Heart Beats Music School
Harmony Road Group Class Policies
Music learning grows through joyful participation, familiar routines, and a supportive community. Clear expectations help us care for families, support excellent teachers, and keep our small-group programs thriving.
These policies govern enrollment in Heart Beats Music School’s group music programs. By registering, families agree to follow them.
Last updated: October 10, 2026
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01Learning together
Parent & caregiver participation
A parent or caregiver attends and actively participates at every level and age. These are not drop-off classes.
This applies to Toddler Tunes, Music in Me, More Music in Me, Harmony Road, Young Musician, and Keyboard Prep.
Join your child in singing, movement, listening, playing, and other activities. No musical expertise is needed—you are learning alongside your child.
Your participation helps your child feel supported and gives you the understanding to continue music at home.
Siblings & guests
Please supervise your child during class and arrange separate care for children who are not enrolled.
To keep the classroom focused and comfortable for the group, additional children and guests cannot join class. Older siblings may wait in the lobby if they can behave responsibly, although separate arrangements are encouraged.
Parent orientation
Parents are strongly encouraged to attend a live Zoom orientation within the first month of semester classes.
Dates are shared before the semester begins. Live orientation provides the most current information and an opportunity to ask questions.
If you miss the meeting, ask info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com for the orientation video and supporting resources.
Understanding the curriculum helps you participate confidently and support learning at home.
At-home learning
Plan to participate in assigned home activities at least three days each week.
Your teacher provides activities that reinforce class concepts through singing, rhythm games, movement, listening, and keyboard playing.
Short, frequent practice works well for young learners. Daily music-making provides the strongest foundation, while shared activities give your family another way to connect.
Activity sheets are provided at the end of class; some teachers also send digital copies. Find your class recording link in your welcome email or at the top of your digital activity sheet.
02Attendance, makeups & illness
Reporting an absence
Please let the office know at least one hour before class to be eligible for a makeup.
- Email info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com, or
- Text (916) 818-3882.
You may also wish to notify your teacher, but please report your absence through the office email or text number above. This is the channel we use to record absences and arrange makeups.
Missed classes are not refunded or credited toward tuition.
Makeup allowances
Your makeup allowance follows the enrollment period you chose:
- Full semester, in any group program: up to two makeups per semester. This includes full-semester Toddler Tunes, Music in Me, and More Music in Me.
- Short session: up to one makeup per session. If your enrollment continues into the next short session, you have a new one-makeup allowance for that session.
Makeups depend on space in another appropriate class at the same level. Giving enough notice does not guarantee a makeup, but we will help you look for an option that works.
Email info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com to arrange a makeup. You can also look at your Student Portal calendar for possible classes. Please confirm arrangements with the office rather than booking a group makeup yourself.
Using your makeups
- Semester programs: makeups must be taken before the semester ends.
- Short sessions: makeups may be taken during the current session or the immediately following session if your child remains enrolled.
- A carried-over short-session makeup is available in addition to the following session’s one new makeup allowance. It expires when that following session ends.
- If you are not continuing, remaining makeups must be taken before your current session ends.
If no appropriate makeup is available, your teacher will provide the missed homework and an updated at-home activities sheet so you can continue learning together.
Illness & health
Please keep your child home when they are sick. The usual attendance and makeup rules apply.
- Do not attend with a temperature of 100°F or higher, or after vomiting or diarrhea within the previous 24 hours.
- Before returning, your child must be fever-free for at least 24 hours without fever-reducing medication, with no vomiting or diarrhea during that period.
- If your child missed school because of illness, they may not attend an in-person music class that day.
- Your child should feel well enough to take part in the class activities.
- Participating caregivers should also stay home when ill.
Students who are visibly ill or attend in violation of the illness policy may be sent home or have their participation ended for the day. Normal attendance and makeup rules still apply.
Thermometers are available, and we may check a temperature when fever is reasonably suspected. Masks are available on request.
Back to contents ↑03Instruments, recitals & calendar
Instruments & equipment needed for class
These are the instruments your child will need for learning and practice at home:
- Toddler Tunes: no piano or keyboard needed.
- Music in Me & More Music in Me: a piano or keyboard is recommended, but not required.
- Harmony Road, Young Musician & Keyboard Prep: an instrument is required from the first week.
An acoustic piano or digital piano with weighted keys is recommended. A touch-sensitive keyboard may work for very young beginners; your teacher can help you choose an appropriate instrument.
Rentals and rent-to-buy arrangements can help your family get started.
Recitals & performances
Students ages 4.5 and up in Harmony Road Book 1 and above are invited to our three annual recitals. Participation is encouraged and optional.
Recitals celebrate progress and help children build confidence. They usually take place around Halloween, Valentine's Day, and the end of the school year. We share dates, locations, and dress expectations in advance.
When registration opens, choose your recital session through the Student Portal.
Calendar & school breaks
Classes do not meet during scheduled school breaks. Course calendars account for these breaks so students receive the full number of classes in their course.
Scheduled breaks include:
- Labor Day and Memorial Day.
- Thanksgiving week.
- Winter Break.
- One week of Spring Break—dates announced each year.
- One week of Summer Break—dates announced each year.
04Enrollment & continuing enrollment
Your semester or session commitment
Your enrollment is a commitment through the end of the semester or session you choose.
- Toddler Tunes, Music in Me & More Music in Me: full-semester enrollment, with shorter session options. You may choose one short session, continue into another, or enroll for the full semester.
- Harmony Road, Young Musician & Keyboard Prep: full-semester enrollment.
- Installments spread out the cost of your semester or session; they do not make enrollment month-to-month.
If you stop attending before your semester or session ends, the remaining tuition is still due. Missed classes and early withdrawals are not refunded or credited toward another enrollment. The cancellation deadlines below explain when you can cancel a new registration or opt out of the next enrollment period without owing additional tuition.
Learning with a familiar group helps children feel comfortable and build skills together. Your commitment also helps us keep classes small and give each family thoughtful support.
Your enrollment continues automatically
Your enrollment continues automatically into the next session or semester unless you submit the official opt-out form by the deadline.
This applies to every group program: Toddler Tunes, Music in Me, More Music in Me, Harmony Road, Young Musician, and Keyboard Prep. You do not need to register again to keep your child's place.
We share upcoming dates, schedules, and opt-out deadlines in advance, with reminders before the deadline. See Summer semester planning for summer arrangements.
Toddler Tunes, Music in Me & More Music in Me
Your enrollment continues in your child's current program. If you chose a short session, your enrollment continues into the next short session unless you opt out. Your child does not automatically move into a different program based on age.
When another program may be a better fit, we will talk with you about readiness, placement, and available options.
Harmony Road, Young Musician & Keyboard Prep
Your enrollment continues through the appropriate course sequence. We consider your child's readiness, the schedule, and class enrollment, and share the next placement and schedule before the opt-out deadline.
Opting out of the next session or semester
To stop your enrollment from continuing, submit the official group-class opt-out form by the deadline.
- Full semester: at least four weeks before the next semester begins.
- Short session: at least two weeks before the next session begins.
Your opt-out is received when the completed form reaches Heart Beats. Please use the form so we can record your decision and release your child's place; a conversation, text, or email does not replace it.
If your form arrives by the deadline, your enrollment ends with your current semester or session. Any payments already collected for the upcoming period are refunded, and no tuition is owed for that upcoming period.
You do not pay a new deposit when your enrollment continues without a break, so there is no deposit to retain when you opt out.
If you miss the deadline, the tuition amounts in After the deadline apply. Please contact us if you need help understanding your dates or balance.
Complete the group-class opt-out form
Canceling a new registration
If you have just registered and need to cancel before classes begin, contact the office by email or text.
Email info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com or text (916) 818-3882 so we can record your cancellation and help with the next steps.
- Full semester: cancel at least four weeks before the semester begins.
- Short session: cancel at least two weeks before the session begins.
If we receive your cancellation by the deadline, we retain the $75 deposit and refund any payments beyond it. No additional tuition is owed.
If you register after that deadline, the tuition commitment described below applies from the time you register. Your deposit and any other payments are applied toward your balance.
If you miss a cancellation or opt-out deadline
The following tuition amounts apply whether you are canceling a new registration or opting out of continuing enrollment after the deadline.
For a full semester:
- After the four-week deadline, but more than seven days before the semester begins: one month of tuition is owed.
- Within seven days before the semester begins: two months of tuition are owed.
- Once the semester begins: the full semester tuition is owed.
For a short session, the full session tuition is owed after the two-week deadline.
Registration and materials charges are separate from these tuition amounts. We apply payments you have already made toward your balance, including a deposit paid for a new registration. We do not charge a new deposit for an opt-out from uninterrupted continuing enrollment.
The office will confirm any amount still due. Email info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com if you have questions—we are happy to walk through it with you.
Back to contents ↑05Placement, transfers & summer
Age & readiness
Placement considers both age and developmental readiness.
Your child needs to meet the program’s minimum age unless a teacher assessment supports starting earlier.
We consider attention, motor readiness, prior experience, and the needs of the child and class.
- Music in Me generally begins at 3.5 years.
- A child who is not yet ready for Harmony Road Book 1 may benefit from Music in Me first.
- A child showing advanced readiness may begin Harmony Road Book 1 slightly early with teacher approval.
- Aging out of Toddler Tunes or Music in Me does not automatically enroll a child in another program. We will discuss appropriate next steps with your family.
When offered, four-class intro sessions provide an opportunity to try the program and receive teacher feedback. They run over four weeks, or over two weeks with two classes each week.
Transfers & schedule changes
If your schedule changes, please contact the office so we can explore class options with you.
Email info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com. We will look for space in a class that fits your child's age, readiness, and course level, while considering the needs of both groups.
All permanent class changes need office approval; your teacher cannot arrange a transfer independently.
We will do our best to help your family find a workable option. A transfer does not change the semester or session you committed to. If another class is not available, your current place remains reserved and the usual attendance and tuition policies still apply.
Summer semester planning
Your enrollment in Harmony Road, Young Musician, or Keyboard Prep continues automatically into the summer semester unless you opt out by the four-week deadline.
In spring, we send a planning survey to learn about family travel and availability. We use responses to plan a workable class schedule, although we may not be able to accommodate every request.
We share the confirmed schedule before the four-week opt-out deadline so families can decide whether to continue. Your enrollment continues automatically unless you submit the official opt-out form by that deadline.
Individual vacations do not reduce tuition. Any breaks built into the confirmed class schedule are accounted for in the semester’s tuition and billing.
Toddler Tunes & Music in Me
These programs do not automatically continue into summer after the spring program period. Any summer offerings will be announced separately.
06When Heart Beats makes a change
Teacher absences
If your teacher is away, we make every effort to provide a qualified substitute so your class can keep learning together.
If we cannot hold class as scheduled, we will contact you to arrange another way to provide that teaching time, such as rescheduling or another appropriate class.
School-canceled classes do not use your family's makeup allowance. We will make sure your child receives the teaching time you have paid for.
A class with a qualified substitute follows your usual schedule and enrollment commitment.
Class enrollment & viability
Group classes have a minimum enrollment of three students. If enrollment falls below three, Heart Beats may convert the class to a shorter partner class at the same tuition.
For example, a 55-minute group class may become a 45-minute partner class, and a 45-minute group class may become a 30-minute partner class. With fewer students, we can cover the same material in less time while giving each child more individual attention.
The shorter partner-class format is part of your enrollment agreement. If Heart Beats makes this change, your semester or session commitment and tuition remain the same. This conversion is not an optional alternative and does not create a right to cancel or receive a refund.
If a class cannot begin at the start of the semester because of low enrollment and cannot proceed as a partner class, we will discuss other available class times or placements with you. You may decline an offer of a different class time. If the class cannot proceed and you decline those alternatives, we refund your payments for that class, including your deposit.
If we need another adjustment after the semester has begun, we will work with affected families on a plan that supports the group and makes sure students receive the instruction they have paid for. The partner-class policy above still applies if enrollment falls below three.
07Tuition & billing
Your enrollment deposit
Your $75 deposit reserves your child's class spot and is applied toward registration, materials, and tuition.
We apply it first to registration and materials, then apply any remaining amount toward tuition.
- The deposit is nonrefundable if you cancel a new registration.
- After the deadline, the applicable tuition and registration/materials charges apply. Your deposit and other payments count toward your balance.
- If your class cannot begin at the start of the semester because of low enrollment, cannot proceed as a partner class, and you decline other class times offered, we refund your payments for that class, including your deposit.
A benefit of continuing enrollment
When your enrollment continues without a break, you do not pay another deposit for each new session or semester.
Registration and materials charges are billed when a new semester starts. There is no new deposit to retain if you opt out of the next enrollment period.
If you take a break and later return, a new $75 deposit is required to reserve your child's place.
Payment plans
You may pay in full or spread payments out with installments. All plans use automatic billing.
- Full semesters in any group program: payment in full or five installments. This includes full-semester Toddler Tunes, Music in Me, and More Music in Me, as well as Harmony Road, Young Musician, and Keyboard Prep.
- Short sessions of Toddler Tunes, Music in Me & More Music in Me: payment in full or two installments.
If you pay in full, your payment is charged within the seven days before your first class.
If you choose installments, tuition payments begin on the first day of the month in which your class starts and continue on the first of each month. We apply your deposit to registration and materials first and bill any remaining charges as needed.
Installments spread out the cost; your commitment is still for the full semester or short session you chose.
View current tuition, registration, and materials fees
Payment methods
We accept credit and debit cards and ACH bank transfers.
- Card payments include a 3% convenience fee.
- ACH payments have no fee.
- Registration requires a card on file. You may switch to ACH afterward through the Student Portal.
- Instructions are included in your welcome email.
For assistance, contact info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com.
Charter schools & third-party payments
Heart Beats is a vendor with Cottonwood School and Feather River Charter School.
We can also accept Alta Regional Center payments. Contact info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com to discuss the process, which may vary.
If your family uses another charter or homeschool program, contact us in advance to discuss possible vendor arrangements.
Please arrange third-party payment with us before class begins. If those arrangements are not ready in time, you will need to cover tuition and fees while they are being completed. You are also responsible for any costs your institution does not cover, including tuition due for late cancellations or early withdrawals.
08Media consent
We love celebrating students’ achievements, sharing school life with our families, and helping more people discover the joy of music at Heart Beats.
Photos and recordings may appear in:
- Our website, social media, and newsletters
- Advertising, brochures, flyers, and other school materials
- Lobby photo displays and digital signage
- Celebrations of student performances, progress, and accomplishments
We may include students’ first names, never last names or personal contact information. We do not sell student media or authorize other businesses to use it for their own advertising.
Your choice
During registration, you agree to our media policy and acknowledge your right to opt out in writing. Opting out does not affect participation.
- To opt out: Complete our Media Consent Opt-Out form or email info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com.
- From receipt: We will stop new use of materials that identify the person named, including older photos and recordings.
- During activities: Photos or recordings may still be taken. Before sharing group media, we will remove or obscure an opted-out student so they cannot be recognized.
- Your preference stays on file: It continues after enrollment ends unless you change it in writing.
Materials already shared
Please include a link or description of anything you would like removed.
- Allow up to 30 days for review and removal or replacement.
- We prioritize urgent safety concerns. You may note urgency on the form and are welcome to contact the office directly.
- We will address materials we control and request changes from marketing partners.
- We cannot retrieve printed materials already distributed or guarantee removal of copies others have saved or shared.
Families and audience members must have permission before sharing photos or recordings of other students. We cannot control or guarantee their compliance.
Back to contents ↑Frequently asked questions
Can we stop classes partway through a semester or session?
Your enrollment is a commitment through the end of the semester or session you chose, even if you stop attending. Installments spread out the cost rather than making enrollment month-to-month. Please reach out if something isn't working so we can explore options with you.
Will our enrollment continue automatically, and how do we opt out?
Yes—your enrollment continues automatically into the next session or semester in every group program. To stop it from continuing, submit the official opt-out form at least four weeks before a semester or two weeks before a short session. We send schedules and reminders in advance; see the summer planning section for summer arrangements. If you miss the deadline, tuition is still due as described in the policy.
How is our $75 deposit applied?
Your deposit reserves your child's place and is applied first toward registration and materials, then toward tuition. It is nonrefundable if you cancel a new registration. When your enrollment continues without a break, you do not pay another deposit, so there is no new deposit to retain when you opt out. Returning after a break requires a new deposit.
What if my child is sick or misses class?
Please keep sick children home. Email info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com or text (916) 818-3882 at least one hour before class to be eligible for a makeup.
The office will help arrange a makeup if another appropriate class has space. Every full-semester enrollment includes up to two makeups; short sessions include one per session, with a new allowance when your enrollment continues into the next short session.
Does a parent need to participate?
Yes, at every level and age. You'll learn alongside your child—no musical experience needed. Please arrange separate care for children who are not enrolled; these are not drop-off classes.
Can we change classes if our schedule changes?
Email info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com so we can look at options together. The office needs to approve the change, and another class must have space and be a good fit for your child. Your semester or session commitment still applies if we cannot find another class.
What if Heart Beats cancels or changes our class?
If we need to reschedule a class or make another adjustment, we will work with you to make sure your child receives the instruction you paid for. School-canceled classes do not use your makeup allowance.
If enrollment falls below three, Heart Beats may convert the class to a shorter partner class at the same tuition. We can cover the same material faster with fewer students. This change is part of your enrollment agreement; your semester or session commitment still applies.
If a class cannot begin at the start of the semester, cannot proceed as a partner class, and you decline other class times offered, we refund your payments for that class, including your deposit.
What if the class isn't meeting our needs?
Please email info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com. We want to understand what isn't working and explore options with you. Your feedback helps us improve. The semester or session commitment still applies; dissatisfaction does not cancel remaining tuition or create a refund.
Questions? We’re here to help.
Contact info@heartbeatsmusicschool.com or (916) 818-3882 for policy questions or help with your enrollment.
For forms, portal access, and family resources, visit the Student Center.