FAQs & Policies
General School FAQ
We offer month-to-month billing with no long-term contracts! Our monthly membership includes one 45-minute private lesson per week for a flat rate of $215 per month.
There's a one-time registration fee of $39 per student to start your monthly enrollment, and to cancel your membership, we require just seven days notice before the end of the month.
Note: We also offer $20/month off current rates for students whose lessons are done exclusively online!
Check out our Pricing Page for more price info.
For new students, your first 45-minute lesson is just $25 with no commitment required! Book Your Trial Lesson Here. One trial per student.
After you attend your first lesson, watch for an email from us with the subject "Thank you for attending!" That email will have all the info you need to pay your first monthly invoice and reserve your weekly spot. (Yes, that email subject line is a little vague. Unfortunately we're stuck with it.)
We'll hold your spot for a couple days, and we'll reach out via text before giving it away to another student. If you'd like a different time or teacher than the one you attended for your trial, or you don't receive that email, text us at 512-817-3663 and we'll help you reserve your weekly spot.
(If you take a trial lesson and decide not to sign up, please text to let us know, so we can open that spot back up sooner. Thanks!)
Our private music lessons are 45 minutes long, held once per week—and yes, your monthly membership keeps the same weekly time and teacher reserved for you!
Our teachers and students love the 45-minute length, since it allows enough time to review past material and practice something new without feeling rushed, but it’s not so long that students can’t stay engaged. It's great for younger kids too, since it allows enough time to do multiple shorter activities in a single session.
We offer both options: In-person lessons at our school in Leander, or online lessons from the comfort of your own home.
When choosing a teacher and time for your trial lesson, be sure to look carefully at the lesson locations! Online lessons will be marked clearly as "Online," while in-person lessons will show the location as "Vivid School of Music."
We were in Cedar Park from 2008-2021, so we were one of Cedar Park’s first music schools—but in 2021, we moved to Leander, TX, just northwest of Austin. The Live Music Capitol of the World is in our backyard!
We're minutes from Old Town Leander, off of S. Bagdad Rd between Crystal Falls and Hero Way.
Our school's not large enough for a front office staff, so we're an appointment-only establishment. If you have questions or need help, please reach out in email at staff@vividmusicschool.com, or text us at 512-817-3663. (Please note that our phone number doesn't work with voice calls, but we check texts frequently!)
For private lessons, ages 4 to around 110. (Theoretically, of course. We haven’t hit our upper age limit yet.)
Our minimum age to start private music lessons is four years old, but success with children that young depends greatly on how involved the parents are at practice time. As for adults – at the time of this writing, our student holding the elder record is 82 years young!
(Note: Saxophone lessons are an exception due to the weight of the instrument, so our minimum starting age for new saxophone students is 10 years old.)
If you're booking a trial lesson and don't see any open times, be sure you're looking at today's date on the calendar! Our system only allows trials to be booked up to 14 days in advance, so if you click on a date in the future, it'll try to look forward from that date—and anything more than 14 days away won't show up. Looking at today's date will show you everything open today, and for the next 14 days.
Why only 14 days? Once you book a trial session, that spot is tentatively held for you until after your trial—so we limit it to 14 days to avoid blocking lesson times too far into the future.
If you don't see anything open, feel free to text us at 512-817-3663 and ask if there's anything open that isn't showing, since there may be a trial spot freeing up soon, or a student stopping at the end of the month, etc. We're happy to help!
If you’re enrolled in our monthly plan and need to stop lessons, fill out this withdrawal form at least seven days before the end of the month, and we’ll stop all future charges. Cancellation requests received fewer than 7 days before the end of the month will take effect at the end of the following month.
Tuition is non-refundable once billed! If you cancel in the middle of a month, you can still use your remaining lessons, or request makeup credits to save them for later.
To cancel your enrollment, you MUST fill out the withdrawal form, as canceling your lessons in your Client Portal does not stop the monthly billing!
We allow lessons to be rescheduled online through your Client Profile with at least 24 hours’ notice. Lessons cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice may not be made up. (We ask for as much notice as possible so our teachers can use that time for other students, but 24 hours is the minimum.)
PLEASE DO NOT SEND RESCHEDULING REQUESTS THROUGH EMAIL OR TEXT. The only way to guarantee that you'll receive a makeup credit is to log in and cancel the lesson on your own in your Client Profile at least 24 hours before lesson time.
If it's your first time logging into our system:
- Go to https://vivid.opus1.io/login
- Enter your email address
- Click the button reading "Get A Login Link By Email"
- Check your email for the link to get into your account
- Look for a little padlock icon on your profile page. This will allow you to set a password, so you won't have to use the email link again. (If you lose your password though, you can always use these same steps to get into your account)
NOTE: Makeup lessons cannot be rescheduled! Makeup spots are limited, and once they’re booked, they’re unavailable to other students—so before you book a makeup lesson, please be sure it’s a time you can attend.
We try not to, but sometimes life happens and we have no choice. Before canceling a lesson, we'll try to arrange a substitute. If that doesn't work, we’ll reach out by text. Please be sure that we have multiple contact phone numbers if needed to ensure we can reach you regarding last-minute schedule changes!
If your teacher needs to cancel, we'll offer the option of either a makeup credit, or an invoice credit toward the following month’s bill if makeups are too difficult to arrange.
Log into your Client Profile and look for the section labeled "Credits." They'll be listed there, along with their expiration dates (if applicable). Find the one expiring first and click "Use" on the button under it. Choose a teacher and time, and you're done!
If it's your first time logging into our system:
- Go to https://vivid.opus1.io/login
- Enter your email address
- Click the button reading "Get A Login Link By Email"
- Check your email for the link to get into your account
- Look for a little padlock icon on your profile page. This will allow you to set a password, so you won't have to use the email link again. (If you lose your password though, you can always use these same steps to get into your account)
Expiration dates:
Makeup credits from student cancellations will expire after 60 days.
Makeup credits from teacher cancellations won't ever expire as long as you're enrolled in lessons, so if there's no expiration date listed on the credit, that means it's a staff cancellation. If you have other credits with expiration dates, use those first!
If you cancel your monthly membership:
All makeup credits will expire 14 days after your billing ends. For example, if you submit your cancellation request on May 12th, your billing will end on May 31st, and you’ll have until June 13th to get your makeups in before the credits expire.
Most of our lessons are private, one-on-one lessons, in 45-minute timeslots. However, if two students sign up together in the same 45-minute time slot, we offer a 60% discount for the second student!
We also have two audition-only Rock Bands that rehearse on Sunday evenings.
Absolutely! There’s no better way to grow as a musician than to perform live, and we encourage it as often as possible.
We host recitals and rock band concerts for students at least 3-4 times a year at a number of live music venues in Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, and Austin. For more details on our upcoming recital, along with a photo gallery of recital photos, check out our recital page.
We don't automatically close for school holidays—so if your lessons are on Mondays, don't worry! All students receive the same number of lessons per year, no matter which day of the week their lessons fall on.
Our monthly tuition covers 48 lessons per year. The four weeks not included in the monthly tuition are:
- SPRING BREAK WEEK (Leander ISD calendar)
- 4TH OF JULY WEEK
- THANKSGIVING WEEK
- CHRISTMAS WEEK
Some teachers choose to teach during those weeks, so it’s possible to use them for makeup lessons or extra lessons. For all other holidays, including Memorial Day, Labor Day, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, etc, we are open as normal! If your teacher will be out that day, we'll let you know in advance, and we’ll add a makeup credit to your account to re-book it another day.
Under this system, some months will have five lessons, some will have four, and some will have three - but the final lesson total for the year should always be 48.
We’ll follow forecasts on weather.com to determine whether roads are safe enough to conduct lessons at the school. If roads are unsafe, we'll move to online lessons that day, using whatever platform the teacher and student choose (Zoom, Google Meet, Facetime, etc). If the student can't do online lessons or doesn’t have an instrument to play at home, our other bad-weather options are:
- A phone call during lesson time to talk about music theory or discuss future musical projects and ideas, or...
- Your teacher can create and share a 15-20 minute video with things for the student to practice later at home
Decisions on any given day will be made and communicated as early as possible. Since weather is out of our control, we cannot offer makeups or credits to students who choose not to take the online, phone, or video option that day.
Note: Local schools being closed does NOT automatically mean we will be closed! Most of our music lessons don’t start until afternoon, so if roads have improved by that time, we may be open.
Lessons need to be pre-paid, so we require a credit card or bank account on file before lessons can be booked.
Sorry, no cash or checks please.
You can borrow one of ours for the first lesson or two, but for real progress, you’ll need your own to practice at home. Also consider renting before buying! Rock and Roll Rentals in North Austin on Burnet is a great option. Rent a drum set, guitar, or bass for a month, try it out, and see what feels best! Feel free to wait until after the first lesson if you need advice from your teacher on what to buy or rent.
If you’re doing online lessons, having your own instrument is even more important, so you’ll need your own instrument by at least the second lesson.
At this time we do not offer a discount for multiple family members in separate private lessons. However, if two friends or family members are taking a class together in the same 45-minute time slot, we offer a 60% discount for the second student!
Students often take vacations in summer, and that’s fine! However, we can’t hold a reserved space in the schedule without the monthly payment, so for vacations, we offer two options:
You can save the missed lessons as makeup credits to be taken later (as long as you give us at least 24 hours’ notice!)
Or you can take the month off from paying, and we’ll fit you back into the schedule where we have availability when you return, at the current lesson rate for new students.
We can’t guarantee any specific day or time when you come back, however, so if you really like your teacher and your lesson time, we recommend keeping your billing going and working in those makeup sessions when you return.
Note: As of October 2023, there is a $29 re-enrollment fee for returning students.
This question was on our online registration form for years because—well, because we think we’re hilarious.
The answer we were looking for, of course, is “African or European?”—although we’re pretty impressed that so many of you actually took the time to google it and respond that the actual airspeed velocity is approximately 24 miles per hour, or 11 meters per second.
In case you're still not following us, the joke stems from the movie “Monty Python and the Holy Grail."
Here’s the scene from the movie where the joke is first set up: https://youtu.be/liIlW-ovx0Y
And the scene from the movie where the actual question is asked and the answer given: https://youtu.be/Wpx6XnankZ8
We got a kick out of seeing so many varied answers to that one, so thanks to everyone for playing along!
Rock Band Program FAQ
Currently our band members range from 11-18 years old, but age is less important than attention span and willingness to practice!
You don't need to be an expert in your instrument, but you'll need to be able to follow along during rehearsal. We hand out sheet music with tab and chord charts, so we recommend going over those in your private lessons.
It's okay if you can't read or play all your parts right away!
As long as you practice your parts between rehearsals, that's what counts—and we'll simplify parts as needed. We can't spend group practice time teaching everyone their individual parts, but band members get plenty of guidance when they're learning something new. Your private teachers can help too!
Note: Band practice is fun, but we cover a lot of ground in practice each week. Members are expected to stay in practice mode even when they’re not actively playing, and be ready to jump in when their part’s up.
Band fees are separate from private lesson fees, and cover a one-hour 45-minute rehearsal once per week, plus recital and performance fees.
Current Vivid private lesson students: $149/month
Students not currently in private lessons at Vivid: $189/month
Rehearsals are one hour and 30 minutes long, once per week (except for the school's regular vacation weeks). We practice in a separate location about nine minutes from our Leander school, near New Hope and Lakeline Blvd (near the Good Lot).
Band openings depend on several things: which instruments are currently in the band, the abilities of the players, complexity of the current music, etc. If you're interested in joining a band, text us at 512-817-3663 or email us to see which spots we currently have open.
If we have multiple players on the same instrument, it's possible you may not play your main instrument on every song. We create our own song arrangements, so we can get creative!
If there isn't a band opportunity that works for you right now, we'll add you to a waiting list for an open spot or a future group.
Your first band session is free and serves as an evaluation for both the students and the teachers. Joining the band is a commitment and we want to make sure it’s the right fit! You won’t be automatically enrolled after your first session, so when you decide you’re ready to join for real, be sure to let us know.
Our band program isn't a six-week or ten-week thing. It's a real band with no set ending date, so it lasts for you as long as you want it to.
You'll create real bonds with your bandmates, and as you continue to play together, you'll get better (both individually and as a group). And as your set list grows, you'll get to play cooler shows over time! Members may move on and be replaced over time as needed, but for the most part, band rosters will stay pretty consistent.
We cover a lot of ground each week, so it's important to attend rehearsals!
If you need to miss a rehearsal, be sure to notify us ASAP via text (512-817-3663) or email (staff@senseandcolor.com) so we can arrange to cover your part that day.
There are no makeups for missed band rehearsals. If a member misses enough rehearsals to affect the band’s ability to perform, their parts may be given to other members, at least temporarily.
Bring your music (and a pencil) every time! You'll learn MUCH faster if you pay attention to your music and take notes to use at home.
If you're on guitar, bass, or violin, bring those to every practice, along with your tuner, capos, picks, etc. (Be sure to get a protective case and never leave stringed instruments sitting in a hot car!)
Practice can get a little loud, so earplugs (designed for live music situations) are recommended.
We have cables, amps, drums, keyboards, music stands, mic stands, and microphones, so you don't need to bring those!
Our rock bands play at the end of our recitals (approx. four times per year), and there are band-only shows as well.
Our favorite venue is Kick Butt Coffee in Austin, but we've hosted recitals at a number of live music venues in Cedar Park, Leander, Pflugerville, and Austin over the years, including Steamer Lane, One-2-One, Hanovers, Smooth Village, and Cherrywood Coffeehouse.
We usually debut 3-4 new songs at each performance, but the goal is to build and maintain a polished set list long enough to play real shows—so songs may stay in the rotation indefinitely.
Covers are nominated by band leaders and members—and we write our own music too! Our current sets include songs like:
- Into The New - Vallejo
- Black Hole Sun - Soundgarden
- American Idiot - Green Day
- The Middle - Jimmy Eat World
- Say It Ain't So - Weezer
- Zombie - Cranberries
- Love Song - The Cure
- Jenny Says - Cowboy Mouth
- All The Small Things - Blink 182
- Gold On The Ceiling - The Black Keys
- Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
- Gossip - Maneskin
- Flagpole Sitta - Harvey Danger
- Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Billing is month-to-month, with no contracts.
We require at least 7 days’ notice before the end of the month in order to cancel billing, but remember that being in a band is different from private lessons. There are other students depending on you!
If you need to leave the group, please try not to leave in the few weeks before a show, and give as much notice as possible so we can start recruiting for a new member. (Ideally, we'd love it if departing members stayed with the band until their replacement is found—but that's just a request, not a requirement.)
Tuition is non-refundable once billed! If you cancel in the middle of a month after paying for that month, you can still attend all remaining sessions that month if you choose.
