Frequently Asked Questions
Zoom Lessons
—I’d rather have in-person lessons - why might I need to be prepared to have a Zoom lesson if that’s not what I signed up for?
There may be a time when one of us: is isolating due to an exposure to a communicable disease, is not feeling well enough to come to school, is out-of-town, or cannot access transportation, and we still both want to have a lesson. In such a case, Zoom lessons are a great option! And I promise, I’m very good at teaching Zoom lessons!
—What supplies would I need for a Zoom lesson?
- At least 2 electronic devices - 1 to be on the Zoom meeting with me and the other to play tracks from. You will want to make sure you can access your tracks easily from this device.
- Metronome — ideally a metronome app on your “tracks device.” I recommend an app called “Pro Metronome” by Xiao Yixiang - it should be free with internal purchases.
- An external speaker to connect to the electronic device that’s playing the tracks — phone’s speakers are generally not loud enough for you to feel supported, so even if you put your phone in a cup, that’s better than just the phone.
- Optional but a good investment: a good quality microphone. Blue Yeti USB mics are around $100 and are probably one of the best USB mics.
—Are there special audio settings I need to setup before a Zoom lesson?
Yes! Here are some best practices for a Zoom lesson to run as smoothly as possible:
Actions to take before our lesson:
-Make sure you have Zoom downloaded to the device you will be using for Zoom. Or if your device doesn’t allow you to have the Zoom app downloaded, make sure you’re able to get to the website zoom.us
-If you can have the Zoom lesson on a computer that has a wired connection (ethernet cord directly to internet as opposed to Wifi), the connection will be *much* smoother and reliable (this would be mostly impossible at a school). But if you don’t have that capability, don’t sweat it. Using a computer *is* still better than a tablet or phone either way.
-If you’re at home, talk to family members and make sure no one streams anything or is on another Zoom call while you’re in your lesson, if possible, or else the video quality will lag and break up a lot.
-Make sure you choose a spot where light is shining on your face so I can see you well, and where you can easily stand back from your electronic device displaying Zoom so your head and all of your torso can be seen. Also, ideally try having your Zoom device set up high enough (heart level is best, but waist level will work fine) so that you don’t look like a giant on the screen.
Audio Settings to Change on Zoom:
If you’re using a computer:
-Go to Audio Settings (the arrow next to the microphone icon in Zoom):
-Under the heading Microphone:
—uncheck “automatically adjust volume”
-Under the heading Music and Professional Audio
—check “Original sound for musicians”
—check “High Fidelity Music Mode”
—uncheck “Echo Cancellation”
If you’re using an iPhone or iPad:
Before turning Zoom on make sure you have the latest version updated, click on Settings on the bottom menu, click on Meetings and then scroll down till you see the option "Use Original Sound" and turn it on. During the Zoom meeting, click on the three dots along the bottom menu bar where it says "More" and click on the "Enable Original Sound."
—What if I sign into my Zoom meeting, and it says, "Host is in another meeting”?
It sounds like you may have signed into your Zoom meeting before I was done teaching a Zoom lesson to someone else. If this happens, just wait until the time your lesson starts, or if you have done so already, just wait a second, and I'll appear soon.
Absence Policy
—If I don’t feel super great, and still go to my lesson, why would you send me away AND charge me for the lesson?
This is to disincentivize you from coming to your lesson sick. If you’re communicably sick, please stay home. If you *have* to come to school for some reason when you’re sick, please don’t come in to the tiny room we use for voice lessons and share all your germs with me. Half of my job is teaching voice lessons and the other half of my job is singing, and I can’t do my job if people are knowingly sharing their sickness with me. It’s best to isolate when sick, so the germs stop there.
—What if *you* get sick?
It does happen! If I’m sick and determine that I need to cancel or shift lessons to Zoom, I will text students and email both students and parents before 8am (but as early as possible in the morning). If I need to cancel, no one will be charged for lessons that day. I will do my best to makeup these lessons. If I switch lessons to Zoom, my hope is that all students will be willing and able to switch over to Zoom with me, but if having one’s lesson on Zoom that day would be impossible or very difficult for a particular student, please let me know asap, and we’ll either cancel that lesson without charge or reschedule.
Square
—Why Square? And why charging a card instead of sending invoices?
I wanted to have a payment system that’s as consistent as possible, low admin for both me and parents, and also very transparent. I became aware of therapists and other kinds of self-employed sole-proprietors charging a client card-on-file for their services, and this seemed so much more convenient for everyone! And so far, I’ve had a great response from parents, because after inputting a card in the system, they literally don’t have to do anything else, until that card expires. I used to send out monthly invoices, but schedules change so much, students or I get sick, and the price of each month can vary depending on the calendar which can mess with budgets. This is why I decided to charge an averaged amount monthly at the beginning of each month during the school year. I think this will be much more budget-friendly and easier for all parties. It’s like a utility bill on autopay!
—Is keeping a card-on-file with Square safe? Can anyone see my card number?
Yes, it’s very safe. Square is secure and encrypted, and is just like leaving a card-on-file with a utility company for a bill to be paid on autopay, except it’s me making the payment happen and not a computer program. I will never be able to see the whole card number - I can only see the final 4 digits and expiration date, just like someone could see on a receipt. And when I collect a payment through Square, it will always automatically email you that your card was charged.
—How do I put a on card-on-file with you through Square?
On or before the first lesson scheduled, I will email an invoice through Square which will prompt a parent to input payment information. Very specifically, one should choose to pay with a credit or debit card and enter that information, and then click the box saying “Save my card on file with Angela Irving Voice." From that point on, parents won't have to think about making payments at all, but will have full access to what is being charged when, for one’s peace of mind. These same instructions will be inside that first invoice too.
—Is my card going to get charged automatically?
No. Not by a computer using autopay software, anyway. I will be making these payments happen manually through Square at the beginning of each month, September through May.
Initiation Fee
—What is this Initiation Fee?
The $50 Initiation Fee secures the student’s spot on my limited roster for the school year. In order to ensure the student has the proper materials, these funds are used to purchase music they’ll need for lessons, removing guesswork for parents. These funds are also applied to certain event fees to remove variability to lesson fees. If the student requires additional funds for upcoming events or music, parents will receive a notification ahead of being charged additional fees throughout the program year so there are no surprises.
—What are Event Fees?
Any event that I help organize that takes a lot of extra time, beyond the expected work I do for students’ lessons, will incur a small fee. Most event fees will be $15/student for participating in a particular event. These events are: Mock Auditions, Studio Karaoke Party, Winter Recital, Solo & Ensemble, Texoma NATS, South Texas NATS, and the Spring Recital. Also, I will be using my prorated hourly teaching rate when attending students’ pianist rehearsals, and for any time I’m watching students’ videos outside of a lesson and giving feedback.
—Can’t I just buy the sheet music myself?
I prefer to make purchasing music for voice lessons as quick and easy as possible. Parents are already so busy, so rather than giving parents another task, I would rather furnish students’ music for them, and just deduct it from that student’s Initiation Fee. There may be instances when I think a student should start being in charge of making their own sheet music purchases, especially if they’re serious about pursuing music in the future. This will be determined on a case by case basis.
—What if my student uses up the entirety of the Initiation Fee, but plans on doing more events that you organize?
If it’s early in or in the middle of the school year, and I can tell a certain student will need more funds to cover event fees or music purchases, I will notify the parent via email that we need to replenish that $50 again a week before charging it to the card-on-file, very much like a toll tag. It will be a stand-alone charge for clarity. If it’s towards the end of the school year, and a certain student will only need a small amount of money to fulfill an event fee or music purchase, I will notify the parent through their student’s lesson notes email before charging that specific amount to the card-on-file.
—What if my student doesn’t use the entirety of their Initiation Fee?
If there is a remainder from the Initiation Fee left over at the end of the school year, and that student has had at least 30 lessons that school year and has fulfilled their performance requirements, the remainder from the Initiation Fee can be used towards lessons during the Summer.
—How do I know what my money is being used for?
Any time we need to use the Initiation Fee for the purchase of sheet music or event fee, I will add the information and amount to the parent’s account on Duet Partner and mention that same information in the student’s lesson notes email. When a parent signs into their account on Duet Partner, they will be able to track all of the lesson fees, lesson payments, and other fees taken out of the Initiation Fee.
Duet Partner
—How do I sign into my account on Duet Partner?
When a student signs up for lessons with me, one of the first things I ask them to do is to fill out the registration form on my website. This form asks the person (student or parent) to create usernames for both student and parent, as well as a password to go with each. This username and password set is how a person signs into their account on Duet Partner. If a person forgets their username and/or password, I can retrieve the username for them, but not the password. But, I can create a *new* password for someone. I then suggest this person sign into Duet Partner and change their password to something else. Please reach out to me via email or text if you need help in this regard.
Year-Long Commitment
—What if I started lessons a few months into the school year and don’t think it will be possible for me to have 30 lessons during this school year?
If a student starts voice lessons after the month of September, the number of lessons required to fulfill the year-long commitment will be prorated.
—Am I expected to take voice lessons during holiday breaks and exam weeks?
No. But if a performance is coming up very soon, and I think it would benefit a student to have a lesson during one of these times, I will strongly suggest it. For example, if a student will be auditioning for All-State Choir in January, it is STRONGLY encouraged for that student to continue taking regular voice lessons during the Winter Holiday Break.
—What if I need to take some time off during the school year, but come back before the school year is over?
As long as the student has at least 30 lessons throughout the school year and continues lessons up to the week containing May 15, that student will have fulfilled their year-long commitment. We can schedule additional lessons to assure that we achieve at least 30, if needed.
—Can I take more than 30 lessons during the school year?
Absolutely! 30 is just the low bar I set for a student being consistent throughout the school year.
—How many lessons *should* I have during the school year?
That depends on a number of factors. Here are some numbers for guidance: Starting with the 1st week of school, there are 40 weeks until the last week of school. If a student elects not to take lessons during exam weeks, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Holiday Break, or Spring Break and starts the 2nd week of school, they would have 32 lessons, if they stuck with 1 lesson/week without any extra lessons. It *is* often recommended to add some extra lessons when an important performance is coming up just to get that much more work in before the event, if schedules allow.
—What if I transfer schools or my family relocates outside of the area?
This would be dealt with on a case by case scenario. If traveling to one of my locations or Zoom lessons are an option, we could finish the school year one of those ways. But if not, we will work together to find a mutually agreed upon way to end our time together.
Performance Requirements
—Why do you have performance requirements?
I implemented performance requirements about 10 years before the pandemic started, and though some students were nervous about it at first, it gave some shyer students that extra push to be brave and get a song out in front of an audience. Part of learning to sing is learning to perform in front of others. The very act of singing involves being heard and thus one of the voice student’s tasks is to come to terms with that reality. Performing in a solo or duet capacity in front of someone else takes that task head on and expedites a singer’s progress. I have happily watched this policy cause students to grow immensely as performers, and I’ve had plenty of formerly reluctant student-performers claim that my performance requirements were what helped them get out of their shell. I suspended this policy during the pandemic, but as we recovered more and more from that strange era, I decided to bring this policy back for the 2024-25 school year and it has been working out for everyone just fine. It’s good to be brave!
—What counts as a performance?
Any situation during which a student is singing in a solo or duet capacity and is being listened to by at least one other person. A student’s audience can be their mom, their best friend, their sibling, etc. Sorry, pre-verbal infants, pets and stuffed animals don’t count, but they can be great practice audiences! And don’t forget, one of the 3 required performances needs to be performing at an event that I organize.
—What are the events that you organize? And why do I need to sing in one of those?
Here are the events I organize throughout the school year: Mock Auditions for the TMEA process (for Region, Pre-Area, and Area), Studio Karaoke Party in October, Winter Recital in early February, Solo & Ensemble in February, Texoma NATS, South Texas NATS in the Spring, and the Spring Recital in May. Participating in performance events alongside other studio-mates creates camaraderie and community! I cultivate a supportive environment in my studio, and want all of my students to actively support other students as well as to feel the effects of being supported by others. Humans need community to thrive, and this is how I provide that for students.