Policies

Our Commitment

The Royal Conservatory ("The RCM") is committed to respecting and protecting your privacy. We value you, and give you our assurance that we are committed to upholding the trust you've placed in us as one of Canada's oldest and largest cultural institutions. The RCM's privacy policy ("Policy") outlines the collection, use, retention, management and disclosure of your personal information with respect to our website: https://www.rcmusic.com, (the “Website”)  and our services (the “Services”). Please note that "personal information" means any information about an identifiable individual, such as name, home address, home phone and fax numbers, email address, birth date, age, proof of age, personal health information and credit card information. This Policy follows the privacy principles set out in the federal government's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

Please note that by visiting The RCM's web site and/or by providing personal information to The RCM, you accept the terms and practices described in this Policy, as amended from time to time

RCM Privacy Principles

Accountability

The RCM is responsible for personal information under its control. 

Identifying Purposes

The RCM collects personal information primarily to register and communicate with students and candidates, fulfill ticket requests and process donations. This personal information may also be used for a variety of promotions, and to keep you informed of seasonal and special offers, other events and occasional fundraising opportunities in support of The RCM. The RCM may also occasionally contact you to conduct market research or surveys in an effort to continually improve our product and service offerings. However, it will be your choice as to whether to participate in any market research or survey of The RCM. The RCM may present offers in conjunction with other arts or cultural organizations if deemed to be of value to RCM patrons. Personal information may be used in the collection and/or enforcement of payment of tuition and/or other fees to The RCM. The RCM does not engage in list exchanges, or allow personal information collected by The RCM to be provided to any other organization.

The RCM also uses personal information for its risk management and related purposes. Personal information may be disclosed by The RCM for certain emergency and other purposes as permitted and/or required by applicable laws.  

Additionally, The RCM is required by law to collect and use personal information, including personal health information, to facilitate The RCM’s compliance with public health requirements. The RCM discloses aggregated and deidentified statistics derived from this personal information to specific governmental authorities as required by applicable law.

At any time, you may ask The RCM to stop sending you email and/or other information by contacting us at [email protected], and any unsolicited email The RCM sends to you will tell you how to decline further unsolicited email.

Like many other websites, The Website automatically collects certain non-identifying information regarding web site users. The RCM uses common Internet tracking tools associated with standard Internet protocols and web-based systems. This information is typically stored in log files. Log files are transaction records maintained by web servers and used for recording and reporting information, such as: service provider IP addresses, browser versions, referring web sites, search terms used, average number of web pages requested, most visited web pages, average duration of visit, peak traffic times and total visitor traffic. This aggregated information does not identify you and thus does not constitute personal information. We do not report on individual user sessions. We use aggregated information gathered from your visit for web site and system administration purposes in order to help the management of our systems and to better serve our users.

The Website uses "cookies", a technology that installs information on a web site user's computer to permit the web site to recognize future visits using that computer. A cookie is generally used to enhance your browsing experience. Cookies do not give The RCM access to any data or software on your hard drive. You can choose to set your browser to detect and reject cookies, to accept cookies from all sites, or to prompt you whenever a site wants to send you a cookie. Check your browser's "Help&" files to learn how to do this. If you choose to refuse cookies, you may not be able to access some of the interactive features on our web site and moving around The RCM web site could be much slower.

The RCM also uses the Google AdWords remarketing service to advertise on third party websites (including Google) to previous visitors to our site. This means that we might advertise to previous visitors to our site who haven't completed a task, for example using the National Teacher Directory search form to find a teacher. This could be in the form of an advertisement on the Google search results page, or a site in the Google Display Network. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on someone's past visits to the Website. Any data collected will be used in accordance with our own privacy policy as well as that of Google. 

Consent

By giving personal information to The RCM, candidates, students, donors and customers consent to the use, retention and disclosure of personal information collected by The RCM in accordance with this Policy. The RCM will only use your personal information for the original purpose for which it was collected, and any new use of that information is subject to your consent. How we obtain your consent will depend on the circumstances and sensitivity of the information collected. For sensitive information, such as credit card information, your express consent to the use of such information will be requested. For certain uses of less-sensitive personal information, consent may be implied, or an "opt-out" method of consent may be used. If at any time you would like to be removed from our mailing lists, please contact us by e-mail at [email protected].

Limiting Collection

The collection of personal information by The RCM is limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by The RCM. Personal information is collected by fair and lawful means. 

Limiting Uses, Disclosure & Retention of Personal Information.

The RCM will not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required by law. Personal information will be retained only as long as required for the purposes identified in this Policy and/or at the point of collection. 

Third Parties

The RCM engages service providers, data processors, and individual and other third parties (collectively, “Third Parties”)  to help us operate, provide, and market the Website and our Services. These third parties have only limited access to your information, may use your information only to perform these tasks on our behalf, and are obligated to The RCM not to disclose or use your information for other purposes. Our engagement of service providers is often necessary for us to provide our Services to you, particularly where such companies play important roles like helping us keep the Website and Services operating and secure. In some other cases, these service providers aren’t strictly necessary for us to provide our Services, but help us make it better, like by helping us conduct research into how we could better serve our users. In these latter cases, we have a legitimate interest in working with service providers to make our Services better.

Accuracy

The RCM attempts to ensure that personal information is as accurate, complete and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is being used. Please notify us of any change to your personal information by contacting us by e-mail at [email protected].

Safeguarding Information

Personal information is safeguarded by The RCM through technological and other security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. 

Purchasing On-line

The RCM has contracts with third-party, on-line transaction specialists, through which your credit card information is secured. Encryption technology is used to ensure the safe collection and transfer of sensitive credit card information. Your personal credit card number is submitted to these on-line transaction specialists and not to The RCM.  

Cross-Border Transfers

Third Parties may store, process and transfer personal information on servers located outside of Canada in jurisdictions whose data protection laws may differ from those of Canada, which may include the United States of America.  As a result, personal information may be subject to access requests from governments, courts, or law enforcement in those jurisdictions according to the laws in those jurisdictions.  For example, information may be shared in response to valid demands or requests from government authorities, courts and law enforcement officials in those countries. Subject to applicable laws in such other jurisdictions, we will use reasonable efforts to ensure that appropriate protections are in place to require our Third Parties to maintain protections on personal information that are equivalent to those that apply in Canada.

If you have questions regarding our policies and practices with respect to our use of third-party service providers outside of Canada, including with respect to the collection, use, disclosure or storage of personal information by service providers outside of Canada for us or on our behalf, please contact us as set out below. 

 

Openness

We reserve the right to change or replace this Policy at our sole discretion at any time. Please check back from time to time to ensure that you are aware of any updates or changes in this Policy.  We will indicate at the top of this page the date this Policy was last revised. Your continued access or use of this Website and Services after any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the Policy as revised. If we change the Policy in a material way, we will provide appropriate notice to you. 

Links to Other Sites

The RCM web site may contain links to other web sites. The RCM is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these other web sites and they are not subject to this Policy. The RCM has no responsibility or liability for your use of any such web site. 

Individual Access

Upon request, The RCM will provide you with information on the existence, use and disclosure of your personal information. You may verify the accuracy and completeness of your information, and have it amended as appropriate by contacting us at [email protected].

Contact & Compliance

If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about privacy at The RCM or in connection with this Policy, or if you would like to withdraw your consent to the use of your personal information, please contact The RCM Chief Privacy Officer at [email protected]. The RCM hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Eastern Time). Notwithstanding any withdrawal of consent, The RCM will still be permitted to collect, retain, use and disclose personal information in order to collect payments of amounts owing to The RCM and for its risk management and related purposes. 

You agree to release, save harmless and indemnify The Royal Conservatory of Music Indemnitees from and for all Losses incurred or suffered from or related to your attendance at The Royal Conservatory of Music premises or taking part in any of its programs even if the same arises from the negligence of one or more of The Royal Conservatory of Music Indemnities.  You acknowledge that the foregoing is reasonable in view of The Royal Conservatory of Music being a not-for-profit charity. 

For the purposes of this provision:
(i) “you” includes you and your dependents and their estates and personal representatives and “your” has a similar meaning;
(ii) “The Royal Conservatory of Music Indemnitees” include The Royal Conservatory of Music, any organization that it owns or controls and their respective officers, employees, directors and agents and their heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns; and
(iii) “Losses” include injury, death, liability, damages including to property, cost, expense, charge, judgment, award or settlement arising from or in connection with any claim, suit, arbitration, investigation, directive, prosecution or proceeding. 

Terms and Conditions, Effective October 27, 2022  

The mission of The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) is to develop human potential through leadership in music and arts education. The terms and conditions set out below are designed to support the RCM’s overarching mission.

All resources, benefits, and fees of the RCM Online Course including the terms and conditions below, are subject to amendment without notice.
                                                                      
1. General Enrollment

1. To purchase an online course, visit http://www.rcmusic.com/course-catalogue, and follow the onscreen instructions.
2.  You will receive access to the course, subject to the RCM’s terms and conditions, once payment has been received.
3. Any information provided to the RCM for the purpose of registration for this product will be retained by the RCM.
4. As the student accessing this course, you agree to provide true and accurate information. When you register, you must provide your real name and location and any other such details as requested for completing your online account.
5. Purchase of an online course is for personal use only. The RCM reserves the right to revoke your access if it is determined that your access has been shared.

 2. Fees

1. Fees are payable to The Royal Conservatory. All monetary transactions are processed by the RCM and must be completed online. 

3. Hardware and Software Requirements 
To complete the course and exam, you must have access to the hardware and software requirements outlined below:

1. Hardware requirements, PC users:
   • Windows Vista SP2 or higher
   • Intel Pentium 4 or higher
   • 1 GB RAM
   • 500 MB hard drive space recommended
   • Sound card
   • Speakers or headphones for your computer
2. Hardware requirements, Mac users:
   • OS x 10.5 or higher
   • Intel Mac
   • 1 GB RAM
   • 500 MB hard drive space recommended
   • Speakers or headphones for your computer
3. Software Requirements
   • The latest version of Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari is recommended for the most successful course experience
   • Enable cookies (browser settings)
   • A DSL, cable, or satellite internet connection is highly recommended (this course requires you to stream audio and video examples that can be very slow on a dial-up connection)

 4. Duration

1. Your access to the online courses will be available for twelve (12) months from the date of purchase.
2. Your access to the online stand-alone examinations will be 120 days from the date of purchase.

 5. Course Extension

1.  Access to the online course can be extended for a limited period of time for the following reasons:
   • An extension can be granted without charge for technical issues related to the RCM learning platform. The duration will depend on the circumstances.
   • Thirty (30) days can be granted without charge for medical/personal reasons. Students wishing to be granted an extension for medical/personal reasons will initiate the process by consulting with a Candidate Services Representative.

6. Online Examination Results

1. All unit tests and/or examination results are final.
2. The final examination may be written at any time within one (1) year of purchase.
3. Results will be available within six (6) to eight (8) weeks of completing and submitting the exam. Results may be accessed online by logging into rcmusic.com.
4. A certificate is awarded upon successful completion of the exam. For information about practical examinations and corequisites, please see “Theory Requirements for Practical Certificates and Diplomas” on page 11 of the Theory Syllabus, 2016 Edition, which is available online for free download.
5. Students wishing to be eligible for gold medals and awards must complete their exam by June 30th of the academic year in which they wish to be considered.
6. Examinations are not returned to students. A breakdown showing marks earned for each section is provided.

 7. Opting out of a Course

1. Students wishing to opt out of a course will be charged fees. The student will initiate the opt-out process by consulting with a Candidate Services Representative on the potential impact of opting out. The student will assume the fees required to process the opt-out request.
2. A full refund will be provided for courses dropped prior to the start date (login and access will confirm whether the course was started). 
3. Refund processing timelines are approximately two weeks.

 8. Refund

1. Purchases of and/or subscriptions to RCM online courses are non-transferable. Purchases of RCM online courses can be refunded if the course has not been started/accessed.
2.  Refunds will not be provided after 10 days from the purchase date of the course or the completion of the first activity, whichever comes first. Administration fees may apply.

 9. Copyright and Proprietary Propety 

1. All copyrights relating to any course materials provided or made available by us or any other party remain the sole property of the holder of the copyright. Therefore, no part of any course materials may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or translated into any language, without our prior written consent.

 10. Subscriptions (RCM Online Ear Training)

1. Subscription products require a current, valid, and accepted method of payment (“Payment Method”). You can update your Payment Method by going to the "Account" page. If a payment is not successfully settled, due to expiration, insufficient funds, or otherwise, your access to the service will be suspended until we have successfully charged a valid Payment Method. 
2. ​In the case of an overdue or declined payment, failure to remit outstanding balances and applicable fees may result in suspension or cancellation of access to the product, resources, and/or benefits. 
3. Access to the subscription product will begin within 24 hours from the time you purchase the product. 
4. Payments are non-refundable, and we do not provide refunds or credits for any partial-month membership periods or unused content. 
5. The subscription fee will be charged on a monthly basis to your Payment Method on the calendar day corresponding most closely to the first payment. The time between the first and second payment will always be a minimum of 30 days. You authorize The RCM to charge your next month's subscription fee to your Payment Method unless you cancel your subscription before your monthly billing date. 
6. You can cancel your subscription at any time, and you will continue to have access to the service through the end of your monthly billing period. To cancel, sign in to My RCM and click on My Subscriptions. If you cancel your membership, your access will automatically terminate at the end of your current billing period. 

11. Trademark

1. The Royal Conservatory of Music is a registered trademark, and may not be used without the prior specific and written permission of the RCM.

 12. Indemnification

1. You agree to release, save harmless, and indemnify RCM Indemnitees from and for all losses incurred, or suffered from, or related to taking part in any RCM programs, even if the same arises from the negligence of one or more of RCM Indemnitees. You acknowledge that the foregoing is reasonable in view of the RCM being a not-for-profit charity.
2. For the purposes of this provision: (i) “you” includes you; your dependents; and the estates and personal representatives of the foregoing and “your” has a similar meaning; (ii) “RCM Indemnitees” include The Royal Conservatory; any organization that it owns or controls; and the respective officers, employees, directors and agents of the foregoing and their heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns; and (iii) “losses” include injury, death, liability, damages including property, cost, expense, charge, judgment, award, or settlement arising from or in connection with any claim, suit, arbitration, investigation, directive, prosecution, or proceeding.

 13. Privacy Policy

1. The RCM is committed to respecting and protecting your privacy. Please consult the full Privacy Policy for more information.

Smart Start Terms and Conditions

At The Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM), we believe in the importance of music and the arts and their ability to develop human potential. We are committed to the success of all music teachers by providing a variety of resources, programming, and benefits through the online RCM Smart Start Teacher Training Course. The terms and conditions set out below are designed to help us achieve those ends as part of The RCM’s overarching mission.  

All Smart Start Teacher Course programming, resources, benefits, and fees are subject to amendment without notice. The terms and conditions below are subject to amendment without notice. 

.
 
1.0 GENERAL APPLICATION and ENROLLMENT

• 1.1 Applications for admission to the Smart Start Teacher Training Course can be completed online through a MyRCM account. If you experience any difficulties applying online, please email Smart Start Services at [email protected].
• 1.2 Teachers will receive access to Smart Start Teacher Training Courses, subject to their terms and conditions, once the course enrollment has been processed, the enrollment cohort access date arrives, and payment in full, if applicable, has been received.
• 1.3 Teachers are enrolled in Smart Start Teacher Training Courses on a first-come, first-served basis. Cohorts generally have a minimum of six (6) and a maximum of 20 (twenty) participants. If the minimum cohort size is not met for any session, Teachers will be given their choice of a future session start date.
• 1.4 Teachers must have reached the minimum age no later than the first day of the course live session. No exceptions will be made to the transfer and/or withdrawal policies due to failure to comply with posted prerequisites.

 
2.0 COMMUNICATION

• 2.1 Email is the first line of communication with Teachers. It is the responsibility of Teachers to check their email for program updates and to ensure that their email account remains active.
• 2.2 Teachers are responsible for making timely updates to their RCM Teacher Account and online profile to ensure contact information, including email address, is correct.

3.0 FEES

• 3.1 Fees are payable to The RCM. All monetary transactions are processed by The RCM and must be made by credit card online.
• 3.3 If a payment is declined, Teacher will receive a notification by email and is expected to remit payment within ten (10) business days of notification.
• 3.4 In the case of an overdue or declined payment, failure to remit applicable fees and outstanding balances may result in revocation of course access and withdrawal from the Smart Start Teacher Training Course.

4.0 TRANSFER
Teachers may request a transfer to another cohort only in exceptional circumstances. To request a transfer, teachers must contact the Smart Start Team, at [email protected].

Transfers are not guaranteed and are at the sole discretion of the Smart Start Director.


5.0 CANCELLATIONS
Cohorts for Smart Start Teacher Training Courses generally have a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 20 participants. The RCM reserves the right to cancel a Smart Start Teacher Training Course session due to insufficient enrollment. If this occurs, we will notify Teachers as soon as possible prior to the start of the session and give Teachers their choice of a future session start date within current academic year. If this is not possible, a refund to the original method of payment will be issued.


6.0 WITHDRAWAL AND REFUND

• 6.1 Only in exceptional circumstances may Teachers request withdrawal or refund. Requests must be made in writing to Smart Start at [email protected].
• 6.2 Teachers who request to withdraw from the training before the date of the first live session may receive a full refund.
• 6.3 Teachers who request to withdraw after the date of the first live session may withdraw but are not eligible for a refund.

7.0 COURSEWORK

• 7.1 To successfully complete Smart Start Training, Teachers must submit all projects, discussion forums, and quizzes by the specified due date or as directed by the instructor. 
• 7.2 A mark of seventy percent (70%) or higher is considered a passing grade.
• 7.3 All weekly projects are due by midnight on Saturday for weekday live sessions, or midnight on Monday for Saturday live sessions.
• 7.4 Incomplete projects will be returned to teachers for resubmission within three (3) days
• 7.5 Late assignments will be accepted up to three (3) days after the original due date.
• 7.6 After three (3) days, late assignments will not be accepted and will be assigned a grade of zero percent (0%).
• 7.7 Project re-submissions are accepted at the instructor's discretion and must be submitted within three (3) days of receiving a grade.
• 7.8 Assignment Makeup information: Students must work with their instructor to find a suitable makeup assignment.

8.0 INDEMNIFICATION
You agree to release, save harmless, and indemnify RCM Indemnitees from and for all losses incurred, or suffered from, or related to taking part in any RCM programs, even if the same arises from the negligence of one or more of RCM Indemnitees. You acknowledge that the foregoing is reasonable in view of the RCM being a not-for-profit charity.

For the purposes of this provision: (i) “you” includes you; your dependents; and the estates and personal representatives of the foregoing and “your” has a similar meaning; (ii) “RCM Indemnitees” include The Royal Conservatory; any organization that it owns or controls; and the respective officers, employees, directors and agents of the foregoing and their heirs, personal representatives, successors and assigns; and (iii) “losses” include injury, death, liability, damages including to property, cost, expense, charge, judgment, award or settlement arising from or in connection with any claim, suit, arbitration, investigation, directive, prosecution, or proceeding.


9.0 PRIVACY POLICY
The RCM is committed to respecting and protecting your privacy. Please consult the full Privacy Policy, online at rcmusic.com/privacy-policy for more information.

EMAIL ADDRESS: [email protected]