Terms and Conditions

---

CANCELLATION/LATE ARRIVAL POLICIES

For Private Classes [1:1 instruction, Piano, Voice, Flute, Acting/Audition, Dance] : As of August 1, 2025 Private Lesson Tuition will be assessed as a FULL YEAR program, with equal monthly invoicing.

In the case of Private Lessons on Tuesdays-Thursdays, and Saturdays : Tuition for a 30 minute weekly private lesson is $1329.62 divided by 10 monthly payments of $132.96. At this price the student is guaranteed that their instructor will be prepared and present to teach 38 weeks per year.

*45 & 60 minute private or semi-private lesson fees will be pro-rated accordingly. HST will be added where applicable.

In the case of Private Lessons on Mondays :  Tuition for a 30 minute weekly private lesson is $1259.64 divided by 10 monthly payments of $125.96. At this price the student is guaranteed that their instructor will be prepared and present to teach 36 weeks per year.

*45 & 60 minute private or semi-private lesson fees will be pro-rated accordingly. HST will be added where applicable.

Students arriving late to their lessons will be taught at the discretion of the instructor within the following parameters : For a 30 minute lesson, the lesson can continue with 15 or more minutes remaining in class. For a 45 minute lesson, the lesson can continue with 20 or more minutes remaining. For a 60 minute lesson, the lesson can continue with 30 or more minutes remaining*.

*Because specific times are set aside for specific students, a student who does not attend a lesson will simply miss the benefit of that lesson.  Their instructor will then use that time or other times to plan for the student’s progress, locate materials, etc. Please be assured that your tuition pays for far more than the time spent with your child. There are no refunds, discounts or makeups given unless the instructor is unable to teach.

**In the rare event of a studio closure, or instructor cancellation, a portal credit or makeup lesson may be applied to the affected students' accounts respectively. Only a studio closure or instructor cancellation may result in either a portal credit or makeup lesson respectively. Any applicable makeup lessons will be scheduled by the instructor for June 23-26, 2026 at a mutually agreeable time for the instructor and student, and are not required to follow a typical schedule for those week days.

For Private Classes : NEW Lesson Swap Accommodation Policy

Families who know in advance of an absence can opt in to our NEW Lesson Swap Accommodation Policy. This option allows families to share their contact details & lesson time information with one another to accommodate a "lesson swap" should a personal scheduling conflict arise. Please see below for the full parameters of this policy.

1. The Lesson Swap Google Spreadsheet Link will be emailed to all Studio Families before our term time begins the week of September 8, 2025. This link is for families, under their own responsibility, to communicate with one another and begin negotiating a single week lesson swap.

2. A Lesson Swap will always be for a 30 minute lesson, regardless of the swapper/swappee's usual lesson length.

3. A Lesson Swap will always be between students who share the same instructor, and cannot be made between different instructors. 

4. A Lesson Swap must be negotiated between participating families first. Then the participating families are to email Miss Lauren at info@shepherdprivatecoaching.com to directly alert the studio of the Lesson Swap. Once the instructor has been notified by Miss Lauren, and agreed, the Lesson Swap will be confirmed via email to both participating families.

5. If a Lesson Swap has not been confirmed via email, that Swap cannot be guaranteed by the instructor. 

6. If BOTH students show up during the Lesson Swap, due to student/family error, the instructor is obligated to teach the student whose lesson slot is routinely scheduled at that date and time. 

7. All Lesson Swaps must be for a 1:1 lesson occurring within the same week, and cannot carry over into a second week. 

8. All Lesson Swaps must be requested via email to info@shepherdprivatecoaching.com no more than 10 days in advance of a Lesson Swap, and no fewer than 2 days in advance of a Lesson Swap. [Please note that families are welcome to organize these amongst themselves sooner - however for greater clarity on confirmation of swap, and not overloading our system, please only send your request within this timeline].

9. In the special case of sibling lesson swaps with the same instructor, no official notification is required. If you wish to provide notice of the swap to your instructor, you may reach out to them via email. You do not need to communicate a sibling swap, with same instructor to the studio email.

10. In the rare event of a studio closure, or instructor cancellation, any students participating in a Lesson Swap on that day will be dealt with on a case by case scenario by Miss Lauren.

For Group Classes [Dance Programming, MainStage, Acting For Film & TV, LeadHERship] : If your performer will be absent for any reason please provide as much notice as possible. Group classes are cumulative and team building, makeups cannot be offered for missed classes. Work can be filmed for/sent to the student at the discretion of the instructor. When a student arrives late for a group class it is expected that they will ready themselves for class and enter in a respectful manner so as not to disrupt the current work in motion. 

*Missed classes are billable*

**Participants wishing to withdraw entirely from programming MUST notify us in writing a minimum of 14 days before the first invoice of that specific "group lesson" program to ensure an invoice is not issued. Participants withdrawing from programming after classes begin are ineligible for a refund. All other withdrawal details are covered below in our invoicing policies.

Summer MainStage Intensive : A full refund will be issued when cancellation is confirmed 6 weeks or more before the first day of the registered start date. A 50% refund will be issued when cancellation is confirmed up to 3 weeks before the first day of the registered start date.  A refund will not be issued in whole or in part for cancellations giving less than 3 weeks notice before the registered start date. A cancellation is confirmed when acknowledged by both parties in writing. Confirmation from Shepherd Private Coaching occurs within 24hrs of receipt of notice. Where applicable a refund will be issued within 3-5 business days from confirmation. 

LATE PAYMENT POLICIES

Invoices are to be paid within 7 days of receiving the invoice. Invoices will be sent 7 days before the first of each month, to keep a consistent due date of the 1st of every month for all of our studio families. For example, September's invoice will be sent in August, for payment due September 1, 2025 for all programming occurring for said family/student in September. Failure to pay a current invoice by the 10th of each month will result in the addition of a late Fee on the student portal account of $50. Late Fees are Non-Negotiable.


Failure to pay a current invoice before the following month's invoice is issued will result in the the following consequences: 1) An additional $50 Late Fee charged to the account, and 2) The student will receive no further lessons/training at Shepherd Private Coaching until BOTH the past month, AND upcoming month's invoices have been settled in FULL. Late Fees are Non-Negotiable. 

INVOICING POLICIES

Participants are automatically registered for the FULL STUDIO YEAR (10 months) of programming. Participants wishing to withdraw before fulfilling their FULL STUDIO YEAR of programming must communicate their intent to withdraw in writing a minimum of 14 days before the next invoicing period**

Private Lessons : As of August 1, 2025, Private Lessons will be invoiced on a monthly basis for upcoming lessons. Monthly billing is equal payments for the full Studio Year (10 months) of programming. Any additional lessons beyond those covered by equal billing will be added manually to the portal with the appropriate per lesson fee structure, and HST added where applicable. 

Invoices will be generated and issued to families ONE WEEK before payment is due. Payment will henceforth be due on the 1st of every month, for the upcoming month's lessons.

**Withdrawal notification in writing is therefore due a minimum of 14 days BEFORE an invoice is to be issued.

Group Lessons/Programming : As of August 1, 2025, Group Lessons/Programming fees will be due in FULL at the beginning of the following months; September, January, April. 

Invoices will be generated and issued ONE WEEK before payment in FULL is due. Participants are automatically registered for the FULL STUDIO YEAR (10 months) of programming. Payment in FULL will be due on the 1st of September, the 1st of January, and the 1st of April.

HST EXEMPTIONS

At this time only private lessons in Piano, Voice, and Flute are exempt from the addition of HST. All other studio programming (performing arts, recreational dance, zumbini etc.) are subject to the addition of HST. This is listed in numerous places throughout the website. If in error we have missed an individual course posting, this statement serves to formally make clear that HST is applicable to all programming, with the exception of Private Lessons in Piano, Voice, and Flute.

Administrative  Hours : 9:00-4:00pm Monday through Friday. Emails received after 4:00pm will be addressed the following day. 

For General Inquiries Please Note : It is normal for me to take 2 days to read my emails and 2 more days to reflect on the matter and respond calmly. The culture of immediacy and the constant fragmentation of time are not very compatible with the kind of life I lead.

*Exceptions may be made for extenuating circumstances at the discretion of both the instructor and Shepherd Private Coaching Creative Director, Lauren Shepherd.