Frequently Ask Questions and Piano and Guitar Tuition Terms

FAQ's & Terms

Piano & Guitar Tuition FAQ'S & TERMS

The following FAQs should answer most people’s queries. Our Terms and Conditions are also covered in this same section.

Q: Which instruments do you teach?

A: Piano, Keyboards, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, and Bass Guitar.

Q: Where do the lessons take place?

A: Lessons can take place in the student’s own home or online via a choice of video-call platforms. Our normal travelling range for home visits embraces Bromley, Beckenham, Hayes, and West Wickham. Adjacent areas such as Shirley, Petts Wood, Chislehurst, and Orpington involve a small travel supplement. If you are outside of any of these areas, you could either pay a greater supplement or take lessons online.

Q: How long is each lesson?

A: Due to the fact that learning a musical instrument requires intensive concentration, involving both motor skills and intellectual focus, educational psychologists advise that such lessons should be no longer than half an hour. This is now the case for children in schools. Any longer than this can be difficult physically for beginners, in terms of muscle and joint strains. Also, a longer session could feel overwhelming mentally due to the amount of information involved. 

Following this advice, our music tuition packages start at half an hour per lesson, but with an optional 10 minutes should the student have any questions about the lesson or require further clarification on any of the points covered. Therefore, the session with the teacher can last up to 40 minutes. Regarding home visit lessons, we allow up to 40 minutes on the premises, so that the lesson itself is at least half an hour following the time taken for the tutor to enter and exit the premises and get set up for the lesson.

Q: How often are the lessons?

A: In order to achieve significant and sustained progress, students need to have a music lesson on a weekly basis, which, therefore, is our policy. Having frequent and regular contact with the tutor is essential for momentum, continuity, and motivation, as well as to make sure that anything being practised in a wrong way is corrected quickly. However, where there are special circumstances that prevent a student from being able to attend weekly, it might be possible to arrange a longer lesson fortnightly.

Q: How many lessons will I need?

A: There is no one answer to how many lessons a client will need, as this will depend on a variety of factors, including how far they want to take their learning of the instrument, how often they are able to practise and how quickly they master each step.

Q: How much do lessons cost and how are they paid for?

A: Fees are by arrangement with the tutor, as they will vary according to the client’s specific requirements and circumstances. Issues that will affect the price will include whether it is a home visit or online, the length of the lesson, the time of day and if additional support is required in between the teaching sessions outside of that included (see below).

Also, existing clients might want additional assistance with audition or performance pieces. For those with serious financial difficulties, there are a limited number of low budget concession lessons, where our organisation pays something towards those lessons. These sessions are slightly shorter and do not include any additional benefits, such as the provision of lesson notes and extra support between lessons. A concession request is at the discretion of the teacher and may require the submission of circumstantial evidence to support a claim for this kind of package.

Great news! The first introductory session is FREE. Also, unlike most teaching organisations, with us, there are no additional charges once the fee is agreed. Our normal packages also include all tuition media (usually in the form of PDF documents delivered via email - hard copies can be provided), notes summarising the lesson and additional support for students in between lessons (up to 2 text or message exchanges per week).

Lessons are booked in advance in blocks of 6 lessons and are paid by direct bank transfer or by a method agreed with the tutor (we do not accept cheques). In order to reserve the same tuition slot, payment for the next block of lessons becomes payable at the end of the last lesson consumed in the previous block.

Q: Is there a cancellation policy?

A: If you need to cancel a lesson, that is no problem, but, like most organisations in the service sector, regardless of the reason for the cancellation, we have a strict 48-hour notification policy to avoid losing that lesson. This could happen twice in the same block of lessons. However, no more than 2 lessons can be cancelled within the same block of 6 lessons without losing those additional sessions cancelled. In the event of lessons being cancelled frequently over several blocks of lessons, we might have to bring to an end the tutoring of that client.

Please note that the above-mentioned cancellation requirements do not apply to pre-arranged schedules agreed with the tutor at the time of payment, so any holiday arrangements should be discussed before paying for the block of lessons that would be affected.

Although lessons can be postponed in accordance with the above-mentioned cancellation criteria, we do not make refunds in the event of a student cancelling a lesson, or course of lessons, once payment has been received.

Q: Can lessons be purchased as a gift?

A: Yes, many people buy lessons as a gift for a birthday or Christmas present or for another special occasion. This can be in the form of online lessons or home visits (if within our visiting range). 

Where a single ‘experience’ music lesson or block of lessons is purchased as a gift, that lesson or the first lesson in the block must be consumed within 3 months of that purchase to avoid those lessons becoming void. Just arrange this with us and we will send you a confirmation email that you can send on to the recipient of the gift. They will then need to contact the tutor, using the information given in the email, to arrange the time of the lesson. Please note that our free introductory session only applies if a full block of 6 lessons is purchased, either as the gift or subsequently by the recipient of the gift.

Q: What is the age-range covered?

A: Our teaching style is focused on adults and teenagers who want to learn for their own pleasure or because they want to perform or play with other musicians. The teacher will always be DBS checked.

Q: Which musical genres are being taught and do they include classical?

A: The main focus is on contemporary music, including pop, rock, jazz, blues, and well-known songs. However, there are some popular classical pieces in our piano and keyboard courses, but these are optional. We also offer a separate piano/keyboard course in jazz, blues, and boogie-woogie for those with a particular interest in this area.

Q: What is the teaching style and approach used in the lessons?

A: Lessons are delivered in a manner that is very easy to understand, with jargon and pre-conceptions kept to a minimum, using a time-tested step-by-step approach. All lessons are conducted on a one-to-one basis, as, over time, this has been proved to be the best way of learning a musical instrument. 

This is because personal strengths and weaknesses can be quickly identified. It also means that the progress of any one individual is not held back due to a weaker student in a group situation. Sometimes the teacher will play along with the student, thus making the lessons interactive and, above all, FUN. Therefore, our students usually learn quickly, but are free to learn at their own pace and without the pressure of exams.

Q: What areas of learning are covered in the sessions?

A: Unlike many music schools, we cover a wide range of aspects to understanding and playing music, including reading music (or tablature for guitar), chord theory and improvisation techniques. 

This is because we believe in helping our students to master the actual instrument, rather than just one or two methods of playing or being stuck with one particular style of music. Therefore, students can interact confidently with other musicians in a band or contemporary setting, should they wish to do so. Detailed information about what areas of learning are covered is shown on this website under the specific instrument of interest.

Q: Are there exams and what acknowledgement of progress do students receive?

A: We believe that exams can be a hindrance to progress, especially for individuals not suited to the exam environment or put off by the lack of flexibility imposed by a rigid syllabus. Also, unlike classical, a fixed syllabus with exams is not well suited to contemporary music, which contains a lot of free-style improvisation.

However, some students find it beneficial and encouraging to mark their progress through receiving an exam-free Certificate of Achievement. These are awarded by the teacher when they feel that the student has reached certain levels within their course. They are optional but have been used to assist clients in gaining access to further education in music or to roles within the music industry, when combined with a reference letter from the tutor.

Q: Do potential students need their own musical instrument and can they get advice on which one to buy?

A: Yes, students will need their own instrument. If someone has not yet got an instrument to learn on and they book lessons with us, we are happy to offer free advice on what instrument to purchase to suit the client’s requirements.

Q: What if I have a query or need support outside of the lesson?

A: There is a completely free text, messaging or email support service should the student need clarification on any of the points covered in previous lessons. However, this is not for completely new areas not yet reached in the lessons. Most students find that they do not need to use this service very often, but up to 2 free message exchanges per week are available if required. Further support can be arranged for an additional charge, as can a reference letter for a music-related job or educational institution.

Q: Will my tutor be Andy Graham and, if so, is further information available about Andy’s background and teaching experience?

A: Yes, at the current time, all lessons are being delivered by our Head Teacher, Andy Graham. Information about Andy's background and experience is included on this website under the section about Andy Graham on the 'Music Teacher' page. Also, please see the page showing Students’ Testimonials.

Q: What is your policy regarding privacy and contact preferences?

A: In line with GDPR requirements, please note the following. We will keep your personal details secure and will not share them with any third party, unless you ask us to do so (for example, in an educational reference letter). We will only communicate with you through the initial contact details presented to us, and then through any additional means of contact that you choose to share with us.

You can change your communication preferences with us at any time. However, please note that all emails and online messages require third parties for their onward transmission, and so are never 100% secure. We keep our own security software up to date but cannot be held responsible for third party involvement in transmission that is outside of our control.

Additional Note: We reserve the right to refuse to tutor, or to refund and terminate a tutoring arrangement, with any individual without having to explain the reasons for that decision. Historically, this has rarely been necessary.

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