WELCOME TO TUNEBUGZ!

_____ First thing's first - Hooray! The process of getting you confirmed and placed in a class is underway!  Check your spam folders for communications from us and please whitelist [email protected].  Add tunebugz as a 'safe sender'.  We may need to reach out to you to find another day/time that works if your 1st or 2nd choice didn't make. If for any reason you need a schedule change, contact Amber here:  Email 

 

_____Next thing -  Get the Music Together app and put it on your phones, tablets, and kid friendly devices so you can stream your music from the Music Together app wherever you are!  You cannot get the collection of songs you are enrolled for on Spotify or other streaming services, you have to get the Music Together app first (then you can download the songs and use them on other apps if you want.) There are 8 songs pre-loaded but you will also need to unlock the current collection with the code we provided through email. Please load the app,  get the access code and start listening to your songs at home BEFORE your 1st class to get a head start.  Make sure you share your Music Together app login/pw with family members who will be supporting your child's music education journey. Everyone in your family can support your musical child by playing the songs for your child in the car, waiting in grocery line, while at the park, at the doc office, on road trips or plane trips... Everyone can use YOUR same login/pw for the Music Together app and everyone can be singing your child's fav songs! The more supported they are - the more they will grow musically.   All the streaming apps have some free Music Together intro songs and lullabys but there are actually 9 different song collections with around 28 unique songs in each colletion.  So,  it's important to get the WINTER "STICKS" 2026 version of this song collection by using your download code.  

 

______Next, head over and check out each of the tabs on our parent communication hub we call the Parent Portal. The tuneBugz! account Parent Portal is the admin account you set up when you registered online. You can get to it from our website 24/7.  www.tunebugz.com/portal.aspx. The Parent Portal is where you'll update contact info, mark absences, update cc info, add class participants (like a nanny, additional parent or a grandparent), make payments, check your schedule on holidays/slides etc, schedule your make-ups, verify the location of your class and opt into receiving texts (super important!). Everything admin-wise is in the Parent Portal and it's so so so important especially if you are not on social media or if you tend to get bogged down with checking/reading emails.   

 

_____Start listening to your songs:  Your MUSIC ACCESS CODE will be loaded up in the Parent Portal about a week or so before classes begin.  Your child's songbook will be handed out on the first day of class and the songbook will also have your music access code printed on the inside front cover. PLEASE PLEASE listen to the songs ahead of time to get ready to SING with your child from the FIRST DAY! All of our teachers do expect parents and ESPECIALLY Nannies and Caregivers!!! to come to class ready to make music, sing, dance and play instruments with JOY! It's important to communicate to caregivers that we have HIGH PARTICIPATION expectation!!  Please make anyone coming to class understands this IMPORTANT and CRITICAL information. There are no bystanders in our classes! Your child becomes intrinsically motivated for music making and develops a disposition for music making from whomever you are sending to class.  Make sure they LOVE IT TOO!

 

_____Family Music Zone (online/desktop/browser based access): If your phone is on the fritz or you just need an alternative way to access your music collections, you can get to all your music on the Family Music Zone online at www.musictogether.com/familymusiczone. (use your same login/pw as the Music Together app - not the Parent Portal login/pw)

 

_____GET SOCIAL WTH US! Please follow us on IG: @tunebugz for music education support, amazing and hilarious musical memes to deepen the connection and support your parenting journey with joy, fun and silliness.  We have great suggestions on fun musical things to do in Austin curated by us!  

 

_____READ the Purple Book provided in your materials packet (or access the PDF from the app resources). We provide his 'textbook for new parents' when you first join but extra copies are always available! If you lost yours - just always ask for another one or access the PDF on the app. The book is called ‘Music and Your Child, a Guide for Parents and Caregivers’ and it helps you to understand the why/what/how of social music making and the methodology that we use.  

 

_____COME TO CLASS - Coming to class and being consistent with attendance is important and it's your responsibility. Your classes are use or lose. Makeups are unlimited as long as you are actively enrolled. No makeups are available if you are not currently enrolled. You cannot attend makeups if you are on a break/frozen or enrollment is paused. 

 

____ABSENCES/MAKEUPS - If you know you are going to miss a class in advance, go ahead and mark yourself absent this opens up your spot so another family can do a makeup in your absence. Nice right? Courtesy and compassion are alive and well at tuneBugz! As soon as we begin the session we will open up the makeup scheduler and you can pre-mark any vacay/doc appt absences you know about in advance and also preschedule any makeups you might need.  If you schedule makeups and you do not come to the makeup - we may need to limit access, make sure you only schedule what you know you can attend. 

 

_____MATERIALS/INSTRUMENTS:  We provide all the materials/instruments to use in class but, your child's voice and body are the most important instruments we use. Our primary focus is singing/sounding/chanting and moving our bodies (movement/choreo!) All instruments are secondary to singing and moving our bodies to the beat as this is the most effective teaching / learning strategy for children to learn music at this age. Immersion and experiential learning with their own voice, their own body, with their favorite people (parents/caregivers who are also singing, dancing having fun doing it) however, we do also use accessible instruments that are developmentally appropriate to illustrate melody and rhythm to help your child embody the tonal contours and make the rhythm visible and of course to have FUN! 

 

_____NO TOYS/ NO FOOD: Please do not bring food into class, it is NOT allowed. Please do not bring toys, stuffies or other personal items into the class. We ask this to avoid confusion and struggles when other children want to play with those toys too. We are here to make music! Come into the room as empty handed as possible ready to sing, dance and get silly with us! If you bring toys, it may prevent your child from participating and it seems to always create a sharing issue / tussle and this can diminish the value for everyone.  Please encourage your child to leave toys and food at home or for sure outside the studio until class is over. I promise every child can handle this with practice and loving guidance and boundaries that parents must set.  If it's a blanket or lovey item they are super attached to,  please talk with your teacher about how to handle it. Following these few rules may be a new learning step they will need to take to participate fully without distractions, we thank you for leading the charge on this so we don't have to address toys and food in class. 

 

_____APPRENTICES/TEACHER'S ASSISTANTS: We are always hiring amazing teachers all the time and classes will often have a main teacher and an apprentice/helper in the class that may also sub the class if/when a teacher is ill. The main teacher and apprentice may take turns presenting. All apprentice teachers are trained and experienced in music and early childhood education but they may need practice in a loving environment (for nerves!) to present songs for the first time so we are always allowing our newly trained teachers to do practicums to get acclimated to teaching on their own. Thank you for welcoming them with love, support and compassion and helping them by participating to the fullest - singing and dancing along! 

 

_____SHARE THE LOVE! We have a "Give $25 to get $25" referral program.   You will find your personal $25 off referral code in the Parent Portal on the main ACCOUNT tab at the bottom.  Every time your code or link is used by a new family who registers you will get a $25 tuition credit auto-magically placed on your account. There's no limit on how much money/credits you can rack up! Please use friend referrals by sharing the joy of tuneBugz! with everyone you meet and never pay full price again!  We also really appreciate you using your codes in your public reviews and social posts too. Please help us by posting about class on social media, on Nextdoor and please invite your friends from playgroups to join you at tuneBugz! and offer them your discount! We love when you post reviews with your referral code IN THE REVIEW on Facebook, Google and Yelp! Rack up discounts the easy way! 

 

_____ASK QUESTIONS  Our teachers and staff are always working to make sure you have a great time here. The key is to let us know your expectations and needs along the way. Don't wait! We want you to be highly communicative and the best way to reach out to us with questions is to text me : Amber Nichols at 512-632-6695 Or email me: [email protected].  You are always encouraged to talk with your teacher as well. Please don't let anything you are unhappy or worried about linger, please give us a chance to address things, increase understanding and support you! Your happiness here is our top priority! 

 

_____MAKE MUSIC AT HOME! Please, as a proud Austin, Texas family, make it a point to do something musical for 20 to 30 mins every . single . day! Have a kitchen dance party, sing in the bathtub, sing in line at the grocery store, sing on every road trip even if it's just across town. BURST INTO SONG anytime it crosses your mind. Your home life being musical matters so much to your child! Your life should be full of singing that's why we're teaching you all these awesome songs! Another great thing to do is go out and support live music, go out and see performing artists all over Austin and surrounding Hill Country. There are so many wonderful and amazing musicians here! Please get your child out in our commmunity to support them!