Definitions

‘You’ refers to anybody using the services provided by Laura Boon Voice, both the voice students, and those who book lessons on behalf of and/or have parental responsibility for the students.

‘Me’ and ‘I’ refer to Laura Boon, who is providing vocal tuition under the business name of Laura Boon Voice, or any other voice teacher or voice professional who is providing tuition services for Laura Boon Voice.

Commitments

I promise to:

• be on time and fully present for your lesson and/or workshop

• keep up to date and work continually to improve my knowledge of voice science, evidence-based practice and vocal pedagogy, in order to provide you with the best teaching possible

• honour your vocal goals

• provide a safe, kind and supportive in which to learn

• treat all people with respect, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, disability, or national origin, both inside and outside the teaching studio

My expectations are for you to:

• seek clarification when you don’t fully understand a concept, exercise or technique

• practice what we cover in lessons, as consistently and mindfully as you can, so that you can make progress towards your goals

• treat all people with respect, regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, disability, or national origin, both inside and outside of lessons

Please remember, you are investing in a skill that will serve you for your lifetime. Not only will singing and using your spoken voice efficiently bring you great joy, but there are also many other benefits. Singing regularly can:

• improve mental health and mood

• improve your communication skills

• lower stress levels

• boost confidence

• improve body alignment and lung function

• help with sleep

• stimulate your immune system

Learning with Laura Boon Voice, I aim for you to feel buoyed and supported as you learn, and to have fun during your lessons. There will be a focus, as much as is beneficial in each lesson, on developing knowledge and understanding of how the voice works, in theory and in practice, so that you feel empowered to make healthy and creative vocal choices for the rest of your life, as well as obtaining the functional ability to perform them.

Calendar

Laura Boon Voice lesson availability broadly follows the UK school term timetable:

Spring Term - January to April

Summer Term - April to July

Autumn Term - September to December

Teaching breaks:

February half term - one week

Easter holidays - two weeks

May half term - one week

Summer holidays - six weeks

October half term - one week

Christmas holidays - three weeks

Availability for lessons will be uploaded to the online booking system.

Punctuality

For ‘in-person’ lessons:

• Please arrive no earlier than 5 minutes before your lesson time. If another lesson is in progress you will be asked to wait in the hallway or outside. You may or may not encounter my children, husband, dog or cat there…

• Please park responsibly in the nearby streets if you are driving here

• If you are running late, please notify me as soon as possible by text (+44 (0) 7977 440 368)

• If you are late for the start of your lesson, the lesson will still finish at the scheduled time

• If you are more than 15 minutes late and I haven’t heard from you, the lesson will be cancelled and no refund will be offered

For ‘online’ lessons:

• It is assumed you have the appropriate technology to carry out your voice lessons online before booking - you are responsible for your ability to connect

• Please log on to your lesson 5 minutes before your lesson time

• If you experience technical difficulties connecting, please notify me as soon as possible by text (+44 (0) 7977 440 368)

• In the event of a ‘no-show’ I will text or email after 10 minutes to check everything is ok if I haven’t heard from you, and the lesson will be cancelled after 15 minutes and no refund will be offered

Scheduling and payment

All lessons are to be booked online via the booking link that will be emailed to you, and all fees are due at the time of booking, paid online through Stripe, a secure payment processor.

Various lesson options are available:

• Individual lessons of 30, 45 or 60 minutes

• Packages of 6 classes of 30, 45 or 60 minutes

Once you purchase a package, you'll get a code you can use to redeem for appointments, and your appointment balance is automatically tracked.

Very rarely, an invoice may be provided for teaching services. Late payment of invoices will incur an admin fee of £15 and services will be postponed until payment is made in full.

Rescheduling, refunds and cancellations

You are free to reschedule or cancel your lesson up to 48 hours before the start time of the lesson.  Lessons cancelled within 48 hours of the scheduled lesson times will be charged in full. You have the option of rescheduling lessons up until that point.

Refunds are processed through Stripe, and so take up to 10 working days to arrive back in your bank account.

Illness

In the case of illness, please remember there are plenty of ways to make a lesson productive without a lot of singing: repertoire selection, sight-singing and rhythm-reading practice, theory, musicianship, listening and learning from other artists, aural skills, and over zoom we don’t have to worry about spreading germs. So please only cancel your lesson if you’re feeling really unwell. If within 48 hours you feel unable to attend your lesson due to overwhelm, stress, anxiety or other related issues, I will send some listening and practical tasks that can be completed when you’re able to. Refunds or a reschedule for cancellation within 48 hours if it’s a genuine emergency, but not for colds and coughs.

If your voice is fatigued from misuse or overuse, it is important to attend your lesson, as we will do exercises to alleviate the issue and make a plan for recovery and maintaining your vocal health.

Your vocal health

Teaching healthy voice use is my priority, and I will provide tips and practices to care for your voice. However, singing can be a physically demanding activity, and carries risks that I cannot entirely eliminate, so in booking a lesson or participating in a workshop you are accepting that your vocal and physical health is your responsibility and that all exercises and tasks are performed at your own risk. Please disclose any previous or current vocal health issues prior to starting lessons. In circumstances where you have had a medical assessment or intervention for your voice issues, ensure that you have been given approval by the medical team for singing lessons.

I will always recommend referral to a voice clinic if I have any concerns about the health of your voice, but it’s down to you to follow that advice and pursue assessment.

Covid-19 and other airborne viruses

For face-to-face lessons, students have to work together with me to keep each other safe from the risk of Covid-19 and other airborne virus transmissions. The measures in place are:

• Lessons only occur face-to-face when both student and I are symptom-free - please have your lesson online if you are feeling unwell. I will always reschedule or refund a missed lesson if I am unable to teach because of illness

• The student areas of the music studio are cleaned with antibacterial and antiviral cleaning products regularly

• The music studio has an air purifier with a HEPA H13 filter which removes 99.97% of airborne particles, pollen allergens and dust

I have carried out a risk assessment of the space, and have put these measures in place. If you choose to attend face-to-face lessons, you do so at your own risk. If the whole situation makes you anxious, then online lessons are a wonderful alternative!

Adverse weather

No cancellations or reschedules will be available in the instance of adverse weather conditions - if you face difficulty coming to your face-to-face lesson for this reason, the lesson must be conducted online.

Scope of service

Your lesson fees go beyond the scope of your 1:1 lesson. So that I can serve you to the best of my ability, I spend many hours outside of lesson times:

• on professional development activities such as attending workshops, additional training and courses,

• on further independent study and reading around vocal science and pedagogy topics, including studying for an MA in Voice Pedagogy

• researching repertoire

• lesson planning

• investing in studio resources and equipment - technology, sound equipment, singing aids, books and sheet music

• reviewing audio and video of student performances and providing feedback

• frequently communicating and liaising with other internationally renowned voice teachers and West End professionals for advice, strategies, development and education

Communication

In the first instance, please email, or send a text (+44 (0) 7977 440 368)

If you need a face-to-face discussion, please email or text to arrange a good time for this, or wait until your lesson.

Office hours when I am available to respond to correspondence:

Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays: 10:00 - 18:00

Sheet music and backing tracks

Wherever possible and when available, sheet music and backing tracks will be provided.

Photocopying is illegal so you must purchase all additional sheet music. I can advise on some great anthologies or the best sites to download individual songs for a reasonable cost.

References

I will gladly write references for students who have studied with me regularly for 6 months or more. 

Media release

I occasionally use student images, first names and surname initial in promotional and online social media for Laura Boon Voice, for updates, promotions, congratulations for accomplishments, or education. Your permission for this is assumed, but as a courtesy, I will seek confirmation in each instance. If you do not consent to your image or name being shared please email me (laura@lauraboonvoice.co.uk) to let me know using the subject heading MEDIA.

Accompanists

For exams and performances, students are financially and logistically responsible for arranging their accompanist. I can provide suggestions in London and Kent.

Where backing tracks are used, these also are the student's responsibility. Custom piano tracks may be recorded, either by me or by a colleague, for a negotiated fee that depends on the length and the complexity of the piece.