Transparency & Trust
Studio Policies
Clear, fair, and simple policies to ensure a great experience for every student and family.
📋 Important Policy Updates - Effective Immediately
As the studio continues to grow, we are updating our policies to stabilize lesson times and ensure consistent progress for all students. Please review the following critical changes:
- Monthly Enrollment Fee: (30min), (45min), or (60min) per week
- Payment Due: Within first 3 days of each month via stripe, Zelle or Cash
- Late Fee: $20 if payment not received on the 3rd day of each month
- Makeups: Only One makeup allowed per semester and only offered at the end of semester
- Emergency Cancellation: One emergency cancellation per semester
- Trial Lessons: $50 for 30min. weekly opportunities. Monthly spot will need to be secured at the beginning of following month through the monthly enrollment
- Required Signature: Full policy document must be acknowledged before monthly enrollment begins
A complete policy document will be provided for signature before starting your monthly enrollment.
We believe in transparency and we value your time and ours. These policies help us maintain a respectful, fair environment for all our students and families. If you have any questions about anything below, please don't hesitate to reach out to us — we're always happy to talk.
Studio Policies
Click any policy to expand and read the full details.
We provide trial lessons to prospective students interested in enrolling at our studio. These trial lessons are scheduled on a weekly basis and should be understood as an opportunity to assess the student's compatibility with our studio, rather than a reservation for a monthly spot.
If the student expresses interest and proves to be a suitable fit, we can secure a weekly time slot for their lessons starting at the beginning of the next month. In cases where a student initiates their trial lessons midway through a month, these trial lessons will continue to be scheduled on a week-to-week basis. However, starting from the beginning of the following month, we will secure a designated time and establish a monthly at-rate payment for the student's ongoing lessons.
We require a monthly at-rate payment based on lesson length:
- 30-minute weekly classes
- 45-minute weekly classes
- 60-minute (hourly) weekly classes
The fee remains consistent each month, regardless of holidays, sick days, vacations, or attendance. For clarification, there will be some months that have five weeks or four, and those larger months will balance out the shorter ones. The fee is based on enrollment rather than attendance.
Payment details:
- Payment is monthly and must be made within the first three days of each month
- We send invoices via the mymusicstaff online service
- Payment accepted via Stripe, Zelle or Cash (we do not accept checks)
- $20 late fee if payment is not completed by 11:00 PM on the third day of each month
- Classes are offered at our studio only or online if agreed
- No refunds are issued. This includes cancellations, missed classes, lack of planning, attendance issues, sick days, or holidays/vacations
Recitals: Offered once per semester. Participation costs $30 per student and will be added to the invoice for the recital month.
Materials: Students can purchase recommended materials through us (typically under $20). Prices for books do not usually exceed $20 and will be added to the upcoming invoice.
Studio-Initiated Cancellations: Maestro Guzman is a renowned pianist in Houston and is occasionally called to important Opera or Musical events. If there's a cancellation from our side, a makeup would be offered at the end of the semester during a specific agreed week and time.
Note: No more than 1 hour worth of missed classes will be made up per semester by our teachers, no matter how many classes were missed during the semester and the reasons. This includes the one allowed last-minute emergency mentioned below.
Emergency Cancellation: One emergency cancellation per semester (Spring = January–June, Fall = July–December) will be granted, resulting in a makeup class offered during the designated makeup date and time at the end of the semester. An emergency cancellation is a cancellation made within 24 hours of the scheduled class. It is essential to communicate attendance to allow proper coordination of this makeup class.
Absence for Full Month: We prioritize stable students in our studio. If students are absent for a full month and only for well in advanced communicated notices, the available options include:
- Paying half of the monthly fee for each missed month to secure your spot upon return, or
- Taking a temporary hiatus from lessons (the "Discontinuing Lessons Policy" would come into effect)
Securing your time slot through the half month payments plan secures the time that you had before traveling. We cannot guarantee any other time different from the original time when the student returns.
Time Changes: If a student's extracurricular activities require a change in lesson times, please inform the studio before the next month so that a new regular time slot can be secured if available. We highly recommend choosing a time you can stick to throughout the academic year, as there is no guarantee that an alternate lesson time will be available if there is a conflict with piano lessons. We will be as flexible as possible, but we cannot guarantee that a desired time spot will be available.
Summer Discontinuation: We discourage families from discontinuing lessons since this can disrupt the progress of a student, even more so during the summer since it is a long break. If a discontinuation of classes happens between May 1st and August 1st, a cancellation fee will be requested. This cancellation fee equals one-time payment of half of the monthly fee each student is paying.
We also request a written notice of 30 days in advance, accompanied by prepayment of the cancellation fee for the upcoming canceled month. This arrangement allows us to have adequate time to allocate your spot to another family that could use that spot during the summer or through the year.
Transition Assistance: If you are moving or changing teachers, we are happy to provide a document describing what the student(s) is working on, and general details to make that transition to a new studio smoother. We can always recommend other teachers if our studio is not a good fit for the student.
The following dates outline our vacation/holiday schedule, during which no lessons will be held. These dates also align with common holiday periods. Should we cancel a lesson for reasons other than illness, vacations, or holidays, the makeup session (up to one hour total per semester) will be scheduled only at the end of the semester on any available designated makeup date/time.
Please note that the holiday schedule will be updated yearly based on District holidays.
Holiday Schedule:
- July 4th
- Labor Day Weekend
- October 31st (Halloween)
- Wednesday – Friday of Thanksgiving Break
- December 24–25 (Christmas)
- December 31st through January 15th (Winter Break)
- March 27th – 31st (Easter/Spring Break)
- Memorial Day Weekend
Note: Our teachers will have three allowed sick/inclement weather days per semester. These allowed days will not incur any makeup time. We do not plan on using them unless we are dealing with an emergency.
Frequently Asked Questions
The questions we hear most often from new and prospective families.
Our studio operates on a monthly enrollment basis. Once you complete your trial lessons and decide to enroll, your weekly time slot is secured starting at the beginning of the following month. You'll pay a flat monthly rate regardless of the number of weeks in that month or days off — this means months with 5 weeks balances out 4 weeks months.
- $200/month for 30-minute weekly classes
- $300/month for 45-minute weekly classes
- $400/month for 60-minute (hourly) weekly classes
The fee is based on enrollment, not attendance. This includes coverage for holidays, vacations, any missed classes and sick days. Exception to rule: If a full month is missed but only if given well comunicated and in advance notice, then only half of the student's regular monthly fee will be requested for such month.
Monthly payments must be made within the first three days of each month. We send invoices through the mymusicstaff online service. Payment is accepted via Stripe, Zelle or Cash (we do not accept checks).
Important: A $20 late fee applies if payment is not received by 11:00 PM on the third day of each month.
We do not offer refunds whatsoever, included cancellations, lack of planning, any missed classes, sick days, or holidays/vacations. The monthly fee is designed to cover your reserved time slot for the entire month.
Emergency cancellations are limited to one per semester and will be made up at the end of the semester, subject to the 1-hour total makeup limit per semester.
We request a 30-day written notice before discontinuing lessons. If you need to take a break for a full month, you can either:
- Pay half the monthly fee for each missed month to secure your time-slot for the student's return, or
- Take a temporary hiatus (this triggers the discontinuing lessons policy)
Summer discontinuation (May 1 – Aug 1): A cancellation fee equal to half the monthly fee applies, plus 30 days written notice and prepayment of the fee.
If you're transitioning to another studio, we're happy to provide documentation of your student's progress to make the transition smoother.
If your extracurricular activities require a change in lesson times, please inform the studio before the next month so we can secure a new regular time slot if available.
We highly recommend choosing a time you can stick to throughout the academic year. While we strive to be flexible, we cannot guarantee that a desired time slot will be available, especially during peak times.
Recitals: Held once per semester (spring and fall). Participation costs $30 per student and will be added to your invoice for the recital month.
Materials: We offer recommended instructional books and supplementary materials through the studio. Prices typically don't exceed $20 and will be added to your upcoming invoice.
📋 Policy Acknowledgment Required
To complete your enrollment, you must sign and return the policy acknowledgment form.
By signing below, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to abide by all Guzman Piano Studio policies as outlined on this page and in the full policy document.
Please sign and return this form (including the date) via email or in person before starting monthly payments.
Still have questions? We'd love to hear from you.