Laura Robertson 2017 Lesson Policy
This policy is for students taking private voice or piano lessons from Laura Stratton.
If you have any questions please call or email.
PRICING
The lesson price is $95 per month. (Payable in advance, due the first lesson of
the month.) Please make all payments to Laura Stratton. You can also pay online
through mymusicstaff.com. This price is a monthly payment for studying with
the instructor, it is not related to how many lessons you receive in a
month or the cost of an individual lesson. Your account can be accessed through
the My Music Staff log in. Through this service you can see what you owe or
have paid and also see if you have any make up credits available.
THE BREAKDOWN
Your payment breaks down as follows. You are paying for 43 lessons and 3
recitals per year. The amount of lessons per month will vary
depending on my schedule. I am also a working actor and at times have commercial
shoots or performances that conflict with lessons. In addition, I have built in
some sick time and vacation. You are not being charged for the weeks I am gone.
I have just averaged a year of lessons into monthly payments at around $25-26/lesson.
I am able to keep my tuition low by averaging 9 vacation days/year. Again, you're not paying
for this time off, I just don't charge tuition for 52 weeks/year of lessons.
CALENDAR
I use the My Music Staff website to keep my calendar. I will post all vacation days
and days that I am not teaching on this calendar. Please use the web service to
check on holidays and days that may be off. I will send out email notifications to
remind you if I am out of town or not teaching for some of the aforementioned
Reasons.
CANCELLATION POLICY
I do all of my scheduling through the My Music Staff website. If you are going to
miss a lesson, you must cancel 48 hours prior to the lesson in order to get a
make up credit. In order to keep my schedule from being too messy, all make up
credits must be scheduled within a week of the cancellation, but you can
schedule them as far as two months out from the lesson date. So if you cancel a Feb
15th lesson today, you need to pick a make up time by a week from today and
that lesson must happen before April 15th. If you cancel with less than 48 hours
notice I can’t give a make up credit. Remember that you are paying to reserve a
time slot. So, just like a college course, if you don’t show up, you still have to pay.
If I have to cancel a lesson I will notify you and issue a make up credit or discount on
the next month's tuition. NOTE: DO NOT SEND A SICK CHILD TO LESSONS.
I will give out a makeup credit lesson for a sick student even if it's a "day of" cancellation.
I do not want a sick child in my practice room, not only because it's too tough to sing while sick,
but also because it's putting me at risk as well as the students that follow.
I lysol surfaces frequently, but a sneeze or a cough is inescapable in such
close confines. I do not mind receiving cancellations. I appreciate it because it's
saving me from getting sick and having to cancel all my lessons.
RECITALS
Recitals are given 3 times a year, in the spring, end of summer, and fall/winter.
Recitals will be no longer than an hour long. All students are encouraged to
participate to get performance experience. The families of the
students are welcome to attend all recitals. In addition, each
student can bring friends with them to the event. I will send out an email invite to
each recital. Please RSVP as soon as possible, as I sometimes offer two separate
recital times in order to accommodate all my voice and piano students.
LESSONS
Lesson slots are 1/2 hour in length. If you show up 10 minutes late, you get a
20-minute lesson. So please be on time and arrive with your repertoire book/piano books.
Piano students: Remember your books, pencil, and binder/notebook each week!!
Voice students: Bring a pencil to mark music and your binder of repertoire each week so we can continue expanding it.
You are responsible for bringing any songs on which you are working. It
will be helpful to have a folder or a 3-ring binder in which to keep your materials.
I will provide most sheet music. If you need a specific song for an audition that I don't have in my collection, you can buy it at musicnotes.com. I may at some point recommend a book appropriate to your voice type as well. These can normally be purchased online or in music stores. Please bring in any songs you are passionate about singing! I love when my students come prepared with songs they want to master. I also love audition and college coaching. I am passionate about monologue coaching as well, so bring in any audition pieces you'd like help with. Also, just like everything in life you get out of your lesson what you put into it. The more you practice, the better you get! So have fun with it!
ABOUT LAURA
I am a performer, teacher, and director with a B.A. in Theatre Arts from TCU with minors in Spanish and Anthropology. I have studied Classical Voice since age 14. I held a Choir Scholarship at TCU while studying the Bel Canto singing technique with Colleen Mallette. I learned proper belting technique popular in musical theatre and pop style singing from Katy Powell. Upon graduating from TCU in 2010, I served as the Theatre Director at LifeStage Theatre in Dallas. I directed dozens of musicals/plays and taught Acting, Dancing, and Singing. I was then hired as the private voice teacher at the regional, professional theatre Casa Manana in Fort Worth for their Children's Performing Arts Conservatory. I also performed professionally in musicals in Dallas and Fort Worth during this time. Since then, I've directed and acted internationally in Sydney, Australia, served as an on-air host in New Orleans, and acted in countless commercials, voiceovers, and even in the Oscar nominated movie Trumbo. I'm so happy to return to Kansas with my husband to lay down roots after a whirlwind last few years of many moves. I love my family, love performing, and love teaching!
CONTACT
Cell phone - (785) 845-1979
The Culture House - (913) 393-3141
E-mail - ljanerobertson@gmail.com