What are your office hours?

We are open by appointment only.  

We have set hours that we teach, of course and they vary by day, time and location. We teach weekday mornings and afternoons. We are closed on Saturdays and Sundays.  Call or text for an appointment 256-348-6634.

What age students do you accept?

We offer musical programs for every member of your family …  from babies 12 weeks up through seniors.

• Our Early Childhood Music ~ Give Them the Best Start accepts babies from 12 weeks through beginners at age 8 years.  New students may enroll beyond that age if interested.  Sometimes we do piano lab and catch them up the advanced classes, depending on their ages.
• Piano Lessons- we offer piano lessons in private and group depending on the age of the student and where you live.
• Guitar Lessons– the guitar is included in our Early Childhood Music program (Kids N Keys Level 5).  It is also offered in private lessons starting at age 8.  Call for an evaluation appointment if under age 8.
• Private Instruction– we offer private piano, guitar and special needs lessons based on your scheduling needs and our availability.
• Special Need Piano Lessons– we offer private and group lessons for individuals with special needs of many varieties.
• Camps and Workshops – we offer various types of workshops, temporary classes and summer programs.  Register for our newsletters to keep up to date!

Feel free to call the office for a non-obligation appointment to discuss your enrollment interests and desires!   256- 348-6634

When is the best time to enroll?

Glad you asked!  Welcome to Perfect Praise Music!

We offer two types of lessons… on-going and sessions. Entry points differ by class types.

Open Enrollment in our On-Going Private Lessons:  In our on-going structure, new students may enroll at any time based on availability of openings. One month advance termination notice is required to withdraw from our on-going program.  See Termination Guidelines below.

Sessions:  Some of our program types require session commitments. All of our Early Childhood Department classes require session commitments. Progressive classes are session commitments, and you are responsible to pay for the full session tuition even if you don’t attend the lessons.

How do you structure your billing?

As with any business, time is money.  We have set structures in place to helps us keep our fees low.  Recurring billing saves us both money.   We ask that each family provide us with a Visa, MasterCard, Discover debit or credit card that we run automatically to fund your monthly tuition. We also accept bank drafts to savings and/or checking accounts.

Our recurring billing structures with Quick Books is safe for you and simple for us.  Once you are in our system, your bank account is charged on the 1st, even if it falls on a Sunday.  Quick Books posts your payment directly to your account with us.  If it is declined for some reason, they will notify you and us.  We give you until the 10th of the month to get your account current again to avoid late fees.

• We operate a paperless system so you will not receive a tuition invoice.
• Tuition is charged by the month, in advance.
• You are charged for lessons that you miss or cancel as we are holding a space just for you.
• Tuition is not refunded for any reason.
• We do NOT accept monthly cash or checks.

Advance Payment:  If you desire to pay full session in advance, we permit you to do so, contact the office for details.

What is your Weather Cancellation Policy?

One thing that is certain about Alabama weather is that we experience all the variances that Mother Nature has to offer!

We have been advised by our attorneys to follow the Huntsville City School system as they have more resources at hand than we do.

Our Weather Policy is that if the Huntsville City School System has announced closing due to anything except snow, we will follow their lead.  So if they close at 2:00 for all after school activities, we will close also.  If they open at 10 a.m., we will open at 10 a.m. also.

HOWEVER, with all that said, in our Post-Covid culture, we go to our REMOTE format when weather is threatening. But to do so we have to have internet.  Keep subscribed to our text-friendly Remind System to receive an alert when weather is threatening.

Weather-related tuition for cancelled classes are neither rescheduled (due to full schedules) or refunded, since those cancellations are out of our control.

What are Performance Fees?

Our programs involve our students with performing in class time and on stage.  Comfortable performing skills are vital life skills, which is an incredible side benefit of our musical programs. Performance skills are developed early with our Perfect Praise Music’s structure and filter down into every area of a person’s life.   We give many performing opportunities in the class room, at the school’s location and in two annual Formal Recitals held outside of our facility.

A Performance Fee is charged for events that cost us money.  When we announce our upcoming event,  we also announce the Performance Fee associated with it.  This fee will range between $35 and $50 each recital, depending on what our costs are.  Your Performance Fee will be charged to your auto account one month prior to the event. 

All registered students will be involved in and be charged for the Performance Fee except for the three groups listed below.

• Adult Students are only charged the Performance Fee if they opt into performing.
• Students with Special Needs, dementia etc. who are unable to participate because of their abilities.  If the student is able to participate, then they are included in the event and will be invoiced for the Performance Fee.

Put it on your calendar and get ready to have fun and do your best.

Do you operate year round?

We offer lessons year round, maintaining the same schedule throughout.

Can I take the summer off?

We operate year round; you have two options should you desire to take time off for any reason, including summer breaks.

1.  Remain Enrolled:  If you desire to hold your class time, full tuition is charged until you attend again.  Most families choose to remain enrolled because they don’t want to lose their space or go through the enrollment processes again just to take a break for the 8 weeks of summer. That keeps their space secure for Fall lessons, and takes a light touch to their summer studies, without them losing ground.  Note:  Remember that we have virtual lessons  for the Kids N Keys and do virtual proficiency even for the piano lab and private piano students.  So you can have value for your dollars should you desire to use it!
2.  Terminate:   If you don’t want to pay fees during the summer, then you must terminate following our normal termination guidelines.  When ready to return to class, you must process paperwork following enrollment guidelines (including application fee), and you’ll be placed in class or lesson time based on current availability of openings.
   1. On-Going:  Remember to give one month advance notice if in an on-going program.  For summer breaks, that means you must give written notice by end of April to withdraw the last of May.
   2. In a Session: You must pay for the length of the session commitment, regardless of whether or not you attend. So plan ahead!

Does my tuition vary by the calendar?

Our tuition rate is based on a four-week month and the tuition remains the same regardless of the number of lessons in each month.  Two or three times a year, you will receive five lessons in a month at no additional cost to you. So it may average out to approximately four lessons per month depending on the day of the week that your lesson occurs.

What is your termination policy?

When you are enrolled in Perfect Praise Music, we reserve a place just for you. Your commitment has kept someone else from being enrolled; so we must charge you for lessons that are attended or not.  We have two types of programs, On-Going by the month and Session Commitments.   The termination policy varies by these types:

• On-Going:  Class Types for On-Going:  The following class types follow this policy:  Baby, Tots, 3-4 years, Piano Lab, Private Instruction (piano and guitar).
  • Once enrolled in our on-going program, you must give written, signed termination notice in the office by closing time on the last working day of the month.  So if you plan to withdraw the end of December, you must have signed notice of termination in our office by the last working day of November.  Then you pay for December and are withdrawn.  For summer breaks you need to give signed written notice in the office by the close of business the last working day of April.  Your last class will be the end of May.  (See Taking the Summer off above.)
• Session: When enrolled for a Session Commitment, you may withdraw only at the end of a session.  Send in an email to the office or give written notice to the office when the teacher is seeking new session apps for the next level.   You must pay for the length of the session commitment, regardless of whether or not you attend. So plan ahead!

Why is your preschool program group instead of private?

We understand the thinking that private instruction may be better than group instruction.  For instance, private swim lessons may be better than class swim lessons because of the individualized attention. However, that is not true for music classes for children under age 8 years.  If you had twin 7 year olds and placed one in traditional method books in the Piano Lab or private instruction with us, and one in our group Kids N Keys programs, you would not believe the difference in their abilities at the end of 2.5 years.  The Kids N Keys student’s abilities at the piano, the developed ear training, composition skills and confidence performing would greatly surpass that of the one who studied private lessons only … even with us!

Here are some of the differences between private instruction and class piano in our ECM Kids N Keys classes.

1. ECM involves the piano, which is the number-one instrument for brain function enhancement, but also includes the recorder (a pre-band instrument), and the guitar.  Younger classes have fun with all types of rhythm instruments and drums.
2. ECM involves open windows of opportunity for brain function enhancement while the brain is actively wiring. Successful private instruction starts at an age when these windows of opportunity have already closed.
3. ECM involves singing. Singing enhances and trains the listening ear. Singing enhances our immune system and engages the brain. Usually private instruction does not include singing or ear training.
4. ECM involves the partner in the learning process. This gives the child a built-in tutor at home. This is very important for a young child, and the partner has the opportunity to learn right along with the child. They experience it together. In private instruction usually a parent is not usually present.
5. ECM involves friends, and this brings up a powerful element we call positive peer pressure. The importance of class time dynamics is something that cannot be overly-stressed. Children are extremely competitive; if a child is struggling with something, they look over at another child who is excelling at it, which motivates him/her to work harder not to be outdone, whereas in private lessons, the student has no one to compare themselves to, so the learning pace is usually slower.
6. ECM involves performance skills. Right from the first month of Kids N Keys classes, the students perform for each other—for a reward, of course. Then when it is time to perform on stage, it is easy for them to do so because they are performing with their friends. Whereas private students don’t have the opportunity to perform in front of others on a frequent basis, so stage fright is more of an issue.
7. ECM involves rewards and fun. We encourage hard work! Children learn that if they work hard they get rewarded. We praise their accomplishments and gently guide them into proficiency. Private instructors can gear towards having fun, however who will have more fun ,,, when there are two in a room (one adult and one child) or a classroom full of children?
8. ECM involves worship. The Bible tells us “To worship Him with stringed instruments and organs.” “Sing and make music to the Lord,” etc. When we are obedient to those commands, we are the benefactors. Even in a worship school, private lessons makes the worship component more difficult because of time constraints limiting students from picking up a tambourine and praising the Lord.
9. ECM involves composing. God has placed inside each of us the ability to create. Those God-given gifts are brought into action by composing songs in each level of Kids ’n Keys. Usually private instruction does not include composing because of time constraints.
10. ECM involves transposing. Transposing is the ability to change a song into a different tonality to enable a singer to sing. This ability is typically very difficult to learn, but our young students are able to do it because of the internalizing elements of our program. Most traditional private lessons do not include transposing.

In our Kids N Keys department, your child will learn to perform in five different keys, transpose and compose their own songs.  Plus it’s fun!

How can I earn free lessons?

A satisfied customer is our best advertising, and we are pleased that most of our new students are referred to our program by other students. That’s exciting for us; it’s also exciting for you! Early Childhood Department: When you refer someone to any of our programs, you earn a free lesson. It’s our way of thanking you for spreading the word.

To get this credit, the registering family must name you on their application, or you may send our Student Account Administrator an e-mail to notify us of your referral within 30 days of the start date of the new family. Your credited lesson is awarded the next calendar month after your referred family has attended their first month.

There are no limits to how many friends you refer, nor age limit.  So spread the word!