simultaneously. An exception to this rule may be made during the summer trimester. Upon recommendation of the primary teacher, the student may use the summer scholarship allotment for study on a different instrument or supplemental class without being enrolled in lessons for the primary instrument.
  10. All Scholarship Recipients must register and pay according to normal MANC policies. Failure to do so will nullify scholarship offers.
  11. No scholarship is paid in cash; rather, it is credited to MANC for lessons at MANC. Scholarships awarded in the spring are for the upcoming academic year; 20% applied to the summer, 40% applied to fall, and 40% applied to spring trimester’s tuition. Further, scholarships apply to a minimum of 8 30-minute lessons in the summer (or its equivalent), and full fall and spring (18 week) trimesters; that is, scholarships applied to partial trimesters will be pro-rated.
  12. If the summer 20% portion is not accepted, the remaining fall 40% and spring 40% are available. However, if the fall 40% is not accepted, the remaining spring 40% is no longer available.
  13. Continuation of fall and spring trimester scholarships is not automatically guaranteed throughout the year but is based on teacher recommendation of continued good work and 75% attendance at lessons. (Please be aware of MANC’s no make-up policy.) Any changes in scholarship status during the year will be noted in writing from the Scholarship Committee.
  14. Merit scholarship recipients are invited to perform and be recognized on the Student Showcase Recitals in May. Merit scholarship students are also expected to perform, by request, in the community as a representative of the MANC student body, in addition to MANC student recitals and masterclasses.
  15. Merit scholarships are awarded one time for each academic year.  Applicants must reapply annually.
  16. Any unclaimed merit funds will be available for additional awards.
  17. These policies may not apply to programs funded by restricted grants.

Financial Aid Policies

  1. Financial aid scholarships are awarded to students who have demonstrated need by completing an application, which includes the most recent tax forms. Applicants who are dependents must submit individual tax forms for both parents and/or guardians.
  2. Only partial scholarships are available.
  3. Priority will be given to students who are continuing their study at MANC, as to not interrupt a student’s progress.
  4. A student may receive a scholarship for only one area of study per term, and for only the area of study for which the application was submitted.
  5. A new student who applies for a financial aid scholarship for private lessons must first have a MANC teacher recommendation. There is a non-refundable $30 fee for teacher assessment for non-MANC students.
  6. Application forms for annual financial aid must be submitted by 5pm on Friday, April 3. The Scholarship Director and Financial Manager will carefully and confidentially review the application form.  Recipients will be notified by mail prior to the beginning of the summer trimester, no later than May 15.
  7. All scholarship recipients must register and pay according to normal MANC policies. Failure to do so will nullify scholarship offers.
  8. No scholarship is paid in cash; rather, it is credited to MANC for lessons at MANC. Scholarships are for the upcoming year; 20% applied to the summer, 40% applied to fall, and 40% applied to spring trimester’s Further, scholarships apply to 8 or more weeks of summer lessons, and full fall and spring (18 week) trimesters; that is, scholarships applied to partial trimesters will be pro-rated.
  9. If the summer 20% portion is not accepted, the remaining fall 40% and spring 40% are available. However, if the fall 40% is not accepted, the remaining spring 40% is no longer available.
  10. Continuation of fall and spring trimester scholarships is not automatic throughout the year, but based on teacher recommendation of continued good work and 75% attendance at lessons. (Please be aware of MANC’s no make-up policy.) Any changes in scholarship status during the year will be noted in writing from the Scholarship Committee.
  11. Applications received after the deadline will be put on a waiting list. Should additional funds become available, applicants will be notified if they are selected to receive an award.

The Music Academy of North Carolina is committed to equality of educational opportunity and does not discriminate against applicants based on age, race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Revised 3/10/2016