I really, really wanted to like Highland North. My kids are interested in music and want to learn…read moreto play, and the price was right. I should've just paid attention to the red flags the first time.
I emailed Saturday, August 1st inquiring about a trial run for my kiddos. By the 4th, I still had not heard back (which is fine, I know the 1st and 2nd were a weekend), I went ahead and called and left a message. I never did get an email back, but I DID receive a very pleasant phone call Wednesday evening. We scheduled a trial run for Little Rockerz for my youngest and a trial drum lesson for my oldest, for a Thursday at 5PM. The kids were super excited.
We show up at around 4:57PM. Parking lot is empty (or there's one car, I cannot recall). Walk in, no one is there, except a kid waiting on a lesson. We sit, and sit, and sit. Not sure how long we waited (it did feel like an eternity, but maybe it was only 5-10 mins), the owner comes in and asks us if he could help us. We explained we had a trial run for both Little Rockerz and a drum lesson. After a brief investigation, neither of my children had actually been scheduled. He was also baffled as to where the receptionist/front desk employee was. A little chuckle, said something to the effect of "no idea where she is" and acted pretty nonchalant about it. He called her, she did not pick up. He called the work cell she has, she also did not pick up. As leadership, I'd be pretty concerned about my employee not showing up for work. Is she okay? Is she safe? ALIVE!?
At some point, a drum instructor comes in from a lesson. He is willing to take my oldest for a 30 minute trial drum lesson, which is great...but not for the kid who was also waiting patiently for his lesson. The drum instructor pushed the kid's lesson back 30 minutes so my oldest could have a trial lesson. I'd not have been happy had I been that kid's parent. My husband, my youngest, and I sat in the waiting room. My youngest was pretty disheartened he didn't have a class to go to.
Come to find out, the Little Rockers class had been cancelled for that day. In reading some of the reviews online, it seems this happens. While I understand if the instructor is sick or on vacation--sure, why not cancel? But if it's because a couple kids are not going to show up because they're on vacation...wouldn't you still hold class, unless every single student was on vacation?
At some point during this time, they finally got a hold of the front receptionist, who I swear either someone said, or I heard through the phone, that she had a (doctor's?) appointment and "I guess I should've let someone know." I cannot remember the details, and maybe I'm misremembering this but...what?! You don't let your boss know you're out?
The owner said we'll figure this out, we'll get your trial run, the receptionist would get in touch with us. Which I appreciate, and was still hopeful. The price is right here, it's what we can afford, and I was still trying my best to accept that maybe this was just a one time thing. My son comes out of the trial lesson, drum instructor gives him sheet music to practice at home. This was his first time sitting at a drumset, he has no idea how to read sheet music? We left with reservation, my son with heightened anxiety because he has no idea how to read sheet music. My husband at this point was very dead set on absolutely not returning. He had had enough, and wasn't willing to try again.
The above all happened the 13th of August. Two days later, the receptionist calls extremely apologetic about what happened, and that she'd get us in for trial runs. She had no idea we had already had a trial drum lesson for my oldest. She booked my youngest for Little Rockerz for Saturday, August 22nd.
We show up that Saturday, and my youngest is the only kid in Little Rockerz. I get it--it's still summer, not many kids will show up. I spoke to the receptionist while my youngest was in class, who said she would contact a drum instructor for my oldest to see if he, too, could give lessons on a Saturday. That way, both of my kids would do Saturday music lessons at the same time and make it easier on us. She said she texted him, and would get in touch with me with information. My youngest said he loved his Little Rockerz class, so I was willing to give this place a chance once we could get a drum lesson planned out for my oldest.
It is now August 30th--over a week later--and I have not received any information about drum instructions. Not a text, not a phone call, not even an email. Not even anything to say that Saturdays are unavailable. I was ready to go ahead and book both of my kids at Highland North, praying all the meanwhile that this would be a good fit. The communication at Highland North is inefficient. I'm taking this as the Man Upstairs' way of telling me that this is not the place for us. I so wish we could have gone with Highland North, but it seems so disorganized that I can no longer give it another chance.
