902-412-5566 ekko@ekkomusic.ca

STUDIO MEMBERSHIPS & POLICIES

LESSON MEMBERSHIPS

Ekko Studio offers a range of lesson memberships tailored to meet the diverse needs of our students. Below is a detailed breakdown of each membership plan and associated policies.

Prelude

  • Rate: $36.00/half-hour lesson
  • Available for drop in or irregular lessons (not weekly or bi-weekly).

Interlude

  • Rate: $32.40/half-hour lesson
  • Availability: Weekly or bi-weekly lessons. Not available for drop in or irregular lessons.
  • Commitment Level: Commiting to lessons that recurrs weekly (i.e., regular amount of commitment)
  • Credit Option(s):
    • Make-Up Credit (automatic)
    • Monetary (Must be requested. Must be more than 7 days notice)
  • Cancellation Policy: If you would like to stop lessons you need to provide us with at least 7 days notice before the next scheduled lesson. Please see below for general lesson cancellation policies. 

Virtuoso

  • Rate: $30.60/half-hour lesson
  • Availability: Weekly or bi-weekly lessons. Not available for drop in or irregular lessons.
  • Commitment Level: Commiting to weekly or bi-weekly lessons for a month. Automatically renews unless cancelled within notice period.
  • Credit Option(s): Make-Up Credit only.
  • Cancellation Policy: If you would like to stop lessons you need to provide us with at least 7 days notice before the commencement of the next month. Please see below for general lesson cancellation policies. 

Maestro

  • Rate: $28.80/half-hour lesson
  • Availability: Weekly or bi-weekly lessons. Not available for drop in or irregular lessons.
  • Commitment Level: Commiting to weekly or bi-weekly lessons for a month. Automatically renews unless cancelled within notice period.
  • Credit Option(s): Make-Up Credit only.
  • Membership Cancellation Policy: If you would like to stop lessons you need to provide us with at least 14 days notice before the commencement of the term. Please see below for general lesson cancellation policies. 

COMMUNITY GROUP POLICIES

FEES AND PAYMENT STRUCTURE

  • Community group sessions are charged at $15 per session.
  • Payments can be billed on either a term or monthly payment schedule, depending on the preference of the participant.
  • Monthly payment plans are available to help alleviate the stress of a large term payment and are billed at the start of each month.
  • Once enrolled in a community group, you are committing to the entire length of the term.
  • Even if you are absent from a session, you are still responsible for the payment of that session.

COMMITMENT AND ATTENDANCE

  • Participation in a community group requires commitment and punctuality.
  • Regular attendance is crucial for the smooth functioning of the group.
  • If a participant demonstrates excessive absenteeism, they may not be allowed to re-register for future terms.

INSTRUCTOR OR STUDIO CANCELLATIONS

  • If an instructor or the studio needs to cancel a session (e.g., due to weather, illness, or other unforeseen circumstances), we will make every effort to reschedule the session to an alternate date or extend the length of remaining sessions in the term.
  • We will try our best to accommodate everyone’s availability for rescheduled sessions, but we cannot guarantee that a time will work for all participants.
  • If rescheduling is not possible, no credits will be applied, and the session will be considered canceled.

REFUNDS AND CREDITS

  • No credits will be issued for missed sessions by the participant.
  • Refunds are not provided for any missed sessions or for cancellations initiated by the participant.
  • In the case of instructor or studio cancellations, we will attempt to reschedule the session or extend remaining sessions. We cannot guarantee availability or a perfect match for rescheduled times.

BEHAVIOUR EXPECTATIONS

  • As part of the community group, you are expected to maintain a respectful and cooperative attitude toward fellow participants and instructors.
  • Disruptive behavior, lack of commitment, or frequent absenteeism may lead to removal from the group, and re-registration for future terms may be restricted.

GENERAL STUDIO POLICIES

COMPLIMENTARY TRIAL LESSON

  • Trial lessons are only available to new students at the studio. They are a complimentary 30-minute private lesson with one of our instructors.
  • If a trial lesson is cancelled for any reason, the student forfeits the right to receive another complimentary trial lesson.

NON-TRANSFERABLE MEMBERSHIP CREDITS

  • Memberships and make-up credits are non-transferable and can only be used by the student for whom they were issued.

WAITLIST POLICY

  • Students wishing to switch to a different instructor or time slot may be placed on a waitlist. Priority is given based on the date of the request.

CANCELLATION

General Lesson Cancellation
  • At least 7 days’ notice is required to cancel a lessons without penalty.
  • For cancellations with at least 24 hours’ notice, a make-up credit will be issued.
  • Late Cancellations (less than 24 hours’ notice): Cannot be guaranteed a make-up credit.
Instructor Cancellations
  • If an instructor must cancel a lesson, we will make every effort to find a substitute instructor to conduct the lesson at the scheduled time.
  • If a substitute is not available, the student will receive a make-up credit to reschedule the canceled lesson.
  • Make-up credits for instructor cancellations will be issued automatically and follow the same terms as other make-up credits.
Studio Cancellations (Weather or Other Disruptions)
  • If the studio must cancel lessons due to weather, power outages, or other unforeseen circumstances, we will do our best to reschedule affected lessons.
  • If rescheduling is not possible, students will receive a make-up credit to be used for a future lesson.
  • Make-up credits for studio cancellations will follow the same terms as other make-up credits.
Holidays and Studio Closures
  • The studio observes the following holidays and closures:
    • Labour Day,  Thanksgiving Day, Remembrance Day, Christmas, New Year’s, Family Day, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, and Natal Day.
  • The studio generally closes from late December to early January for the holidays. For the 2024-2025 academic year, the studio will be closed from December 21, 2024 to January 5, 2025.
  • Students are not invoiced for lessons during these closures.

MAKE-UP CREDITS

  •  Make-up credits cannot be used for regularly scheduled lessons. They are intended for rescheduling missed lessons due to valid cancellations.
  • Credits automatically expire 30 days after they are issued.
  • It is recommended to book make-up lessons through the online portal (Opus) to view instructor availability.
  • We cannot guarantee that a time convenient for the student will align with an instructor’s availability for a make-up lesson.

MONETARY CREDITS (Applicable to Interlude Membership Only)

– Monetary credits are available for cancellations made with 7+ days’ notice upon request.
– Credits are applied to the account and can be used toward future lessons or services.

PAYMENTS

Auto-Renew Memberships
  • All memberships are set to auto-renew.
  • Memberships must remain active to maintain discounted lesson rates.
Payment Terms
  • Payment is due within the first 7 days of the month for monthly memberships or first 7 days of the term for term-based Maestro memberships.
  • All lessons must be pre-paid.
Late Payments
  • Accounts with outstanding balances at the end of the month may have their lessons suspended until payment has been made in full.
  • Accounts that frequently pay late (after the 7th day of each month) may incur a $25 late fee per invoice if the issue persists.
Alternative Payment Plans and Schedules
  • Payment plans and schedules can be accommodated for special circumstances.
  • Please contact one of the administrators to discuss and arrange an alternate payment schedule or plan if needed.
Accepted Payment Methods
  • In-Person: cash, debit, credit
  • E-transfer: ekko@ekkomusic.ca
  • Online: credit
  • Auto-payment: credit card on file

STUDIO ETIQUETTE

  • Arrive on time for scheduled lessons. As instructors tend to have students back-to-back, late arrivals may not receive full lesson time.
  • Respect studio equipment, teachers, and other students.

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS

  • Students and families are expected to treat instructors, staff, and other students with respect. Bullying, harassment, or any form of disruptive behaviour may result in termination of lessons without notice.

PRIVACY AND PERSONAL INFORMATION

  • Payment details are securely stored using encrypted payment processing systems.
  • Personal information (e.g., address, date of birth) is only used for internal purposes such as billing, communication, and student records and is never shared with third parties without consent.

PHOTO/VIDEO OPT-OUT

  • Unless specified in writing, students and families allow the studio to take photos and videos for promotional materials, social media, marketing, or other uses.
  • If you do not wish for photos or videos to be taken or used, please inform the studio in writing before your first lesson.

TERMINATION

By the Studio

  • The studio reserves the right to terminate lessons with no notice if the relationship is deemed toxic or if there are signs of violence.

By the Client

  • Refunds must be requested by the client for any balance on their account upon termination.
  • Funds will otherwise remain as a credit on file for future use.
  • Credits on file will expire after 12 months of inactivity.

POLICY UPDATES

  • The studio reserves the right to update or amend policies at any time.
  • Any significant changes will be communicated to students and families in advance.

[STUDIO POLICIES LAST UPDATED JANUARY 6, 2025]