2026-27 Studio Policy
Welcome! I look forward to this year and I hope it will be productive and fun. My goal is to help each student become the best singer & musician they can be. Please read the guidelines below to familiarize yourself with studio policies and procedures. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
Lesson Packages, Tuition & Fees
Attendance, Illness & Make-Up Lessons
Parking & Studio Details
Weather Cancellations, Holidays & Summer Lessons
Practicing, Preparedness & Materials
Media Release
LESSON PACKAGES, TUITION & FEES
Sostenuto
(Regular, weekly lessons)
Sostenuto students will be assessed an annual, non-refundable Registration Fee of $80 each academic year, at the time of enrollment.
The registration fee helps to offset administrative time (emails, schedule adjustments, repertoire research, preparation of sheet music/practice tracks, letters of recommendation, etc.) and business expenses (professional development, studio equipment, etc.)
[The Annual Registration Fee will be pro-rated at $40 for students enrolling between January-June.]
Sostenuto students will be scheduled for a regular weekly lesson time and are expected to commit to the entire academic year: 36 instructional weeks from Aug 31, 2026 – June 13, 2027.
Tuition is billed as a flat rate across ten monthly or five bi-monthly invoices Sept-June (June is pro-rated). Tuition includes Studio Seminars (group sessions to discuss various voice/performance-related topics). Masterclasses, Recitals, Competition Fees & Summer Lessons are billed separately (see below for more details).
AutoPay is required [choice of ACH (no extra fee) or Credit Card (3.5% fee)]. Invoices are processed 3 days prior to the 1st of the following month.
Staccato
(Intermittent or Short-Term lessons)
Students on a Staccato plan will not incur a Registration Fee. Students are NOT guaranteed a regular lesson time and will be scheduled per the instructor's availability.
Payment is expected at the time of booking. 24-hr notice is required for rescheduling. If a lesson is cancelled with less than 24 hours’ notice, the lesson will be forfeited.
Single-lesson credits will expire 30 days from the initially booked date. Lesson credits for a 4-pack expire 60 days after the initially booked lesson date.
Staccato students may pay their fees via:
1) Invoice Link
2) Zelle
3) Venmo
4) PayPal
Late Payments: Payments that are more than seven (7) days past due will incur a late fee of $30 (including unsuccessful AutoPay transactions). If an account is more than 3 weeks past due, your lesson slot may be forfeited and lessons will be suspended until the invoice and late fees have been paid. Fees for Unsuccessful AutoPay Transactions will be billed to the customer.
Discounts: A 10% family tuition discount is available if more than one family member is taking lessons. The discount will be applied to the family member with the shorter lesson time. (Discount applies ONLY to tuition, NOT to Registration, or Masterclass/Recital Fees).
Masterclass/Recital Fees: A separate fee for Masterclasses and/or Recitals will be assessed for participating students. Fees will be divided equally among participating students and typically range from $25 to $65. Masterclass/Recital Fees cover venue rental, as well as instructor and accompanist fees. Unregistered students are welcome to participate in masterclasses/recitals and will be assessed the same fees as registered students. Students may be asked to assist in providing refreshments for a post-recital reception.
Competition Fees: If a student chooses to participate in a competition that requires the teacher to register on their behalf, the competition fee will be billed to the student. Some competitions may require the engagement of a pianist – depending on the competition, those fees may be paid directly to the pianist.
ATTENDANCE, ILLNESS & MAKE-UP LESSONS
Please arrive at your lesson on time – if you are late, your lesson will not be extended to make up time.
Missed Lessons: Students must notify the instructor of an absence or schedule change AT LEAST 24 hours before their scheduled lesson. Make-up credits MAY NOT be applied to your regularly assigned lesson time and will expire 60 days after the missed lesson.
If you are not feeling well (even with the slightest cold or illness symptoms), please convert to a virtual lesson or reschedule.
In the case of a late cancellation for illness, a make-up credit will be issued at the instructor’s discretion.
In-Person Lessons
Masks are optional. If illness rates increase significantly, the instructor may reinstate a mask requirement at any time. There will be an air purifier running in the studio.
Virtual Lessons
If you are under-the-weather, but feeling well enough to have a lesson, you are welcome to proceed with a virtual lesson.
Make-up credits MAY be used:
to reschedule during the same week, if another slot is available
ahead of a scheduled absence (i.e. planned travel, tech week, other known schedule conflicts)
on a “make-ups only” day
It is the student’s responsibility to keep track of and schedule make-up lessons. Make-up opportunities will be offered at least 2 days/month (usually on a Friday or Sunday). Any make-up credits that are not utilized within 60 days of the missed lesson will be forfeited. If no notice or late notice is given, NO make-up credit will be issued, and the lesson will be forfeited.
If the instructor cancels a lesson, a make-up credit will be issued. If that make-up credit cannot be used by the end of the academic year, your June tuition bill will be credited.
Once a make-up lesson time is agreed upon, it will NOT be rescheduled again. (See below for information regarding weather-related cancellations.)
Pausing/Converting Sostenuto Lesson Package: I encourage student participation in community or school productions – as challenging as rehearsal/tech schedules can be, those are the times that it is most important to maintain some regularity in your lesson schedule. If a student wishes to pause lessons and maintain their lesson slot, for any reason, they may do so once per academic year for ONE month. A Pause Fee (50% of monthly tuition) will apply. If lessons are not rescheduled or paused, the lesson slot cannot be held.
If a break of more than one month needs to be taken, students will be converted to a Staccato package.
Discontinuing Lessons: If a student wishes to discontinue lessons, notice must be given in writing at least 30 days in advance. If the student has pending lessons remaining, the student has up to 60 days after informing the instructor of discontinuation, to receive those outstanding lessons. There are NO refunds.
PARKING & STUDIO DETAILS
Parking: Street parking is available directly in front of the house. As a courtesy to students arriving after you, please pull as far forward as you are able.
Studio Details: The studio is located down a full flight of stairs - please let me know if you require accommodations due to limited mobility. Otherwise, please let yourself in as per the instructions sent to you. I do request that shoes be removed in the waiting room before coming downstairs. Please knock on the basement door at your lesson time.
WEATHER CANCELLATIONS, HOLIDAYS & SUMMER LESSONS
Weather Cancellations: Virtual lessons will continue unless power/internet outages prevent them from taking place. For in-person students, lessons will be converted to virtual if weather prohibits travel. For students who cannot have a virtual lesson, a make-up credit (good for 60 days) will be issued.
Holidays:
Thanksgiving Week: Tues, Nov. 24 - MAKE-UPS ONLY; NO Lessons Weds, 11/25-Sun, 11/29
FCPS Winter Break: (Dec 19, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027): NO Lessons
FCPS Spring Break: (March 20 – 28, 2027): NO Lessons
Any other holidays will be announced at least one week prior to their occurrence.
Summer: Sostenuto students who wish to maintain their spot in the studio for the following academic year will be billed for a minimum of one month during Summer Term (mid-June – August). Summer lessons are flexible, and the four lessons can be scheduled and/or combined as your calendar allows (i.e. a student who cannot schedule four 30-min lessons can choose two 45-min lessons + one 30-min OR two 60-min lessons, etc.). Students who do not participate in Summer Lessons will be NOT be guaranteed a slot for the following academic year.
PRACTICING, PREPAREDNESS & MATERIALS
Students should practice the given exercises and musical pieces on their own (times will vary based on student’s age and level). Students should come to their lessons prepared with the pieces or assignments that have been given.
Students are encouraged to record their lessons. Lesson recordings should be reviewed by the student in order to aid with practicing. In addition, students may bring a notebook/journal to take notes or write down exercises or reminders.
Students will generally purchase their own music. Music can be purchased at any area music store (such as Foxes Music) or online. If the instructor purchases music on the student's behalf, the cost of the purchase will be billed to the student. Any music borrowed from the instructor MUST be returned in its original condition within two weeks’ time. Unreturned or damaged materials will be billed at the current retail price. Materials used in lessons will vary due to skill level and student interest.
MEDIA RELEASE
Students, and parents/guardians of students under the age of 18 years old, agree to allow Bharati Soman Voice Studio to use written correspondence as a testimonial and/or take photographs/video/audio recordings of student during lessons, rehearsals, recitals, or other studio events for archival purposes and studio promotional use. Published materials will NOT include full names without designated written permission – only city name + year of comment/media + first name/last initial; first initial/last name; or full initials will be used.
The Studio Policy will be updated at the beginning of each academic year. If there is a change in the Studio Policy in the interim, you will be notified and provided with a new copy of the policy at least 2 weeks before the changes go into effect. Students and parents are welcome to contact me with questions throughout the week. I look forward to working with you!