The following are our studio’s policies. These policies protect our faculty members and our studio. It is necessary that these policies are followed for the longevity of the studio and the faculty’s financial security. PLEASE READ THIS DOCUMENT ENTIRELY TO ENSURE YOU UNDERSTAND EACH POLICY. It is your responsibility to know our studio policies. By having everyone on the same page about our policies helps for the studio to run smoothly and to continue being able to run smoothly. These policies have been carefully curated. If you have any questions regarding policies, please let Sarah know.
Agreement for Private Music Lessons at Sarah’s Violin Studio
Rates:
The rate for a private lessons is currently $28/half hour or $56/hour. ($30/half hour or $60/hour effective March 1st, 2025) Paid by the semester. Non-refundable and non-transferable to future dates. You will be contacted through email when there is a rate increase.
Payments:
Payment methods may be found on our student portal. Payments for the semester are due about 1 month before the semester begins. You will receive prior notice before payments are due. Recital and event fees will be an added fee when participating.
You will be responsible for paying for each lesson offered (this includes when we have a guest teacher or when it’s necessary to temporarily switch to an online platform) You are not responsible for payment on weeks lessons are not offered, such as holidays. This will be reflected in your invoice and semester schedule. Payments must be made on time. Your payment covers your lesson, but it also secures your spot in the studio. If your payment is late, we reserve the right to fill your lesson spot. If paying with check and the check bounces, you will be responsible for bank fees. If your family is using the ACE program, all reimbursements are done through ACE. Sarah’s Violin Studio is not responsible for reimbursement or for solving issues regarding ACE funding.
Recitals:
Recitals and events are optional, but encouraged. Students will be invited to perform on recitals when their teacher feels that they are ready. You will pay a recital fee. Recital fees are non-refundable.
Weather:
In the event of inclement weather, we will do an online lesson through Zoom or FaceTime or a lesson video (your choice). If your teacher is not able to come to the studio because of road conditions, we will switch to online lessons for that day. You will be notified of this from your teacher or Sarah. If the studio is open, but you’d rather not come for an in-person lesson due to weather, please just let your teacher know you’d like to do a Zoom lesson for the day.
Please note: During the winter, if the roads get bad, we may not realize if we are teaching. Please don’t hesitate to send us a text or email about doing an online lesson for that day. We may be teaching other students and so you may not hear back from us until your lesson time.
Please know, online lessons are also an option for logistical purposes and sickness as well, just let your teacher know in advance if you would like to do an online lesson on a certain week.
Illness:
In the event that a teacher is out with sickness or other issue, we will switch to an online platform temporarily through FaceTime, Zoom or lesson videos or have a guest teacher if someone is available to fill in.
Each studio teacher makes every effort possible to be at the studio each day and we take that commitment very seriously, but from time to time an online lesson is inevitable. We believe there is still so much to gain from an online lesson. We cannot provide refunds for these lessons. Please keep this policy in mind as you make your decision to enroll, especially if you have a younger student or a student who may struggle with an online lesson. This policy helps us to have a steady income and to keep the studio up and running.
Scheduling:
The lesson spot you are currently is the only spot currently available. (Unless otherwise indicated by Sarah). By enrolling, you are committing to the spot you are currently in.
If there is a week that you are absent from your lesson, we do not do make-up lessons, thank you for understanding! Due to our full schedules, we do not have room to reschedule lessons. We have two great alternative options.
a.) Lesson video-a personalized instructional video based on what we have been working on in lessons recorded during your missed lesson time.
b.)Written feedback-you can send over a recording of your student playing their lesson material. We will provide written feedback. We must receive your recording before your missed lesson time.
For both of these options we must have prior notice of your absence since we complete this instructional material during your lesson time. Please contact your assigned teacher for your absence. Their contact information can be found on our student portal. If we do not have prior notice of an absence, we are not obligated to provide alternative instructional material.
If there are circumstances where the permanent lesson time needs to change, (Ex: sports practice now conflicts weekly) please let us know. By enrolling, you are enrolling in your time slot that has been assigned to you. Lesson videos and written feedback are great alternatives for when students need to miss their lesson, but should be used sparingly. We are more than happy to work to find a time slot that works well for your family so you can attend as many lessons as possible . To apply for a permanent lesson time change, contact Sarah (saicardi96@gmail.com) When your timeslot is switched, we cannot reserve your original timeslot. There are no guarantees for a time slot change, but we always try our best to accommodate.
Our lesson calendars are on our student portal. It is your responsibility to check the calendar. We don’t always follow school schedules for days off.
Taking a break:
Sometimes students wish to take breaks from lessons throughout the year. If you decide to take a semester off, we unfortunately cannot hold your timeslot without payment. We will need to fill your time slot and your student will be moved to the waitlist. When you decide to return, you will have priority on the waitlist and we will get you in as soon as possible. Your original timeslot, likely won’t be available when you resume lessons, but we will work with you to find a time slot as convenient as possible. If you decide to take a break in the middle of a semester, your tuition will not be refunded.
Extra notes:
From time to time your regular teacher may need to take time off (sickness, vacation, family emergencies, professional development etc.) during those weeks, you may have a guest teacher teaching your lesson. At the studio, teachers operate as a team to maintain a consistent schedule filling in for each other when a teacher has to be away. The amount you have a guest teacher will vary from semester to semester. Regardless of who the guest is, they are of the highest caliber teacher and musician and have gone through an interview process in order to teach at the studio. Our guest teacher program is such a valuable experience we give to our young musicians. We love having guest teachers with us and it’s truly an asset to our program. In the event that your teacher leaves the studio for other career opportunities, we will fill the position with a new teacher. We do our very best to find the best possible teachers for our studio.
Teachers are not responsible for supervision of students outside of their lesson time.
Pets are not allowed in the studio with the exception of service animals.
We ask everyone in the studio to be respectful towards our faculty, studio space and instruments and to have a good attitude in their lessons. If these requirements are not being met, we reserve the right to terminate lessons at any time.
By being part of the studio, you are responsible for upholding and respecting these policies. Policies change from time to time, so please check back occasionally to make sure you are up to date on our policies. It is YOUR responsibility to check back on our studio policies.
Who do we contact for questions? Sarah is always happy to answer any questions about payment, permanent scheduling and logistical questions. For questions about practicing, books, progress or to report an absence, please contact your assigned teacher. Their information can be found on our student portal.
Practice is an essential part of the learning process. By enrolling in the studio, we agree to uphold the practice expectations of our teacher.
Video Surveillance Acknowledgment and Consent
Sarah’s Violin Studio has equipped the studio with a security camera capturing both video and audio to protect everyone in the studio.These devices may capture audio and video of all activities and conversations in the lesson room.
Studio will make reasonable efforts to secure the digital video and audio data captured by the surveillance devices, which is stored for no longer than 15 days.
I understand that all activity in the studio lesson room may be subject to audio-video surveillance, as described above. I have read the above information. I understand these policies.