♪ LESSONS
Private piano lessons are provided once weekly, up to nine lessons per school term (depending on public holidays in that term)
A calendar is available online kerrywatson.mymusicstaff.com indicating individual lesson times, holidays, non-teaching days etc. accessible through the student portal login.
Students and parents will be given log in details for the student portal at the start of the year to be able to view the calendar and other studio activities. Links for forgotten passwords will be provided on request.
♪ TUITION
Tuition fees are paid in advance for each term and are due by the Friday before the first lesson of each term. Invoices will be issued by the end of the previous term; term 1 invoices will be issued before the commencement of the term.
Payments more than 14 days late will have a 15% administration fee applied.
♪ STUDIO OFFERINGS
PREPARATION FOR:
- EXAMS - AMEB, GUILD, ANZCA (practical and theory exams)
- EISTEDDFODS – Miles Franklin, National Eisteddfod, ACTKA piano competition
- RECITALS - A number of recitals are scheduled at different times each year and students are expected to play in at least one per year.
- Theory classes
- Aural training
- Piano performance
♪ MISSED LESSONS
Make-up lessons cannot be offered in the event of a student absence.
In the event of teacher absence, no make-up lesson will be offered, instead, a credit will be applied to the next terms invoice.
♪ PRACTICE
It requires consistent, applied effort to learn any musical instrument, and students are expected to maintain a high level of commitment to practice.
In order to progress students are required to practice regularly. The piano should be tuned at least once per year and situated where the student will be uninterrupted (please contact the studio for names of piano tuners and technicians in the area).
The use of a metronome is an essential part of the learning process. This can be a specific device or an app downloaded on smartphones, iPad or tablet devices.
Parents should realise students are assigned music that should comfortably cover the length of practice times below. Parental support is an essential part of musical training.
Below is a list of recommended minimum daily practice times for each level (at least 5 days per week)
Primary 10 minutes (primer-level 1)
Elementary 20-30 minutes (level 2A – 2B)
Intermediate 30-40 minutes (level 3A – 3B)
Advanced 50 minutes minimum (level 4 above)
Practice times should be logged in the student portal on the studio website.
Students will be reviewed each term to assess their ongoing commitment to regular practice and set assignments. If the teacher considers practice tasks are not being adequately completed parents will be contacted to discuss the student’s progress and whether they should continue with lessons.
♪ COMMUNICATION
Email is the preferred method of communication with the studio.
Phone calls cannot be answered during teaching hours.
The homepage of the studio website will include the teaching calendar and all details of upcoming events.
♪ ATTENDANCE
Students are expected to arrive promptly for their scheduled lesson time. Any time lost because of late arrival cannot be added to the lesson time.
Parents are invited to stay through the lesson, this is especially helpful for younger students. However, please realise that the presence of younger siblings may be disruptive to the lesson.
Students are required to have short nails and clean hands for lessons.
Students are asked to not attend lessons if they are unwell. This is not only for the wellbeing of the teacher, but also of other students who will be using the facilities.
♪ RESOURCES
Books and teaching materials will be provided by the studio and charged to the families as supplied. Parents can expect to spend up to $150 a year on books in the early years of learning. As the student progresses and develops, the cost may be higher, but the teacher will use their discretion to keep costs to a minimum.
♪ DISCONTINUATION OF LESSONS
Written notice is required to be given by the end of week 7 in order to finish at the end of that term. A refund will not be offered in the event of a student finishing lessons before the end of term.
♪ RESPONSIBILITIES
The Parents will
- bring their child to lessons and pick up their child on time
- Ensure their child has their books with them on lesson day
- provide a positive practice space with well-maintained piano
- oversee their child’s systematic practise at home
- ensure that tuition and other fees are paid on time
- encourage and support their child’s musical development
The Students will
- practice assignments carefully as allocated by the teacher
- complete theory and practice charts as assigned
- make sure lesson books are packed in a bag ready for your lesson each week
- prepare pieces for performance at recitals and outside activities
The Teacher will
- provide a positive and enthusiastic atmosphere for learning and will offer many performances and other musically enriching activities for students to engage in.
- commit to further professional development to ensure each student receives the most up to date and relevant teaching material available.
- individually guide each student's learning towards musical independence, with a balanced program of theory, technique, ear training, sight-reading and performance opportunities.
- make playing the piano as fun and as entertaining as possible.
- make available hand soap and sanitisers to keep the instrument as clean as possible.
♪ ONLINE LESSONS:
- please log in a minute or two before the commencement of the lesson, any delays will be the previous lesson finishing
- have all your books ready - this includes the notes from your previous lesson (you are sent these immediately following the lesson, you can print them and affix them to your music diary)
- For online lessons when we are not in lockdown, e.g. when your child is too sick for school but healthy enough for an online lesson, you must let me know BEFORE8AM that your child will not be attending in person and is wanting an online lesson. All attempts will be made to achieve this but it will not always be possible while I am at school.