Students receive weekly 45-minute lessons (grades 9-12) or weekly 30-minute lessons (grades 6-8) from one of our Bridges faculty members. Students are required to attend weekly lessons and/or classes on time and well prepared. Your teacher will complete a weekly report showing your attendance and progress.

Excused Absences (up to 3): In order for an absence to be considered excused the student must tell their teacher 24 hours in advance if they will be missing a lesson/class. Students are allowed up to three excused absences per semester. After the third absence, students will receive a warning letter notifying them that if a fourth lesson is missed, the student will be put on probation. Any additional missed lessons will result in removal from the program.

• Reasons for requesting an excused absence may include: school related conflict, doctors appointment, family emergency, sickness, unavoidable work conflict, and transportation issues.
• Even if your teacher makes up the missed lesson, it is still a missed lesson and will count as an absence.  

Unexcused Absences: If a student misses a lesson without advanced communication, it will result in an automatic warning letter, even if the student has not used all three absences yet.

• Note: The warning letter is not due to the absence itself, but rather the poor communication with your instructor. Exceptions to this may be made if there is a valid reason why you would not have been able to inform your instructor sooner. Whether excused or unexcused, students are still only allowed 3 absences a semester.

Additional Attendance Notes: Students may also be sent a warning letter if their lesson reports show multiple lessons where the student was either late, unprepared or asked for a last minute time adjustment. Students are expected to practice all assignments given by their teacher at each lesson/class. 

GPA: Students must maintain an overall grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher. GPAs are checked at the end of each semester. Students whose GPA drops below a 3.0 will be placed on probation for one semester. If at the end of their probation period their GPA has not gone up, they will be removed from the program.  

School Ensemble: Students are expected to be active participants in their school ensemble each semester (choir, band, dance, jazz band, orchestra, theater). This includes attending all school concerts, festivals, solo & ensemble festivals, etc.  

At the start of the school year, all students will receive a Bridges Calendar, which will outline all evaluation dates and requirements. Failure to attend mandatory events will result in the removal from the Bridges program.

Performances: All students must perform on a Bridges Recital each semester. Recital dates and times are available in the program calendar. All recitals and rehearsals take place at UMKC.

• Accompanists: When students sign up for a recital, they will have the option to request a pianist. If a student requests a pianist, they will need to attend a rehearsal prior to the recital.
• Recital Recordings: All students will receive an audio recording of their performance.

Jury(Semester Final): All students will have a Jury at the conclusion of each semester to track their progress and set personal goals for the following semester. See program calendar for more details. 

Performance Exceptions: 

• First Semester Student Recitals – Your first semester in Bridges, performing in the recital is optional. You may OPT to only watch the recital rather than perform. Please note, you are still required to sign-up and attend the recital. All recitals after your first semester you will be required to perform.
• High School Seniors Spring Jury– The Spring Jury is optional for high school seniors, since it is their last semester and will not be required to have any more final reports. Should you opt to still have your jury, you will still receive feed back from the judge, and will receive a spring final report. Please note, the spring recital is still required

Students are expected to communicate in a timely manner with their teachers about scheduling, event preparation, assignments etc. Students are expected to read all official Bridges emails and complete any deadlines listed prior to the deadline. If students have questions or concerns about any program requirements, they should contact the Bridges office to ask for assistance or extensions. Missed deadlines or failure to communicate may result in a warning letter, probation or removal from the program.

The total cost to the UMKC Conservatory per Bridges student is $1200 per year. The majority of the cost is covered by UMKC with the assistance of grants, donors and program partners. 

The student’s portion of tuition will range from $100 – $200 per year.

·      Private Lessons (High School) =  $200.00 per year

·      Private Lessons (Middle School) =  $150.00 per year

·      Group Classes = $100.00 per year

All Bridges students will be automatically placed on an 8-month payment plan, where tuition will be evenly divided into 8 monthly installment. If a student is concerned about making a payment, they should contact the Bridges office and ask about an extension or additional scholarship opportunities. Missing a tuition payment with no communication may result in lessons being paused until payment is made. 

Tuition Payment Dates: September 15, October 15, November 15, December 15, January 15, February 15, March 15, April 15