Lesson Policy

Payment

Tuition is due on the 18th of the month for the following month’s lessons. Late payments will be charged 5% late fee based on the invoice total and lessons will be suspended until payment is received in full.
Fees for lesson materials and/or books are in addition to lesson fees and are not included in tuition.
Payment is accepted by cash, cheque, and e-transfer. Credit card and PayPal are accepted with a processing fee of 3%. All payments are to be sent directly to Sarah Molenaar.
The lesson fee is established at the time of registration and will increase each September.

Students are expected to attend lessons on a weekly basis during the school year (September through June).
Students have three options for getting the benefit of their lesson time:
- They can attend their lesson in person.
- They can attend their lesson online using Muzie.Live.
- Or, if they are unavailable to attend, the student may send videos of their playing, completed theory homework, and/or a list of topics they'd like videos about a minimum of 1 hour in advance of their lesson time. The teacher will spend the lesson time reviewing what was sent and the student will receive written feedback and/or the links to videos recorded for them by e-mail.
There are no makeup lessons, refunds, credits or rescheduling offered for missed lessons.
Students who arrive late to their lesson will receive the remainder of their scheduled lesson time. It is assumed that after 15 minutes of waiting with no communication about the reason for bring late, the lesson is considered forfeited.
In the rare occurrence that the teacher needs to cancel a lesson, she will provide as much advance notice as possible. If the lesson has already been paid, it will be credited to the next invoice (or refunded in the event that the student discontinues lessons).
Request to change a students’ regular weekly lesson time is subject to availability.

Lessons will not take place on all government holidays and the Sunday prior to::
- Thanksgiving (October)
- Family Day (February)
- Easter (April)
- Victoria Day (May)
Additional closures include 2 weeks for Winter Break and 1 week for March Break. Students may request an additional week for March Break holiday at no charge as long as teacher is notified prior to February 14.

Lessons in the months of July and August are sold in packages of 6 and any lessons exceeding 6 are invoiced individually.
Students have the option of securing a regular time slot or scheduling ad hoc lessons on days/times available on the online calendar.
Lessons may be cancelled/rescheduled as long as 48 hours notice is provided.
Any lessons not scheduled by the end of August will be credited towards September's lessons or refunded on August 31.

To ensure students can practice effectively at home, they must have one of the following instruments
- Acoustic Piano – Must be tuned at least every six months.
- Digital Piano – Must have 88 weighted, touch-sensitive keys, a sustain pedal, and a music stand. An adjustable bench or adjustable stand is also necessary to maintain proper playing posture.
- Keyboards or synthesizers with less than 88 keys or not touch-sensitive – only appropriate for a beginner student as it must be upgraded a digital piano within six months of starting lessons.
For guidance on selecting the right instrument, refer to this resource: Guide to buying your first instrument for piano lessons

To discontinue lessons, a minimum of two weeks (14 days) notice is required. Regardless of the students’ attendance during this time any lessons already paid for are non-refundable.
In the rare occurrence of a student not practicing on a regular basis for more than one month, the student will be put on a probationary period for the following month. If after that period there has been no noticeable improvement, the student will be kindly asked to leave the studio at the end of that month. Any post-paid lessons will be refunded.
If the student does not have an appropriate instrument to practice on at home (eg. a very out of tune piano, a keyboard with insufficient keys, or an instrument that is not touch sensitive/weighted), a minimum of 6 weeks notice will be given to make the adjustment. Lessons will be terminated at the end of 6 weeks if adjustment is not made and any remaining lessons will be refunded. When an appropriate instrument is acquired, the teacher can be contacted for availability to resume lessons.