DEI Commitment:
The AVE Studio is committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students and prohibits the discrimination and harassment of any person on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, or status as a veteran.
The AVE Studio recognizes the importance of gender inclusion and affirmation; any student who begins or completes transitioning while a student of this studio will be treated with the utmost care and respect.
The AVE Studio will work to ensure that all singers are valued and appreciated for their musical pursuits and interests. Any person associated with this studio is expected to uphold this policy statement and maintain respect, gratitude, and kindness to all.
Studio Expectations:
Cancellation Policy:
If you need to cancel for any reason please try to let me know 24 hours in advance. We're all human and I understand this is not always possible. Cancellation for sickness or family emergency is completely understandable just text me! Cancellations not communicated at least 24 hours in advance are subject to a 50% cancellation fee.
Preparation & Practice:
It is highly recommended to keep your music and any worksheets, paper handouts in a binder so you have them with you. It is also highly recommended that you record your lessons so you can review them later and use them to aid your practicing.
Daily practice is necessary for the full benefit of lessons. Practice should be at least 5 days a week. The amount of time spent practicing varies from student to student, but it should be consistent to make progress in your studies.
Teacher Expectations & Responsibilities
Provide each student with the personal attention and respect necessary to develop his/her/their individual talents.
Create a list of short term and long term goals with the student in the first lesson so that we can use them as progress markers.
Create a positive and inspiring environment that encourages learning, making mistakes, and learning from them, in order to grow as musicians.
Provide resources for further education, and help encourage musical exploration.
Things Students will learn:
Understanding Phonation, how do you create sound?
Understanding Breath support? We will break this sometimes ambivalent concept into a basic understanding and build on it. (Reading & Lesson Handouts will be sent home with students to review)
Your Repertoire - this will be chosen based on the goals of the students and the genre of music they are interested in. Each student will be assigned a song to learn (or multiple songs) depending on the frequency of lessons and goals/commitment to their study.
If studying foreign languages in their music we will go over use of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), extra lessons can be taken specifically to study IPA.
Tips & Fun Facts (We will go over this more in depth in your lessons):
Clearing your throat is harmful to your vocal folds, phlegm will go away naturally if you leave it alone and allow the folds to do their job without throat clearing.
Yelling is unhealthy to the vocal folds. (Pssst! We all yell at times, I get it BUT)
If/When you're yelling please use proper breath support and don't yell to the point of pain in your throat!
Do NOT sing if you have a sore throat. Any singing while sick is unhealthy singing and will lead to a longer recovery. Silent practice is great, listen to your music, make a playlist, write out the lyrics if you're working on memorization. (You can find more on silent practice below)
Hydration starts the day before, and water intake immediately before a performance/lesson isn't going to help your voice as much as consistent hydration that happens a minimum of 24 hours in advance. Hydration will always help you feel your best and sing your best!
Student Expectation & Responsibilities:
Schedule time for practice a minimum of 3-5 days per week. The amount of time you spend practicing directly reflects how quickly you progress, just like in athletics.
Silent practice can be incredibly beneficial if you are sick or do not have access to a space where you can use your voice. Silent practice includes listening to your pieces and marking through them with a pen/pencil while doing so. Humming or speaking the words to the rhythm of the piece, writing in your translations if applicable, and playing through them on the piano with proper notes/rhythms. You can also make a playlist of your music and write out the lyrics if you're working on memorization. You can also listen back to your recorded lesson, making notes that maybe you didn’t have time for during the lesson.
Review your lesson recordings. Recording your lessons is highly recommended! You can use the recordings during your practice time throughout the week. You can use a phone/tablet to record your lessons. Zoom Lessons can also be recorded and reviewed later.
Arrive promptly at your lesson time. Students are expected to attend regularly and arrive on time. Regular lesson attendance maximizes progress and holds your specific lesson time. Remember that you have reserved the time slot, not the number of minutes. If you arrive late you will still get done at the time your lesson was originally scheduled for.
Ask questions! Reach out if you are having questions while you are practicing, or keep a sheet of paper in your binder where you can write down your questions as they come up and we will review them together at your next lesson.
This is a safe space for anyone and everyone. Don't be afraid to make a bad sound it will help you make progress, learning isn't always exponential. Don't ever apologize for taking up space. Claim your space and your sound. You got this! Singing is fun, that's the whole reason we do it!
Parental Expectations & Responsibilities (for students under age 18)
Support the fulfillment of your student’s goals and aspirations. Consistency is the key to anything that needs practice. Sports and music are very similar in this way, they only way to get better is to practice!
Please arrive promptly to lessons, encouraging practice, and attending performances. Students are expected to attend regularly and arrive on time. Regular lesson attendance maximizes progress and holds your specific lesson time. Remember that you have reserved the time slot, not the number of minutes. If you arrive late you will still get done at the time your lesson was originally scheduled for.
Encourage progress – Your student’s voice is growing and maturing all the time. Changes will happen over time and with practice. The voice is an invisible instrument to us, it takes time to figure out how to use it when you can’t just press a key or pluck a string and make it happen!
Remind your student of daily practice and help them to schedule this practice time in their daily routine.
Try to provide a practice environment that is free from interruptions (family, friends, TV, computer, or phone). Even small amount of efficient practice is better than large amounts of distracted practice.