Studio Policies

This is everything you need to know about communication, lesson preparation, music, billing, make-up lessons, cancellations, rescheduling your lesson, and anything else policies-wise you need to know.

MUSIC BINDER aka your “BOOK”

Singers need a 3-ring binder in which to keep all the sheet music we‘re currently working on. Please bring these materials to every lesson.

SHEET MUSIC

Singers Enrolled in my Private Studio:

Sheet music in your key is included in your enrollment now! We will take care of this in your lesson. It goes in your binder and comes with you to every lesson.

Single Lessons:

You are responsible for bringing sheet music to your lesson for whatever you want to work on. If you need music or you need a different key, you can buy the sheet music online, download it, and send me the PDF via email. Please do this before your lessons, not during if at all possible.

AUDITIONS & PERFORMANCES

If you have an upcoming audition or performance, please notify me as soon as possible prior to your next lesson, including any repertoire and/or audition materials we need to prepare, and send me the sheet music and any backing tracks you’ll be using before your lesson. This will help us use your lessons as efficiently as possible toward your preparation, and help you nail your auditions.

PRACTICING

If I’ve asked you to practice something specific in your lesson, please prepare/practice that before your next lesson. Your integration of what you’re learning in your voice lessons happens during your dedicated practice time, so the best way to get the most value out of your lessons is to practice consistently.

COMMUNICATION GUIDELINES:

We check email & text communication Monday through Friday during daytime hours. Our studio manager Micka will respond to messages Monday through Friday. Sarah responds to messages Monday through Thursday. If you text or email Sarah with something last-minute regarding that day’s lesson, it probably will not be seen since email & text communication is silenced during teaching hours.

USING ACUITY, OUR SCHEDULING SYSTEM

You’ll be handling scheduling for single lessons as well as cancellations yourself via our scheduling system, Acuity, so make sure you always have your username & password saved that you created when you signed up. Do not create another login, as it won’t be tied to your currently scheduled lessons. If you need help signing up for Acuity, please scroll to the bottom of this page where there are detailed directions: https://www.sarahhawkeystudio.com/single-lesson-schedule/

CANCELLATION POLICY

Enrolled Private Studio Singers: 24 hours in advance or more

Single Drop-in Lessons: 48 hours in advance or more

Makeup Lessons (available to enrolled private studio singers only): 48 hours in advance or more

Studio Classes: 24 hours in advance

Late Cancellations:

If you have an emergency and need to cancel your lesson with less than the window given above, you will not be able to do so in Acuity since these cancellation limits are set in your calendar. In this case, please email us at hello@sarahhawkeystudio.com to let us know you’re late-cancelling your lesson. Late-cancelled lessons are not eligible for rescheduling (if you’re taking single lessons) or a makeup lesson (if you’re enrolled in the private studio).

Switching to a Remote Lesson:

If you usually come to the studio, you can switch to a remote lesson by emailing us at hello@sarahhawkeystudio.com. If you need to switch to a remote lesson day-of, we might not see your email until it’s time for your lesson, but when you aren’t in the studio Sarah will wait 5-10min then take a look to see if you wrote me an email to late cancel or to switch to remote. It takes me a moment to manually change things and send you the new confirmation email with the link to log into your lesson. At this time, there’s not a way for you to do this on your own, in the calendar. Please do your best to request switching to remote in advance so we don’t miss lesson time if at all possible.

Important Note for Singers Enrolled in the Private Studio:

Since you have a dedicated, reserved time in the studio calendar, you’ll utilize a makeup lesson, remote mini-lessons, your private resource library, the studio’s resource library, office hours, or studio classes if you need to miss your lesson. We don’t “reschedule” reserved lesson times, we use the options above.

MAKEUP LESSON POLICY (Enrolled Private Studio Only)

We have dedicated office hours for makeup lessons. You’ll be notified of these dates via email, and will schedule a makeup lesson on a first-come, first-served basis on our website. Makeup lessons are not a guaranteed extra lesson, they are a courtesy, based on availability, and are included in your term enrollment at no extra fee.

Singers with a monthly lesson (once a month) are eligible for 1 makeup lesson per term, pending availability. Singers with a bi-weekly lesson (twice a month) or weekly lessons are eligible for up to 2 makeup lessons per term, pending availability.

If you’re not able to find a time that works for you during makeup lesson office hours, there are several other options available to you to make up for the lesson you missed. I can assign you specific things to work on in your repertoire and you can send me a recording of it through our new remote mini-lessons feature, and I’ll give you real-time feedback in a video recording for what to work on. I can also assign you specific exercises or lessons to work on inside of your individual resource library or our new video lesson library, you can schedule an appointment during office hours, or you can sign up for a studio class to work on your material.

Since you have a dedicated, reserved time in my calendar, you’ll utilize a makeup lesson, remote mini-lessons, or another resource included in your studio enrollment if you need to miss your lesson and would like to make up for that missed lesson. Please do not email or text us asking to “reschedule.” We don’t reschedule reserved lesson times. Instead you can use a makeup lesson or utilize remote mini-lessons if you’d like to make up for that missed lesson. If you email or text us asking to “reschedule” we will kindly not respond.

NO-SHOW POLICY

If you skip your lesson without cancelling or giving us notice (called a no show) there will be a $50 fee charged to your card on file. Please respect my time and respect your colleagues in the studio, don’t no-show.

SNOW DAYS

Snow Day Procedures: If you are student who normally comes to the Fairfield County studio for in-person lessons and schools have a snow day, we will move all lessons that day to our remote lesson platform and you’ll receive a new confirmation email with a link.

COVID PROCEDURES & ILLNESS

Don’t come to your lesson if you’re sick. There are other ways to connect with me that will protect your health and the health of our studio community. If you suspect you, your child, or someone in the household has been exposed to COVID-19, please cancel your lesson. I appreciate your consideration to my health and the health of your fellow studio community.

Note: Last year, a father sent a singer to his lesson even though he was visibly ill and struggling with breathing and coughing. After realizing there was no way we could actually work in his condition, I asked the student what his dad had told him about coming. His father basically forced him to come rather than skip his lesson and rest, almost as if this child was faking his illness to stay home. He wasn’t faking! If you send a sick child to their lesson, I’ll simply play relaxing music let them rest, or will send them home. I’m not going to force a singer to vocalize or try and have deep focus and major vocal work when they’re ill. A more compassionate approach is to utilize some of the other resources listed above when your child feels well again, or to skip the lesson and recover.

LESSON TIMLINESS

If you are running late for your lesson, your lesson will still end on time.

WHAT IF SARAH NEEDS TO CANCEL?

If I need to cancel your lesson due to illness or some other emergency, I’ll credit you with an extra makeup lesson during makeup lesson office hours (if you’re enrolled in the studio) and if you can’t make makeup lesson office hours we can use one of the other resources available to you like a remote mini-lesson. If you’re taking single lessons, I’ll credit your account with the lesson and you can schedule your next lesson on the online scheduler. If you’re taking semi-private lessons, a group class, masterclass, etc, I will have a guest teacher come or we will cancel class.

ROLLOVERS & EXPIRATION

Singers Enrolled in the Private Studio: Lessons and makeup lessons do not roll over to a later term, no exceptions.

Single Lessons expire after 30 days.

TRANSFERS

Lessons are no longer transferrable to another household member.

WITHDRAWALS/REFUNDS

Semi-Private Lessons:

If you need to cancel your registration, you can cancel up to 2 weeks in advance of our start date for a full credit or refund. If you cancel less than 2 weeks in advance, you’re eligible for a 50% refund. Withdrawals on our start date or after are no longer eligible for a refund or credit.

Enrollment in the Private Studio:

Fall Term 2024: If you need to cancel your registration, you can cancel up to 4 weeks in advance of our start date for a full refund. If you cancel 2 weeks in advance, you’re eligible for an 85% refund, and if you cancel a week in advance you’re eligible for a 75% refund. Withdrawals the week we begin are eligible for a 50% refund. Withdrawals after the term has begun are no longer eligible for a refund or credit.

Winter/Spring Term 2024: If you need to cancel your registration, you can cancel up to 5 weeks in advance of our start date for a full refund, less the late cancellation fee if it’s past December 1, 2024. If you cancel 3 weeks in advance, you’re eligible for an 85% refund, and if you cancel 2 weeks in advance you’re eligible for a 75% refund. Withdrawals the week we begin are eligible for a 50% refund. Withdrawals after the term has begun are no longer eligible for a refund or credit.

Group Classes & Masterclasses:

MODIFICATION

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. By continuing to use the Service after we post any such modifications, you accept the modified Terms.