Our Story

Small beginnings. Big Dreams

General

Where can I park?

There is parking available across the street from The Front Porch’s downtown location at the Water Street garage. The first hour is free. Past that, it is $2 per hour. There is also street parking all around downtown Charlottesville.

Parking at our Dale Ave location is free in The Front Porch lot and on Dale Ave. Please do not park in the Bodo’s Bagels lot.

Are you ADA accessible?

Yes.  If you require wheelchair access please let us know at the time of class registration, or at the time of concert ticket purchase by emailing info@frontporchcville.org. 

I utilize a service dog. Can my service dog accompany me to programming?

Yes, service animals are permitted at The Front Porch.  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines service animals as dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities.  

Can I rent a room or space at The Front Porch?

Yes! Click HERE for more information. 

Can I rent an instrument from The Front Porch?

Yes! Click HERE for more information. 

Does The Front Porch repair instruments?

Unless you have an instrument rented from us, we do not repair instruments.

School

What is the frequency of your lessons? Are they typically once a week, every other week, etc.?

Group classes run weekly, for a block of lessons scheduled as a package. We highly recommend a group class for beginners.  Once you start to nail down those basics it’s good to supplement in some private instruction to tackle any personal challenges/goals.

You have the ability to set your own schedule for private lessons, however the majority of people get the most out of a weekly lesson. 

What style should I start with?

Whichever you’re most interested in would be the best choice, you’ll be more likely to practice that way!

Do you provide lesson books, CD/DVD etc?

Teachers provide online materials (that you can print at home) and/or videos to supplement the class. There are no physical lesson books/DVDs/CDs.

What are the typical hours? Evening, weekends?

Generally, Mon – Thurs, but there are a few teachers who also teach on the weekends.

What is the cost? How is payment handled?

Payment is due at the time of registration.

Private lessons are billed on a subscription basis through our Opus platform. Students can purchase one trial private lesson before they register for a subscription of monthly lessons. A $25 student registration fee for new private students is due upon sign-up.

Group class registration can be found HERE. Private lessons can be found HERE.

Do you offer financial assistance?

Yes!  Please click HERE for more information.

What is your policy on refunds for group classes?
Classes must have a minimum of three students to run. In the event a class is cancelled due to low enrollment, the student has the option to receive a refund, school credit, transfer to another class, or apply the balance to private lessons.
 
Student initiated cancellations 72hrs before the start of a class are eligible for a refund. Once a class has begun, students are not eligible to receive a refund or school credit for misses. Placement issues should be immediately resolved with the Director of School after first day of class.
 
If an in-session class is canceled by The Front Porch for any reason, the student will be notified, and a substitute will be provided. If a sub is not available, a make-up class will be scheduled at the end of the session. Refunds or school credits will be issued to the purchaser’s account if a make-up date is not available

 

Are make-up lessons offered for private lessons?

Private Lesson Studio Policies

Our teachers reserve time on their schedules, plan for your lessons, and invest in the long-term development of each student. To provide regular, quality lessons, the following policies need to be observed.
 
Student Tuition:
A $25 non-refundable registration fee is due at initial sign-up after the trial lesson. Tuition is a flat monthly fee. Most months have four (4) or five (5) lessons, and on rare occasions, three (3) lessons when in observance of major national holidays. Tuition is due on the first of each month and is billed automatically to your credit or debit card via auto-pay.
 
Included in your student registration:
  • Regular weekly lesson time with your teacher, except when the studio is closed for holidays.
  • Two (2) yearly recital performance opportunities at no additional cost (Fall and Spring Student Showcases, on a first come first serve basis. Accompaniments are included in student registration).
*Educational materials, music books, instrument rental and other accessories are an additional cost.
 
Registration Cancellation:
Registrations may be canceled by emailing musicschool@frontporchcville.org. Cancellations must be received by the 15th of the month to take effect at the end of that month.
 
Example: Cancellation Form received on the 16th of May is billed for June and takes effect at the end of June.
There are no exceptions.
 
  • You may withdraw the cancellation at any time before it takes effect but your teacher and/or time slot cannot be guaranteed. A $25 returning student registration fee will be required to re-enroll once the withdrawal takes effect.
  • Active registration is mandatory to participate in our student showcase. All registration(s) will be withdrawn at the time of membership cancellation.
  • All Make-up Lesson Credit(s) on your account expire in 90 days from the cancellation effective date.
  • A $25 returning student registration fee will be required to re-enroll once the withdrawal takes effect
  • Student registrations are not transferable.
  • The Front Porch does not provide tuition refund under any circumstances.
  • The Front Porch reserves the right to terminate a registration, in which case prorated tuition will be refunded.
 
Attendance:
Students are expected to be punctual to their weekly lessons. Students who are late for a lesson cannot be guaranteed their lesson time.
 
Staff Canceled Lesson:
If a lesson is canceled by Front Porch staff a “Staff Cancellation” credit will show up in your account. You will have the choice between a make-up lesson (finding a time with your teacher outside of your normal slot) OR applying a monetary credit to your next billing cycle.
 
Missed Lesson:
  • No tuition credit or refund will be provided for missed lessons.
  • A Make-up Lesson Credit will be issued when a lesson is canceled with at least 24-hour advance notice (by emailing musicschool@frontporchcville.org and your instructor).
  • Cancellations made with less than 24-hour notice will not qualify for a Make-up Lesson Credit (this includes being sick the day of a scheduled lesson). Students can self-cancel a lesson by logging into their Opus school account.
  • No more than three (3) Make-up Lesson Credits can be pending at a time per membership.
  • Your make-up lesson credit can be used to schedule a Make-up Lesson online or by email at any time with your teacher or another available teacher. Make-up lessons are scheduled outside of your normal lesson slot.
  • Make-up Lessons cannot be rescheduled.
  • Make-up Credits are valid for one year, after that they are forfeited.
  • Monetary Credit(s) expires 90 days after student registration ends.
 
Changing Teachers:
You may decide to change teacher or instrument with a minimum 14-day advance notice before the 1st of the month. We cannot guarantee your time slot if you choose to change teachers.
 
Summer (June, July, August):
You may put your private lessons on “Summer Hold” for up to two (2) months with a 14-day notice before the 1st of the month.
Your lesson time and teacher will be reserved only by pre-paying tuition for the returning month. (Latest resume date is September 1st). While on summer hold, students may purchase individual lessons by reaching out to the registrar.
 
Care of Students: The Front Porch is not responsible for providing before or after class care for students.
 
Injuries:
You assume all risk of injury or harm to the child(ren) or adult(s) associated with participation in musical activities at The Front Porch and agree to release, indemnify, defend and forever discharge The Front Porch and its officers and staff from all liability, claims, demands, damages, costs, and expenses in the unlikely event of injury sustained by your child(ren) or adult student during the course or as a result of their participation in Front Porch musical activities.
 
Photo/Video Release:
Unless requested in writing, The Front Porch is granted permission to take photographs/videos of the students to use in brochures, websites, posters, advertisements, and other promotional materials Front Porch creates. Permission is also hereby granted for The Front Porch to copyright such photographs in its name.
 
Disclaimer:
We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
 
Policy effective upon enrollment. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Policies & terms are subject to change
Are make-up lessons offered for Duo Session?

 Duo Session  Policies

Our teachers reserve time on their schedules, plan for your lessons, and invest in the long-term development of each student. To provide regular, quality lessons, the following policies need to be observed.
 
Student Tuition:
A $25 non-refundable registration fee is due at initial sign-up after the trial lesson. Tuition is a flat monthly fee. Most months have four (4) or five (5) lessons, and on rare occasions, three (3) lessons when in observance of major national holidays. Tuition is due on the first of each month and is billed automatically to your credit or debit card via auto-pay.
 
Included in your student registration:
  • Regular weekly lesson time with your teacher, except when the studio is closed for holidays.
  • Two (2) yearly recital performance opportunities at no additional cost (Fall and Spring Student Showcases, on a first come first serve basis. Accompaniments are included in student registration).
*Educational materials, music books, instrument rental and other accessories are an additional cost.
 
Registration Cancellation:
Registrations may be canceled by emailing musicschool@frontporchcville.org. Cancellations must be received by the 15th of the month to take effect at the end of that month.
 
Example: Cancellation Form received on the 16th of May is billed for June and takes effect at the end of June.
There are no exceptions.
 
  • You may withdraw the cancellation at any time before it takes effect but your teacher and/or time slot cannot be guaranteed. A $25 returning student registration fee will be required to re-enroll once the withdrawal takes effect.
  • Active registration is mandatory to participate in our student showcase. All registration(s) will be withdrawn at the time of membership cancellation.
  • Student registrations are not transferable.
  • The Front Porch does not provide tuition refund under any circumstances.
  • The Front Porch reserves the right to terminate a registration, in which case prorated tuition will be refunded.
Attendance:
Students are expected to be punctual to their weekly lessons. Students who are late for a lesson cannot be guaranteed their lesson time.
 
Staff Canceled Lesson:
If a lesson is canceled by Front Porch staff a “Staff Cancellation” monetary credit will show up in your account and will be applied to your next month’s auto-billing cycle
 
Student Initiated Canceled or Missed Lesson:
  • No tuition credit or refund will be provided for student initiated missed or canceled lessons.
Changing Teachers:
You may decide to change teacher or instrument with a minimum 14-day advance notice before the 1st of the month. We cannot guarantee your time slot if you choose to change teachers.
 
Care of Students: The Front Porch is not responsible for providing before or after class care for students.
 
Injuries:
You assume all risk of injury or harm to the child(ren) or adult(s) associated with participation in musical activities at The Front Porch and agree to release, indemnify, defend and forever discharge The Front Porch and its officers and staff from all liability, claims, demands, damages, costs, and expenses in the unlikely event of injury sustained by your child(ren) or adult student during the course or as a result of their participation in Front Porch musical activities.
 
Photo/Video Release:
Unless requested in writing, The Front Porch is granted permission to take photographs/videos of the students to use in brochures, websites, posters, advertisements, and other promotional materials Front Porch creates. Permission is also hereby granted for The Front Porch to copyright such photographs in its name.
 
Disclaimer:
We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone.
 
Policy effective upon enrollment. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Policies & terms are subject to change
Are make-ups offered for group classes?

If a class is canceled by The Front Porch for any reason, the student will be notified and a make-up class will be scheduled at the end of the session. Refunds to the purchaser’s account will be issued if a make-up date is not available. Student-initiated cancellations are not subject to make-ups.

Where can I find out about school cancellations?

The Front Porch follows the Charlottesville City School system’s inclement weather plan for on site classes. Students will be notified of all closings and delays via email. Announcements will also be made on social media.

Who should I contact if I’m interested in teaching at The Front Porch?

Please email info@frontporchcville.org to inquire about job opportunities.

Photo Permission

By registering for this class, I grant The Front Porch permission to photograph or video my/my child’s participation in The Front Porch’s music education programs. I also grant The Front Porch permission to use my/child’s likeness in a promotional capacity including but not limited to print materials, web site, print, online or out of home media and other medium now or later developed; as well as permission to share photography and video including my/my child’s likeness for use by media publications and institutions that fund The Front Porch operations and programs.

Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy 

Effective Date: 06/05/2024

This Privacy Policy explains how The Front Porch collects, uses, and discloses personal information about our customers, prospective customers, and visitors to our website at https://frontporchcville.org/. 

COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION 

We collect personal information through a web form, during registration, while making a reservation, while setting up an account with us, when you contact us for customer support, or at checkout. Personal information we collect directly from you may include first and last name, address, email address, and phone number. 

Information collected from your device: Our website may use technologies such as cookies, web beacons, pixels, and other similar technologies to automatically collect certain information from your device including, for example, your IP address, date and time of your visit, browser and operating system information, referring website address, and other information about how you interact with the website. Our website may also use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your user experience and enable certain features such as keeping track of items you put in your shopping cart. Our email campaigns may also use tracking technologies such as web beacons, pixels and other similar technologies to automatically collect certain information such as your IP address, browser type and version, and email engagement statistics. 

Information collected from our partners: We may collect personal information about you from our third party partners and combine it with other information that we collect. Personal information we collect from our partners may include, for example, your demographic information, shopping history, and geographic location. 

 

USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION 

We may use information collected about you for any lawful purpose, including the following: 

  • To provide you with our products and services, customer service and support, and other relevant information; 
  • To market our products and services to you, including by email and text message subject to your consent; 
  • To provide our website to you, to optimize our website, and to assist with our advertising and marketing efforts; 
  • To send you abandoned cart reminders if you added items to your shopping cart but did not complete check out; 
  • To comply with the law and to maintain the security of our website; or 
  • With your consent, or as otherwise disclosed at the time information is collected. 

DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION 

We may share the information we collect with other parties, including the following: 

  • With third-party service providers to assist us with providing and marketing our products and services, such as payment processors, data hosting services, analytics services, online store support, advertising partners, and email service providers. 
  • With Constant Contact, to send email marketing and text message communications. For more information about how we may use your information with Constant Contact and the information that may be collected through our email campaigns, see Constant Contact’s Customer Data Notice available at https://www.constantcontact.com/legal/customer-contact data-notice.
  • With any affiliates or joint venture partners that we may have in the future. 
  • As part of a corporate sale, merger, or acquisition, or other transfer of all or part of our assets, including as part of a bankruptcy proceeding. 
  • If necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to respond to a subpoena, search warrant or other lawful request for information we receive, or to otherwise protect our rights or the rights of third parties, or to protect the safety or security of any person or entity. 
  • With your consent or as otherwise disclosed at the time of data collection or sharing. 

We may share information that has been de-identified or aggregated without limitation. 

Our website may offer interactive features, such as the ability to leave reviews, that you can use to communicate with other website visitors or to submit and post your own content. If you disclose information in one of these forums, this information can be viewed, collected, and used by others.

 

DIGITAL ADVERTISING & ANALYTICS

We may authorize our advertising partners to use cookies and similar technologies on our website to automatically collect certain information from your device, and we may share information about you, your purchases, and your interactions with our website with our advertising partners. These partners may also collect information from other websites or apps over time, including information about 

relationships among different browsers and devices. Such information can be used by us or our advertising partners to serve more relevant targeted ads. For more information about this type of advertising and how to opt out of targeted advertising from our advertising partners, go to www.aboutads.info.

We may also work with third parties that collect data about your use of our website and other sites or apps over time for non-advertising purposes. We use Google Analytics and other third-party services to improve the performance of the website and for analytics and marketing purposes. For more information about how Google Analytics collects and uses data when you use our website, visit www.google.com/policies/privacy/partners, and to opt out of Google Analytics, visit tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.]

Your web browser may allow you to block or disable cookies; however, parts of our website may not function properly if you do so. 

EMAIL AND TEXT MESSAGE COMMUNICATIONS 

If you wish to unsubscribe from our email campaigns, please click on the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of any marketing email sent from us. If you opt out of our email marketing, we will still send you messages related to our transactions and relationship with you, such as order confirmations. 

If you wish to stop receiving text messages from us, reply STOP, QUIT, CANCEL, OPT-OUT, or UNSUBSCRIBE to any text message sent from us. 

UPDATING YOUR INFORMATION 

When you have an account with us, you may review, change, or update your contact information by logging into your account.

 

CHANGES TO THIS PRIVACY POLICY 

We may update this Privacy Policy at any time. Please review it frequently. 

CONTACT INFORMATION 

If you have any questions about this policy or our privacy practices, please contact us at info@frontporchcville.org.

Concerts

What time do concerts start?

Our concerts run from 8 – 10 PM with doors at 7:30 PM. Concerts that take place on Sundays run from 7 – 9 PM with doors at 6:30 PM. Doors always open half an hour before the concert begins.

 

Do you serve alcohol?

Yes! We serve a variety of wines and beer from Champion Brewing Company.  We also serve non-alcoholic beverages.

What is your capacity?

100 people.

Are your concerts seated or standing?

Our concerts are mostly seated. We can guarantee seats for the first 80 people to arrive. Our seating is first come first served.

Do you serve food?

No.

Are restrooms available?

Yes. We have 3 restrooms in our venue, one with ADA accessibility.

 

Are your concerts for all ages?

Yes. Children 12 and under can attend for free.

How do I purchase tickets for a concert?

There are two ways to purchase tickets – online and in person at The Front Porch. We strongly encourage purchasing tickets online in advance of the show. To purchase tickets online, go to our concert page here.

Are you handicapped accessible?

Yes. Please email clare@frontporchcville.org if you require assistance, we would be happy to help.

Is your venue indoor or outdoor?

Our listening room is indoor. We also run the outdoor concert series Rivanna Roots throughout the summer. For Rivanna Roots questions, please visit the Rivanna Roots webpage. 

Is there assigned seating?

No. Our seating is first come, first served.

Can I bring my own alcohol and food?

No.

What if I can’t make it to the show? Can I get a refund?

We do not offer ticket refunds. There are two options to make sure your tickets don’t go to waste. You can either give your ticket(s) to a friend by forwarding the ticket to them OR you can notify us you won’t be attending and we’ll make sure your seats aren’t empty!

How do I find out if a show is canceled due to inclement weather?

If we have to cancel a show because of inclement weather or other reasons, we will post it on our Facebook Page as well as on the event itself on Facebook and on our website. If you are having trouble finding any of those, please call 434-806-7012 or email booking@frontporchcville.org.

Who do I contact if I want to perform at The Front Porch?

Please review our booking policies here.