Important Information for Prospective Music Students

From Dr. Peggy Grant, Music Registrar:

Hello, and welcome to CCM Prep! As Music Registrar, I help new students enter into this community of highly trained teachers and performers and answer your questions and concerns about music study at CCM Prep.

Initial Contact

Once I connect with you, I will forward your contact information to the teacher who seems the most appropriate for you, given your background, goals  and schedule. The instructor will contact you directly to discuss scheduling and to agree upon a weekly lesson time and length. If for some reason you do not hear from the teacher within a reasonable period of time, please contact me again at 513-556‐2637 or e-mail me at peggy.grant@uc.edu.

Scheduling and Attendance

Our Program Booklet and Student Handbook contain attendance policies, calendar, special events and other important information for students. Please read them carefully before you make a final determination about lessons. The Prep calendar provides one week for make‐up lessons at the end of each semester, but otherwise our teachers are busy professionals and cannot always accommodate additional schedule changes. If you have concerns about scheduling, please discuss them with your teacher before you begin lessons. Please note that we are unable to extend registrations past the semester for which tuition was paid. If you know you will have conflicts, you may choose to sign up for fewer lessons as long as you are able to work it out with the teacher.

Moving Forward

Once you have decided to go forward with lessons, please confirm it with me and then mail, fax or bring the registration form to the Prep office. You can obtain the form from our office, from the Program Offerings booklet or from this website. We must have the signed registration form and tuition payment before the first lesson. You may bring it with you on the day of the first lesson if you wish.

Trial Lessons

Many of our teachers offer the four‐lesson trial package for $125. This option allows students to try out lessons before committing to an entire term. If you would like to start with trial lessons, please let me know in advance, as some teachers do not participate in this option. Bring with you the registration form and payment of $125 (check, cash or credit card). If you continue with lessons, $25 will go toward your registration fee.

Calendar

Our calendar includes two semesters during the academic year (mid‐September‐late January and late January‐mid‐May). Each semester contains 15 weeks and one additional make‐up week. We also offer lessons during the summers. Since we are housed at University of Cincinnati, we observe its official holidays and break schedules.

Registration and Payment

New students fill out the annual registration form and pay the $25 registration fee and semester tuition (or trial lesson fee) when they begin lessons. If they start after a semester is in progress, we prorate tuition for that semester. Continuing students fill out the annual registration form at the beginning of each academic year.

Our teachers are paid only after the students pay; therefore, it is important to pay the tuition or make payment arrangements before beginning lessons. We do offer a two‐payment option with a $15 processing fee. Other options may be worked out with our assistant director if necessary.

Surcharge

Some of our teachers have been with us for a long time, hold terminal degrees in their fields, and/or have a great deal of teaching experience. Lessons with these teachers have an added surcharge. Faculty with surcharge rates have an asterisk (*) beside their names on the faculty pages.

Lesson Options

We offer 30-, 45- and 60-minute weekly lessons. Students register and pay for lessons at the beginning of each term. Students may register for fewer than 15 lessons only at the beginning of a semester and only with the instructor’s prior approval.

Parking

You may park in the CCM parking garage. There is a ten‐minute grace period in which you may drop off your child. Value Passes (valid for 25 hours) are available from Parking Services.

For the convenience of our students, we will now be selling parking passes in the office. You may still order them online through parking services, or simply purchase one in person at the office or call us and we will add one to your tuition invoice.

Parking passes can be purchased in 25-hour ($40) or 50-hour ($80) increments. Only registered prep students may purchase parking passes.

Some people choose to park on the street. Depending on the time of day, this can be a cost‐effective option. However, please allow more time in order to find a parking spot! 

What to Expect at the First Lesson

On‐campus lessons happen in classrooms at the Cincinnati College‐Conservatory of Music on the very busy UC campus. You may encounter college students, community people going to a concert, Prep families, and visitors. Sometimes the parking garage becomes crowded or even full, so be sure to allow plenty of extra time to park and find your way. Ask your new teacher where to meet, and be sure to exchange cell phone numbers before the first lesson day. Many people arrange to meet the first time at the CCM Prep office, located in room 3860 of the Corbett Building, directly across from the elevator doors on level 3. After that, your teacher will probably ask you to come directly to the room.

Off‐Campus and UC Blue Ash music lessons

New this year are private voice, guitar, violin and piano lesson offerings at CCM Prep's new UC Blue Ash campus (formerly Raymond Walters College). Costs begin at $25 per lesson. See the Satellite Locations page for more information.

A few of our faculty members teach off-campus, either in their home studios or at other public places. They do not travel to individual homes to teach. Regardless of location, you are considered a student of CCM Prep with all the advantages and expectations of our students.

Additional Program Options

We encourage our music students to participate in ensembles, chamber music, music theory classes, summer camps, recitals, and special events. I can tell you about these options and help you decide which ones would suit you best. Our web site contains a wealth of information about all of our programs.

If at any time along the way you have questions or other concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at 513‐556‐2637 or peggy.grant@uc.edu, or the CCM Prep office at 513‐556‐2595.