Prerequisites for Admission

Prior to application, please fill out the questionnaire here or on the main menu to the left.

The applicant must:

have a high school diploma, GED, or home school equivalency
have full manual dexterity and be able to lift a significant weight (e.g. grand action with keys), and be able to move around with it without aid
be capable of standing at and moving around a piano for many hours at a time
have the full capacity to complete the entire curriculum as depicted, with the goal of achieving a Certificate from CSPT in the required time span
have a current tetanus shot
complete an Application process, including the Self-Evaluation, Piano Keyboard Music Assessment, and interviews

Enrollment Policy

The Curriculum is divided into four quarters, each 10 weeks long. Students are required to be enrolled in, and attend, all classes each quarter. The Curriculum offers alternative class sections for flexibility in scheduling. For example, the 2013-2014 Curriculum will preliminarily offer two sections, one on Thursday all day, and one on Friday all day. Students will be assigned to whichever section works for them, but, once assigned, students must remain in their section for the entire curriculum unless class sizes permit a change and there is a compelling reason. CSPT would prefer to keep class sizes as small as possible (a maximum of up to 6, but no fewer than 3) in order to pay proper attention to students' needs. If a section is filled, an accepted student will be requested to study in another section which is not filled; applicants should be prepared to be flexible.

Acceptance into the Curriculum year, and section assignment, is on a first-come, first-served basis. Only a signed Enrollment Agreement from you will assure you of acceptance at CSPT as an enrolled student, and assignment to a class section. This is a time-sensitive process.

Once enrollment is filled, applicants will be accepted on a "wait-listed" basis until there might be an opening for that calendar year due to another student's change of decision, or the applicant will be asked to wait until the following year. Applicants who are agreeable to being wait-listed until the following year will pay tuition at the prevailing rate of that following year.

As sections fill, they will be closed, and any section not meeting minimum enrollment requirements will be cancelled. Students wishing for sections which are closed or have to be cancelled will be encouraged to switch to another available class section. Each section may hold up to 6 students (but no fewer than 3). In the event of over enrollment of the current two available sections, an overlapping section may be added. Total enrollment may be as many as 18.

Study Requirements

On average, you will spend 8-10 hours a week in class. From the outset, you will also need to dedicate yourself to at least another 16-18 hours a week in monitored practice, including repair, regulation, and aural tuning, and other class work and projects at the school. The amount of time you devote to practice will increase over the year as topics get deeper, and as you approach tuning the whole piano. Overall, you can expect to spend upwards of 1000+ hours of study, class time, and monitored practice over a period of a year. We have found that without your own will and plan to practice at the school (which is open to students twenty-four hours a day), you will not succeed. This argues very strongly for locating in or very near Chicago so that you can travel to the school on a regular basis.

Requirements for Certificate

In order to receive a Certificate from The Chicago School for Piano Technology, the student must successfully complete each course in the curriculum. Successful completion in all cases will be measured by the instructor's grading of pass or fail. The instructor will measure progress throughout each course against a set of learning criteria set out for each class. The student is strongly urged to complete the curriculum within one year, but a Certificate may be awarded if any student has an emergency need to extend their course of study to longer than one year, but no longer than two years.

Courses of Instruction

All courses of instruction are in-class, combined lecture and demonstration, but primarily hands-on. All classes will have outside practice requirements, and other classes may have homework assignments. The total curriculum is 40 weeks over four quarters, each 10 weeks in length, with an additional required practice Inter-term between the 1st and 2nd quarters. With outside practice requirements, each student will experience approximately 1000+ hours of required instruction and monitored practice. The Basic Curriculum is offered every year, starting in Fall. Students interested in the Advanced Curriculum should be in touch with us to inquire about schedules and options. For further information on the program and gainful employment (as required by the Department of Education), go here.

Advanced Placement (Tuning I, or Tuning I and II only)

Any student may apply to advance place out of portions of the Tuning Curriculum by scoring 70% or better on the initial Self-Evaluation (Tuning section only); as well, to place out of the tuning curriculum requires an aural Tuning Test (passed at 70% or better) and a Tuning Written Test (passed at 75% or better), and does not include placement out of the remainder of the tuning curriculum. The cost for these tests is $425.00. There is no advanced placement out of any other portion of the curriculum. Any student who advances will gain a prorated discount on tuition (1/2 of the calculated cost per course out of which the student has placed).

The Chicago School for Piano Technology will not engage in discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, order of protection status, genetic information, marital status, disability, sexual orientation including gender identity, unfavorable discharge from the military or status as a protected veteran and will comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action laws, orders and regulations. This nondiscrimination policy applies to admissions, employment, access to and treatment in school programs and activities.

Further, The Chicago School for Piano Technology abides by the statutes as laid out in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the statutes of the Illinois Department of Human Rights. CSPT will work within it's capability and the limits of statutory requirements to satisfy the needs of students with disabilities.