Is My Child Too Young for Lessons? (Guitar is an exeption! Read the whole answer) Our instructors agree that for most instruments, seven years old is a good starting place. It takes discipline and focus to learn an instrument and if a child starts too early, they can become frustrated and lose interest in music altogether. For guitar, the lower age is nine. This is because of hand size and strength. Part of learning the guitar is learning to play chords. There are many that are easy--but we quickly get to the point where more strength is needed to play some of the chords. A nine year old can develop the strength for this, younger children typically can not. Back to top
	Am I Too Old for Lessons? Heavens no! Back to top
	Where are you located? The Asbury School of Music is located in the facilities of Asbury United Methodist Church at 6612 Creedmoor Road in North Raleigh. See map. To find us if you're traveling north on Creedmoor from Glenwood Ave., we are a right turn just after Lynn Road. If you're traveling south on Creedmoor from I-540, take a left turn at Sawmill Road, take the second right at Valley Drive, and take a right turn at Rangecrest Rd. This will take you into the church parking lot. Your instructor can give you specific instructions on how to find their studio. Back to top
	Can I register for less than a full semester? If the semester is underway, you can register for the balance of the semester. For instance, if you wanted to start at week five of a 15 week semester, if there was room in the schedule, we could register you and prorate the cost accordingly. If you register prior to the beginning of a semester, typically you would have to register for the whole semester. Summers are different. We realize that people have to work around vacation schedules so you can register for as few as four lessons during the summer semester. Back to top
	If I drop out after the semester has begun, do I still have to pay? Can I get a refund? Sometimes, students can't coordinate their schedules with their instructor. In such cases, we can issue you a refund before the semester begins and before you have taken any lessons. Once the semester begins however, you are responsible for the full amount of tuition even if you decide to drop out. Instructors schedule lessons with the understanding that they can rely on your tuition for their income. When you are scheduled for a lesson, that time is blocked off; other students who may want that time are turned away. If you drop out, it is uncertain and unlikely that the instructor would be able to find somebody to fill that slot for the rest of the semester. That's why our policies require that you agree to pay for a full semester. Back to top
	Why don't you have the same holiday schedule as the schools? With the advent of year-round schools, holiday schedules within the Wake County system are not consistent from school to school. Students who attend private schools have still other holiday schedules. Because of this, it is just not practical for us to follow school holiday schedules. We do not hold lessons on Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas week or New Year's. Instructors will either take Good Friday or Easter Monday off. Instructors have flexibility regarding other holidays but they will let you know at the beginning of each semester when classes will not be held. Chances are that if you have a school holiday, Asbury School of Music is still holding lessons that day. Weather is the big exception. Unless we specifically tell you otherwise, when Wake County schools are closed because of inclement weather, Asbury School of Music is too. Back to top
	Why do we only get two makeup lessons per semester? Sometimes you need to miss a lesson. We understand that. However, with a full schedule, an instructor will typically be there whether you are there or not. They have students before and after your lesson. Since they have to spend an equal amount of time in a make up lesson, they are getting paid for only half of the time they have set aside for you. Back to top
	Why Can't I Pay Tuition Fees Online? Online credit processing is costly. The credit card companies charge a fee and the online processing companies also charge fees. Even with the best deal, the additional cost would be at least $25.00 per student per year. We just couldn't justify raising everybody's tuition to cover those charges. Back to top
	In Case of Bad Weather, How Will You Let Us Know If You Are Open? If the Wake County School System is closed, we are closed. If there are any exceptions, we will contact you personally to let you know. If you haven't heard from us, stay home. We will let you know how we will make up the lessons later. Back to top
	Do you provide instruments if I don't have one? Students have to supply their own instruments. We do have pianos at the school but piano students must have at least a keyboard at home. Good quality guitars can be purchased nowadays at a reasonable price. Other instruments such as strings, brass, and woodwinds are often rented from a music store. In our area, students often rent instruments from Burrage Music Company. Back to top
	Do you have recitals? We have student recitals at the end of the winter semester, typically in April. Recitals are important. They give students confidence and experience performing in front of an audience. We don't have recitals every semester because the work required to get ready for recitals can take up half of the teaching time. So we feel like a good balance is to have a recital once a year. Back to top