The studio policy template: cancellation, make-ups, payment and a signed enrollment form
Download as text Copy buttons sit on every block below.
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.
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
This template is general business guidance, not legal advice. Check your local consumer rules if you're unsure about a clause.