About Carroll Music Studio

The mission of the Carroll Music Studio is to enhance each student's musical knowledge and talent as well as his/her grace and poise. The goal is that with each lesson, the students become more confident in themselves and more comfortable performing and speaking in front of others.

Meet the Owner and Operator, Sarah Carroll

Sarah is a Vocal Performance graduate from Charleston Southern University, Horton School of Music. In addition to her education, she also has extensive experience with traveling performance teams, pageant production, vocal coaching and vocal ensembles. She feels that music education not only improves upon the specific skill of singing or playing an instrument, but that it also results in self-confidence & self-discipline, encourages a goal-oriented work ethic and produces superior problem solving and communication skills. Currently, Sarah is a member of the Greater Summerville Music Forum, Charleston Music Teachers Association, SC Music Teachers Association, and the Music Teachers National

In addition, Sarah is an active participant in the music ministry program at Old Fort Baptist Church, Summerville, SC. In an effort to support Music Education, Sarah serves as the PTA Reflections Chair at William Reeves Elementary School. Sarah has served as a member of the Greater Summerville/ Dorchester County Chamber of Commerce where she contributed to the annual Taste of the Town event as Director of Entertainment. In addition, she had the privilege of participating in the Miss SC Organization as Co-LED for the Miss Summerville/ Miss Summerville Teen pageant & Miss Charleston/Miss Charleston Teen pageant. She has had the opportunity to coach former queens in an effort to prepare them for the Miss SC Pageant.

Lesson Prices, Scheduling & the Registration Process

The Fall 2023 semester starts on August 21st and ends with a student recital on Monday, December 4th.

*There are no lessons on the following days: 9/4, 11/21-11/24

Lessons are scheduled in either 30 minute or 1-hour - blocks of time at the following costs. (You will get a chance at the end of this form to submit your preferred lesson day/times For those utilizing the payment plan, payment for the upcoming month is expected by the 1st lesson of each month by Cash, Venmo, Check (made payable to Sarah Carroll), or via PayPal (under certain conditions) and/or Bill Pay.

Discounts Reflected:

Prices below reflect the Early Registration discount, which expires July 31st. The 'Paid in Full' amount reflects an additional discount for paying the full semester cost by the first week of lessons, August 21st-24th, 2023.

~Piano~

30-minute lesson

Paid in Full: $390/semester

Payment Plan: $470/semester, 4 payments of $117.50, paid monthly (Aug.- Nov)

1 Hour

Paid in Full: $730/semester

Payment Plan: $900/semester, 4 payments of $225, paid monthly (Aug.- Nov)

~Voice~

30- minute lesson

Paid in Full: $435/semester

Payment Plan: $520/semester, 4 payments of $130, paid monthly (Aug.- Nov 1)

Hour

Paid in Full: $820

Payment Plan: $980/semester, 4 payments of $245, paid monthly (Aug.- Nov)

~Voice & Piano- 1 Hour~

Paid in Full: $810

Payment Plan: $960/semester, 4 payments of $240, paid monthly (Aug.- Nov)

To Register:

ALL of these steps must be completed by July 31st to take advantage of the early registration discount

1 Contact Form: All new students must fill out he contact form on the CMS website, as well as returning students whose contact info has changed. 

2 Student/Parent Handbook: Continue to read pages 3-6 which outline Carroll Music Studio's policies, protocol & expectations. Complete page 7 (Signature & Scheduling page)

3 $40 Registration Fee- Pay via check (made out to Sarah Carroll), cash or some digital payments accepted (contact Sarah Carroll for digital payment options)

Commitment & Expectations

My Commitment to Your Students

     As instructor, and therefore another adult leader in each of my students' lives, I promise to be patient, encouraging and honest as they learn. I do not provide lip-service to students or move forward prematurely. But, rather, I challenge them according to their individual strengths/weaknesses & celebrate progress using their personal & unique starting point as the yard stick. This looks different for every student. However, the main goal- Progress- remains the same!

     In any learning environment, one must be willing to teach in an honest & practical way, and one must be willing to listen & put into practice what has been taught. And in this case, a 3rd party (the parent or guardian) must be willing to help reinforce this concept with a young person at home.

     It can be detrimental to a student's future relationship with music training if this commitment is not taken seriously. A student can easily participate in music lessons along with many other activities, as long as he/she works along side a parent or guardian who can help him/her figure out & maintain a consistent & realistic practice schedule.

     As a parent or guardian, you want to see your student having FUN! At the same time, you are investing your time, energy & salary, so you also want to see PROGRESS. In order for 'Fun' and 'Progress' to live happily ever after, everyone must be part of the team. So, if, at any time, I feel like the parent or the student is not contributing to the overall goal, I reserve the right to discontinue lessons (according to the terms outlined on page 6

In an effort to provide a quantitative way to measure progress, I provide the following short- term and long-term goals for all students. These general goals, if followed, allow me to make more personalized recommendations & assessments as I get to know each student.

*Short-term Goals: 1 Attend weekly lesson. 2 Follow-through with the practice goals that are outlined by Sarah Carroll when lessons begin. 3 Complete all written work the week that it is assigned.

*Long-term Goals: 1 Memorize 1-2 songs approx. every 2-3 weeks. 2) Memorize 1-2 scales and corresponding chords each semester 3 Participate in the student recital at the end of the

*Ultimately depends on student's age, level of study & major instrument (voice or piano)

Commitment & Expectations (cont)

Student Commitment Responsibilities

     Students are expected to follow the practice guidelines that I outline for him/her. Because every student is different, these guidelines will look different for each student.

     Nevertheless, a good rule of thumb is that students should practice a little bit every day. The bulk of learning how to sing and/or play the piano is a combination of quick brain signals and muscle memory.

     In piano, for ie, the brain sees a note on the page, determines what it is and then tells the fingers what piano key to play; the finger then presses that key so that it is played at the right time & with the right amount of pressure.

     This is the basic process of playing the piano. The above scenario starts happening very slowly when a student begins, but eventually accelerates as the student learns the language of music and teaches his/her muscles how to perform. If the muscles are not going through the correct motions on a regular basis, that process never accelerates. As a result, the student does not progress as he/she should, becomes bored with the same songs, over and over again, and loses interest.

     For vocal students, much of the process is the same. However, rather than just the fingers responding to brain signals, a singer's entire body must respond in order to produce the correct note, with an adequate amount of breath connection to hold it for a sufficient amount of time, depth & volume, without doing damage to their instrument. In addition to following the practice guidelines, students must also commit to practicing correctly, based on what was taught to them in their lesson.

Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect.

Commitment & Expectations (cont.)

Parent/Guardian Responsibility

     As you can see, choosing to participate in private music lessons is a big responsibility. There are many elements that are a lot like school. Although, I try to assign appropriate amounts of homework (written and non-written) based on the student's age, grade level, years of experience, etc, there are still times when some good-ole' hand-holding is necessary.

• Guardians should encourage attendance to all lessons.
• Guardians should provide a location that allows for uninterrupted practice (but not so far away that you can't peak in, when necessary, to make sure that the student is staying on task)

     For Piano Students- Guardians should provide the best piano they can, keeping it in tune and without broken parts. If a beginning student is using a keyboard, please talk to me first to find out what specifications to look for before making a purchase. Not all keyboards are learning keyboards.

     For Vocal Students- Guardians should provide some sort of music player that can be heard without the use of earphones. I provide practice CDs and/or MP3's on a regular basis. A mirror (in the practice room) and a recording device are encouraged. These both help the student to be aware how they really sound and what they actually look like when they sing.

     As guardians, you also hold the financial burden of paying for the lessons and any music that must be purchased. (Due to copyright laws, making copies is prohibited If at any time, money becomes the primary reason why a student must discontinue his/her lessons, please let me know so that we can talk about your individual situation (see Page 6, Discontinuing Lessons).

Finally, I ask parents/guardians to support my communication efforts by:

1.) Reading & taking note of the info in the monthly group e-mails that are sent

2.) Responding to individual e-mails re: their student(s).

3.) Supporting the student highlights on social media by liking & commenting with encouraging words (& even sharing if you feel lead)

4.) Using the Carroll Music Studio website as a resource for important dates, payment

I encourage students and parents to text me when necessary, but please make sure you have used all of your resources (mentioned above) before you do.

(*Please keep texts/calls between the hours of 9am-9pm. If you need to communicate with me earlier than 9am or later than 9pm, please send me an e-mail)

Policies & Protocol

Missed Lessons & Make-up lessons:

• 24 hours' Notice is Required- If 24 hrs' notice is not realistic, then it is up to Sarah Carroll to determine if a make-up lesson can be arranged based on the details surrounding the situation and the current availability for make-up lesson time slots;
• Because 24 hours' notice is required, No-Shows will not receive a make-up lesson (a no- show is defined as a student not showing up for their lesson without a prior phone call, text or email before the missed lesson Because there are so many communication options available (text, call, email, FB message), there are NO exceptions to the no-show policy.
• Make-Up Lesson Day- Make-up lessons take place on Friday, the same week as the missed lesson. If a student is not able to come to a make-up lesson on the Friday of the same week as the missed lesson, he/she forfeits his make-up lesson. Unacceptable reasons for a make-up lesson:

Unacceptable reasons for a make-up lesson:

*Appointments: Doctor, dentist, orthodontist, or other types of appointments that are not the result of a health emergency

*Weather: In some cases, I follow the Dorchester District II school decisions when inclement weather is expected (Hurricanes, Tornados, Snow, Ice, etc) In many cases, if the schools are closed, so is Carroll Music Studio.

However, there will be times that Carroll Music Studio will be open despite the current weather conditions and/or despite the local decision of our school district administration. I respect anyone's choice to miss his/her lesson due to uncomfortable driving conditions, but in those cases, a make-up lesson will not be permitted.

     Carroll Music Studio teaches approx. 20-25 students each semester. With this number of students, and only one instructor, these guidelines provide the structure that is necessary in order to maintain fairness and consistency with each and every student.

     I hope to discourage the use of make-up lessons. Your lessons should be treated like a weekly, standing commitment. If a student is not attending his/her lesson consistently, he/she is not likely to progress. If the student is not progressing, lessons become a time of frustration for both the student and the instructor, which can result in a loss of interest. However, if a missed lesson is unavoidable, it must meet the guidelines above to result in a make-up lesson.

Tardiness:

Lesson time slots are scheduled one right after the other, so the lesson time that is lost due to tardiness cannot be made up by extending the lesson. If a student misses more than 50% of his/her lesson due to tardiness, he/she forfeits his lesson. (For ie, a student who has a 30- minute lesson cannot be more than 15 minutes late; a student who has an hour lesson, cannot be more than 30 min. late A partial lesson is not enough time to accomplish what is necessary for a student to move forward.

Instructor requested make-up lessons:

In all the years that I have taught privately, I have only needed to re-schedule lessons once. Because the cancellation was initiated by Carroll Music Studio, the students who were affected by that cancellation were free to make up that lesson whenever it was most convenient for them and their guardians. If necessary, the same protocol will be followed.

Signature Page

Please complete & return w/$40 registration fee (check: made payable to Sarah Carroll)

     I have read the Carroll Music Studio handbook. I understand, support and will abide by policies and guidelines that are set forth. I understand that by signing below, I am legally bound to the policies and procedures mentioned above. Regardless of whether or not 1 sign below, my participation in lessons (personally or as a guardian of one who participates) indicates my compliance and commitment to these policies and my legal obligation to abide by them.

Schedule

Lessons will begin on August 21, 2023 and will take place at 100 Turtle Bay Ct, Summerville, 29483

Please indicate your top 3 lesson time preferences. Each space represents 30 minutes. If you are interested in taking a 1-hour lesson, please choose your start-time preference. Earlier time slots are available upon request. 

1st CHOICE: Please choose a day AND a start time from each drop-down menu to indicate your 1st choice for lesson time slot.

2nd CHOICE: Please choose a day AND a start time from each drop-down menu to indicate your 1st choice for lesson time slot.

3rd CHOICE: Please choose a day AND a start time from each drop-down menu to indicate your 1st choice for lesson time slot.