Studio Policy

 

Supplies for all lessons

 

Student must have the (1) sheet music we are working on (even if memorized), (2) a pencil, (3) a water bottle, and (4) a folder in which you will keep your voice lesson music at every lesson.  An iPad or tablet with your music stored on it, on which you can easily annotate is a valid replacement for (1), (2), & (4). Phones are not a valid replacement. Please also have (5) an audio recording device available (phones ARE best for this).  At times I will prompt students to record specific parts of their lesson to practice with at home.  In case we need to have a Zoom lesson, there are additional supplies the student will need to have.  Follow this link to the FAQ for more info.

 

At schools: Due to school policies about personal devices, students will need to either transfer electronic materials to their school-issued Chromebook or bring their entire backpack to the lesson to use their personal devices as needed for their voice lesson.

 

Arrival Time

 

Lessons will start at the agreed-upon time that they are set. If the student arrives early, please wait outside the lesson room until the scheduled time before entering.

 

Absence Policy

  • For scheduling conflicts, at least 24-hour notice must be given directly to me (text or email) if a lesson needs to be canceled. Otherwise, it will be deemed a charged missed lesson for which the student will not receive a makeup lesson.
  • If the student is scheduled for an in-person lesson and wakes up feeling sick the day of, please either request that the lesson move to Zoom or cancel the lesson immediately. In such a case, the student must cancel by 8 a.m. or at least two hours before a morning lesson, whichever is earliest, in order to avoid it being deemed as a charged missed lesson for which the student will not receive a makeup lesson.
  • If the student knows they have been exposed to a communicable disease within a week before an in-person lesson, please contact me immediately, and we can discuss the best course of action to take.
  • Please do not come to your lesson sick. If you arrive sick without prior cancellation, you will be asked to leave, and the lesson will be deemed a charged missed lesson for which you will not receive a makeup lesson.

 

Payments

 

I collect voice lesson payments using Square, a secure and encrypted payment processing system, through which a credit or debit card of choice will be manually charged monthly at the beginning of each month.  Starting in September through May, I will charge an averaged amount based on the number of lessons a student should receive during the school year (30), times the amount owed per lesson, divided by the number of months the card will be charged (9). If the students has a different number of lessons than 30, we will settle up at the end of the school year in June.  I will keep track of these payments in Duet Partner and the parent/guardian will receive a notification when the card is charged, for full transparency.  

 

$50 Initiation Fee

 

There is a $50 fee to secure the student’s spot for the school year. This money will be used to purchase materials the student needs for lessons throughout the year such as sheet music and a sight-reading book, and will cover the cost of a limited number of event fees for performances the student participates in that I organize. Additional fees may be necessary beyond this $50 depending on the student’s lesson program and participation. Any remaining balance at the end of the year may be used for Summer lessons as long as the student fulfills their year-long commitment and performance requirements.

 

Year-Long Commitment

 

Signing up for voice lessons with me is a school-year-long commitment, which amounts to at least 30 lessons, spanning to at least the week containing May 15.  Lessons during holiday breaks, midterm and final exams are optional.  Students who quit lessons before May 15 or have not had at least 30 lessons forfeit access to any remainder from the Initiation Fee.  Please note: Students who quit voice lessons before May 15 will still owe payment for the month during which they quit plus the following month’s payment as well. While voice lessons during the Summer are optional, they are highly encouraged.  Students who take at least 4 hours of lessons from me during the Summer will get preferential treatment when signing up for lessons at the beginning of the following school year.

 

Performance Requirements

 

High school students will be required to perform (in a solo or duet capacity) three times in front of an audience within the school year.  At least one of those performances needs to be at an event I organize.  Students who do not fulfill their performance requirements by the end of the school year forfeit access to any remainder from the Initiation Fee.

 

Failure to Pay

 

If a payment transaction is declined, lessons for that student will be paused until that payment has been successfully processed.  

 

Practicing

 

Students are expected to practice regularly, ideally at least 30 minutes per day. Parents are encouraged to take an active role in making sure their students practice regularly to get the most from the experience. Students who practice as guided will make the most progress.

 

 

Please visit the FAQ page for any questions about any of these policies.  If that page doesn’t answer your questions, please email me - angela_irving@mac.com .

 

There will be a quiz about this Studio Policy at the student’s first lesson of the school year. ;-) It will be a fair quiz!