DVBSings© Teaching & Coaching Policies

SERVICES & PRICING

1. Beginner’s Voice Lessons: $75/HR 

   1. (A relaxed, less-intense approach for those who are new to singing.) 

2. Advanced Voice Lessons: $75/HR

   1. (For the more experienced vocalist.)

3. Vocal Coachings: $75/HR

   1. (Refining Your Repertoire.)

ACCEPTED FORMS OF PAYMENT

At this time, DVBSings is only accepting the following forms of payment: Zelle, Venmo, Cash, or Check. Debit and Credit cards are not accepted forms of payment, however, Venmo is a free tool/app that is easily accessible and uses your card information to transfer money directly from your bank account to DVBSings’ Venmo account. Zelle is also a free tool/app that is used with your online banking app account information that can directly transfer money from your banking account to DVBSings’.

RETURNED CHECKS

Returned checks will incur a $25.00 charge.

PARENT OR GUARDIAN ATTENDANCE

Students are required to provide emergency contact information upon our first lesson as written in our “Safety Procedures” part of our policy. It is recommended that parents arrive with their child if the child is a minor. If your child is under 10 years old, DVBSings asks that you sit in with us during our initial lesson for their comfort and for getting to know each other. DVBSings does this with the anticipation that your child will eventually become confident enough in themselves that they will be able to and want to attend voice lessons by themselves, given that both the student and parent are comfortable with this notion. If a child becomes uncomfortable or anxious opening up to sing with a parent’s presence in the room, DVBSings will ask the parent to step out into our waiting room for the remainder of the lesson or until called upon. 
Due to the nature of voice lessons and the vulnerability of the act of singing, there will be a waiting area for parents to relax in while voice lessons go on, if a parent finds they are uncomfortable leaving their child in my care for the remainder of the lesson time. DVBSings wants to provide a safe environment for students to feel comfortable making mistakes and knowing that our lesson space is a safe place to make mistakes, and that they won’t be judged. “Mistakes'' are good and are simply things that reflect what can be worked on. DVBSings also does not want students to feel pressured or anxious due to anyone else possibly overhearing our lessons. DVBSings wants students to have fun and be able to experience self-discovery in themselves and their voices, and DVBSings wants them to be relaxed and feel as though voice lessons are a place where they can truly be themselves and express themselves!

SAFETY PROCEDURES

At our initial first lesson index cards will be provided to the student for their emergency contact information to be filled out. Upon a minor emergency, you will be contacted 3 times before emergency services are contacted, depending on the severity of the situation. Upon a major emergency, such as if your child is experiencing a serious allergic reaction or having trouble breathing, emergency services will be contacted first to make sure your child is safe and taken care of.

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICIES

DVBSings complies with all laws prohibiting discrimination in the conduct of its operations and programs. DVBSings admits students of any religion, gender, race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin to all rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the academy. It does not discriminate on the basis of religion, race, color, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies or programs.

PRACTICING POLICY

Students are recommended to put time aside to practice different amounts of time depending on their performance level and age. Beginning Singers are recommended to sing freely for at least 30 minutes 3-4 times a week. Advanced singers are recommended to practice singing for at least one hour a day, 5 days a week. It is not recommended for anyone to overpractice and harm themselves by pushing themselves, regardless of age group or level of experience. Practicing should be about learning about yourself, pushing your limits healthily depending on your goals as a vocalist, and most importantly having fun. Singing should not be a chore or exhausting. DVBSings will provide basic pedagogy to all voice students upon our initial voice lesson, given that the student exhibits a need for becoming knowledgeable about voice maintenance and vocal health. It’s our goal during each lesson to create a safe practice routine that the student can work on practicing at home until our next lesson.

UPON ARRIVAL

Students should arrive at lessons with sufficient amounts of water. Students should be ready to move and do minor stretches during our warm-ups, unless there are things physically preventing them from doing so. Students should arrive in comfortable shoes and clothing. Students are encouraged to bring songs they like to sing, want to learn to sing, or want to work on. This is not a requirement, and if no material is brought with a student, material will be assigned to a student based on their voice level.

TARDY ARRIVAL

Students arriving late will not have their lesson time extended. Students arriving late by more than half of their lesson period will be considered absent, and DVBSings will not be available to contact further about continuing the lesson.

STUDENT ABSENCES AND MAKEUP LESSONS

Lessons canceled by the student for any reason can be made up and refunded depending on the amount of time given in advance DVBSings was informed as well as the specific circumstances. DVBSings may not have any openings as our schedule may be completely full, so courtesy make-up lessons are not guaranteed within the same week and may not be offered for a while if unavailable. DVBSings is fair and runs with a 3-Strike-Rule, meaning, if a student is absent 3 times without proper notification beforehand, they will be dismissed from attending lessons with DVBSings altogether. In the absence of a tragedy in the family, DVBSings offers grace and a full refund or future makeup lesson.

STUDENT ILLNESS

No students should attend lessons when sick (ie fever, nausea, vomiting, etc). DVBSings reserves the right to dismiss a student from a scheduled lesson if the student arrives at that lesson exhibiting possible symptoms of illness. In this case, a makeup lesson will be offered when the student is feeling better. If a student is absent last minute due to an unforeseen illness and was unable to contact DVBSings before the deadline to cancel lessons and wants a refund, a doctor’s note is required. Otherwise, the payment will be kept and a makeup lesson will be scheduled when the student is feeling better. This makeup lesson will be paid with the previous missed lesson’s payment.

INSTRUCTOR ABSENCES

In the event of DVBSings’ absence, anticipated or not, she will be in contact with you to schedule a timely make-up session for lessons missed.

INCLEMENT WEATHER

If there is inclement weather, students will be contacted for makeup lessons.

WITHDRAWAL POLICY

There is no long-term contract. To discontinue lessons please notify DVBSings as soon as possible.

DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS

DVBSings reserves the right to suspend or discontinue instruction of any student who is delinquent in fulfilling his/her/their financial obligations at any time.

DISMISSAL

DVBSings reserves the right to dismiss any student due to frequent absences, disciplinary problems, overdue payments and/or parental noncompliance with DVBSings’ policies.

DVBSINGS HOLIDAYS

There will be no lessons available on Holidays. Holidays include: New Years Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Patriot’s Day, Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, Columbus/Indigenous Peoples Day, Veteran’s Day, Thanksgiving Eve & Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve & Christmas, New Years Eve. Aside from these days, February 9th, March 22nd, April 16th, June 11th, and December 27th each year will also be unavailable to book. 
*Please note that Monday students receive fewer classes and lessons due to frequent holidays.*

POLICY CHANGES

DVBSings reserves the right to change policies, fees, or offer waivers at any time.

For further questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us at DVBSings. 
Deanna “Dee” Vasquez-Boucher
DVBSings