Frequently Asked Questions

Yes you can! Lesson trials are payable and subjected to teacher/coach availability. Do contact us to find out about ongoing lesson trial promotions!

1. All successfully enrolled students will pay for a one-time non-refundable registration fee of $35
   upon enrolment of any courses.
2. There is a compulsory refundable deposit of $100 per student. The deposit will be refunded upon
   successful termination, (i.e. termination notice served duly – 1 month notice) and outstanding fees paid.
3. Students will not be given any refunds for any outstanding course fees, if they wish to
   withdraw from, or end their courses prematurely.

1. All course fee payments are done by the 1st lesson of every month.
2. Fee payments can be done by Cash or PayNow.
3. A late fee of $10/month will be imposed on any late payment on course fees and there will be strictly no waiver.
4. If a course is enrolled into when the month has started, the fees will be prorated accordingly.
5. Fees are paid based on the number of lesson weeks per month. (i.e. if there are 5 Tuesdays that month, the payment will be for 5
   lessons. If there are 4 Tuesdays, payment will be for 4 Tuesdays).
6. There is a 1 week term break every term (3 months). Do refer to the school calendar for the exact dates.
7. If a lesson falls on a government gazetted public holiday or term break, there will be no lesson and no payment required.
8. The school reserves the right to suspend lessons if the fees are not paid. All lessons are non-transferrable nor refundable.

1. For 1-1 individual classes, students are allowed to reschedule 1 lesson over a 12-week period. Once a lesson change credit is utilised, the next lesson change credit can only be granted 12 weeks later. All scheduled lessons cannot be cancelled.
2. Do give the school ample notice (>24 hours) if you’ll like to reschedule your lesson.
3. The make-up lesson have to be cleared within 6 months (2 terms).
4. Lesson change credits are non-transferrable & non-refundable, and cannot be accumulated if unused.
5. Individual make-up lessons slots can be arranged in the form of lesson extensions or another lesson replacement on another day, depending on the teacher’s availability. In the rare event the primary teacher is unable to conduct the make-up lesson, a replacement teacher will be in place.
6. All missed make-up lessons cannot be rescheduled nor replaced.
7. There are strictly no make-up classes allowable for group classes.

1. Do give the teacher/school ample notice (>24 hours) if you’ll like to utilise the lesson change credit.
2. If the student’s absence is only made known to the school shortly (i.e. < 2 hours) before class, the lesson will be counted and forfeited. We seek the understanding of students as it is fairer this way than for us to raise fees to offset cancellation losses.
3. Please be punctual for all lessons. Late lessons will not be made-up.

1. In the event you need to miss more than 2 lessons, you are advised to terminate your course (giving 1 month notice). An administration fee of $35 is applicable when you re-enrol. Should you choose to reserve/hold your slot, you will be required to pay all current or outstanding fees.

There is an article written by Dr Vicky Barham, the parent of a young violin student, who is also an economist and Dean at the University of Ottawa (Canada). She explains why make-up lessons may not be a fair system overall.

When music schools offer a lesson slot (i.e. Mondays 3pm @ $50 for 30mins), they are actually ‘selling’ that lesson slot indefinitely (until the student terminates or requests to change to another permanent slot).

The cost breakdown for each lesson consists of the following:

1. 1. 1. The teacher’s time
      2. The teacher’s teaching service/effort/planning
      3. Usage of premises & equipment
      4. Logistics planning (i.e. up-keeping studio usability and administrative tasks)

Whenever a student cannot make it for a class, the teacher will have to find another time to give up (i.e. for his/her private life) in order to accommodate a make-up class. Moreover, that original lesson slot is already considered ‘sold’ and cannot be used to ‘earn’ again. Although pointers 2, 3 & 4 are not used for that day, the teacher’s time will be voided as he/she have reserved the slot indefinitely for the student. Hence, there are limits implemented for lesson changes, as well as policies against last minute cancellations/changes as we do our best to ensure that the same teacher conducts the make-up class.

If a student is going to be absent for more than 2 weeks and wants to maintain his/her lesson slot, it is only fair for a holding fee to incur because the indefinite lesson slot was already ‘sold’ from the beginning, and cannot be ‘resold’ for any other purpose unless the student terminates lessons. Therefore, the school reserves the right to release the slot to other enquirers if no holding fee is incurred.

“Music lessons are non-durable goods – meaning, once my Monday slot at 3:30 is gone, my son’s teacher can’t turn around and sell it again. The only way she would be able to give him a lesson later in the week would be if she were to give up time that she had scheduled for her own private life; and that seems pretty unreasonable.” – Dr Vicky Barham

Dr. Vicky’s Article

I’m a parent of children enrolled in Suzuki music lessons. I’d like to explain to other parents why I feel – quite strongly, actually – that it is unreasonable of we parents to expect our teachers to make up lessons we miss, even if I know as well as they do just how expensive lessons are, and, equally importantly, how important that weekly contact is with the teacher to keeping practicing ticking along smoothly. I think that it is natural for we parents to share the point of view that students should have their missed lessons rescheduled, but if we were to ‘walk a mile’ in our teachers’ shoes, we might change our minds about what it is reasonable for us to expect of our teachers.

Like many parents, I pay in advance for lessons each term. In my mind, what this means is that I have reserved a regular spot in the busy schedules of my sons’ teachers. I understand – fully – that if I can’t make it to the lesson one week (perhaps my son is sick, or we are away on holiday, or there is some other major event at school) then we will pay for the lesson, but that my teacher is under no obligation to find another spot for me that week, or to refund me for the untaught lesson. And this is the way it should be.

In my ‘other life’ I am an economist and teach at our local university. Students pay good money to attend classes at the university; but if they don’t come to my lecture on a Monday morning, then I am not going to turn around and deliver them a private tutorial on Tuesday afternoon. When I go to the store and buy groceries, I may purchase something that doesn’t get used. Days or months later, I end up throwing it out. I don’t get a refund from the grocery store for the unused merchandise. If I sign my child up for swimming lessons at the local pool, and s/he refuses to return after the first lesson, I can’t get my money back. So there are lots of situations in our everyday lives where we regularly pay in advance for goods or some service, and if we end up not using what we have purchased, we have to just ‘swallow our losses’. On the other hand, if I purchase an item of clothing, and get home and change my mind, I can take it back and expect either a refund or a store credit.

So why do I believe that music lessons fall into the first category of ‘non-returnable merchandise’, rather than into the second case of ‘exchange privileges unlimited’ (which I think is one of the advertising slogans of an established women’s clothing store!)? Speaking now as an economist, I would claim that the reason is that items like clothing are “durable goods’ – meaning, they can be returned and then resold at the original price – whereas music lessons are non-durable goods – meaning, once my Monday slot at 3:30 is gone, my son’s teacher can’t turn around and sell it again. The only way she would be able to give him a lesson later in the week would be if she were to give up time that she had scheduled for her own private life; and that seems pretty unreasonable – I can’t think of many employees who would be thrilled if their bosses were to announce that they couldn’t work from 3:30 to 4:30 this afternoon, but would they please stay until 6:30 on Thursday, because there will be work for them then!

Many teachers hesitate to refuse our request to shift lesson times (because our busy schedules do change), because unless they keep us parents happy, we will decide to take our child somewhere else for lessons (or to drop musical study), and they will lose part of their income. This is particularly true in areas with lower average income, where it can be particularly difficult to find students. So rather than telling us that ‘well, actually, the only time when I’m not teaching and that you can bring your son for lesson is during the time I set aside each week to go for a long soul-cleansing walk, and I can’t do that on Monday at 3:30 when you should have turned up’, they agree to teach us at a time that really doesn’t suit their schedule. Teachers who are ‘nice’ in this way often, in the long run, end up exhausted, and feeling exploited; they try to draw a line in the sand. However, too few parents ask to switch only when absolutely necessary, and too many parents want lesson times when it suits them this week, which is not the same time that suited last week. If the conflict arises because my child is in the School play, and they have their dress-rehearsal during his lesson time, then I feel that I must choose between the two activities, and if he attends the dress rehearsal my private lesson teacher doesn’t owe me anything.

During May, my eldest son will be missing three lessons because he is going to accompany me on a trip to New Zealand to visit his great-grandparents. I do not expect my son’s teacher to refund me for those missed lessons, or to reschedule them by ‘doubling up’ lessons in the weeks before or after our departure. Since there will be lots of advanced notice, I might ask her to consider preparing a special ‘practice tape’ for that period, or to answer my questions via e-mail, but if she doesn’t have the time (the second half of April is going to be really busy for her, and she wouldn’t be able to do the tape until more or less the week we left) and so has to refuse, then that’s fine. I certainly don’t expect her to credit me with three make-up lessons; there is no way for her to find a student to fill a three-week hole in her schedule during our absence. Instead, I hope that she will enjoy the extra hour of rest during those three weeks, and that we will all feel renewed enthusiasm when we return to lessons at the end of the trip.

Article Copyright © 2001 Dr Vicky Barham