Studio Policy

Updated as of January 30th, 2024

TEACHER RESPONSIBILITIES

I will teach the language of music, a healthy vocal technique, musicianship, emotional and mental fortitude, and acquiring habits in a positive and enthusiastic environment. I currently follow the Royal Conservatory of Music curriculum. That said, I will tailor the curriculum to match each student's specific learning needs and requests.

STUDENT & FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES

By becoming a student at the Certified Fancy Vocal Studio, the student agrees that they intend to attain the highest form of singing and musicianship they are capable of, whether they wish to pursue singing professionally, want to excel in a student production, or simply master it for their own enjoyment.

If something is happening at home or school that is affecting the student, please let me know. The more information I have, the more sensitive I can be to the needs of my students.

REGISTRATION FEE

A non-refundable yearly $44.00 registration fee is due upon enrollment, regardless of when you enroll. This fee reserves your weekly lesson day/time slot and covers the cost of instruction worksheets, equipment purchased and maintained for students during the year. In case of remote lessons these worksheets will be mailed to you. You will not be scheduled nor guaranteed a spot until receipt of this fee. *Not included: extra accompanist fees for auditions and video recordings, or fees paid for voice or theory exams and competitions you choose to sign up for.

PAYMENTS

Lessons are paid in advance on the 1st of the month or in full for the Trimester. Payments can be made through Zelle to avoid any fees. Paying with credit card through Stripe is available as well, but credit card fees will apply.
Tuition and Payment Due Dates:
1st of the month.
First Trimester: September-December (Tuition Due by August 1)
Second Trimester: January-May (Tuition Due by Dec 1)
Summer Trimester: June (Tuition Due by May 1)
To keep your lesson time slot, payments must be made on time. I do have a waiting list and your time slot will be given away should you miss the payment deadline for the upcoming semester.
Payment should be made directly through the invoice sent out and must be received by the payment deadline for each semester. Payment secures agreement to the policies of this contract.
A $33 late fee will be charged for payments not received by the due date.

WITHDRAWAL

If you would like to withdraw from weekly lessons, you must submit an email, or withdrawal form to info@cfvocalstudio.com, 15 days prior to the last lesson. If you have credit on account past the 15 day notice, that credit will be returned or placed on the account. There is no credit given for lessons within the 15 days that are not taken or rescheduled by the client.

CANCELLATIONS / ABSENCES

The lesson will start and end at the designated time of the scheduled lesson, whether the student is on time or not. The instructor wants to make sure that everyone gets their full lesson time each week. The student is encouraged to enter when it is their lesson time.
If the student needs to miss or cancel the lesson, please give a full 24 hours advance notice and a makeup lesson* will be scheduled. Only ONE* makeup lesson will be granted per trimester under these circumstances. It is the responsibility of the student to schedule the makeup lesson within two weeks of their missed lesson or the makeup lesson will be forfeited. (*Special exceptions will be made for severe medical/family emergencies. A doctor’s note may be required.)
- A cold/sore throat, period cramps, bout of anxiety/depression, poor night’s sleep, are not considered medical emergencies. Vocal technique is only one part of becoming a fully rounded musician. In most cases there is plenty to work on, like how to deal with any of the above, as well as character interpretation & analysis, diction, staging, acting, musical analysis and theory, knowledge and analysis of current singers, marketing, career prep, mental toughness, etc.
- If the student has a contagious illness but feels OK, the lesson can be held remotely or the student can opt to send in a recording of current vocal exercises and songs (using the appcompanist app), and the instructor will provide detailed feedback to work on in lieu of a lesson.
If the teacher has to cancel a lesson, a minimum of two dates will be offered for a make-up lesson within 2 weeks of the lesson that had to be canceled. If the student does not respond to make-up lesson offers within 48 hours, the makeup lesson is forfeited.
Inclement Weather (for in-person students ONLY): If hazardous road conditions prevent travel, the lesson will be held remotely. No make up credit will be offered. Check the roads before you travel.
Missed lessons/credits of any kind cannot be carried over from one trimester into another or exchanged with other studio members.

INJURIES

Parents, legal guardians of minor students and adult students waive the right to any legal action for any injury sustained on school property resulting from activity conducted by the students before, during or after class time.

MATERIALS NEEDED

3 ring binder (ideally a fun or pretty one) (you'll need to have a hole punch at home as well)
All printed sheet music of assigned songs and practice/karaoke tracks must be purchased by the student
Please bring all sheet music printed double sided, hole punched, in a 3 ring binder along to EVERY lesson. You have to provide sheet music for me as well. I own a lot of music but especially contemporary music has many different versions, accompaniments, and cuts. I need the version YOU want to work on. I do have a binder. That said, it is always smart to keep a separate binder with your music for an accompanist in auditions
Pencil and pen to mark your music
Personal water bottle

REQUIRED APPS

Please install these apps for your first lesson

Appcompanist with at least a pick six subscription ($3.99/month) Please note, I do not get commission from recommending any of these apps
Perfect Ear (full subscription is $6.00)
Ella (for iphone only) (free)
Any Metronome app (free)

REMOTE LESSON REQUIREMENTS

Please note that all the following are essential to make online lessons worthwhile, but none of them (like microphone and external speaker) have to be expensive. Cheap ones will do. They will however significantly improve the quality of the lessons. The teacher has the right to end the lesson early should these requirements not be met.

All of the bullet points above under materials needed and apps required
CFVocal Studio uses Forte Lessons for online lessons. You will be sent an invitation to register for the studio through Forte Lessons. Log on 5 min before your time with your music and speakers to go.
Fast internet connection (at least 50 mpb upload)
Desktop or laptop with a chrome browser and a camera, or ipad with safari browser
External microphone (like the Yeti Snowball)
Second device (aka smartphone/tablet) to stream your accompaniment music on. This can’t be the same one you are using to stream your forte lesson.
Proper lighting (overhead ceiling lights are not ideal) ike a lighting ring
External speaker (to which you will stream your accompaniment music)
Quiet room free of distractions
A music stand or place to put your binder so you are not looking down onto a table which scrunches the larynx and makes singing hard