1) Do you offer lessons to both children and adults?
We welcome students from ages 5+ to senior adults. Our professional and knowledgeable teams of instructors are able to meet the music educational needs of students of all ages from beginners to advanced.
2) How old does my child have to be to start music lessons?
We generally accept children 5 and above for individual lessons on Piano and Violin. Young children need to be mature enough to sit for 30 minutes, know their basic ABC’s, and counting to 10 etc. We have had 4 year olds in the past, but it is by a trial lesson (you pay for just one lesson without having to register) and instructor recommendation after the trial. Each child is unique and we are willing to work with you, but it must make sense for both the student and instructor. Instruments like guitar, drums etc. are not recommended for children under 8. The main reason is their fine motor skills are not developed enough to make progress that may result in a negative musical experience and lack of progression. One of our key goals is share our love of music and create a wonderful first experience.
3) My child loves music! What instrument should my child begin with? We suggest that MOST young students (5-8) begin by learning the piano, but every child is unique. Younger students can also begin on violin. Violins come in fractional sizes and are easy for a young child to handle. Beginning music education at Avalon School & Music Center, Avalon School of Music, and Orlando School of Music includes an approved curriculum of music theory education, the foundation to the playing of any instrument. We have found that young students who start off on Piano learn both Treble and Bass Clefs along with theory and ear training, move forward much quicker and if they switch to voice, guitar, drums, woodwinds or brass once they are older. The Piano is hands down the foundation instrument for all musicians and vocalist regardless of what they play. All University and Colleges require piano in order to graduate with a music degree. Having a good basic knowledge piano opens up an entire new world for young musicians.
4) I/We do not own an Instrument, does your school provide one:
All our schools are furnished with standard upright/studio pianos and drums sets. These are the only instruments that a student does not need to bring to a weekly lesson. All students will need to purchase or rent a quality beginner- intermediate instrument to practice on at home. For Keyboard, Guitars Drums etc, our school is an educational partner with Sam Ash Music and offer a Student Discount Card that all students will be issued when they register.
For Band and Orchestral instruments, all of our schools are an affiliate and depot for Music & Arts who offer a great “rent–to-own” program of specifically approved Orange County Public Schools instruments. These are high quality instruments that are easy to play and in tune which greatly enhances the student’s first experience. We rent hundreds of instruments to middle school band and orchestra students as well as our own students. Parents find the rent-to-own program convenient, economical, and flexible. If you are not sure, please ask us as we would be happy to assist you in finding the right instrument based on your students level and needs.
5) How long should I/we expect the lesson to last?
Our lessons are all one on one and therefore can be customized to the right length for the student’s age and level. Our beginning lessons are all 30 minutes in length, which we generally recommend for most young and/or beginning students. However, 45 minute and 60 minute lessons are also available for students who need more time as well as intermediate and advanced students. Special note- all voice student that are ages 13 and up are required to take a minimum of a 45 minutes lesson. Vocal warm up exercises are part of all voice lessons which usually takes up to 15 minutes, then leaving 30 minutes to work on songs etc.
6) Will my child’s lesson be private or do you offer group classes?
We provide mainly Private one on one Instruction. We do occasionally have requests for group instruction of Guitar lessons among family members or friends. We can usually accommodate this. Each student in the group class pays 75% of the regular lesson fee.
Our schools do offer specific group performance classes and workshops to our registered students throughout the year, which are featured in our recitals, concerts and public performance opportunities.
7) How much do lessons cost?
Our current monthly lesson fees begin at only $99 per month for a weekly 30-minute lesson. (Strings-Violin, Viola, Cello, Double Bass & Harp start at $101/$106) 45 and 60 minutes are 1.5 and 2X the 30-minute rate. See the Lesson section on our website for specific rates. Our monthly tuition covers 4-5 lessons per month based on the number of weeks in each month. We do not charge extra for the 5th lesson in a month when it occurs. In exchange for this extra week, we do not provide make up lessons on school holidays. (See school holiday section of our website for specific dates.
All students are required to pay a $25.00 registration fee at time of registration.
8) Do you offer any family discounts?
We offer a family discount (for immediate family living in the same household) of $4 per month discount (per 30 minute lesson) off our regular monthly lesson fees.
9) What forms of payment do you accept for lessons?
Due to the large number of students we teach, we only accept payment in the form of our Credit or Check Card that we enter into our secure Auto Bill system . All students must enroll in our Auto Bill system when first registering. This is a highly secure program we have used for 4 years without incident. We cannot accept cash, checks, or manual payments using a credit or debit card. The only exception to rule is if tuition is paid in advance for a minimum of 6 months.
10) When do I have to pay for lessons?
Fees for all lessons are processed via our Auto Bill system. Upon registering, you will be billed for the registration fee ($25) and for the number of lessons in the month (prorated per the weeks remaining if you choose to start mid Month) Then your credit or debit card will be billed at the beginning each month going forward.
11) Do I have to sign a contract or long -term agreement?
Our programs do not have any long-term contract. All of our lessons are based on a month-to-month term. We do offer special Group Programs that may be 12 weeks long. Signing up for these programs does commit you for the entire program because space is limited. Our general School Policies require you give us a full 30-day written notice while enrolled in our monthly lessons. We have a standard Withdrawal form that is available at each school and on our website, should you need to withdraw yourself or your student.
12) Will my child’s lesson be at the same time each week?
Yes we ask you to choose a day and time that works within your family’s weekly schedule. Your lesson will normally be at the same day and time each week. There may be times when an instructor is away due to illness, personal emergency or out of town. Our school manager will contact you in advance (provided we know) and either cancel and reschedule, or advise you that a substitute instructor will fill in.
13) We/I had something come up. Can we reschedule our Lesson?
Everybody’s life has a bump now and then and we understand. We do however have a simple make up policy. We respectfully require a minimum of 12-24 hours (day before) notice for cancellation, and are happy to schedule a make up based on this time frame for notice. We limit make-ups to a maximum of 4 per calendar year. We have found this takes care of 99% of most absences that can occur throughout the year, i.e. illness, vacation, school events etc.
Unfortunately, we are unable to honor make-ups in the following situations:
- Lessons cancelled the same day of the lesson.
- No call- no show
- Abuse of the Make up policy at the manager’s discretion based on frequent last minute cancellations .
Our instructors are highly trained and we respect their time and dedication to you /your child. Please offer your consideration as emergencies or planned absences arise.
14) We are interested in lessons, but can we take a trial lesson?
We offer a 30 min. FREE Trial lesson on Guitar, Piano & Drums.
We also offer paid trial lessons on other instruments, and are happy to arrange for you to meet with your/your child’s instructor for a lesson before committing to a lesson schedule.
In order to take a trial lesson, you will simply pay for one single prorated lesson when you come in to have the lesson. Then if you decide to continue, you will then register and pay the registration fee and any additional lesson fees for the current month.
13) How do I/we schedule our lessons?
Please feel free to call or stop by one of our schools that is closest to you in order to schedule the best time for lessons that work for your/your child’s schedule.
We are happy to make every attempt to find the instructor which best meets your needs and schedule.
15) How do I/we register for class?
Our school hours are Monday through Thursday from 1pm-9pm, Friday from 1pm-7pm, and Saturday’s from 9am-3pm. We are happy to assist you either in person, or by phone to reserve your class time. Registration forms are available at our schools and off our website under the heading Lessons
Registrations over the phone may be taken, however, a $25.00 Registration fee is necessary to reserve the time and space desired. Registration forms must be completed when you come in for the first lesson.
The registration process does require a valid credit or check card and photo id in order to be completed by our staff.
16) I still have questions, where can I find the answers?
Our site includes an overview of our mission, our schools history, the biographies of our instructors and many other valuable tools and information. Please feel free to review in advance. You can also call any of our schools during normal business hours to have specific questions answered. New Students call 407-567-7776 and select which location is closest to you.
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