Policies & Procedures for the Wharton Institute

Wharton Institute for the Performing Arts Policies and Procedures

Registration fees are required for all lessons, classes, and ensembles. There are no registration fees for camps and specific short courses.
Payment plans are available for academic year programs (not camps), and require a valid credit card on file.
Financial Aid is available by completing the form here.

PAS – Private Lessons: Sibling Discount (5%), Multi-Activity (5% if enrolled in an NJYS ensemble); Group Classes – Sibling Discount (5%)
NJYS – Ensembles: Sibling Discount (5%), Multi-Activity (5% if enrolled in PAS private lessons or a second NJYS ensemble)
To receive the discounts above, families must call or come into the office to enroll. Discounts must be applied by administrative staff for both PAS & NJYS. This applies to the $90 Family Registration Fee discount as well.

There are no refunds for tuition except for a long-term medical condition or family emergency. See specifics for Private Lessons.
Wharton reserves the right to cancel any class, camp, or ensemble that does not have suitable registration. Refunds will be made, minus the annual registration fee.
Camp tuition is fully refundable if requested four weeks prior to the first day of camp.
NJYS registration is refundable if requested before September 1. There are no refunds after this time.

All students are expected to be respectful of the teacher, their class or ensemble mates, and the facilities. Outbursts or physical interactions with other students or staff are not acceptable, and may result in dismissal from the program.
Parents or caregivers of children under 12 must accompany PAS and NJYS students in and out of the building.

Attendance at all lessons, classes, and ensembles is expected. For private lesson PAS students, advance notice is required to be eligible for a makeup, and for NJYS, two weeks’ notice is required, except for illness. If a student misses too many rehearsals, they may not be able to participate in the performance. Please check your program’s attendance policy for details.
Please make sure to check your program’s calendar to confirm holiday closings.

Please see attached policies. Because our programs primarily occur in the afternoon or evening, lessons and classes may be held even if local schools are canceled, as the weather may have cleared. Please check the website for any weather related closures.
Any lessons or classes that are missed due to weather will be made up (this does not apply to NJYS). Make-up days are scheduled for this purpose.

Wharton Arts may photograph or video lessons, classes, camps, rehearsals, and performances, and may use these for publicity purposes in our materials. Names of students are not published without permission from the parent or guardian.
Parents/Caregivers may photograph their child in a performance as long as flash photography is not used.
All NJYS concerts are professionally audio- and video-recorded and these recordings are available for a small fee. Parents/Caregivers are encouraged to enjoy their child’s performance rather than making their own video, which may be prohibited in certain venues.