Policies

Pricing

For lessons in Ms. Emily’s home:

30-minute lesson: $30
45-minute lesson: $40
60-minute lesson: $60

For lessons in your home:

Pricing is based on the student’s location/distance from the main studio.

30-minute lesson: 0-5 miles, $40; 5-10 miles, $45; 10-15 miles, $50; 15+ miles, $55+
45-minute lesson: 0-5 miles, $50; 5-10 miles, $55; 10-15 miles, $60; 15+ miles, $65
60-minute lesson: 0-5 miles, $75; 5-10 miles, $85; 10-15 miles, $95; 15+miles, $105+
Pricing in this category depends on your location/distance from the studio.

For either type of lesson, the initial trial lesson is free of charge.

Lesson pricing does not include materials (method books, sheet music arrangements, etc.).

A $5-per-lesson discount will be applied to each additional family member enrolled.

Payments and Late Fees

Payment is currently accepted via cash and personal check, or PayPal, Venmo, and credit/debit card via the Student Portal.

Payment is due in full at the first lesson of each month, or at each lesson depending on your payment schedule. Payments late by more than 7 days will incur a $20 late fee for monthly payments, $5 late fee per week for weekly payments. If you plan to pay electronically, AutoPay through the Student Portal is recommended to avoid these fees.

Please be sure to familiarize yourself with the cancellation/make-up policy to see what is and is not refundable.

Scheduling

Lessons are held once per week, and are 30, 45, or 60 minutes in length depending on the level and needs of the student. Lessons will be on the same day and at the same time each week.

Lessons will not be held on federal holidays and as such will not be billed. This is also true for any other days that Ms. Emily is unavailable. There is a regularly-updated list of observed holidays and anticipated closures posted here, and you will also be sent a reminder via email.

Semester Schedule - 2026 Calendar Year

For 2026, the studio will be operating under a semester-based schedule as follows:

Winter/Spring Semester: January 6-May 22; Spring Break March 23-27; recital May 17/18 or 23/24; break May 25-29.

Summer Semester: June 2-July 10; no recital; extended break July 13-August 21.

Fall Semester: August 25-December 18; Thanksgiving Break November 23-27; recital December 12/13 or 19/20; Winter Break December 21-January 1.

Any changes to this schedule will be communicated promptly.

Cancellations/Make-Ups

If the student knows they will be absent and needs to cancel a lesson, they must contact Ms. Emily at least 24 hours in advance. If 24-hour notice is given, students may schedule a make-up lesson at an alternate time, or opt for a credit. One make-up lesson per month is allowed.

Same-day cancellations are not usually eligible to be rescheduled. If Ms. Emily is notified of a cancellation 4 or more hours before the scheduled lesson time, the lesson will not be billed. Same-day cancellations received less than 4 hours before the scheduled lesson time are considered last-minute and will be billed.

No-shows are not eligible for rescheduling or refunds/credits and will be billed. In-home lessons are considered a no-show if Ms. Emily arrives at the student’s home and was not notified in advance that the student was not home or otherwise unavailable.

If Ms. Emily cancels a lesson due to illness, weather, etc., students will be notified promptly via email and/or text and make-ups will be scheduled when possible. Make-ups scheduled in this way do not count towards the once-a-month limit stated above. Students may also apply a credit towards the next month’s tuition in lieu of a make-up lesson.

Students who are ill or who have ill family members should not attend lessons in-person. Ms. Emily reserves the right to refuse an obviously-ill student as she has a compromised immune system.

If a parent/student wishes to cancel outright/stop taking lessons, please notify Ms. Emily at least two weeks in advance of the student’s expected last day.

Communication

Parents/guardians and adult students are strongly encouraged to sign up for the studio’s Student Portal. Parent and adult student accounts are able to view schedules and invoices, make payments, access uploaded resources or repertoire, and view lesson notes/assignments each week as well as studio news and announcements.

Students under 18 with their own email address are able to create a Student account where they can view their schedule, lesson notes, repertoire, etc. but will not have access to invoices or payments. Any direct communication between a student and teacher account is visible to parents.

If you did not receive an email to create your account, please let Ms. Emily know.

Additionally, the studio has a Facebook page. The Facebook page is a great way to quickly see updates without logging into the Student Portal!

The primary method of communication is email. Parents/guardians and adult students will receive an email towards the end of each month with notices/reminders of any schedule changes, studio updates, and tuition due for the upcoming month. Parents/guardians and adult students are expected to read these emails so that they stay up-to-date with the schedule, payments, recitals and class information, etc.

Extra emails will only be sent when necessary (e.g. before a class or recital with final details, unplanned closures or cancellations, etc.). Please be sure to add Ms. Emily’s email address (as shown in the page header) to your email’s whitelist. If you have not received emails yet, please let Ms. Emily know.

In-Home Lessons

Ms. Emily is able to come to you for your lesson depending on where you live. Pricing starts at $40 for 30 minutes and depends on your distance from 80951.
Please note that in-home lessons are not available on military installations.
For voice students, in-home lessons are only available if the student has a in-tune piano in their home.

Availability for in-home lessons is currently extremely limited - be sure to reach out for current availability if interested!

Online Lessons

Online lessons, via Zoom, are offered as a way to make up a lesson that cannot be attended in-person due to weather, illness, etc. Regular online lessons can be considered upon request but are not recommended for very young students. Due to the extremely collaborative nature of voice lessons, online lessons are only available for piano students.

Student Expectations

Piano students are required to have access to a piano, either electric or acoustic, outside of the studio, and are expected to spend time practicing on their own at home in between lessons.

All students are encouraged to work with their parents/guardians to build their own practice schedule, but are welcome to ask for advice. Students that show a severe lack of interest or a refusal/inability to practice may be placed on temporary probation or dismissed.

The recommended minimum amount of practice for all students each week is 4-5 days per week, 20 minutes per practice session. This amount can be broken up into smaller amounts of time throughout the day if necessary. More is always better, but this is the minimum amount recommended to make steady progress.

Piano students are expected to attend lessons with clean hands and trimmed fingernails.

Students may not bring food or beverages into the studio with the exception of water in a resealable container. Voice students are encouraged to bring water to their lessons.

Students are expected to bring all necessary materials to each lesson, including method books, completed assignments, a pencil, etc.

If a student is waiting for their lesson inside the studio, they are expected to wait quietly, even if they are waiting for a sibling.

Students must be respectful of Ms. Emily’s home and property.

Parent/Guardian Expectations

Parents/guardians need to take an active role in supporting their student by helping them practice if necessary, removing distractions (siblings, technology, etc.) from the practice area, and scheduling (and enforcing!) regular practice time.

Parents/guardians may wait quietly inside the studio and listen to their child’s lesson if they wish, but should avoid bringing siblings in whenever possible as they can be very distracting to the student. Additionally, cell phones should be set to silent or vibrate-only.

Students must be brought to their lessons on time - this means no more than 5 minutes before/after their scheduled lesson time. Additionally, parents/guardians who choose not to wait during their student’s lesson must arrive on time for pickup. Ms. Emily cannot watch additional children (including siblings) while she is giving lessons. If a parent/guardian suspects they will be late to pick up their student, they must call or text Ms. Emily with their ETA.

Parents/guardians are asked to refrain from bringing food or beverages into the studio, with the exception of bottled water.

Attendance

Students must attend their lesson each week at the agreed-upon time. Missing 3 or more consecutive lessons without notifying Ms. Emily will result in dismissal from the studio.

It is expected that students will be on time for their lessons. For in-studio lessons, this means arriving no more than 5 minutes before or after the scheduled start time. For online lessons, students should allow enough time to set up their equipment so that they are ready to begin at the scheduled start time.

If the student suspects that they will be late to a lesson (e.g. due to traffic or some other issue), they must contact Ms. Emily as soon as possible via email or text. If the student is 15 or more minutes late, the lesson will be cancelled and billed.

Materials

Books will not be provided for the student. Students will be informed of the materials that are required/recommended as needed. For young beginning students, books may not be used for the first several lessons. The student is responsible for all material costs.

In general, the Piano Adventures or Piano Safari method book series will be used. Other series may be used upon request or as needed. Voice curriculum will vary by student.

If the student wishes to learn a piece or a song that is under copyright, Ms. Emily will inform the student of where to find the sheet music for purchase.

Other recommended materials include a folder or binder for assignment sheets/loose sheet music, a pencil with eraser, and a tote bag to keep all books and materials organized.

Recitals

Recitals are generally held twice per year: one in spring and one in autumn or early winter. For 2026, the first recital will likely be held mid-May, and the second early or mid-December. Final dates, times, locations, etc. will be communicated well in advance.

Some recitals are themed and some are not, but either way, students are encouraged to choose their own music, ideally at least 3-4 months before the recital. Music can be memorized, but this is not a requirement.

Participation in the recital is encouraged but never mandatory. There will only ever be a fee for the recital if the location is particularly expensive, but so far all recitals have been free of charge. Families are asked to bring a snack or treat to share afterwards when they are able to do so.

Studio Classes

Studio classes are held twice per semester but need a minimum of 10 students registered to proceed. Studio classes will be canceled if there is not enough interest as they take a lot of time, effort, and expense to execute. These classes are open to both piano and voice students, with a fee of $30 per student to participate (the $5 family member discount still applies).