Cancellation PolicY
Weekday lessons that are canceled by the student for any reason cannot be made up, nor can tuition be refunded. A teacher may, at his or her discretion, offer to reschedule the lesson if he or she has an available time slot.
Cancellation Policy Explained
Why we cannot offer refunds for student missed lessons
As we grow, we meet increased demand by adding more teachers and more physical space in which lessons can take place. We cannot then adapt to reduced demand (lost revenue from missed lessons) without raising our prices.
The bulk of your tuition at Eclectic Music is paid to your teacher as an hourly rate. Therefore, we attract great teachers who stay with us year after year. We could not continue to operate if we stiffed the teachers for their scheduled appointments while giving refunds to clients. Likewise, if we were to pay the teachers while simultaneously refunding missed lessons, we would not be able to maintain our stable presence in the neighborhood.
Relaxing our attendance policy would also destabilize our school by reducing the incentive of students to commit to regular attendance. Weekly lessons that must be paid for regardless of attendance override any conflicts that may come up. We are fortunate to have a very high rate of student retention from year to year, and strong student attendance is a part of that. Strong attendance contributes to success on the instrument which, in turn, reinforces the commitment to lessons.
The challenges of rescheduling
Your teacher can reschedule lessons if he or she has space in his or her schedule and a studio is available. However, some teachers are in such high demand that they literally do not have any availability. In addition, teacher’s schedules often do not allow them much time for phone calls and email - this in itself sometimes limits a teacher’s ability to reschedule lessons.
Our cancellation policy: Lessons canceled by the student for any reason cannot be made up, nor can tuition be refunded. A teacher may, at his or her discretion, offer to reschedule the lesson if he or she has an available time slot.
Some guidelines to be aware of
Our teachers are paid for scheduled lessons regardless of student attendance.
You are never charged for a lesson canceled by your teacher, and you are never required to "make it up." The credit for the canceled lesson will roll forward to be used in the future.
If a teacher offers some rescheduling options and none of those work for you, there are no further options unless another student cancels, opening up another spot.
Lessons that take place on the weekends and during the summer are not subject to our regular cancellation policy and can always be canceled without penalty given reasonable (at least 24 hours’) notice.
Our business model: weekly lessons
Our administrative structure and pricing are based on weekly appointments through the school year, month after month, year after year. Our policies, standard in our industry, follow from that business model.
Prospective clients do not call us for one lesson - they are looking for weekly lessons. For this reason, it makes little difference whether a current client cancels with an hour’s notice or a month’s notice - that time slot cannot be rebooked.
Alternatives to make-ups
We are constantly looking for ways to add value. Contact us if any of these ideas appeal to you:
Group classes - harmony singing, instruments, music theory
Studio hours - where a teacher would be available on certain days each month for extra lessons on a first-come, first-served basis
Duet work - in which a teacher would be available to coach duos and small groups
Master classes - in which an expert teacher would give a workshop
A swap list - even across different teachers
Audits - sitting in on another student's lesson or part of a lesson, either to participate or learn from watching another student
Coaching - two students giving each other constructive feedback (i.e., teaching each other) under the guidance of a teacher
Our strong policies allow us to continue our twenty-year legacy of great music education. Thank you for understanding!