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Privacy Policy

Houtz Cello Academy Effective: March 28th, 2026

Information We Collect: We collect only what is necessary to provide cello lessons, sponsorships, and donation services:
Parents/Guardians: name, email address, phone number, timezone, necessary data for improving website functionality.
Enrolled Students: first/last name, grade level, timezone
Payment Data: handled securely by Mymusicstaff or Stripe
Website Usage: IP address, browser type, pages visited, browsing behavior.
How We Use Your Information:
We use this information only in the following ways (all uses involving a student’s information require explicit parental consent):
Schedule and deliver lessons: Send lesson reminders and progress updates to parents.
Promotional Use (with separate explicit parental consent): We may feature a student’s first name, photo, short bio, and/or short video clips on our website, social media, newsletters, or fundraising materials to promote the academy and the sponsorship program.
You will always be asked for separate, clear permission before any such use, and you may revoke it at any time by contacting us at houtzcelloacademy@gmail.com
Improve site functionality and user experience: We may use anonymized or aggregated website usage data (e.g., which pages are visited most) to make the site faster, easier to navigate, and more helpful.
Sharing and Disclosure:
We share information only as follows: Assigned Donor: receives student’s first name, grade, photo, bio, and monthly video (parental consent required)

Payment Information and Billing

When you enroll for cello lessons, you may provide payment information (such as credit card or bank account details) through the MyMusicStaff platform and/or Stripe to facilitate billing and payment for lessons.

We do not collect, process, or store your credit card or other payment details directly. All payment information is collected, stored, and processed securely by MyMusicStaff and/or Stripe. These processors are fully compliant with PCI-DSS standards, which are the industry requirements for securely handling cardholder data.

MyMusicStaff enables features such as storing payment methods on file (for recurring or automated billing via Auto Pay), generating invoices, and processing charges on your behalf. Any stored payment information is managed entirely within your MyMusicStaff account and subject to MyMusicStaff's Privacy Policy and the security practices of their payment partners.

We only access basic billing-related information (such as invoice status, payment history, and confirmation of successful transactions) as needed to manage your lesson scheduling and account. We do not retain or use your full payment card details for any purpose.

For more details on how your payment data is handled, please refer to:

Your use of payment features through MyMusicStaff and/or Stripe indicates your consent to this collection and processing as described.

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School Donation Program

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Houtz Cello Academy (“HCA,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of all individuals and organizations that interact with our services, including schools participating in our voluntary School Donation Program. This Privacy Policy specifically addresses how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard information submitted in connection with the School Donation Program. It supplements our general website Privacy Policy (available [insert link to your main Privacy Policy if you have one]) and applies to data collected through the School Registration Form and related program activities.

This policy is for schools (including Orchestra Directors and other representatives) located in the United States, as the program is currently limited to U.S. schools.

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1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to administer the School Donation Program, verify eligibility, process donations, and communicate about the program. This includes:

  • School and Contact Information: School name, address, phone number, email address, and details about the Orchestra Director (e.g., name, title, direct email, and phone number) provided on the School Registration Form.

  • Banking or Mailing Details: Accurate banking information (e.g., account number, routing number) or mailing address for issuing the $150 donation by electronic transfer or check.

  • Program-Related Data: Information about enrolled students (e.g., student name or identifier, enrollment plan type – Hobbyist, Troubador, or Virtuoso – completion of the qualifying month, and payment verification) to confirm donation triggers. We do not collect or store sensitive student personal information beyond what is needed for verification.

All information is voluntarily provided by the school’s authorized representative (typically the Orchestra Director) via the registration form or follow-up communications.

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We do not collect payment card details, Social Security numbers, or other highly sensitive financial identifiers from schools. We do not collect personal information from students or parents directly for this program.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the collected information solely for the following purposes:

  • To verify that the school has properly registered and is eligible for the program.

  • To confirm qualifying student enrollments and completions (e.g., one month of Guided Practice Sessions under the specified plans).

  • To process and issue the $150 donation to the school’s orchestra fund via check or electronic transfer.

  • To communicate about the program, such as confirmation emails, donation receipts, or notifications of changes/termination.

  • For internal record-keeping, auditing, and compliance with applicable laws (e.g., tax reporting if required for charitable contributions).

  • To prevent fraud or misuse of the program.

We do not use this information for marketing unrelated products/services, profiling, or any purpose unrelated to the School Donation Program.

3. Sharing and Disclosure of Information

We do not sell, rent, trade, or share your information with third parties for their marketing purposes.

We may share information only as necessary:

  • With service providers (e.g., payment processors, banking services, or email providers) strictly for processing donations or communications. These providers are contractually bound to protect the data and use it only for the services they provide to us.

  • If required by law, such as in response to a subpoena, court order, or government request.

  • To protect the rights, property, or safety of HCA, our users, or the public, as permitted by law.

No information is shared internationally outside the United States in connection with this program.

4. Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect the information we collect, including secure form submissions (e.g., HTTPS encryption), access controls, and secure storage practices. However, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Data Retention

We retain information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this policy, administer the program, resolve disputes, or meet legal/tax obligations (typically up to 7 years for financial records related to donations). After that, data is securely deleted or anonymized.

6. Your Rights and Choices

As the submitting school representative, you may:

  • Request access to, correction of, or deletion of the information we hold about your school (subject to legal retention requirements).

  • Opt out of future program-related communications (though this may affect donation processing).

7. Changes to This Policy

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We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted here with an updated effective date. Continued participation in the program after changes constitutes acceptance.


Legal Requirements: We never sell, rent, or trade personal information. Donations are not tax-deductible — we are a private studio.Photographs and Videos: Explicit parental consent is required before any photo or video is used or shared. Student photos and videos are used only for donor updates, the sponsorship page. Parents or donors may request removal, blurring, or deletion anytime by emailing houtzcelloacademy@gmail.com
Data Security: All data is stored in password-protected systems. Payment data is encrypted and handled exclusively by Stripe. Access is limited to authorized personnel only. Your Rights (Parents, Students, and Donors) To access, correct, delete, or restrict your (or your child’s) personal information, withdraw consent for photos/videos (including promotional use), or opt out of communications, you must contact us directly. We do not offer self-service tools for these actions. Please email houtzcelloacademy@gmail.com with your request. We will process it as soon as reasonably possible. For children under 13: All collection and use occurs only with verifiable parental consent (COPPA compliant). Third-Party Links Our site may link to Stripe or Wix. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies. Changes to This Policy We may update this policy. The latest version will always be posted here with the effective date.
Contact Us Houtz Cello Academy Email: houtzcelloacademy@gmail.com

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