Pause / Leave of Absence

A Pause Is Not a Withdrawal

These are two different things, and the difference matters:

**A withdrawal** ends enrollment. It releases the student's weekly time slot, which is then offered to another family. Withdrawals require a written notification to the front desk by the 15th day of the student's final month. When you come back, we place you in whatever time is open — we cannot guarantee the same day, time, or teacher.
**A pause (leave of absence)** holds the student's place. The weekly time slot and teacher stay reserved for the student, and are not offered to anyone else, for the length of the pause.

If the reason you are stepping away is temporary — a sports season, a school production, a family move-in-progress, a medical recovery, a deployment, a semester abroad — a pause is usually the right choice.

How to Request a Pause

Contact the front desk at (833) 281-2690 or makemusic@dallasacademyofmusic.com. Tell us:

The student's name and current lesson day, time, and teacher.
The date you want the pause to begin.
Your expected return date.

We ask for the request in advance of the month in which the pause starts, so the teacher's schedule can be planned. A pause is for a defined period with an expected return date — it is not open-ended, because the whole point is that we are holding a specific hour on a specific teacher's calendar for you.

Before You Pause, Consider the Alternatives

A pause is not always the best answer. If you can keep the slot active in some form, it is usually easier on the student's progress:

**Makeups.** If you know the specific weeks you will miss, cancel each with at least 24 hours' notice and schedule makeups instead.
**Subleasing your time.** Another student may take your slot for a defined stretch while you keep your claim on it.
**An extended-absence arrangement.** For longer, planned absences, talk to us about the options available for keeping the slot.
**Online lessons.** If the obstacle is travel or distance rather than time, an online lesson may keep the student going without interrupting the schedule at all.

The front desk will walk you through which of these fits your situation.

Billing During a Pause

Billing during a pause is confirmed with you in writing at the time the pause is arranged, and that written confirmation governs. We will tell you before the pause begins what, if anything, will be charged during the pause and when normal tuition resumes. Nothing changes on your account until you have that confirmation.

Charges already incurred before the pause begins remain due. Any account balance must be current for a pause to start.

Returning After a Summer Withdrawal

A pause and a summer withdrawal are different, and the difference shows up on your bill when you come back. If you withdraw rather than pause — including withdrawing over the summer — a re-enrollment fee may be charged when the student returns. A pause is intended to avoid that: the slot is held, so there is nothing to re-enroll into.

If you are stepping away for the summer, ask the front desk for details of the available alternatives for your situation before you decide which is best for you.

Coming Back

Contact the front desk on or before your expected return date to confirm the restart. Your reserved time resumes and normal monthly billing picks up again on the 1st of the next month. We will attempt to make alternate arrangements if requested.

If the return date passes without contact from you, we will reach out. If we cannot reach you, the reserved slot is released and the student is treated as withdrawn — at which point returning means taking whatever time is available.