LUCY'S STUDIO POLICIES

Piano and music teaching in Northwood, Middlesex - updated May 2024


I have created policies to run my music studio by so that we know what to expect from each other.  No surprises, no friction and instead a welcoming smile.

Do read them carefully and let me know if you have any questions.  By taking lessons with me then I am assuming you are agreeing to all my policies. 


Scroll down for separate policy statements on:

  • Lucy's Mission
  • Student/Parent Responsibilities
  • Practice
  • Piano/Keyboard At Home
  • Contacting Me / The Importance of Communication
  • Seesaw
  • Term Dates and Punctuality
  • Missed Lessons
  • Payment
  • Exams
  • Terminating Lessons
  • Health
  • Parking
  • Data Protection and Safeguarding


LUCY'S MISSION

Piano

  • To coach the student in piano skills holistically with the ultimate aim of the student being able to play / learn new music without a teacher sitting next to them. 
  • To make learning fun!
  • To teach the technique skills from the start that will result in expressive playing!


Aural ... plus 

South Hertfordshire Consortium Secondary Transfer Music Test

To ensure students know what to expect in the South Herts MAT test.  Preparation will include:

  • skills training
  • mock tests
  • constructive feedback
  • exam technique strategies
  • tips for families to support at home.  


Music Theory on it's own

To coach students in music theory skills and knowledge in order to meet exam requirements or personal goals.  This will be done by including the same methods of teaching as for piano ie: using Kodály, Dalcroze and Orff techniques as well as appropriate exam board materials.


STUDENT/PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Students are responsible for arriving at lessons on-time, with correct books and preferably having completed their practice (see below)!  


Practice

Always a thorny issue.  Please see "Practice" page for my philosophy, why it's vital and for tips to help practice be achieved at home. 

My policy is that I will teach students no matter what their level of commitment to practice is as long as they are enjoying the lessons.  I will not be cross or shouty if practice isn't done..... BUT.... Students/Families need to understand that lack of effective practice at home results in very slow progression in skills.  Piano / music learning is a complicated business. It is still rewarding though, probably because it is hard.  Pupils should be delighted in the improvements that they make because they will have been hard won! 


NB: From my experience, a student's speed of progression depends on:

  • Focus in the lesson
  • Good listening skills
  • A good memory
  • Self-motivation to learn 
  • Enjoyment
  • Effective practice at home
  • A brain that can spot/understand patterns
  • An reasonable instrument to play on at home


Piano/Keyboard At Home

Students need to practice on a decent instrument.  We will be playing with beautiful expression and musicality - this can't be achieved on a basic, cheap keyboard that cannot respond to different finger/arm pressures.  If playing an acoustic piano, please ensure it’s less than 50 years old and is regularly tuned. If using a digital/electric piano, please ensure it has:

  • a solid stand (not a cross brace)
  • a fully weighted action with volume changing according to how hard you press the keys
  • at least one quality pedal
  • adjustable padded seat/stool
  • a foot stool/support if necessary if the student is too short to put their feet flat on the floor 
  • Let me know if you need help choosing an instrument and /or see my "What Piano At Home" page.


Contacting Me/The Importance of Communication

For me, good communication with piano families is vital to ensure the studio and lessons run smoothly. If you feel certain things may affect the lesson/learning process please let me know.  Here are a few possibilities:

  • Learning difficulties spotted at school or at home
  • Unusual emotional stress 
  • Allergies  (especially to dogs - I have one!)
  • Difficulty in attending lessons 
  • Difficulty in buying books/printing things


Seesaw

To help with learning at home, I use a free American educational web based platform and app called "Seesaw".  I was introduced to Seesaw by The DaCapo Music Foundation who started using it during the early months of the COVID pandemic to help communicate with their students.


My policy is for all students and families to be linked to my "virtual classroom" on Seesaw.  I use Seesaw to communicate to students.  I may send helpful videos, notes, exercises, explanations to help them understand difficult concepts.  They can also send me questions, comments, videos back.  Everything is transparent and safe and personal to them.  Their communications cannot be seen by other families but are not secret either.  All communications are open to the relevant families connected to the student. 


Please see the "Seesaw" page under "How I Teach" for more info. 


Term Dates and Punctuality

I follow the Hertfordshire/Hillingdon school terms but need parents to tell me of their school's specific term dates as they can be different from school to school.  There are no piano lessons in half terms, Easter, Christmas, Summer holiday periods using the State school sector as calendar guide.  Private schools can have different term dates and extra holiday weeks.   I will be flexible over these weeks but would prefer to teach the same number of lessons a state school student if possible. 


Lessons are conducted on weekdays as I teach in London on a Saturday at The DaCapo Music Foundation.

Late arrival times will not be made up as I have other students or commitments straight after each lesson.  


Missed Lessons

I expect students to attend lessons regularly but I accept that life can be unpredictable.  I make allowances for exceptional circumstances, but this is my livelihood.  I do not do this as a hobby. Just as another extra-curricular activity would charge for missed lessons, I will also if I feel the excuse for missing a lesson is unreasonable.   


Examples of unacceptable reasons for missing lessons

  • a clashing play date
  • forgetfulness
  • "don't feel like it today" emotion
  • Family holidays in term time
  • Sports Days / school trips / school shows that run over/clash 
  • Other school commitments:  parent's evenings, exam revision/stress

If I can I will offer alternative dates for certain reasons from this list ie: Parent's Evenings or exam revision stress but a clashing play date is definitely not acceptable and no alternative will be offered. 

Please note families will be charged for such situations and I won't feel obliged to provide replacement Seesaw videos.


I expect students to attend a minimum of 10, preferably 12 lessons per term for their own progression. 

If there are regularly less than 5 lessons attended each half term or regular late attendance, I will contacting families to discuss a solution or to understand the reasons.


Teaching is my profession and livelihood.  I have had some teens think that it doesn't matter if they miss a week for one of the reasons above.  If this happens, families will be charged and parents have often passed that charge on to the teen to pay!  😉


Acceptable Missed Lessons

These can be due to: 

  • Illness
  • Family Stress
  • Family Birthdays or special occasions
  • Unusual emergencies:  family bereavement, car breaking down etc

I do not charge for these unless I provide replacement Seesaw videos but I won't create those if it is a stressful family situation.


However!  Because of Seesaw and online teaching,  I can now offer the following as alternatives.  Here is a suggested ...

"what to do" if you can't come to a lesson:

  • If a student is ill but still well enough to concentrate (ie: got a cold or broken leg), contact me ASAP and we can do an online lesson through Zoom at the normal lesson time - see Zoom settings page: Lucy's Zoom Set Up Advice page
  • Contact me to see if there are any spare lesson slots you could swap into that week. Occasionally I will offer replacement lessons in holiday periods, but I try to avoid that if possible. 
  • If appropriate, and if I have time, I will create 3 Seesaw videos for the student to follow for the week.  They will contain things that we would have done in the lesson anyway and tips for what to do at home.  I will be creating them during the lesson time that they would have had, will have planned them and hence will charge the normal lesson fee for this or a proportion of it. Ie: 30 minutes charge instead of a 45 minute lesson.


Payments

Tuition covers not only the actual lesson time spent with the student, but time preparing for each student as well and my ongoing business costs, including:


  • My time working on an individualised plan for each student’s course of study
  • My training and experience with continued professional development
  • Professional organisation memberships
  • Costs such as Information Commissioner fees, apps I use for teaching, planning, admin
  • Website hosting etc. 
  • My music lending library
  • Printing, scanning, copying


Fees are charged by the hour  - £36 as at school year 2023-4 pro-rated down to the lesson time we have agreed. 

The minimum lesson is 30 minutes but I encourage all students to have 45 minute lessons where possible as there is so much to cover in my holistic approach. 

Adults are encouraged to have an hour lesson. 

Invoices will be sent out at the end of each half term, generated by my music accounting software called "My Music Staff".  Because you are paying in arrears, please try and pay promptly.  Automatic reminders are sent out after a few weeks.

Please pay by BACs if you can but I will accept cheques and Cash if necessary. 


Exams

I do not prioritise exams but can enter students to exam boards if they wish.  

Students wishing to sit practical music exams will need to have been learning with me for at least one year before I will enter them for an exam. I need this time to ensure they are ready, that exams are the right thing for the student and to cover areas missing in a student’s prior education. Students looking to take exams should be aware that it takes a huge amount of effort, determination and stamina and significantly reduces the time available to other more creative pursuits. Extra lessons may be required.  Students are entered for exams only when they are fully prepared. This is to avoid having to pull out of an exam (you don't get your money back) or having a really stressful exam experience which can put students off for life. 

Please see my separate page about Exams for more info.


Terminating Lessons

If you wish to terminate lessons with me, I require a half term notice or 6 weeks payment.  

Do feel free to contact me for a chat however, if you/your child isn't happy with the lessons.  I won't take umbrage!  Piano isn't to everyone's tastes and is a lot harder than people think.  Also sometimes students are shy to tell me if the material covered isn't to their taste.  I can adapt lesson content but if my style doesn't suit - that's fine!  I'd rather time wasn't wasted and hence another teacher found. 


Health

I carry out risk assessments and follow the Incorporated Society of Musicians and government guidance.  

  • I am teaching in person in the front room with windows open when respiratory illnesses are prevalent 
  • During an infectious Covid wave or if a student is showing respiratory symptoms, I may wear a Cambridge mask which has 99.6% viral filtration unless a considerable distance away from pupils.  (It has a valve but the holes point down so no breath is released forward). 
  • I do not expect students to wear a mask but they are welcome to do so if they wish
  • We will continue to sing as this is vital to developing "inner hearing" and musicianship but this will be at a distance or with me masked up. 
  • All lessons are separated by at least 5 minutes unless silblings are following. 
  • I have hand sanitiser available and students can use the toilet and hand washing facilities at my house.

Parking

We now have single yellow lines painted down our road.  They indicate you are not allowed to park there during the 1-2pm as per the sign detail. 

Please be considerate of my neighbours and your safety and to avoid my husband's blood pressure rising please can you avoid parking across the driveway entrance.  ðŸ˜‰


Data Protection and Safeguarding

  • I am CRB/DBS checked
  • I have my own Safeguarding Policy (please ask me for a copy if you wish to see it)
  • I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office
  • I have my own Privacy Notice, which families need fill in detailing out, on how I use/store your information and asking for consent on using photos etc.