Studio Policy Template for Music Teachers (Free) ================================================ From https://lessoncadence.com/templates/studio-policy-template — free to copy and adapt for your studio. # The studio policy template: cancellation, make-ups, payment and a signed enrollment form Copy the version that fits your studio, replace every value in [brackets], and put it on the enrollment form families sign before the first lesson. Everything below is written to be edited, not admired. Use the Copy button on any block. ## How to use this - **Pick one cancellation version** (strict, standard or gentle). Do not combine them. - **Keep the carve-outs.** An undocumented exception is not mercy; it is precedent. - **Put the policy where it gets signed.** A policy on a website is a suggestion. A policy on a signed enrollment form is an agreement. - **Announce changes two weeks out** with the email at the end, and grandfather anything already on the calendar. The reasoning behind each choice is in [the music lesson cancellation policy guide](/blog/music-lesson-cancellation-policy). ## 1. Cancellation policy (choose one) ### Version 1 — Strict > **Cancellation policy** > > Your lesson time is reserved for you each week. Cancellations require at least [24] hours' notice. > > Lessons canceled with less than [24] hours' notice, and lessons missed without notice, are charged in full and are not rescheduled. > > Lessons canceled with [24] or more hours' notice are not charged. > > If I cancel a lesson, you are not charged. That lesson is rescheduled, or credited to your next invoice if we cannot find a time. ### Version 2 — Standard (hybrid) > **Cancellation policy** > > Your weekly lesson time is reserved for you. Please give at least [24] hours' notice if you need to cancel. > > With [24] or more hours' notice, the lesson becomes a make-up credit. Credits may be used in any open make-up slot during the same term. Each student may hold up to [two] credits per term. Credits do not roll over and have no cash value. > > With less than [24] hours' notice, or if the student does not attend, the lesson is charged in full and no credit is issued. > > If I cancel a lesson, it is rescheduled at no charge, or credited to your next invoice. ### Version 3 — Gentle > **Cancellation policy** > > Life happens, and I would rather hear from you early than not at all. Please give as much notice as you can, and at least [24] hours whenever possible. > > Tuition reserves your weekly time, so canceled lessons are not refunded. A lesson canceled with [24] or more hours' notice becomes a make-up credit you can use in an open slot that term. > > If [student] is unwell or something urgent comes up, message me any time before the lesson and I will issue a credit even on short notice. > > Lessons missed with no message are not credited. > > If I cancel, your lesson is always rescheduled or credited. ## 2. Make-up credits Use this with Version 2 or 3. Three limits keep credits from becoming an unpaid second schedule: a cap, an expiry, and no cash value. > **Make-up credits** > > A make-up credit is issued when a lesson is canceled with [24] or more hours' notice, or when I cancel. > > Credits are redeemed in open make-up slots, which I post [each month / at the start of term]. Credits are not a promise of a specific day or time. > > Each student may hold up to [two] credits at a time. Credits expire at the end of the term in which they were issued, do not roll over, and have no cash value. > > A make-up lesson that is missed or canceled late is not credited again. ## 3. Illness, weather and emergencies > **Exceptions** > > **Illness.** If [student] is unwell, message me any time before the lesson starts and the lesson becomes a make-up credit, even inside the [24]-hour window. Lessons missed with no message are charged. > > **Weather.** If [school district] closes for weather, that day's lessons are [credited / moved online]. If the district is open, the normal policy applies. > > **Emergencies.** Each student may receive [one] discretionary credit per [year] for a genuine emergency, at my judgment. > > **My cancellations.** A lesson I cancel is always rescheduled or credited. You are never charged for a lesson I cancel. ## 4. Tuition and payment > **Tuition and payment** > > Tuition is an annual fee for [36] lessons across the [September–June] year, paid in [10 / 12] equal monthly installments of $[193]. It is not a per-lesson charge, so months with four lessons and months with five cost the same. > > Tuition is due on the [1st] of each month by [card or bank debit on file / e-transfer / check]. Invoices are sent on the [25th] of the previous month. > > A payment that is more than [7] days late incurs a late fee of $[15]. Lessons may be paused while a balance is more than [30] days overdue. > > Rates are reviewed once a year. Any change is announced at least [30] days before it takes effect. ## 5. Announcing a new policy (email) Send this at least two weeks before the start date. Say what problem it solves for the family, and grandfather anything already booked. > **Subject:** A small scheduling change, starting [January 5] > > Hi [Name], > > I'm writing about one change to how I handle canceled lessons, starting [January 5]. > > Right now I try to reschedule almost every missed lesson. That has quietly turned into a second job, and it means I often can't offer a make-up time that actually works for you. So I'm moving to one simple rule instead. > > From [January 5]: > > - Cancel with [24] hours' notice or more, and the lesson becomes a make-up credit you can use in an open slot that term. > - Cancel with less than [24] hours' notice, and the lesson is charged as taught. > - If [student] is sick, message me any time before the lesson and I'll issue the credit anyway. > - If I cancel, you're never charged. > > Nothing else changes — same time, same rate. Anything already on the calendar before [January 5] is handled the old way. > > The full studio policy is attached. If this creates a real problem for your family's schedule, tell me and we'll sort it out. > > Thanks for making this an easy studio to run. > > [Your name] ## 6. One-page enrollment form Print this on one page. Attach the policy sections above, or paste the version you chose into the acknowledgment. ``` [STUDIO NAME] — ENROLLMENT FORM [School year] STUDENT Name: ____________________________ Date of birth: ___________ Instrument / subject: _____________ Level: _________________ Lesson length: [30 / 45 / 60] min Weekly slot: [Tue 4:30 pm] PARENT / PAYER (the person responsible for tuition) Name: ____________________________ Relationship: ___________ Email: ___________________________ Mobile: ________________ Second contact (optional): ____________________________________ TUITION Annual tuition: $________ paid as [10 / 12] monthly installments of $________ Due on the [1st] of each month by [card / bank debit / e-transfer / check] ACKNOWLEDGMENT I have read the studio policy dated [date], including the cancellation policy ([24] hours' notice), make-up credit rules, illness and weather exceptions, and tuition terms, and I agree to them on behalf of the student named above. I consent to lesson reminders by [email / text] at the contact details above. Reply STOP to any text to opt out. Signature: _______________________ Date: ______________ Printed name: ____________________ ``` ## Before you send it - [ ] Every [bracket] is filled in - [ ] One cancellation version only - [ ] The start date is at least two weeks out - [ ] The signed copy has a home (a folder, a scan, or the student's record) - [ ] The same policy text appears in your reminders ("Reply by [time] tomorrow to cancel without charge") and on the invoice line when it applies ::: cta ## Stop enforcing it by hand The hard part of a policy is applying it at 7:02pm without a text you don't want to send. LessonCadence checks the cancellation window at the moment a family reschedules and either charges the lesson or banks the make-up credit, so the rule you wrote is the rule that runs. [Join the waitlist](/#waitlist) ::: *This template is general business guidance, not legal advice. Check your local consumer rules if you're unsure about a clause.*