MUSIC: TERMS OF AGREEMENT
I will send parents a copy of the following terms of agreement which must be signed, dated and returned prior to commencing lessons.
Piano, Flute & Theory Tuition
You Can Expect:
- Professional and reliable service tailored to your level
- A 45 minute or 1 hour one-to-one weekly lesson during term time
- To learn a wide variety of music from classical to modern
- Technical advice
- Music reading, aural and theory teaching
- Preparation for exams, festivals and concerts as required
My Visits to Tutor & Safeguarding
Please provide a calm room that I can teach in; with the appropriate instrument ready. You will need to have your own instrument.
I welcome the presence of parents who must be in the house for the duration of the lesson.
The room where the lesson takes place should have an open door.
Lively pets and youngsters need to be out of the way and please switch off televisions, computers and games where the lesson takes place.
Feedback and discussion with parents will be incorporated into the lesson; I will not be able to stay and debrief you for 10 or 20 minutes after the lesson so please be around for part or all of the lesson. I will remain with you for the full duration of the time you have booked me for and will leave promptly so that I can keep good time with all my students.
Lessons Online & Safeguarding
Some of my teaching takes place on line and this can work very well, especially for music theory lessons.
In order to ensure the safety of both the student and myself, I ask that:
- A parent/guardian is in close proximity to the child during the lesson and that the door to the room is open
- The designated parent/guardian must speak to me at the beginning and end of the lesson
- Any administration/resources shared electronically must be exchanged only with the student's parent/guardian (if student is over 18 this is not an issue).
Online safety is very important, the NSPCC
advises that parents and teachers need to talk to children about online safety.
Do remind your child:
- not to share private information
- not to respond to contact requests from people they don’t know
- who they should tell if they see or hear anything upsetting or inappropriate
- to use the privacy tools on the services they use, so that the content they post is only available to people they know and trust in real life
A Parent’s Role
The most accomplished musicians always have the support of a committed parent. A supportive parent helps the young musician to structure their routine and reminds them of what their tutor advises in the lessons. They need your support because beginner pupils think that simply playing through pieces is doing their practice. I will show pupils how to practice productively but the young musician will need reminders and encouragement from you between each lesson.
Learning an instrument is rewarding and with effort, enjoyable. Many skills are nurtured through learning an instrument such as coordination, resilience, perseverance, cognitive development and creativity - nothing works the brain so well as music!
Payment of Lessons and Cancellations
I will invoice you at the beginning of each half term, or monthly. The invoice needs to be paid in full, by BACS transaction during the first week of the half term/month. If you need to cancel a lesson, please give me at least 72 hours notice so that I can endeavour to reschedule your lesson for that week. It is not always possible to reschedule lessons and missed lessons will be charged for. If I miss your lesson it will be made up or refunded.
Practice
“The origin of genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.”
This is a famous quote attributed to Thomas Edison and he was absolutely right! Being a good musician is little to do with natural talent and everything to do with effort. Learning an instrument is demanding and requires commitment. You will not improve if you only play once a week in your lesson – you must practise every day.
I understand that family life is busy but if there is not a regular practice schedule, it is simply a waste of time and money. Practice makes perfect and you need to practise until you can’t make a mistake!
Technique
Technical exercises will be explained, demonstrated and set each week. These may take the form of studies, scales, arpeggios or tone exercises for flautists. Proceeding with a good technique enables you to attain physical mastery in order to play pieces well. Each practise session at home should begin with technique, rather like a sportsman works on skills and strength.
Data Protection
We will need contact details for each student and information about their learning needs and any medical issues. This helps us to communicate with you and also to meet the needs of the student. In some cases the details will be used when entering students for exams (graded music exams). The format in which the records will be kept will be either manual record (personal file within filing system), computer record (database) or both. They will be kept securely in accordance with Tip Top Tutoring's data protection obligations. We will not pass your details on to any third parties. Personal data shall be adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary in relation to the purpose(s) for which they are processed. Tip Top Tutoring take all reasonable steps to destroy or delete all personal data that is held in its systems when it is no longer required. We do not process personal data for any reason unrelated to our tutoring role.
Information which may be sought and recorded prior to commencing lessons and while a student is studying with Tip Top Tutoring:
- Personal identifiers (name, age, address, date of birth, sex)
- Details of parents/guardians (names, address, email address, Skype address, phone numbers)
- Safeguarding information (such as court orders and professional involvement)
- Special educational needs (including nature of needs)
- Medical and administration (such as doctors’ pupil health, allergies, information on physical/mental disability, medication and dietary requirements)
- Assessment and attainment (such as school work, marks and exam results, courses enrolled for or musical instruments played)
- Behavioural information (such as attendance, exclusions and any relevant alternative provision put in place)
- Information on previous academic record
From time to time we like to upload photos or videos of students and their work on the Tip Top Tutoring website, Facebook page or Twitter. We respect that not all parents give consent to this so please indicate your preferences clearly when you sign the terms of agreement.
Updated: 3rd July 2020
**You will be asked to sign and date a form to show that you agree to provide relevant information about the student.**
