Registration and Financial Aid
2019-2020 Financial Aid
If you’d like to apply for Financial Aid for the 2019-2020 school year, please read on to learn more about CMSS’s placement process and tuition. The Financial Aid section, including online application, appears at the bottom of this page.
Resources
Student Placement
We make every effort to ensure an excellent placement between students and our professional faculty. Placements and lesson times are determined by a combination of factors including:
- The student’s interest in a particular instrument or genre
- The student’s age, personality, and learning style
- A faculty member’s availability and the student’s ability to attend lessons during a particular day and time
For private lessons, there are 36 lessons in a full school year. Students may enroll at any time during the year, and lessons will be pro-rated based on how many lessons are remaining in the school year.
For group classes and ensembles, there are 35 classes in a full school year. Not all classes are available for late registration. Please speak with Brooke Hopkins, Director of Enrollment, about pro-rating class tuition.
Tuition Information
2019-2020 Registration Fee for Private Lessons: $50
| Length | Price Per Lesson | Semi-Annual Payment | Full Year Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 minutes | $36 | $648 | $1,296 |
| 45 minutes | $50 | $900 | $1,800 |
| 60 minutes | $62 | $1,116 | $2,232 |
Pay in Full and Early Enrollment discounts available.
CMSS offers financial aid to students in grades K-12 who are 18 years of age and under. Financial aid is considered a need-based award and therefore is awarded based on financial need, seriousness of purpose and motivation, and consistent attendance and progress.
To apply for Financial Aid, applicants must complete these steps by the April 30, 2019 deadline (no exceptions):
- Fill out an online Financial Aid Application.
- Submit a copy of a Federal Income Tax Return (1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ). Tax documents may be scanned/emailed to [email protected], or mailed to or dropped off at CMSS (127 State Street, Springfield MA 01103). BLACK OUT SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER BEFORE SUBMITTING. All financial information will be kept secure and confidential.
- Ask two non-relative adults to submit a confidential Financial Aid Reference Form on behalf of the student. Reference forms may be completed online. You may either choose to send a link to the two people who will fill out the Financial Aid Reference Form. Or, reference forms may be scanned/emailed to [email protected], or mailed to or dropped off at CMSS (127 State Street, Springfield MA 01103). If you would like to hand deliver the Financial Aid Reference Form to the people who will fill out the reference form, click here to download and print the form.
Confidential Financial Aid Reference Forms
Financial Aid Reference Forms must be completed by a teacher, coach, instructor, community leader, religious leader or faculty member. They will not be accepted if they are filled out by a family member.
All applicants must submit two (2) Financial Aid Reference Forms. All applicants currently studying at CMSS must have one Financial Aid Reference Form from their CMSS individual instruction teacher. It is preferable that the second Financial Aid Reference Form also be from a music teacher; however, a reference from an elementary, secondary, or post-secondary school teacher is acceptable.
It is preferable that the reference forms be sent directly to CMSS rather than returned to the scholarship applicant for delivery. Financial Aid Reference Forms can be filled out online by clicking here. Or, reference forms may be scanned/emailed to [email protected], or mailed to or dropped off at CMSS (127 State Street, Springfield MA 01103). If you would like to hand deliver the Financial Aid Reference Form to the people who will fill out the reference form, click here to download and print the form.
Financial Aid applications are not considered complete until two Financial Aid Reference Forms have been submitted. This means that applicants who do not submit tax forms by the application deadline (April 30, 2019) will not be considered a financial aid award.
Confidential Financial Information
All applicants are required to submit copies of their Federal Income Tax Returns (FORM 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ). You may include other supporting financial data (such as private school tuition, etc) with your tax returns.
Tax documents may be scanned/emailed to [email protected], or mailed to or dropped off at CMSS (127 State Street, Springfield MA 01103). We recommend you black out social security information before submitting tax forms.
Your application is not considered complete until copies of your federal tax returns are submitted. This means that applicants who do not submit tax forms by the application deadline (April 30, 2019) will not be considered for a financial aid award. CMSS cannot be responsible for returning forms and supporting documentations. Therefore, applicants should only send copies of all tax and supporting material.
More about Financial Aid at CMSS
Important Information for all Applicants:
- Funds are limited and applying for financial aid does not guarantee that it will be awarded. A complete application form and all supplemental documentation (tax form and two letters of reference) must be submitted to CMSS by the deadline of April 30, 2019 to be eligible for consideration.
- Because funding is limited, priority for financial aid is given to current CMSS students. Financial aid for new students, if available, will be granted to qualifying families who complete their application by the deadline (April 30, 2019).
- Students who have made less than satisfactory progress according to teacher evaluation, not registered on time, not submitted their financial aid application on time, and/or not paid any owed balance by prescribed deadlines may be placed on probation or denied financial aid funding outright. Funding for subsequent semesters during the year will be contingent upon the student’s ability to meet CMSS standards of good attendance, progress and practice, adherence to CMSS policies and procedures, and availability of funds.
Financial aid awards are given as a specific dollar amount and are valid for the full academic year. Financial aid recipients may receive funding for private lessons on one instrument/voice, class, or ensemble. Families with more than one child may receive financial aid funding for up to two children.
Notification of awards will be emailed, along with a link to accept the award via an online form. If financial aid is granted, the applicant must accept the financial aid award via an online form, complete the CMSS registration process online, follow up with the registration team to schedule lessons, and make a deposit in order to fully register and accept the financial aid award.
How do I register for lessons upon acceptance?
Students who would like to reserve a preferred time slot with their instructor may register early (in the spring) and make a four-lesson deposit (calculated to include the financial aid award). The remainder of the tuition will be divided into 9 monthly bills dated from September 2019 to May 2020.