Welcome to
the Vancouver Conservatory of
Music
We want to express our gratitude for choosing VCM as your place to learn music. Please carefully review our lesson policies to ensure that VCM is the right fit for you and your family.
Statutory Holidays and Winter/Spring
We are generally open on all statutory holidays to ensure students’ learning does not stop.
Academic year
The academic year at VCM consists of three following semesters.
First Semester
From
September 1st
To
January 31st
Second Semester
From
February 1st
To
June 30th
Summer Semester
From
July 1st
To
August 22nd
Class tuition is paid monthly and stays the same throughout the year, whether there are four sessions, five sessions, or three due to semester breaks.
The winter break is scheduled from December 23rd to January 3rd, the spring break from March 19th to March 26th, and the summer break from August 25th to August 31st.
Tuition Fees For 2024-2025 Per Month
Levels / Time
30 minutes
45 minutes
60 minutes
Preparatory
$180
$240
$310
VCM (1-3), RCM (1-3)
_
$240
$310
VCM (4-8), RCM (4-8)
_
$270
$340
VCM (9-10), RCM (9-10), ARCT & LRCM
_
$380
$480
Group classes with two students
_
$170
$195
Group classes with three students
_
_
$150
Payments
Tuition fee
Tuition fees are charged every semester through one of the following payment methods:
- E-Transfer
- Cheque
- For E-transfer please make the payment through vancomus@gmail.com.
- Students or parents/guardians who wish to pay the tuition by check must provide at least five post-dated checks dated to the first of each month.
- There will be a $40 charge for any NSF (Non-Sufficient Funds) fees which will need to be paid within 7 days of notice by cash or e-transfer.
Annual School Fee
Each student is required to pay an annual fee of $60, which covers personalized materials, printing supplies, the use of professional audio equipment, and access to copyrighted sheet music from Musescore and 8 Notes within the school. Additionally, for online courses, a school fee of $20 will be charged. These fees will take effect starting in September of each year.
Deposit
All students are required to pay a non-refundable deposit equal to one month’s tuition fee on the registration day. When the student decides to discontinue the lesson, the deposit will be credited towards the last month of attendance if proper one-month notice is given.
Make-up Lessons
- Make-up lessons are offered as a courtesy and are not guaranteed and/or to be available at your most convenient time.
- If students register in the second half of the semester, they are eligible to have one make-up lesson only; if they register in the last month of the semester, there is no make-up lesson.
- If you anticipate being absent for a specific lesson, kindly inform us in advance to facilitate the planning of a potential makeup session. A minimum notice of 24 hours by email to vancomus@gmail.com is required prior to your scheduled lesson time is required.
- Two make-up lessons, per student, per semester (one make-up for the summer semester), are allowed, space permitting. If your family is bringing two students, each student must be scheduled individually.
- Make–up lessons must be used within the current semester, and they are not to be carried over into any other semester.
- Although a teacher will make two attempts to schedule a make-up private lesson, it is your responsibility to confirm your child’s make-up lesson. If there is no response after the teacher’s second attempt to contact you, the lesson will not be made up.
- Once the make-up lesson is scheduled, please record the date and time accurately. If the student misses the make-up lesson without 24-hour notice, that lesson will not be made up.
Makeup classes may be conducted online or even by a different instructor.
Make-up lessons will not be provided for late arrivals and absences without prior notification.
Termination
- If students wish to withdraw or discontinue lessons, a four-week notice is required by email to vancomus@gmail.com.
- The remaining lessons are non-refundable and non-transferable to others including siblings.
Time & Lesson Change
When students or parents seek to change their lesson schedule or switch to a different instrument, a four-week notice period is required.
Social media consent
We are seeking your consent to showcase student accomplishments on our platforms. This includes photographs, videos, images, and names of students on our school website, social media, newsletters, posters, and videos. This is aimed at promoting school spirit and community while informing all stakeholders about our activities and accomplishments.