Studio Policies
PAYMENT POLICY
When you choose a lesson time you are reserving and agreeing to pay for that time. A la carte, or “one-off” lessons may be paid for at the lesson itself. If you are scheduling regular, weekly lesson (or bi-weekly in special circumstances), they are to be paid for in full (the total number of lessons in the month) at the first lesson of each month. Lessons are an hour long and are $75 for the hour.
I accept cash, check, and Venmo (@Andrea-Ducas-1). All checks should be made out to Andrea Love, Love Music Studios.
There is a $25 fee for returned checks.
MISSED LESSONS
I do not offer makeup lessons for missed lessons, and there are no tuition credits or refunds for no-shows/forgotten/canceled lessons. If you cannot make a lesson during the time you scheduled, you are still expected to pay for that time. No exceptions. Once you reserve that time, I cannot fill it with someone else. However, I understand that sometimes emergencies arise, or sickness comes on suddenly, so each student will receive one “freebie” makeup lesson per semester (Jan-June and July-Dec) as a courtesy.
If I need to cancel your lesson for any reason, you will not lose that lesson. I will make sure you receive your lesson at an alternate time.
HOLIDAYS
The studio is closed for the following holidays: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day and Black Friday, and Christmas week.
SCHOOL BREAKS/VACATION
Because I have students from various school districts, my studio will stay open during school and summer breaks. Any absences during school breaks will be handled per the cancellation policy stated above.
If I need to miss a lesson for any reason, I will arrange an alternate time with you in advance.
30 DAY NOTICE TO TERMINATE LESSONS
If, for some reason, you need to stop taking lessons, termination with Love Music Studios requires a 30-day notice in writing via e-mail or hard copy so that I can work on filling your spot when you leave. If you are just taking a hiatus from lessons, this notice policy applies, and I cannot guarantee your same time slot in the future. However, I will do my best to get you back into a lesson time that works mutually for everyone.
SCHEDULE CHANGE
If you know that your schedule will be changing due to extracurricular activities, work schedule changes, etc., please notify me at least two weeks in advance so we can accommodate a new day/time for your lesson that works with your new schedule.
GUESTS/VISITORS/LESSON OBSERVATION
Private lessons require intense concentration from both myself as the instructor and the student. Therefore, anyone accompanying a new student (parent, guardian, friend) should plan to sit-in on only the first one or two lessons for the new student. Parents, siblings and friends who come with the student to the lesson may wait in the sitting room while the student's lesson takes place.
A student may bring a guest who is interested in observing the lesson to see if they would like to take lessons, provided that guest will not be a distraction (e.g. gum chewing, video game music, ringing phones and/or phone calls, or interjections.) If a student would like a friend to participate in a lesson with them, it must be pre-arranged with me and upon approval they are welcome to attend.
ARRIVAL TIME
Please make every effort to arrive on time, or even better, 5 minutes early. If you arrive late, you forfeit the missed time and your lesson will be shorter as we will still end on time. The front door will be open prior to your lesson time. Please enter quietly, remove your shoes and go downstairs to the studio sitting room until the student before you is finished.
WHAT TO BRING TO YOUR LESSONS
It is very important that you bring a water bottle for your voice lessons, your music books, a 3-ring binder to hold your sheet music, and an MP3 device (or recording app on your phone) to record your lessons.
PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE!!!
In music, practice is what you do in-between your lessons and not AT your lessons. Let's consider personal fitness training. Unless you invest significant sums of money, you will likely only see a personal trainer once or twice per week for an hour or so. Those one or two sessions per week do not excuse you from a clean diet and regular exercise during the rest of the week. If you leave a session with your personal trainer, head straight for the closest fast-food drive-thru establishment, and do not visit the gym again until your next session, you will most certainly not see results. If you do, they will be negligible at best. Music lessons are no different; the hour you spend with me each week will only help you grow a little, however when you practice applying the concepts you learn during lessons consistently throughout the week you will see greater results at a much quicker rate. I will give you access to the Love Music Studios Dropbox which contains many vocal exercises and accompaniment tracks for your songs, so you have something to practice with. I will also give you specific techniques to practice for your songs. In order to achieve your greatest potential, you must put in the work. The more you put in, the more you'll get out of lessons.