Registration is easy! You can register by mail, fax, or e-mail with a scanned form. Forms must be accompanied with payment. The deadline for registration in fall is August 31 and in spring is January 4. You may mail your form to:
NIU Community School of the Arts
College of Visual and Performing Arts
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb, Illinois 60115
or fax your form (credit card payment only) to (815) 753-8372. Our office is located in Room 132 of the Music Building. Our office hours are 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Call ahead if you need to come over the noon hour. We do not accept telephone registrations.
An installment plan is available for those who want to pay in two installments over the course of one semester or in four installments over the course of the fall and spring semesters. Equal payments are billed to the credit card on the date you register, and on October 12, January 4, and March 1. Your first payment must be by credit card. The adult who completes the form and who makes the initial payment is the person who remains responsible for all payments. The office is not responsible for splitting installment payments for multiple payees.
A non-refundable $15 registration fee is required for each person at the time of registration. This is a per-person fee and is owed only once during the school year. One person registering for multiple activities owes $15; the fee for two siblings registered on one form is $30. This fee is used to cover the cost of background checks required by the university for all employees who work with children.
Students may register for one semester only in either fall or spring, or for both semesters in fall semester.
SAVE! - A higher discount is awarded to those who register for the fall and spring semesters at the same time and and are registered for multiple activities.
Complete and submit the registration form and scholarship application. Pay the registration fee only ($15). Billing will be adjusted later.
Lessons: Students must contact the office no later than October 12 in fall semester or March 1 in spring semester to withdraw from lessons and request a refund; requests made after these dates will not be honored. Students are expected to pay for all lessons received and except in cases of medical or family emergency, pay for a minimum of seven lessons. A doctor’s note may be requested. Students who stop attending lessons without notifying the office are expected to pay for all missed lessons.
Classes: There are no refunds for classes.
How to Request A Refund: In order to initiate a refund, students must notify the office by calling or writing as soon as possible. It is not sufficient to tell the instructor. Call (815) 753-1450.
Register in fall for both fall and spring and SAVE!
You are eligible for a discount when either of the two following situations occurs during the same semester:
Discount for one semester only: $25
Discount for two semesters (when registering in fall): $60
Those who register for one-year ensembles in fall and who register for another activity for both fall and spring are entitled to a $60 Multiple Activity Discount.
Note: Discounts may not be combined and some classes are ineligible for discounts. Exceptions are noted in the class descriptions.
Parking in university lots without a parking permit before 7 p.m. on weekdays may result in a parking ticket. A parking pass for temporary short-term parking in yellow (student) and blue (staff/faculty) lots is available for $25 per semester. The fall pass expires at the end of fall semester and must be renewed in January. If you want to purchase a pass for two semesters, the cost is $50. Mark the registration form accordingly, and your pass will be renewed and mailed to you in January. A parking pass is not needed for on-campus parking in yellow or blue lots on weekends or after 7 p.m. on weekdays. It can take up to 10 days to process the passes.
Note: The parking pass is available only to participants of the NIU Community School of the Arts programs and may only be used on one car. Since the pass is not transferable, notify the office if you change vehicles. NIU students, faculty, and staff are not eligible to purchase these temporary parking permits. Parking lots adjacent to the classroom buildings are by permit only.
Free parking for community school concerts scheduled before 7 p.m. is available in the lot that is immediately south of the Music Building (Lot 3 on the parking map). A “Music Event” sign will be posted at the parking lot entrance.
When NIU is closed because of weather or an emergency, all CSA lessons and classes are cancelled. At times, the community school may cancel an activity or concert when the university remains open. If you suspect your activity might be cancelled, feel free to call the office (Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.) to check. We will do our best to provide information about last-minute cancellations: Check your email in-box, and your telephone messages. If it is after 4:30 p.m. on a weekday or anytime during a weekend, you’ll find a message on our voice mail. The number is (815) 753-1450. Check this site's announcements for updates.
Private lessons: Teachers who cancel lessons will call students, and students are asked to contact teachers if the weather prevents them from traveling to NIU for a lesson. Lessons may be rescheduled by the teacher later in the semester, time permitting.
It is recommended that students keep a record of all lessons attended. Make-up lessons are generally scheduled during the weeks following the end of the semester. Because of scheduling conflicts of either teachers or students, it is not uncommon for students to begin lessons either earlier or later than the printed schedule.
One make-up lesson is granted each semester for excused absences (illness, family emergency, or religious observances), provided at least 24 hours (or as much notice as possible) is given. Sporting practices and events, family vacations, and doctors’ appointments are not considered excused absences. Some teachers may ask students who request a make-up lesson to switch lessons with another student. Others may set up one specific day at the end of the semester to schedule all make-up lessons. Be sure to check with your teacher about this. A lesson missed because bad weather prevents student travel may be made up by the teacher if time permits.
If a teacher is unable to teach a lesson or class, he or she will inform the student(s) at least 24 hours in advance and will reschedule the lesson or class.
Parents should understand that the buildings at NIU are open to the public. Young children should be supervised at all times; older children should be picked up promptly after lessons and classes and should not wander through the buildings. There is no longer a pay telephone in the Music, Art, or Stevens Buildings. There is a phone that can be used for local calls only (free) on the west wall of the Concert Hall hallway and there is a phone that can be used for on-campus calls, including the university police, on the east wall of the Concert Hall hallway. Both of these phones are located in the Music Building.