FAQ

Why am I enrolling in a school year instead of just 4 weeks of lessons?

Allegro offers lessons that follow the school year then a summer session. Enrollment is ongoing for our private instruction. We begin our lessons the week after Fauquier Public Schools begin classes and end the week before. It works out to a 36 week school year. It takes consistent time to learn an art discipline. By committing to a block of lessons, a student is able to grasp the concepts and begin to feel accomplished.



Why is weekly practice outside of class necessary? How often should a student practice?

Practice does not make perfect, it makes permanent! Regular practice is absolutely essential to the growth and development of each student. Appropriate practice goals will be determined by each instructor at the time of enrollment based on the age and experience of the student. For younger students, parental involvement in practice routines is crucial. Daily practice, for 15-30 minutes at a time, is best to retain knowledge gained during the lesson and to promote healthy performance.



May I schedule a make-up lesson?

Regular attendance is expected of all students. Missed lessons due to instructor absence or unscheduled school closing will be made up at a time mutually convenient to the instructor and student. Lessons missed due to student cancellation may be made up at the discretion of the instructor, limited to one make up lesson for this cause per semester. The Allegro School Calendar has three sets of built in make-up dates – in November, January, and June; inquire at the Allegro front desk for details. All arrangements for make-up lessons will be made directly with the instructor. If a class is cancelled due to an instructor absence or unscheduled school closing, another class will be added to the school schedule as a makeup lesson. There are no makeups for students who miss a group class unless a second, similar class is being offered. No credit will be given for a missed group class by a student.



I have not heard from Allegro in a while, how often should I expect to receive Allegro emails?

Allegro uses Constant Contacts to send newsletters, class notifications, or other messages pertaining to student training and enrollment on a regular basis. With all of the programs we have going on simultaneously, it would not be uncommon to receive multiple messages from Allegro in the same week. If you have not heard from us in a while, you may have unsubscribed from receiving our updates and notices. Please visit our Website at www.allegrocsa.org to sign up to receive communication from us on a regular basis! You are always welcome to call our front desk with any questions that arise: 540-349-5088.



Can I make payments on a weekly basis?

We are not set up to receive payments on a weekly basis. As a non-profit music school, we do not have the personnel to handle in-house billing. Allegro has partnered with a tuition management company, Smart Tuition, so that all billing can be handled third-party. This helps us to better support your experience with us and meet other student and instructor needs. We ask that all of our students enroll in Smart Tuition for a nominal fee upon registration with Allegro. Options offered are monthly, quarterly, and annually.



Why is it important to attend class or a lesson every week? Can we make arrangements for an every-other week or monthly session?

Especially for the new students, it is important to be with an instructor on a weekly basis. This allows the instructor to catch and correct a bad habit from taking root. Our instructors pour into our students their passion for the art. Learning and mastering an art form is work. Even among the world’s greatest and most talented artists, work is a critical element of progress. As daily practice is fundamental, weekly time with an instructor helps fine tune this progress and keep an artist moving forward. In addition, time with an instructor is valuable, motivating and life impacting. Keeping this rhythm consistent and steady throughout an artist’s life is a good skill for the artist’s toolbox.



Why is it important to have the same time-slot every week?

The time of day or the day of week that you have a lesson is not what is important. It is the consistency of that time slot. Think of your own weekly lesson as the time slot you have purchased. It is the 30-60 minutes each week that you are working on your art with a master artist. The time slot belongs to you when you make arrangements for your lesson, and it is yours for the entire year. We value your time with your instructor, as much as your instructor values their time with you.



Why does Allegro hold fundraisers? If I am paying for class or lessons throughout the year, why is it encouraged that I participate in Allegro fundraisers too?

First and foremost, Allegro is a non-profit organization. According to the National Guild of Arts Education, organizations such as Allegro rely on 30% of the annual budget to come from donations, grants, and fund raisers We are not a retail facility. We are a school. In order to keep tuition affordable, we must supplement tuition income with fund raising. Fundraising allows us to:
• Offer tuition assistance in the form of scholarships
• Attract and maintain our high standard of instructors
• Launch new programs Allegro relies on donations from the community and funds raised through outreach events such as the many in-house fundraisers it hosts each year, to cover the costs not fulfilled by tuition payments alone. Your involvement in Allegro fundraisers is not required. But community outreach is one of the pillars and main purposes of the arts school – to reach the community through art and to expand the enrich others in their love of art. We love to spend time with our students, instructors, their families and the community. We enjoy working together towards our financial and community goals. We hope you will choose to be part of these efforts with us!