Hello, Sound House Community! Please familiarize yourselves with the Sound House Membership Policy below. And thank you for continuing to trust Sound House with your musical growth!

Sound House Membership Policy

What Does A Membership Plan Cover?

Each membership covers the cost of 2-5 pre-scheduled sessions, depending on the plan and month.

All memberships also include:

• Access to a personalized Session Log and Resources Folder, updated weekly.
• Access to at-home support via email or text.
• Access to any seasonal extracurricular events.
• The ability to opt for online Zoom sessions rather than in-person sessions, even on short notice.
• The ability to reschedule sessions within the boundaries of the teacher’s availability.

Membership Plans

Frequency	Duration	4-Week Value	5-Week Value	Code
Weekly	1 Hour	$260	$325	W1
Weekly	1/2 Hour	$140	$175	W.5
Bi-Weekly	1 Hour	$130	$130-195	BW1
Bi-Weekly	1/2 Hour	$70	$70-105	BW.5

When Are Payments Due?

Members reserve their sessions via a monthly membership payment due before or during the first session of the month. Members who do not promptly pay for their monthly membership will be removed from the schedule until the full payment is made. Sound House will track membership payments and activity in each member’s Session Log.

What Happens If I Need To Miss A Session?

If a member must miss a session for contagious illness or an emergency, Sound House encourages members to reschedule a make-up session within the week. If a member cannot reschedule, Sound House may offer credits toward next month’s membership. If a member misses a session for other reasons, credits will not be issued. This includes non-rescheduled absences for vacations, other commitments, and personal days. Rescheduling will be limited and based upon the teacher’s availability.

Why The Membership-Based Model?

The local rate for private music lessons has been the same (or very close to the same) since 2015; $35 for a half hour session and $70 for an hour session. In those same seven years, inflation has increased cumulative prices 25%. Despite this, Sound House has chosen to continue offering the accessible rates of $35 per half hour session and $65 per hour session, trusting that students will return the love with consistency, commitment, and engagement.

In the business of private educational services, occasional absences due to sickness and emergencies are expected. During the spring and summer of 2022, absences were frequent and unpredictable, sometimes leaving Sound House booked up and then suddenly empty within the course of a few hours of late-notice texts and emails. It was challenging to book new students while navigating the inconsistency of existing schedules.

After researching alternatives and consulting colleagues, Sound House opted for a membership/tuition based model – like the ones used by many other music education businesses – to 1) encourage commitment and communication from members and 2) compensate the teacher appropriately for her reserved time and expertise.

For now, the cost per session is not increasing. You’ll be paying the same rate, but you’ll be asked to do so in advance and to follow through with your commitment by attending reserved sessions. Missing a reserved session will cost the same as attending. For many, this shift will just make our preexisting structure of exchange more clear and consistent.

To allow time for any families operating on a tight budget to prepare for a single monthly payment rather than weekly payments, the membership-based model will be encouraged rather than required during the member’s first month of sessions. After a member’s first month of sessions, they must switch to the monthly payment plan.

Thank you all so much for continuing your studies here at Sound House, where we prioritize a welcoming and personalized learning experience for each member of our little community.