Sound House Member Payment Policy

When Are Payments Due?

Sound House members reserve their sessions via a monthly membership payment due before or during the first session of the month. This payment should cover the member’s reserved spot regardless of attendance. 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.

What Does My Membership Payment Cover?

Membership payments reserve a member’s regular weekly or bi-weekly spot in the Sound House schedule.

Membership payments also cover:

• Access to a personalized Session Log and Resources Folder, updated weekly or bi-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.

How Much Will I Be Investing For A Monthly Membership ?

Members can reserve hour or half-hour sessions on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule. The membership rate will vary depending on the occurences of a member’s reserved spot in a given month.

Frequency	Duration	4-Week Months	5-Week Months
Weekly	1 Hour	$260	$325
Weekly	1/2 Hour	$140	$175
Bi-Weekly	1 Hour	$130	$130-195
Bi-Weekly	1/2 Hour	$70	$70-105

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 eight years, inflation has increased cumulative prices 27.35%. 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. 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 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.

Sound House Safety Policies

The Safe Space Commitment

• We welcome and protect people of color, 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

• Sound House commits to follow all rules and regulations suggested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and outlined by the federal, state, and local governing offices.
• Studio surfaces are cleaned regularly with disinfectant.
• If students are not feeling well, we ask them to opt for online sessions.

Inclement Weather Options

In the event of dangerous road conditions, the owner 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 text messages for updates from the owner.