FAQs
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The Membership Program at Sounds of Carolina is a comprehensive plan designed to provide consistent, high-quality music instruction. Here’s an overview:
What is the Membership Program?
- Weekly Private Lessons: Members receive one-on-one lessons with a highly qualified teacher throughout the school year (August to May).
- Performance Opportunities: Membership includes participation in three annual events (Fall Fest Open Mic, Winter Recitals, Spring Spectacular) and additional teacher-selected opportunities at no extra cost.
- Structured Learning: A total of 36 lessons are scheduled across the school year, ensuring progress despite studio holiday closures.
What’s Included?
1. Weekly Lessons: Regularly scheduled sessions tailored to the student’s needs.
2. Performance Opportunities: At least three major events per year to showcase students’ skills.
3. Flat Monthly Tuition: Consistent pricing based on lesson length and teacher level.
4. Discounts: A 10% discount for siblings or multiple memberships of equal or lesser value.
5. Optional Extras: Members can purchase additional lessons (Single Lessons) as needed.
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Teachers provide reserved time slots, prepare for lessons, and focus on long-term student development.
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Tuition is billed monthly on the 1st via auto-pay. A one-time $40 registration fee applies for new students.
Level 1 Teachers:
30-minute private lesson per week: $108 per month
45-minute private lesson per week: $162 per month
60-minute private lesson per week: $216 per month
Level 2 Teachers:
30-minute private lesson per week: $144 per month
45-minute private lesson per week: $216 per month
60-minute private lesson per week: $288 per month
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No, Members are responsible for purchasing materials, rentals, and accessories. Your teacher will recommend books and accessories for you to purchase. You may view our SOC Local Picks page for information about local instrument dealers.
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Yes, siblings or members with multiple subscriptions get a 10% discount on equal or lesser-value memberships. Siblings enrolled in Music Together® receive a 50% discount.
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Submit the online cancellation form by the 15th of the month. Memberships are non-transferable, and make-up credits expire 30 days after cancellation.
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Kindly remember that students who are feeling unwell should stay home. If a student attends their lesson while sick, they may be asked to leave, and the lesson will unfortunately be forfeited. However, we do offer options for students who need to cancel due to illness, so they don’t completely miss out. Please read below to learn more!
We do not offer refunds or credits for missed lessons, regardless of the reason (including illness).
1. If you cancel with at least 24 hours' notice, you’ll get a Make-up Lesson Credit to reschedule later. You can self-cancel lessons via the student portal. Teachers are automatically notified when clients self-cancel lessons. If you need help call/text us at (864) 844-8120.
2. If you cancel a lesson with less than 24 hours' notice, you can choose one of these two options:
LessonMate Lesson Plan
- LessonMate Lesson Plan is a customized lesson plan prepared by your teacher to help you stay on track.
- To request a LessonMate Lesson Plan, use the Student Portal before the lesson starts.
- You’ll receive it via email after your scheduled lesson time.
Online Lesson
- Instead of missing your lesson completely, you can request an online lesson with your teacher at the same scheduled time.
-Clients must give at least 4 hours notice (via text/call to (864) 844-8120) to request an online lesson.
-If you've received confirmation for an online lesson you can join via the student portal. Click "Join Lesson Online".
-Online Lessons are not guaranteed. If we cannot accommodate your Online Lesson request you will be provided with a LessonMate Lesson Plan.
3. If Your teacher cancels: We’ll arrange a substitute teacher. If a substitute is not available you will receive a monetary credit issued to your student portal account in the amount of the lesson missed. -
In the rare case that your teacher is unavailable, we will strive to provide a substitute. If no substitute is available, you will receive a monetary credit issued to your Student Portal account in the amount of the lesson missed.
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The best way to cancel a lesson is through the student portal which you can access here. Teachers are automatically notified of any changes.
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The best way to schedule a makeup lesson is through the student portal which you can access here. Teachers are automatically notified of any changes.
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Our Student Portal allows clients to attend their appointments/sessions online via a video conferencing link (Google Meet).
To connect to online appointments/sessions, clients need to login to the Student Portal and click the Join Online button on their upcoming schedule.Note:
-Clients must give at least 4 hours notice (via text/call to (864) 844-8120) to request an online lesson.
-If you've received confirmation for an online lesson you can join via the student portal. Click "Join Lesson Online".-An online lesson can be joined no more than 15 minutes prior to the start of their lesson. Before then, the button will be greyed out.
-Online Lessons are not guaranteed. If we cannot accommodate your Online Lesson request you will be provided with a LessonMate Lesson Plan. -
Tuition is charged on the 1st of each month via auto-pay.
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Yes, first-time prospective students can have one free 30-minute Trial Lesson. Your Free Trial is your opportunity to meet the teacher and ask any questions you may have. You’ll get a feel for the teacher’s teaching style and you can see if it’s a good fit. Your teacher will make suggestions about acquiring an instrument if you don’t already have one. If you need to borrow an instrument for your Free Trial please call ahead and let us know.
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Single, a la carte lessons based on teacher availability, without membership benefits.
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Memberships are on “Summer Hold” in June and July. You can purchase Single Lessons during this time.
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No refunds or makeup credits are provided for missed group classes.
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Yes, with a 14-day notice before the next billing cycle.
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Kindly remember that students who are feeling unwell should stay home. If a student attends their lesson while sick, they may be asked to leave, and the lesson will unfortunately be forfeited. However, we do offer options for students who need to cancel due to illness, so they don’t completely miss out. Please read below to learn more!
We do not offer refunds or credits for missed lessons, regardless of the reason (including illness).
1. If you cancel with at least 24 hours' notice, you’ll get a Make-up Lesson Credit to reschedule later. You can self-cancel lessons via the student portal. Teachers are automatically notified when clients self-cancel lessons. If you need help call/text us at (864) 844-8120.
2. If you cancel a lesson with less than 24 hours' notice, you can choose one of these two options:
LessonMate Lesson Plan
- LessonMate Lesson Plan is a customized lesson plan prepared by your teacher to help you stay on track.
- To request a LessonMate Lesson Plan, use the Student Portal before the lesson starts.
- You’ll receive it via email after your scheduled lesson time.
Online Lesson
- Instead of missing your lesson completely, you can request an online lesson with your teacher at the same scheduled time.
-Clients must give at least 4 hours notice (via text/call to (864) 844-8120) to request an online lesson.
-If you've received confirmation for an online lesson you can join via the student portal. Click "Join Lesson Online".
-Online Lessons are not guaranteed. If we cannot accommodate your Online Lesson request you will be provided with a LessonMate Lesson Plan.
3. If Your teacher cancels: We’ll arrange a substitute teacher. If a substitute is not available you will receive a monetary credit issued to your student portal account in the amount of the lesson missed. -
The Student Portal is an extremely useful tool that helps us stay organized.
In the student portal you can:
-View your upcoming lessons
-View any upcoming recital assignments
-You can self-cancel and rebook private lessons
-Update your student information
-See your upcoming and past invoices
-View and update your payment method
-Leave messages for your teacher
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Yes, we take adult students. Preferred student age ranges are unique to each teacher but we generally teach all ages 5 and up.
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You can see all our holiday closures by viewing our Calendar or logging into the Student Portal.
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If there is only one teacher in the lesson area then a parent must stay during the lesson. Parents can wait in the lesson room or in the designated waiting area. If there are multiple teachers in the lesson area then a parent may step outside and come back in when the lesson is over. Teachers are not responsible for children outside the assigned lesson time. Teachers may request that parents stay in the lesson area at all times.
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Your teacher is going to be the best person to answer this question. However, here are some general guidelines.
Generally, for all ages:
-It is better to practice a little bit every day throughout the week, rather than a lot one day.
-Our student recitals are designed to be welcoming to everyone and one of the biggest reasons they are important is because they provide a goal to work toward.
-Listening to excellent music recordings is very important. The more quality musical exposure the student has, the better. The genre doesn’t necessarily matter. Bonus points if you can see great musicians live in concert. There are many regional opportunities for this, and many offer discounted student tickets.
-Sing and dance at home in your kitchen like no-one is watching. Be silly and train yourself that it’s okay to make different sounds and movements. Uninhibited freedom of expression is one of the most useful tools in the learning of any art form.
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We highly encourage participation in all our recitals and other events. Participation encourages students to practice, which increases their long-term musical enjoyment. We assume that every student enrolled in our Membership Program is participating in all recitals and events, unless requested otherwise. You can find all information concerning recitals and events here.
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You can view your time slot by logging into the student portal.