Learning To Play Piano With Us Is Easy And Fun

Our Goals

• To teach you the tools to enable you to have playing the piano as a life-long companion.
• To have you be an all-round musician, capable of playing all genres of music, as well as improvising and composing.
• To have a large repertoire, that you can play anytime, anywhere.
• To have a highly positive learning experience.

Our Studio

• The studio is located at retail premises at 202 Murray Street, Colac.
• Please note there are no toilets at the premises. Please ensure children have been to the toilet prior to the lesson and have clean hands. Lessons will not be paused for toilet trips. If you must leave to go to the toilet that time cannot be made up.
• Pablo the dog may be at the premises. If you have any allergies, you may wish to have online lessons.
• The piano will be disinfected between lessons.
• COVID-19 Safety requirements will be adhered to. Please do not attend the studio if you feel ill or have been in contact with someone that is ill. You can still have your lesson online if you feel up to it.

About Your Tuition

• Your tuition is an all-inclusive model to include 40 weekly lessons and 1 Piano Party per year.
• We operate on a year round basis and observe 11 Holidays plus 1 Teacher Training Week for a total of 12 non-lesson weeks. There will be no classes during the entire week containing an observed holiday (see separate calendar). The flat monthly rate takes into consideration that all students will receive 40 weekly lessons, regardless of what day of the week their class is held. Some months will contain 2, 3, 4, or 5 lessons but your tuition will not fluctuate month to month.
• The Teacher Training Week will be a floating schedule determined by each individual instructor. You will be advised as soon as the Training is booked as to what week there will be no lesson.
• We host 1 studio-wide Piano Party (recital) per year. Dates and locations will be announced. There is no additional fee to participate in the piano party. However, during the week of a Piano Party, the rehearsal and performance is considered your lesson for that week.
• To maximize the value of your tuition, consistent class attendance and participation at all Piano Parties is highly encouraged.
• All students under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent (home coach) who will be an active participant in the lesson. This applies to in studio and online lessons. If you are unable to coach your child, please ask us about our Home Coach program.

Payments, Due Date, and Cancellations

• On enrolment, a $50.00 fee is payable to secure your spot. This fee covers our administration fees and is non-refundable, even if you decide not to begin lessons.
• When you begin lessons, you will be given an invoice either by email with your monthly tuition fee. This will be a recurring invoice until otherwise notified.
• Tuition is due on the 1st of the month to secure your spot for that month. A $20 late fee will be added if tuition is not received by the 5th of the month. Late fees will be invoiced separately or added to your next month’s invoice.
• You may pay your invoice with a credit or debit card via Stripe. Alternatively, please contact your bank to set up a Direct Debit to automate monthly payments. Please make payments to:
• Name: JS & LE Innes
  Bank: Commonwealth Bank
• BSB: 063-009 Account no: 10510565
• Reference: use student’s name (or family name for 2 or more students)
• Due to safety reasons, we no longer accept cash payments for tuition.
• Cancellations to discontinue lessons require a 30-day written notice. This enables us to modify teacher and student schedules accordingly. Please email Leeanne@tinklingivoriespiano.com with your cancellation request.

Tuition Discounts

• We offer a $10 family discount for the 2^nd and subsequent student(s) within the same immediate family.

Referral Reward

• Earn $50.00 cash for every new enrolment referred by you!
• You must be enrolled as a Tinkling Ivories Piano Studio student to be eligible for referral reward.
• The reward will be applied to the referring student after the new student completes their first full month of lessons.

Student Home Materials

• Materials are to be purchased by the student directly from the Simply Music Student website at https://students.simplymusic.com or the Innermusician website at https://courses.innermusician.com. Your teacher will inform you of the materials required for class.
• Immediate family can share the same Simply Music Student and/or Innermusician account.
• Using your student home materials as directed by your teacher is crucial and required for progress.
• Please make sure your Simply Music Student account is connected to Leeanne Innes Teacher ID #264.

Required Student and Home Coach Behaviour

• Only the enrolled student and home coach are permitted to be at the lesson. Please note there is no place in the studio for siblings to wait.
• Please ensure children have been to the toilet prior to the lesson and that their hands are clean.
• No food, drink or gum is allowed in the studio. You may bring a water bottle.
• No offensive slogans on clothing or inappropriate clothing.
• All mobile phones must be switched to silent or off during class.
• For online lessons, your piano space must be quiet. No TV, radios or kids running around in the background. We need an optimized learning space.
• If you blow your nose, you are required to use the hand sanitizer. No exceptions.
• Unruly behaviour such as answering back, being rude, hitting, spitting, biting or generally having a tantrum will not be tolerated. The teacher will direct you to deal with your child if their behaviour is impacting on the class. If a child becomes unteachable during a lesson, we reserve the right to cancel the child’s class for the day. This time is forfeited and cannot be made up.
• Special Needs – the teacher will work with the parents to achieve the best possible outcome for the student. We have not had training dealing with violence and accordingly are unable to teach students who are prone to violence.
• The studio will not tolerate discrimination of any kind based on race, religion, sexual preference, disability or any other act which may be considered discriminatory.
• The studio is not to be used as a platform for promoting any business, politics, sale of goods, religious views or anything whatsoever other than the teaching of the Simply Music program.
• Due to the teacher’s many allergies, we ask that you not give us gifts. Donations to the Music Library are appreciated, as are cards when appropriate.

Student Requirements

• The student is to follow the direction of the teacher at all times.
• To meet the minimum requirements of practice, which will be advised in class.
• Write down your notes as directed by the teacher and nothing else.
• To use the Better Practice App and record your practice each session.
• Not to watch ahead in any of the student home material videos.
• Practice all your current assignments each week.
• Keep your playlist alive.

Parent/Home Coach Requirements

• All students under the age of 16 must be accompanied by a parent (home coach) who will be an active participant in the lesson. This applies to in studio and online lessons. If you are unable to coach your child, please ask us about our Home Coach program.
• Be supportive of the student’s requirement to attend lessons and practice.
• To be encouraging and non-critical.
• To ensure the student practices, even when they don’t want to.
• To provide the student with a full size piano or keyboard with weighted keys and a sustain pedal.
• Keep the student’s piano regularly tuned.
• Follow the teacher’s direction in class and take notes on behalf of the student.
• Guide the student with the use of the Student Home Materials.

Practice App & Lab Program

• All students will be given access to their own account with Better Practice at https://betterpracticeapp.com, a web-based application where teachers will add student assignments and students will track their practicing.
• Students are expected to practice most days of the week to ensure progress, and utilize any/all the student home materials as directed by the teacher.
• If you need additional support with practicing, please consider enrolling in our Lab Tutoring Program where practice is supervised up to 1-hour per week by a tutor to ensure accuracy and efficiency.

Lesson Duration

• All Play-A-Story lessons are 25-30 minutes, regardless of class size.
• Private Simply Music lessons are 25-30 minutes.
• Shared/Group Simply Music lessons lessons are 35-50 minutes, depending on the number of students:
  • 35 minutes for 2 students
  • 40 minutes for 3 students
  • 50 minutes for 4 or more students
• Special Needs students lesson length will be on a case-by-case basis.

Attendance & Absences

• When you enrol in lessons, you are paying to secure a specific time, on a specific day with your teacher. This is the time that you are paying for, and this time is reserved indefinitely as your lesson time. As such, classes missed for any reason cannot be credited or refunded.
• If you need to make a permanent schedule change after you’ve already started lessons, please notify us at least 2 weeks in advance. We will do our best to accommodate your request.
• Regular and prompt attendance is required to make appropriate progress. Please plan to arrive and depart from lessons on time as this will help facilitate efficient use of class time.
• In case of absence, students are responsible for notifying the studio and checking their assignments on Better Practice App, especially if they are in group lessons.
• Parents are expected to stay in class during their child’s lesson and be an active participant in the class. This applies to in studio and online lessons.

Make-up Lessons

• We do not do make-up lessons. However, if you have fallen behind your group due to absence or need extra tuition, we may schedule an extra class for you. This extra class will be charged an additional fee.

Holidays

• If you must miss lessons for an extended amount of time, please notify the studio in advance to work out a lesson plan.
• You are required to either continue paying your monthly tuition or pay a $50 re-enrolment fee on your return.
• Keep in mind, however, that continuation within the same shared/group may require additional private lessons at your expense to catch up with the group.
• If we feel it is appropriate, we may move you to a different shared lesson.

Sick Leave

• We have scheduled 2 weeks of sick leave into the yearly tuition. Your teacher will notify you if they are unable to teach due to illness.

Performances

• There is one studio organized Piano Party (recital) per year to provide students with a different venue in which to share their talents. These are fun, informal events that expose students to different ways in which piano-playing skills can be enjoyed. During the week of the Piano Party, the rehearsal and performance replaces that week’s lesson.
• Weekly group classes also give students the opportunity to play for others, increasing their comfort and confidence levels, as well as providing a social setting in which to share music.

Questions? Call us at 0403 327 668 or email tinklingivoriespiano.com