The NKU String Project reserves the right to modify these policies at any time.
Admission into the NKU String Program is open to all students meeting the age, level, and prerequisites for the given class.
Admission to the NKU String Project is subject to available openings. Once maximum enrollment is reached, additional students may be placed on a waiting list and later accepted to the program if an opening becomes available.
To keep the integrity of the program, students who leave the String Project program may not re-enter the program, except in the cases of pre-approved leave-of-absences.
Students in the Prelude, Intermezzo, and Sinfonietta classes are expected to attend both the Wednesday and Saturday classes. Attendance at all classes, events, and performances are expected unless there is illness, emergency, or important conflict. Students are allowed three (3) absences per semester. After three absences, the student will be put on probation, and if additional absences are accumulated, the student may be asked to leave the program. In special circumstances, additional absences may be allowed, but they must be communicated in writing to the NKU String Project Director. Absences from dress rehearsals, events, and performances are not allowed (except in the case of illness/emergency).
Students are expected to be on time for class. Arriving late disrupts the class.
Performance/dress rehearsal/event absences: All NKU String Project performances/events/dress rehearsals are required. The Director must approve absence from any of these ahead of time, unless the absence is due to sudden illness. Missing a performance is very serious, and doing so is grounds for probation or immediate dismissal from the program.
Parents/guardians are required to pick-up their child immediately after the end of class. Students may not be dropped off for class more than 10 minutes prior to the start of class unless they are accompanied and watched by a parent/guardian. Families in violation of this will be placed on probation or asked to leave the program.
Tuition must be paid in full by the first week of classes, unless there is an extreme circumstance. In this case, prior arrangements must have been made with NKU Music Prep. Tuition is paid via online registration in the program.
The NKU String Project is a one-year commitment. Students always have the ability to leave the program, but there are no refunds, partial or otherwise, after the second week of classes. Please register with this in mind. Refunds will not be administered if an all-virtual switch were to occur any time during the year. NKU Music Prep would continue instruction online.
Individual NKU String Project classes may be subject to cancellation due to circumstances including instructor illness, inclement weather, NKU event, northern Kentucky traffic/accident concern, and other potential circumstances. In the event of advanced cancellation, families will receive an email announcement. In the event of a more last-minute cancellation, notifications will be available via email, an announcement on the website, social media (FB, Instagram, Twitter) and when possible, local news stations (especially in the event of inclement winter weather). There are no re-scheduled or make-up classes due to cancellations. NKU String Project tuition is for the entire experience, not per class, so there are no refunds of any type due to class cancellations.
NKU Music Prep and the NKU String Project do the majority of parent communication via email. Families should make sure the email address they have on file is checked on a regular basis. The NKU String Project will send emails to the address that was used to register. Since many of the emails sent will be mass emails, please be sure to add musicprep@nku.edu and gillinghaa1@nku.edu to your email provider’s “safe list.” Our email communication system can only accept storage of one email account per student.
All students are expected to be respectful of their instructors, fellow students, and surroundings. Students who are disruptive and/or disrespectful will not be tolerated.
Students are expected to come prepared for class. This includes having all the required materials which include their instrument, music, and stand, as well as having practiced his/her instrument at home.
Students with continuing behavioral problems or unpreparedness will be referred to the String Project Director and/or the Director of Music Prep and may be placed on probation or dismissed from the program, with or without notice.
All String Project students must purchase a black three-ring binder (1-inch thickness). Students will receive one copy of each piece of music. If the student loses or misplaces his/her music, a charge of $1.00 per piece of music will be charged.
All String Project students must have an instrument in good condition and any required accessories. Students are strongly encouraged to rent an instrument rather than purchase one. Although it may seem like a good deal to buy something online, these purchases rarely work out well. Playing a sub-par instrument greatly hinders the progress of a student. Additionally, youth students will go through several sizes of a single instrument, and renting makes this transition the easiest. The NKU String Project facilitates rentals on their yearly open house day. All instruments rented on this day are considered to be of approved quality. Please see the NKU Music Prep Calendar for Open House dates. Students are welcome to rent from a business of their choice, but the instrument must be pre-approved by an NKU String Project staff member. If a student has been given an instrument or has purchased one, please know that it may not be of acceptable quality. It will need to be approved by a staff member. If it is found to be of unacceptable quality, the student will either need to take the instrument to an authorized string shop to be fixed/upgraded/improved. Some instruments, however, are simply not of acceptable quality, and no amounts of upgrades are possible to improve it to a minimum standard. It is very possible that the student will be required to obtain a different instrument. Any instrument rented or purchased from the local string instrument stores listed on the Resources page are approved.
In addition to having an instrument of acceptable quality, the following is also required:
Broken strings: All students are required to have a full set of spare strings in their case at all times. In the event of a broken string, a String project staff member will replace the string with one of the student’s spare strings. It is then the student’s responsibility to purchase an additional spare string to replace the string that was used.
The NKU String Project is part of the larger American String Teacher’s Association National String Project Consortium, and is therefore subject to certain national standards and guidelines for the program. One of these specifies that students who leave the program are not allowed to re-enter; this is to maintain the integrity of the program.
Occasionally, a family circumstance may arise in which a student needs to leave the program but does not wish to do so permanently. In these cases, the family may request a leave of absence by emailing the Director. Families may request a leave of absence for up to one year. Leave of absences greater than one year are only granted in extreme circumstances.
If a student leaves the NKU String Project without an approved leave of absence, s/he may not re-enter the program, unless there is an extreme situation. In these cases, a written request detailing the situation and why the student wishes to re-enter must be made to the Director.
Students in violation of any of the previously outlined circumstances or are involved in any other any circumstance deemed inappropriate by NKU String Project faculty and/or the Director may be placed on probation. Students placed on probation will remain on probation at minimum for one (1) semester. At the end of the semester, the student will be reviewed and either reinstated as a student in good standing (if the problem(s) has/have been resolved) or dismissed from the program. All decisions regarding probation and dismissal are final.
Students may be dismissed from the program at any time for any violations of policy or any other behavior deemed inappropriate by NKU String Project instructors and/or the Director. For more minor violations, students may first be placed on probation. However, students may also be dismissed from the program without first being placed on probation and without prior notice. Students dismissed from the program are not allowed to re-enter the program.
