Studio Policy and Student Contract

  1. Lesson Payment will be paid monthly by the student/guardian. Ms. Tupper's time has been set aside for her students, therefore payment is required for all scheduled lessons whether the student attends or not.
  2. Each payment should be made in advance, before the first Friday of each month and will be made in cash or check. $115 per 50mins.
  3. A $10 late fee will be assessed for tuition received 5-days late.
  4. A two-week written notice is required to discontinue lessons and tuition must be paid through this two-week period.
  5. 24-hour advance notice must be given in order to reschedule a missed lesson. Lessons missed with less than 24-hours notice will not be rescheduled. ALL Missed lessons will not be refunded or prorated.
  6. Lesson credits / rescheduled lessons will not be carried over to the next month.
  7. "No-shows" or lesson cancellations on short (or no notice) are unacceptable and will not be rescheduled. More than one no show, may result in termination (without refund of any prepaid future lessons).
  8. Only ONE excused (with at least 24 hours notice) absence a month, is allowed. If you are aware of any future conflicts, vacations, etc... please notify me one-month prior, so the teacher does not include these dates on your next invoice, or you will be charged for them. It is understood that you are paying in-advance in order to reserve your regular time slot.
  9. Lessons canceled by the teacher will be rescheduled at a time mutually convenient for the student and teacher.
  10. If the teacher is running late, the teacher is expected to make up the time at the end of the student's scheduled lesson-time. However, if the student is on time, and needs to leave promptly at the scheduled lesson end-time, then the teacher will make up that extra time at the end of another future lesson.
  11. Please be on time, and ready to sing, as the lesson will end at the time scheduled and will not be prorated. If the student is late, the teacher may go over the scheduled lesson-time up to 5 minutes, if there is no student scheduled right after.
  12. There will be lessons when the majority of the lesson time will be reserved for choosing song literature, these lessons will NOT be extended or rescheduled. Choosing literature is considered part of the lesson.
  13. There may be lessons where there is little singing, due to working on diction, song interpretation/presentation, breathing, movement, sight singing exercises, rhythm, etc. Any discussion of song literature, vocal/breath technique, etc. will be considered part of your lesson.
  14. Parents and Guardians: Do not drop off the student and take off without confirming the teacher is present. Do not enter the voice studio prior to your lesson time; each student has scheduled and paid for their own private lesson. Please be prompt in picking up your child, as it may not be weather-friendly for the student to be waiting outside on the sidewalk for you to pick them up. It is common for students to be about 5-mins. late in exiting a lesson; if you need your child to depart right on time, please have your child mention this at the start of their lesson so the teacher can have them ready to go when you pick them up.

    It is encouraged for parents or guardians to attend all, or at least one lesson a month, in order to stay connected to the progress and involvement of the student.

STUDENT EXPECTATIONS
  1. Students are expected to practice at least 30-mins a day in order to see genuine improvement and to be ready for their next lesson.
  2. Students are encouraged to bring their own recording device for recording their voice lesson. Practicing over the week, using the previous week's recorded lesson, is a helpful tool in preparing for the next lesson. It is also a great way to hear improvement from week to week.
  3. Students are expected to completely learn the teacher-assigned song (memorized and performance-ready, even if the student decides never to perform the song). It is understood that the teacher has assigned the song for technical purposes.
  4. Students are required to participate in at least two voice studio performances per year, one of which is the NOVEMBER RECITAL. This does not include any regional competitions or performances outside of the studio (school musicals, band gigs, talent shows, etc.). Performances help to recognize and isolate vocal faults while under pressure. Performances also help to motivate students into practicing and are a great marker for students to judge on their own improvement from year to year. There will be a minimal fee to participate in shows, workshops, recitals and competitions to help cover accompanist, recital hall, printing, and other production costs.
  5. Students must keep their sheet music in a 3-ring binder and bring their binder and music books to every lesson. The binder must have extra sheets of paper for the student and the teacher to take notes in the lesson. If the student prefers a separate notebook for notes, this is also acceptable.
  6. Students must report any vocal health issues, in order to help keep the vocal folds healthy. Issues can include: viruses, infections, allergies, TMJ dysfunction, asthma, screaming at a concert the night before, etc...
  7. It is ultimately up to the voice teacher to determine whether or not the student is performance ready for an upcoming studio recital, studio show, and/or studio-related competition.
  8. Sheet music downloaded and paid for on the internet for voice studio-related purposes will be paid for by the student (if downloaded within a lesson, the total of the music downloaded for that month will be added to the following month's tuition). The voice teacher may request the student purchase various songbooks and/or vocal anthologies, accompaniments, iTunes accompaniments, etc.