Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! You can take as long as you need with my lessons, there is no set agenda and the lessons are tailored for each group.
Not at all. In fact, the oldest student I know was 97 when he started lessons!
Actually, no, it isn’t. Our experience is that students who learn in groups do better for a number of reasons. One of them is learning by observation, which has been proven by science to enable people to make better decisions themselves.
For Simply Music lessons, it will depend on the size of the group. If there are two students, the lessons will be 35 minutes long. Three students we do 40 minutes and 4 students we do 45 minutes. For private lessons, it will be 30 minutes.
We will explain that in the Free Introductory Session.
We recommend children be 7 years old to start lessons with this program. If you have younger children, we suggest they start with our Play-a-Story program.
A smartphone, laptop or tablet that you can connect to the internet with. I will provide information to you to ensure that you have maximum viewing and hearing success.
There is a maximum of 4 in each group. The teacher will endeavour for each student to have a turn each week, no matter how short. Depending on what we are working on, some weeks, that may not be possible. Students will then take it in turns to play and get their chance to shine.
The lessons are 25 minutes. All kids get distracted easily and fidget, that is normal! The lessons are interactive, so the children will be doing activities off the piano bench as well as playing. If your child needs to get up and move, that’s fine.
Yes, you will need something for your child to play on. You don’t need to spend a lot of money; an electronic keyboard is fine. Please make sure that it has weighted keys, that you need to press down to make a sound. You will also need a sustain pedal.
If you live in the Colac/Otway region of Victoria, we recommend the Roland FP10 Electronic Piano at Toshco Music, 90 Murray Street, Colac (the former Cow Lick Bookshop).
A good selection can be found here at Amazon Australia:
- Alesis Recital | 88-Key Beginner Digital Piano
- vidaXL Electronic Piano with 88 keys
- Yamaha P125 88-Key Weighted Action Digital Piano
(As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases)
There are often second-hand pianos for sale on Facebook and Gumtree. Make sure they are in good condition and if they are an acoustic piano, have been tuned regularly.
We will explain that in the Free Information Session.
Four years old is the youngest, up to six years old for this program. If your child is older than six, you can look at our Simply Music Piano lessons.
We will give you some videos you can show your child, so they will know what lessons will be like.
The session will go for about an hour. It is not a trial lesson. The session is purely to explain the program and answer any questions you have. For that reason, it’s best if just the parent attends the session if the lessons are for young children.
This session is absolutely free. I will discuss the cost of the lessons in the session, as I want to explain the value you will be getting for your money.
No, Simply Music Piano has absolutely nothing to do with the Simply Piano App by Joytunes.
Simply Music was founded by Neil Moore in 1998. Simply Piano by Joytunes was founded in 2011. It doesn’t take a genius to put two and two together.
No, not at all. You will be working with a teacher.
As part of your Student Home Materials, you are provided with access to videos of some of the material that we learn. These are only provided as a support tool to help you practice at home and are not a substitute for your teacher.
For shift workers, we have you as a “floater”. We fit your lesson in according to both our schedules each week. You will need to have private lessons.
We go by the month and enrol all year around. As payment dates for tuition fall on the first of the month, you start at the beginning of the month to get the most benefit.
Not if you don’t want to. Some people find it hard to concentrate on singing and playing at the same time. Singing does help you keep track of where you are while playing. If you don’t like the sound of your voice, you can just sing in your head.
That’s fine, you can take time off whenever you like. If you want to retain your spot, you need to pay your tuition fee to hold it. If you don’t pay, we will give you a spot if it’s available when you get back.
We require a responsible adult, be it parent, guardian, friend or grandma, to be at the lessons. The adult will need to be an active part of the lesson, learning alongside the child. The adult will then assist the child at home with practice. If you are unable to do this, ask about our Home Coach Program.
Yes, there is no age limit on piano lessons. In fact, studies have proven that music lessons are the best form of brain training. The eldest Simply Music student I know was in the USA and started lessons at 97!
Yes, absolutely. Our minimum enrolment is two months. All students need time to settle in to see if they like learning to play or not. You cannot make a judgement after one lesson.
Lessons are run all year around. We have the week off whenever a public holiday falls in Victoria, Australia. Please see our Calendar page for more information.
No. Only the student and one parent (as coach) are allowed in the lesson.
No, there are no exams. However, the students are assessed in studio at the end of each Foundation Level to ensure they are ready to move on to the next level.
Yes, we want to make lessons affordable for families. Each additional student from immediate family receives $10.00 off their monthly tuition fee.
No, you will need to come to the studio in Colac, or have lessons online.
We choose not to list our lesson fees for two reasons:
- The method we teach is unique. We want you to check what we offer before we tell you our fees. We want you to know all about us and the method before you decide. It makes sense to find out about fees after you know the value of what we offer. Come to one of our Free Introductory Sessions to find out more about us.
- If you’re price shopping for piano lessons, it’s really hard to compare us to any other piano studio since no one does what we do. It’s like comparing apples to oranges. At Tinkling Ivories Piano Studio we pride ourselves on the value that we can bring to you. We care about results more than anything.
Of course, we have taught many adults to play using the Simply Music method. Most adults just want to get straight into playing great sounding music. We do this by delaying the reading of music. You will play with both hands from the very beginning.
We have a 30 day cancellation policy. Give us 30 days notice in writing when you want to finish lessons.
No, not a contract. You will sign an Enrolment Form and agree to our Studio Policies before we accept you as a student. You pay by the month and can cancel anytime.
We start children from 4 years of age with a shortened class and using the Play-a-Story program. After a month or two, when the child is ready, we introduce the Simply Music curriculum. Older children are generally ready to start with Simply Music straight away.
Didn’t find the answer to your question?
Call us at 0403 327 668 or email tinkling ivories
