CALENDAR
The Bel Canto Studios calendar is based on the calendar of Palm Beach County Schools. Legal holidays such as Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Martin Luther King Day, and High Holy Days are observed. Teachers will offer make-up lessons for lessons that fall on those days.
ATTENDANCE POLICY AND MAKE-UP LESSONS
- Teachers will make up one lesson per month due to illness if notified at least six hours prior to the lesson. Lessons missed for other reasons (extra vacations, lack of transportation, lateness, scheduling other appointments etc.) will not be made up. It is recommended that the lesson be made up the same week as the absence to help the student stay current in his studies.
- The instructor will inform the student in advance if she will be absent. All lessons missed by the instructor will be made up. Occasionally, Dr. Galer will have an important performance that can add value to the reputation of the studio. This will be made up as soon as possible.
- Regular and punctual attendance is recommended for all students. The student is expected to notify the instructor well in advance of any anticipated absence. A make-up lesson will be scheduled in these circumstances. Situations such as illness, emergency in the family can be made up. The instructor is not obligated to make-up lessons due to an unexcused absence.
LESSONS
Students may take lessons of 60 minute, 45 minutes, or 30 minute duration per week. The time frame includes entrance and exit from the studio, conversation with the teacher, and selection of future music to be studied. Lesson times will be strictly observed out of respect for both student, teacher, and other students.
ILLNESS
If your doctor has stated that you are contagious to others or if you feel that you will contaminate the studio and cause others to become ill, please contact Dr. Galer about scheduling a make-up lesson and notify her as soon as possible so that another student may use the time. Missed lessons due to illness will be made up as soon as possible.
MAKE-UP LESSONS
A make-up lesson will not be scheduled if you are late to your lesson , forget your lesson, or fail to notify the instructor 24 hours in advance or as soon as possible if there is an emergency.
WAITING AREA AND ROLE OF PRIVACY IN LESSONS
Due to Covid-19 and our desire to keep the studio safe for all persons, we ask that only the student be present for the private lesson. Parents and friends are welcome to enjoy the Palm Beach Outlet Mall and numerous shopping venues in the area during the lesson time. This allows the student one on one time with the teacher. The purpose of a private lesson is to provide privacy, support, and confidentiality for the student. Phone calls should be taken outside. Dr. Galer has completed background checks by the Take Lessons Company, Thumbtack, Gardens Presbyterian Church, and Safe Gatherings Company. You will find these background checks listed on their sites. Please feel free to discuss any concerns or special requests with Dr. Galer .
RECITALS AND THEIR LOCATIONS
All Bel Canto Students are expected to perform in Fall and Spring recitals unless they have a performance conflict. If there are special circumstances, always feel free to call Dr. Galer. There is a $35.00 recital participation fee for each student. This fee provides you with a personal rehearsal time, rental of the performing venue, and an advanced classical pianist, Dr. Robert Sharon, for singers. Please record all performance dates in your calendar. All students should arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the recitals to warm up and line up. Appropriate recital attire should be worn. Families of students kindly help with refreshments , set up, and clean up. During Covid we are not allowed to have a reception. Most recitals are held in the chapel at United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches, 900 Brandywine Road, West Palm Beach.
HOURS OF OPERATION
Lessons may be scheduled Monday through Friday from 10 AM and ending at 7PM. The studio is open on Saturday mornings. Dr. Galer is an adjunct professor at Palm Beach State College, and Director of Music for Gardens Presbyterian Church in Palm Beach Gardens. For this reason, it is very important to keep scheduled lesson days and times.
POLICY ON E-MAIL, TEXTING, PHONE COMMUNICATION, AND STUDIO USE OF INTERNET
Parents and friends should go outside to receive phone calls during lessons. No internet sounds such as songs and distracting noises are permitted during student lessons. There is a Bel Canto WI-Fi Code posted. If you have a project that requires noise, please feel free to go to Starbucks at the Palm Beach Outlets or at Target.
ENROLLMENT
Enrollment takes place throughout the year. All races, ages, musical styles, and religions are welcome at Bel Canto Studios. The fastest way to make contact and schedule a lesson is to text 336-430-8640.
BEL CANTO STUDIO CONDUCT
Teachers and students will observe respectful conduct at all times.
MATERIALS TO BRING TO YOUR LESSON- Purchasing and E-mailing PDFs.
Students singing jazz, pop-rock, and current songs will need to purchase legal copies and send the PDFs to Dr. Galer at drsuzannegaler@outlook.com . We will store your PDFS in a Dropbox folder that you will have access to and will be able to upload to. Please bring a pencil, your three ring notebook, your assignment book, and all of your music books for the lesson. Students should be responsible for packing their own music bags in the morning or prior to their lesson. Students who have been assigned the purchase of books should purchase these items immediately to assure that they will have the book by their next lesson. Internet purchases are the primary way that our students purchase their books.
PURCHASE OF LEGAL MATERIALS
Students and parents are responsible for purchasing their own music online. Dr. Galer will text you photos or links of the books that you should purchase. Please order them right away so that they are ready for your next lesson. This actually saves money for families since they can find the best prices and, in the case of classical music, many free PDFs online. We do not purchase music for students. Your teacher is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing , The New York Singing Teachers Association, Palm Beach County Music Teachers Association, Florida Vocal Association, National Federation of Music Clubs, and National Music Teachers Association. All of these organizations require students to purchase their own legal music. Each student should gradually invest in a personal music collection as recommended by the teacher .
www.artsongcentral.com ** Free classical songs **
www.imslp Free Classical Songs
free-scores.com Free Classical Songs
www.sheetmusicplus Popular Songs, musical theater.
www.musicnotes.com (also contains more popular and current songs) ** This music is downloadable. **
www.musicminusone.com (contains CD accompaniments and learning demonstrations for most classical standard vocal literature).
RECORDING OF LESSONS
Students are encouraged to record their lessons for future study. Most Bel Canto Studios exercises are published on the You Tube site of Dr. Suzanne Galer. PDF versions of exercises are available.
ORGANIZING YOUR THREE RING NOTEBOOK
Please keep any handouts in your personal notebook and bring them to the lesson each week. Please keep the following:
- All handouts, vocalizations, and any music that is not in a book.
- A tab for each song along with its word by word translation, IPA and plot if it’s from an opera. The word by word translation is different from the poetic one found under the foreign words in your music books. You should know the real meaning of each word to help you memorize.
- A biography of each of the composers of your songs is recommended.
BREATHING
No purchases are required for breathing studies. Dr. Galer has compiled a playlist called Vocal Pedagogy that you will find on her You Tube Channel. Included are breathing exercises by Eric Arceneaux as well as videos about vocal anatomy. Breathing will be taught in a holistic manner in combination with principles of the Alexander technique. In the studio, we will also be using equipment from the Dallas Brass web site (www.dallasbrass.com). Another recommended site is The Breathing Gym Daily Workouts DVD $34.99 . An exercise ball can be useful for abdominal breathing and relaxation of the spine. Up to date posts about breathing and all other vocal recommendations can be found daily on our Facebook Page.
LISTENING ASSIGNMENTS
Dr. Galer and her voice students collaborate together on You Tube Playlists. For students singing in foreign languages, we sometimes upload native speakers pronouncing the songs. Dr. Galer encourages students to upload their favorite songs to their playlist and to find the karaokes, instrumentals, and/or orchestral accompaniments for practice. Sometimes we use the instrumental tracks during lessons so that Dr. Galer can focus more on the singing and less on being a pianist. I tunes, Spotify, online streaming, and You-Tube contain a large library of popular and classical recordings by respected artists. You Tube also has the piano accompaniments and orchestral backgrounds to many of your songs. Count the time you spend listening and filling out the form as part of your five weekly hours of practice time. Sometimes we will talk about these listening assignments during the lesson. Your teacher has assembled many suggested songs for Broadway and Opera singers on her personal You Tube Channel, Suzanne Galer – YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/suzgaler
PARKING
Parking spaces are assigned to residents of the building Bel Canto Studios is in and we are required to respect their right to park in their assigned spot. Currently there are no resident or visitor spots marked by the choice of the HOA. Use the illustration below as a guide (Smiley-faces are usually available, while red X’s are the primary spaces used by other residents). The West Lot is the first of the two driveways for 1707 Embassy. It is highly recommended that you utilize parking spaces closest to Embassy Drive the East Lot.