The Sound House Payment Policy

Monthly Payments

Sound House students reserve their weekly or bi-weekly lesson time with a monthly payment due before the first lesson of the month. This payment should cover the student’s reserved time regardless of planned attendance. Members who do not promptly pay the full total due will first recieve an email reminder and then be removed from the schedule if payment isn’t made promptly. Sound House will track payments and activity in each student’s lesson log for their reference. Students are also welcome to email Maddi@SoundHouseVA.com for clarification as needed.

Estimated Monthly Investment

Students reserve half-hour ($40 per) or hour ($75 per) lessons on weekly or bi-weekly basis. Total monthly investment will vary depending on the number of weeks in that month.

Frequency	Duration	4-Week Month	5-Week Month
Weekly	1/2 Hour	$160	$200
Weekly	1 Hour	$300	$375
Bi-Weekly	1 Hour	$150	$150-225

Payment Methods

Sound House accepts payments by cash, check, Venmo, and card.
Click here for full details and the online payment portal.

Missed Lessons and Rescheduling

Sound House does not charge for lessons missed due to illness or emergency, but does prefer to reschedule when possible. To reschedule, students may email Maddi@SoundHouseVA.com with their availablity. If the student cannot reschedule, Sound House will apply payment for the missed lesson to the following month’s total.

Sound House does charge for lessons missed due to reasons other than illness or emergency. This includes absences for other commitments, personal days, and vacations. With enough advance notice, Sound House will often be able to offer alternate availability for students who must miss a scheduled lesson for reasons other than illness or emergency, but rescheduling will be limited to the teacher’s availability.

Reasons for the Missed Lessons and Rescheduling Policy

In the business of private educational services, occasional absences due to illness and emergencies are expected. But during Sound House’s first two years in business, absences were so frequent and unpredictable that the studio would be 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. It was even more challenging to maintain studies with students who skipped frequently, sometimes only attending one lesson a month.

After researching alternatives and consulting colleagues, Sound House opted for a monthly tuition model to 1) encourage commitment and communication from members and 2) compensate the teacher farily for her time and expertise. When reserving time with a private educator, it’s important for students to maintain good attendance in order to make progress. When missing a reserved lesson costs the same as attending, students are far more likely to communicate clearly about absences and rescheduling.

To allow time for any families operating on a tight budget to prepare for a single monthly payment rather than weekly or bi-weekly payments, the monthly tuition model is 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.

Additional Perks

Students’ monthly payments reserve their regular spots in the Sound House schedule.

Those payments also cover:

• Any-time access to your personalized Lesson Log and Resources Folder, updated each time you study here at Sound House
• Access to support via email or text
• Access to any seasonal extracurricular events including our hangouts, open mics, and the annual Sound House Showcase
• The ability to opt for online Zoom sessions rather than in-person sessions, even on short notice
• The ability to reschedule lessons within the boundaries of the teacher’s availability

Making Room for New Students

When you’re ready to stop taking lessons, please give me at least two weeks’ notice via email. Your folder and session log will stay active, but I may delete large, redundant files to make room for new students’ materials. If you’d like to continue supporting my work at Sound House, please consider leaving a 5-star review on Google.

Sound House Safety Policies

The Safe Space Commitment

We welcome and protect people of all colors, immigrants, members of the LGBTQ+ community, disabled and able-bodied people, folks of all religious or non-religious backgrounds, and members of all political parties; everyone is welcomed and protected in this safe space.

Bigoted or predatory comments and/or actions are not permitted in the Sound House community, whether at the studio or at off-site events. We expect kindness and compassion between all members of our Sound House community. 

To protect our safe space, Sound House commits to dismiss instructors, students, and student guardians who treat any person – regardless of their identities and lifestyles – with disrespect or cruelty. Dismissal has never happened at Sound House, and we hope to keep it that way; thanks for helping us keep this a safe space for all.

Health Safety Precautions

If the teacher or the student are sick, they should 1) opt for a remote lesson via Zoom, 2) reschedule, or 3) cancel the lesson at no cost to the student. Sound House doesn’t want cooties getting passed around on our watch. Plus, if the teacher gets sick, the whole studio closes down until she’s well again; it’s important to keep her healthy.

Inclement Weather Options

In the event of dangerous road conditions, the teacher and/or students can opt for online lessons or reschedule lessons on a case-by-case basis. Sound House is sometimes open even when the school system shuts down, so please watch your inbox and/or follow @SoundHouseVA on Instagram for updates.