Why
Our policy has been in place since 2010 and there are three simple reasons for the crux of our policy.
1. Time is reserved with our teachers to the exclusion of other clients and other personal and professional plans.
2. Makeups would mean twice the reserved time for the price of one.
3. Other studios are tougher than we are. Some require entire semester payment upfront and some do not offer credits, even when the teacher or studio cancels.
Now that COVID-19 is endemic and something we'll all regularly have to live with, we will not make any further exceptions for COVID-19 cases. Otherwise, we will not survive financially.
A link to our Prepayment & Attendance Policy is included with every digital studio notification, including invoices and receipts. By paying your first invoice, you acknowledge that you have read and accepted our policy.
Cost
Simple... $32 per 30 minutes
As of January 1, 2024, our prices have modestly increased because of the skyrocketing inflation around us. We have not changed our prices in 14 years.
Prepayment
Payment in full per month by the first of every month for that month is expected.
Invoices are sent on the last day of each month. We will not make changes to any invoice after they are sent.
We do not accept booking/payment on a weekly basis.
Please submit payment online via the link attached to your invoice upon receipt, mail payment to the studio address on the invoice/website, or bring payment with you to the first session of every month.
Credit cards and Apple Pay are accepted at the studio.
Any added tips are added to our Fried Weasel Fund.
Autopay is available. If you opt to save a card on file, you will automatically be charged for your session time at the beginning of each month for that month.
We do not accept cash.
For those with a daunting schedule, we offer a DIY, prepay-as-you-go option through our website. This requires online prepayment and the availability/approval of the instructor. These are non-refundable.
If you are owed a credit at our fault, you must notify the studio, otherwise, the proverbial falling tree doesn't make a sound. In the event that a session/class must be canceled by Hickory Arts, you may apply the amount paid as credit towards any other session. Credits will expire if unused/unclaimed after 30 days.
If payment is not received within a reasonable amount of time, you will be removed from the schedule. Folks don't get to walk out of a store without paying for a product.
Attendance
When a developing artist registers for recurring sessions, it is understood he or she will be in attendance weekly on the agreed day and time unless we hear otherwise prior to billing.
Make-ups and credits are generally not offered. It’s simply impossible to discern between who’s genuinely sick and who doesn’t feel like rolling out of bed. The ol’ “one bad apple spoils the barrel”-cliché. Make-ups mean twice the booked time for the same cost. Time is reserved with prepayment at the beginning of every month for that month to the exclusion of other clients/appointments. Do we want you to show up sick? Of course not. But you will not receive a refund any more than you would if you bought a ticket to a performance you couldn't attend.
Punctual attendance is expected. If you’re on time, you’re late. If you are more than 10 minutes late for a session, it will be canceled and you will be charged; if another session is scheduled immediately following yours, it can’t be pushed back.
Prior to billing-notice is necessary to attempt a Reschedule. However, a Reschedule is not likely or guaranteed. Space is limited. Not unlike a subscription service, you are expected to pay for reserved time whether or not you choose or are able to use it.
Students must provide at least two weeks' notice to establish any leave of absence, vacation, or discontinuation, otherwise, it is our understanding at the top of each month that we are continuing to reserve your/our time and you will be charged.
Sessions are first come, first serve. If you take a leave of absence, we can not guarantee your session time will be available when you return unless you continue to pay for it.
The staff will make every effort to remain open during most periods of inclement weather; however, where extraordinary circumstances warrant, due to weather or other unforeseen business interruption, the company reserves the right to close the facility. If we're open, we're expecting you.
We operate independently of school systems and federal holidays. Please do not assume we're closed. Generally, we're only closed on Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas Eve through New Year's Day.
Most of us have calendars and make plans ahead of time, so we feel all of this is very reasonable so that we can consolidate and make other scheduling arrangements or make time available to others in your absence.
Communication
Please direct all scheduling and billing changes to Hickory Arts at 828-270-9801 (textable) or info@hickoryarts.com. We will inform the instructor of the changes. This way everyone is kept in the loop and we are better able to maintain our calendar and enforce our policy fairly. Your instructor does not handle scheduling or billing.
We strive to keep everything simple, straightforward, and transparent, and make every effort to provide you with a lot of notifications.
- Yearly Policy Reminders via email
- COVID-19 Notices and Fundraisers via email, website, and social media
- General News, Updates, Blogs, and Events via social media and website
- Itemized Invoices with policy links via email
- Receipts via email
- No-Show, Scheduling, and Cancellation texts and emails
Safety
We have an open window, open door policy. All of our teachers must be able to pass criminal background checks. Each teaching room is equipped with big windows for optimal visibility and all are armed with security cameras. Parents are welcome to sit in on sessions. We do not advise parents or guardians to leave the property during sessions and prefer they remain in the waiting room for the duration.
Referrals
Refer a friend. Simple as this. If you're an active Hickory Arts student, pick up a referral card at the studio. Your awesome friend, relative, evil twin, etc. registers for their first month. Boom. You earn a free lesson. No limits. Refer a million friends, and earn a million lessons. We're not likely to live long enough to teach a million lessons, but you get the picture.
General
There are countless myths surrounding Nashville, Hollywood, Broadway, and the entertainment industry in general. We work in a 90%-rejection industry. Mythbusting and “keepin’ it real” are fundamental to our relationship and your success. You’ll never catch us telling you what you want to hear and we surround any expectations around the hope that you’ll learn as much from our mistakes as our accomplishments. Writing, arranging, recording, and performing are full-time gigs. Acting is a full-time gig. Space and focus are everything. Session time is neither practice time nor rehearsal time. Failure to comply with our policy, communicate, and demonstrate a reasonable work ethic will result in elimination from Hickory Arts.
We are all in demand as parents, instructors, performers, directors, etc. These policies are designed to honor and respect your time, ours, and others who try to schedule and reserve time.
