This
page has been provided to assist parents with auditioning and enrolling
their children in the AFA Summer Music Conservatory. This page includes
information on scholarships, campus security, AFA's code of conduct,
enrollment procedures, transportation and volunteering to assist AFA.
If
you have suggestions for this page, please contact us.
Scholarships
Limited
partial and full need-based scholarships
are available for all full-time Conservatory students at both the Houston
and Beaumont campuses. Limited merit scholarships may also be available
for qualified applicants. To apply, you must complete both
the scholarship application and the standard Conservatory application
that can be found on this website. Scholarship applications are reviewed
on a first-come, first-served basis and only after
a student has asuccessfully auditioned and been accepted to the Conservatory.
To
complete the scholarship application, you will need the same demographic
information you used to fill out the general conservatory application
as well as information on your family income, family employment and
your child's musical accomplishments and achievements. As appropriate,
please be prepared to discuss any special circumstances that may warrant
special attention by the scholarship committee.
Please
note that scholarship decisions are made by the AFA Scholarship Committee
on a regular basis from March through June. Please note that if the
Scholarship Committee feels it cannot make a decision with the information
provided, you may be contacted by a member of the AFA Executive Staff
to provide additional information. Once determined, scholarship awards
are mailed with your enrollment package. If you enroll for the conservatory
in the 2-3 weeks prior to opening day, please contact AFA regarding
scholarship awards.
If
your family and/or financial situation changes drastically or if you
wish to ask the scholarship committee to reconsider a scholarship award,
please contact AFA at 713/522-9699.
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Security
and Your Child
With
300+ students on the Houston campus and as many as 40+ students at the
Beaumont campus during the AFA Summer Music Conservatory, the security
of your child is of paramount importance to us. Please note that students
are not permitted to leave campus at any time during the Conservatory
day with the exception of lunch (by parental permission only).
In
Houston, Episcopal High School maintains a security presence on campus
throughout the summer and selected campus gates are kept closed to protect
students and their vehicles. Please alert your son or daughter that,
in the interest of their safety, they should cooperate with any AFA
staff member, secruity personnel or Episcopal High School personnel
(with proper ID) in matters of campus security.
At
Austin Middle School in Beaumont, security personnel will be on campus
at all times while AFA students are present. Students should be instructed
to cooperate with all security personnel, AFA staff and/or Austin Middle
School administrative personnel (with proper ID) in matters of campus
security.
In
the event there is any security concern, all steps will be taken to
protect the safety of AFA students. Once secured, parents will immediately
be notified by a member of the AFA Executive staff.
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AFA
Code of Conduct
All
AFA students and their parents are required to read and sign the AFA
Code of Conduct that is mailed with your child's enrollment package.
The Code of Conduct specifies that all students agree to abide by the
rules and regulations of the Conservatory. This includes dsciplinary
action for any verbal and/or physical harrassment of students, faculty
or staff, involvement with any illegal activities or possession and/or
use of any illicit substances. AFA maintains a strict zero tolerance
policy regarding infractions of the Code of Conduct. If a student does
not or can not act within the contraints of our policies, parents and/or
guardians are called immediately and asked to come to campus for a meeting
with the AFA administration. Serious infractions of the Code of Conduct
may result in expulsion from the Conservatory.
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Enrollment
AFA
auditions are held in two rounds: 1) March/April and 2) May. After your
child auditions for the Conservatory, notification letters will be sent
at the end of April and the middle of May. Early auditions are encouraged
as AFA cannot guarantee space in all departments for late auditioners.
AFA
will send enrollment packages to accepted conservatory students with
notification letters as appropriate. Packages contain information and
forms so that students can be processed by the first day of the festival.
Included in your packet will be enrollment forms, tuition payment forms,
scholarship awards (as appropriate) and code of conduct materials.
Parents
and students will also have the option of signing forms that permit
students to leave campus for lunch, enroll in electives and compete
in the concerto competition as appropriate
All
forms and payments are due back to AFA by May 31, 2007.
If you cannot return the forms or make payment in time, please call
AFA to discuss alternate arrangements or installment payments.
Students
who have not completed and returned their enrollment forms with signatures
will not be permitted on the AFA campuses.
If
you lose your enrollment package, you may download a blank package on
the downloads page. Contact AFA
for a new tuition bill.
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Transportation
One
of the things that AFA believes makes the Summer Music Conservatory
so special is the broad variety of students from school districts throughout
the Southeast Texas area who attend the program. AFA recognizes that
for many students, travelling to and from the Conservatory each day
can pose transportation challenges. Where possible, AFA wants to help.
Your
enrollment materials will contain questions about organizing car pools
for the Summer Music Conservatory. In mid-May, AFA will send you information
on other students in your zip code or in neighboring zip codes who are
may be available to organize car pools. AFA will provide names and phone
numbers so that you may make your own arrangements.
This
list may also be downloaded from this site by clicking
here.
If
you do not receive car pool notification from AFA by mid-May, please
call our offices at 713-522-9699 for assistance.
For
students who wish to explore public transportation (e.g., METRO) options,
please look for materials in your enrollment package. AFA has access
to a limited number of free bus passes for students each summer and
will make the available on a first-come, first-served basis.
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How
Can I Help AFA?
Parents
frequently ask AFA how they can help support the Summer Music Conservatory.
Please click on the tab "Support AFA" for information on how
you can support the program or volunteer to assist at conservatory events.
If you are interested, please contact Amanda
Kepke Fisher at AFA to discuss how you can help.
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