• There are children who have severe allergies to even traces of some food.  For this reason we do not allow food in the studio.

• It is the parents' responsibility to notify all teachers of any special requirements or allergies and this is best done in writing. 

 

Payment:

• A commitment of one term at a time is required. Fees are due and payable in advance.

• We prefer payment through our web site. No refunds will be given if you decide to leave part way through the term. If you book when you are not eligible for a booking or discount, your booking will be cancelled.

• If you prefer to pay by instalments, please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss a payment plan.

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Instrument Lessons:

• In a traditional Suzuki lesson, the parent observes their child's lesson, takes notes, makes sure they understand the main point of the lesson and practises with their child at home. Playing the Suzuki recordings every day at home creates the best musical environment for your child to learn.

• We have an open door policy for lessons. Your child's lesson may be observed by others. You and your child are also encouraged to observe others, because children (and parents) learn from each other. If you arrive early, we like you to come in, and please try to not disrupt the class.

• From time to time, you may have a teacher other than usual teacher. This helps you, your child and our teachers to all get to know each other as well as giving your child exposure to different teaching styles.

• If you or your child are unwell, do not come to your lesson. Arrange a Zoom lesson with your teacher in the normal time slot if your family is well enough.  If a teacher is unwell, we will do you the same courtesy.

• If your teacher is unable to teach, they will communicate directly with you to organise a mutually agreeable time for a make-up lesson.​

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Make-up lessons:​

We pride ourselves on the highest quality education, and this can only happen when we can attract highly experienced and qualified teachers and pay them fairly.  We’re grateful that our families respect their teacher’s need for a reliable income and steady working hours as much as we do.  

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If you will be away for an extended period of time, you have three options:  

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Option 1: Remain enrolled to keep your reserved time slot in the program. Some students continue lessons online while away. If your regular time won’t work, we do not require your teacher to offer a different time. You are also welcome to an "asynchronous" weekly lesson, where you send your teacher videos of your child’s playing and they will spend your lesson time preparing and sending feedback.  

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Option 2: We offer families the option of paying a 50% holding fee for the classes they will miss. This is only available once in every two year period for absences longer than three weeks. Many businesses such as ours charge full fees for classes missed, but we think it’s nice to offer to share this cost with our families who show us loyalty. For us to take on the full cost of a temporary absence every time a family went on holiday would be very expensive, and we would have to raise fees, which are already lower than a lot of other activities for children in the area. We think our system is very fair as your child has a guaranteed place in your teacher’s timetable, and neither party has to pay the full cost of the missed classes.  

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Option 3: Cancel your enrolment for the term.  It is important to note that we will try to fill your lesson slot with another student.  If you wish to resume lessons on your return we will try to find a suitable lesson time for your child, but please don’t rely on this being possible. If you choose this option, you may choose to change to casual lessons subject to weekly availability.  Casual lessons, by their very nature are more expensive per lesson, need to be booked each week by email and are generally only available at off-peak times.

 

The Music Playground would not be able to retain our wonderful teachers if we required them to accept a pay cut when a student misses one or more lessons regardless of the reason.   We also do not require them to find time in their private schedules to make up lessons which students have missed regardless of the reason.  If your child is absent, we cannot sell their time slot as it is reserved for one on one time with their teacher.  As with all businesses, the lesson fee for casual lessons is higher to compensate for the uncertainty.  

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Music Club:

• To keep everyone safe, if you or your child seems unwell, has a fever, cold symptoms, or is unusually unsettled, do not attend Music Club. You are welcome to come to Music Club another day when you are well, depending on availability of a place, please check with us before coming.

• Parents are welcome to attend Music Club, but this is not necessary if your child is comfortable on their own.  Please ensure that you have filled our all emergency contact details in our booking form in case we need to contact you in the event of an emergency, and let us know when they change.

• If classes are unable to be face to face due to government restrictions such as a covid lockdown, we will revert to our mix of live and pre-recorded classes for our families keeping the music learning going. We've seen children's musicianship flourish and develop through our online programme. These lessons are a valid alternative under these circumstances, and fees are not reduced. 

• If you are unable to attend a class for any reason, you are not entitled to a reduction in fees or a credit.   However, you are welcome to arrange to attend a class on a different day to 'make up' for the one you missed as long as you provide 12 hours notice.  'Make up' lessons need to be while the child's enrolment is current and are subject to availability.   

• In the rare occasion we have to cancel a class due to teacher illness then you will be given a range of options to choose from including a zoom session, refund or credit for another class.

• If a class you have chosen to enrol in is too small to be viable to run, you will be eligible for a full refund or transfer to a different class.

• If you are not eligible for a booking or discount, your booking will be cancelled.

 

Tips and Tricks - How to get the best value from your lessons:

• Value the special learning opportunity of our Music Clubs and Concerts. Observing and playing with peers is very stimulating for children. A great deal of learning goes on which complements and enhances the things learnt in individual lessons.  Often these events are the reason that children learn to love playing music.  We’ve noticed that children who participate in these activities progress more than twice as fast as children who don’t, meaning your lesson dollars are going twice as far.

• We strongly recommend having an acoustic piano and adjustable stool in the home before piano lessons commence. Not having a good quality, well maintained acoustic piano puts children at a real disadvantage. Electric keyboards and “family heirlooms” hinder development of good technique.  We understand the pragmatic need to balance this with short term solutions.

• Please ensure your child's hands are clean and fingernails trimmed. Long fingernails impede progress.

• We have an active Facebook page, and want you to be a part of our online community. We post practise ideas and tips, relevant articles and links, as well as other stuff. Please “like us” and “follow us” on Facebook.

• If your child has an injury, such as a broken arm, but is otherwise happy, please come to the lesson. We can still find many things to work on.

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