Studio policies

Welcome to the wonderful experience of private music instruction! Please take a moment to read through the studio policies.

1. PAYMENT: Payments are due monthly, at the beginning of each month before your first lesson. Only cash and check payments are accepted. Lessons are $25/half hour, so monthly cost is $100-125 depending on how many times your lesson time falls within the month. Students are not required to sign a long term contract. Each month stands by itself in your attendance and payment. Cash payments can be dropped off during in-person lessons or at the studio dropbox located beside the studio entrance (side door). Checks should be made out to Tamara Hornby and can be dropped off during in-person lessons, at the studio dropbox, or mailed. The dropbox and mailing address is: 130 Sullivan St, Wyandotte, MI 48192. Please do not mail cash. There are no refunds for lesson payments. 
2. LESSON SCHEDULING: Each student reserves a reoccurring 30-minute lesson time slot. This time slot is reserved for you until you communicate to me that changes need to be made. Please be ready for lessons on time and have your music, devices, books, notebooks, etc. ready. (Notebooks can be a very beneficial way to keep track of student learning and responsibilities from week to week.) You have a time slot that you have reserved weekly, lessons will not run over the allotted time because this is not fair to the student following, so it is important we stay on time.  
3. CANCELLATIONS: Be sure to inform the instructor as soon as you know you will not be able to attend a lesson. At least 24 hours in advance is necessary or the lesson is forfeited and no attempt will be made to schedule a makeup lesson. Tamara's contact number is (734) 250-0483. Call or text is fine. If a student does not contact the instructor to cancel a lesson at least 24 hours in advance they will not receive a make up lesson. When students cancel without at least 24 notice it does not give the instructor adequate time to schedule anyone else during the vaccant time. The instructor needs to be informed if you are going to be absent. 
4. MAKEUP LESSONS: If you need to miss a lesson the instructor will try to accommodate rescheduling the lesson for another day and time upon request. Students could potentially have two lessons within a week or an hour lesson depending on availability. Please do not assume you can carry over a missed lesson to the next month and subtract it from that payment period. It is understood that situations may develop that cause lessons to be missed, but the instructor cannot guarantee students a makeup lesson because the studio has a full schedule with a wait list. Also, the instructor strives to develop music skills with students and they need lessons on a regular basis to learn and maintain their studies. Please remember, this is the instructors job and source of income. To reiterate, the instructor cannot let students carry over missed lessons because it severely impacts their business. If the instructor has to miss a lesson and cannot find a suitable makeup for the student, only then will a lesson’s payment be carried over to the next month.
5. VIDEO CHAT LESSONS: Video chat lessons will be done through video calls to students via FaceTime (Apple devices/iPhone/iPad/Mac) or Zoom. Please let the instructor know your preferred video chat method and the email or number associated with the account that you’d like them to contact. The instructor will contact you at your lesson time, so please have your devices charged, connected to your WiFi and ready to answer when you are scheduled to meet. Vocal students will also need to have a second device (such as a computer or tablet) available to play the backing tracks that will sent to them in Dropbox to sing along with. One device (like a phone or tablet) will be used to do our video chat, and the second (like a tablet, computer, or second phone connected to a speaker) will be used to play backing music. Please have your Dropbox setup and ready to go before your lesson to avoid technical difficulties during your lesson.
6. IN-PERSON LESSONS: Students meeting in-person should stay in their car until their lesson start time. The instructor will open the studio door (the blue door on the side of the house that faces Biddle) at your lesson time to let the student before you out, and you in. If you’re ever unsure if you should come to the door please feel free to text the instructor and ask: (734) 250-0483.  The address is: 130 Sullivan St, Wyandotte, MI 48192. 

Learning music is fun, but also very challenging. It is recommended that the student finds time to practice on a regular basis. Everyone learns at a different rate, and in a different way, so what works for one person might not work for another. It is generally recommend at least 20-30 minutes everyday, or every other day. Trying to sit down for two hours once a week is like cramming for a test at the last minute. Consistency is key! 

Remember, you may cancel a lesson, but you need to pay for the missed lesson.