Make-Up Lessons

Sound Music School offers make-up lessons to all actively enrolled students who provide 24 hours written notice of an upcoming absence. Make-ups are additional lessons that can be scheduled alongside a student’s weekly recurring time and are slotted in paid-for spots that have been cancelled by other actively enrolled students. Monthly session charges are never discounted, refunded or prorated based on student absences. Our policy ensures that the instructor gets paid for their time and works best when everyone gives advanced notice for a planned absence regardless of whether they’re seeking a make-up. Sound Music does not take the initiative in finding make-up times. The student (or parent) needs to reach out on a Sunday or Monday of any week they’re hoping to find an extra lesson time for a make-up. They’ll be placed in a queue for any cancellations with their instructor or others who teach the same instrument. If we provide a make-up option, it will be available for 24 hours until we move onto the next person in the queue. If no make-up times become available, the student should try again the next week that works for them. Students who are persistent are usually successful with finding times.

Scheduling a Make Up

Here’s a picture of an instructor’s schedule. All of the names here have paid to hold a recurring time slot on a Tuesday with one of our guitar instructors. At first Thea’s mom reached out with an email that read “Hi Sound Music School, Thea has a schedule conflict this Tuesday and will need to miss her 3:30pm guitar lesson. Thanks, Stephanie.” Then the manager, Mike, responded with “Hi Stephanie, thanks for letting us know. I’ll mark Thea absent this Tuesday.”

That’s when the instructor’s schedule is marked with an “ABS” to indicate the student holding that time slot will miss their lesson. The instructor gets paid for this time whether or not the student cancels. The “ABS” is notated so that we know that time is available to any other actively enrolled students seeking a make-up.

If you read all the names, you’ll notice that the student at 6:30pm must have cancelled earlier too. This is why “ABS” is marked on the schedule next to their name.

Later in the day, another student named Seth reached out with a message “Hi Sound Music School, I’m just checking in to see if you have any openings for a make up lesson. I had to cancel my appointment a few weeks back.”

Mike replied with “Hi Seth, yes, we have two openings at 3:30pm and 6:30pm tomorrow (Tuesday). Let me know if you’d like to hold one of those times for a make up and I’ll lock it in.”

Seth promptly replied with: “Yes, I’ll grab the 6:30pm slot. Thanks!”

Now the instructor’s schedule is updated next to the “ABS” on their 6:30pm student. It now says “Seth Dwyer MU”.

In Summary

We retain the most professional instructors at Sound Music School by ensuring they are compensated for their valuable time. We feel that this policy is a privilege offered to all of our students that is both generous and fair. Here’s the main points of our policy to remember:

  • Make-up lessons are scheduled for lessons cancelled (in writing) with at least 24 hours notice

  • Students need to reach out to us on a Sunday or Monday of any week they are hoping to schedule a make-up lesson. We will hold a time slot offered for 24 hours before we move onto the next person in the queue.

  • Make-up times might not be available during the week you’ve contacted us. If nothing is open in a time slot that works, the students may try again in a future week.

  • Sound Music School does not refund any lessons based on student absences. If the student ever discontinues, the make up credits expire.