Welcome to the studio! I am so excited to have this opportunity to teach you and/or your child! Please read and sign the Studio Policies below before your first lesson.
Studio Policies (In Full) The Val Larsen Music Studio
Welcome to the studio! I am so excited to have this opportunity to teach you and/or your child! Teaching brings me so much joy. I love helping people to grow and seeing their progress as they gain confidence as a musician, and reap the rewards of hard work and consistency. Music is the universal language that encourages us to dance, sing and live life to its fullest. I’m so grateful I get to be part of your musical journey. Semester Structure and Payment Details The studio operates on a semester-based enrollment model designed to support consistency, clarity, and long-term sustainability. At the beginning of each calendar year, an approximate ~5% increase in tuition to account for inflation. Enrollment TermsEnrollment is made per semester:
Winter Semester, January–April -
Parent-Teacher Conference
Weekly private lessons
Group Masterclass
Recital
Summer Semester, May–August-
Parent-Teacher Conference
Weekly private lessons
Career Fair Masterclass
Guest Teacher Masterclass
Group Masterclass
Recital
Fall Semester, September–December-
Parent-Teacher Conference
Weekly private lessons
Group Masterclass
Recital
Enrollment reserves priority weekly lesson placement within the teacher’s schedule for the full semester. Tuition reflects ongoing instruction and professional availability and is not based on attendance or a guaranteed number of individual lessons.
Student Cancellations
Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice are late cancellations and are not eligible for makeup lessons or credits.
Each student is offered one sick or emergency cancellation (within less than 24hours notice) per semester that may be made up within the same term. Any additional late cancellations due to emergencies are understood, but cannot be made up.
Tuition deductions are not available for vacations or pre-planned absences. Students may miss the lesson or schedule a makeup, subject to availability.
Make-up credits expire within 2 weeks of the missed lesson. They must be arranged within that two week mark, but can be scheduled for any time in the semester.
If you’re running late or experiencing a technical difficulty at the top of the lesson, it is important that you text or call me immediately so your lesson will not be canceled. If you’re not present and I have not heard from you within 10 minutes of the lesson starting it is considered a late cancel, and no makeup credit will be granted.
Teacher Cancellations & Schedule Changes Teacher cancellations due to sickness or emergency will grant a student make-up credit. Teacher cancellations for other reasons may be made up at the student’s discretion, otherwise they will be refunded or credited toward the following semester.
As an active performing artist, the teacher’s schedule may occasionally require lesson times to shift. Advance notice will be given whenever possible, and a comparable lesson time will be offered. These are schedule adjustments, not cancellations, and do not affect tuition.
Studio Calendar & Breaks The studio follows a yearly calendar that includes scheduled breaks (late December, early January, a spring break, and a short summer break). These breaks are built into the studio schedule and are not eligible for makeup lessons or credits. Tuition remains the same during scheduled breaks. WithdrawalNotice of withdrawal must be given before the start of the next semester. Once a semester has begun, tuition for that term is non-refundable. Tuition & Payment OptionsBeginning February 2026, tuition reflects a 5% increase due to inflation and operating costs. Tuition is charged per semester and may be paid:
In full at the start of the semester, by Card or ACH Transfer or
In 4 equal monthly installments via auto-pay, by Card or ACH Transfer
Monthly payments are a payment plan, not month-to-month enrollment. Missed lessons, absences, or schedule changes do not alter total tuition. Invoices will be sent out a week prior to their due date. A grace period of 3 days will be granted but after that late payments will receive a fee of $10. Student Expenses The following expenses are not included in tuition and are the responsibility of the student: *Instrument *Lesson Books and Sheet Music *Your personal Internet *Learning/Practicing Apps *Video-Conferencing Device *USB microphone (optional) *Any other expenses deemed necessary for the student’s progression etc.
*New* Parent/Student-Teacher Conferences The first week of lessons each semester will be a parent-teacher conference. We’ll talk about the student’s most recent recital performance, how the last semester went and set goals for the upcoming semester - including practice commitments and how weekly practicing will be graded.
*New* Practice Grading System Starting in January, students will receive a letter grade each week for their recorded practice. This means throughout the week in between lessons students will need to log in to their Student Portal, and write in what and how long they practiced.
Students will determine with their Parent and Teacher, what time commitment per week will equal an A grade, ensuring that other commitments and attention span are taken into account for individual needs. (I.e. - for a 7 year old 3 times a week 20 minutes each is an A for practicing, whereas for a 17 year old 4 times a week at 35 minutes each is more appropriate)
Similar to work that does not get turned-in in school, practice that does not get recorded does not count toward a grade.
At the end of the semester, grades will be totaled and all students with an A will receive a designated prize from the Studio Store!
*All students will need to have access to their My Music Staff profile by their first individual lesson in each Semester *
*New* Student Portals Each Student/Parent must set up a Student or Parent Portal to My Music Staff. This tool allows students and parents to:
Record Daily Practicing
Access Account Information
View Schedule
Cancel/Reschedule lessons when necessary
*All students will need to have access to their My Music Staff profile by their first individual lesson in each Semester *
How to set up and access your Student or Parent Portal
Check your inbox for an email from The Val Larsen Music Studio with the subject line: Student Portal Login information
Follow the prompts to set up your new password
Go through your portal and see what’s there! It’s pretty neat!
Once your Login is established you can access your Student Portal under the Teaching Tab on my website TheValLarsen.com
*New* Lesson Recordings
Starting in January, all lessons will be recorded for quality assurance, and for Studio Marketing, pending your permission below. You can access these recordings in your Student Portal to either practice with or to assess your progress over time. In-lesson videos will never be shared without prior consent. If you’d like to opt out of this and prefer your lessons not be recorded please let me know!
*New* Group Masterclass and Recital You’ll see on the Schedule that our final week of each Semester includes a Group MasterClass and a Recital!
The Group Masterclass is an opportunity for each student to practice performing their Recital Piece in front of a small audience of fellow students before the Recital at the end of the week. Students will participate as performers as well as audience members offering praise and gentle critique to their fellow Students. Peer review is an incredibly important skill for young artists, not only to receive critique on their work, but also to develop their own critical ear for others’ work as well as their own.
Two options for a class time will be available to accommodate different schedules. However, if a student is still not able to attend, they may submit a video of themselves playing their piece to be critiqued and a video recording of the full masterclass will be provided and their feedback on the other students performances will be required for an A grade.
*New Policy* - One new song per month for Singers Generally I include sheet music for any pieces in the Semester Tuition. However, I have found that for my singing students, because they often require multiple practice tracks and visual assistance, which requires additional prep time for me or outsourcing expense, I am now limiting the number of New Tracks for Passion Pieces, Audition pieces, or Out of Studio Performance Pieces to one per month included in Semester Tuition. New Track credits do not roll over into the following month if they were not used within the month designated.
That being said, additional tracks and visual aids for Passion Pieces, Audition pieces etc. are available but will incur a fee of at least $25 per piece, but may be more if it’s above 5 pages or of heightened difficulty. These fees will be paid upon receipt of materials, separate from tuition.
This policy does not apply to technique book pages or Classical songs chosen by The Teacher.
Referral Program I am always looking for new students! As an incentive for sharing the studio with friends, every Referral student that signs up for a Semester will earn a $100 credit for the Current student who has referred them, as well as $50 discount for the new student.
Student testimonials are also needed and welcome. Monthly email reminders will be sent through the year with a reminder of the Referral Program, and a link where a testimonial may be given.
Photos and Social Media The studio often shares photos and short video clips from lessons and recitals (including brief in-lesson recordings) on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and via email.
Please let us know below whether you’re comfortable with photos and/or videos of you or your child being shared. If you choose to give consent, any photos you’d like us to consider should be sent to the studio by the first week of private lessons in the semester. If you prefer not to participate, simply select “No” — no follow-up will be needed. No full names will ever be shared with photos or video, only ever a first initial and last name for Student Shout-outs and accomplishments.
Feel free to reach out if you have any questions to [email protected].