Natalie's School Of Performing Arts

I typically avoid leaving reviews, especially negative ones, but I feel compelled to share my recent experience with this music school. Following my evaluation, I encountered some issues that are worth highlighting. 2 weeks ago, I went in for an evaluation with Instructor Veronica. Everything initially seemed promising, and I was excited to begin lessons the following week. However, after discussing scheduling, Veronica messaged me on Saturday (03/02/2024) to ask about changing our agreed-upon lesson dates which was totally fine by me. She proposed having lessons on Monday and I clearly stated multiple times in my text messages that Monday (03/04) would not work for me, but the following Mondays will. On Monday, March 4th (the day which I told her I would not be available), Veronica messaged me expecting my attendance. To my surprise, Tamara, her colleague, also left an angry voicemail accusing me of not showing up and bizarrely questioning “Which town or country did [I] come from”. This question was not only irrelevant but extremely inappropriate and offensive. Last week, I returned to the music school to address these concerns, return the book they gave me, and request that I get my registration payment returned since I was not planning to continue with the classes. During this time, Veronica apologized, and insisted I should have responded to her text, all while disregarding that we agreed on Thursday (03/07). Also, all she had to do was look at the previous text messages above to see that I NEVER agreed to Monday. Not only did she fail to do her due diligence by reading over our text messages to ensure that she had the correct date, she also failed to communicate that to Tamara. Since Tamara was also there, she brought me into her office to address my concerns. She admitted her anger influenced her rude voicemail, and cited past experiences with students who failed to show up. However, her past experiences had absolutely NOTHING to do with me as an individual, nor does it justify her discriminatory behavior. It is unacceptable to judge me based on the actions of past students, let alone to question where I came from. To make matters worst, and to continue justifying her ill voicemail, she said in her culture this question about where one comes from implies whether or not the individual is civilized. SMH. What Tamera did/said should have NEVER and should never happen to any potential or current student. It is evident that there’s an issue with the school’s communication practices and lack of professionalism. Regardless of background or past experiences, every single student/parent of students deserves respect and fair treatment in person and over the phone. Leaving such voicemails is not only extremely unprofessional but deeply troubling and disrespectful. Please do better!