Terms & Conditions

Lessons

1) CANCELLED LESSONS

a) We require at least 24hrs notice of absence to reschedule a lesson or offer a makeup lesson. Less notice than this will result in the lesson being lost; you will still be charged for the lesson.

b) To cancel a lesson, use the email reminder you received. It gives you the option to cancel or reschedule the lesson.

c) Notice can also be sent via:

• email to reception@fretvision.com

• text message to 0488 826 660

• phone 6255 0016

• We check our inbox and answering machine daily!

d) All lessons correctly cancelled, whether due to a student having other commitments, being ill or for any other reason, must be made up during the current term and won't be credited or refunded at any point.

e) Where we have cancelled a lesson due to teacher absence, a makeup lesson will be offered, but if it is not convenient or possible to fit in, the lesson may be credited to your next scheduled debit.

2) MAKEUP LESSONS

a) When a lesson has been cancelled with sufficient notice (at least 24hrs), you will receive an email confirming the cancellation. This email has a button on it that allows you to book a makeup lesson for the one missed.

b) You may choose another time with:

• your current teacher

• another teacher that teaches the same instrument

• a different instrument teacher (this can be a great opportunity to try out something new; it can also be advantageous in a students overall music education to learn how to play different instruments)

3) RESCHEDULING LESSONS

a) You can reschedule a lesson using the email reminder you received or by the means mentioned above in 1c.

b) Lessons can be rescheduled to another time that your teacher has available or any other teacher or instrument.

c) There is no limit to how many times you are able to reschedule lessons. 

4) TEACHER ABSENCES

a) Where a teacher is absent and unable to take your lesson, whether planned or due to illness, either:

• a replacement teacher will be organized

• a lesson on a different instrument will be offered

• a makeup lesson with the same or different teacher will be offered

• a credit may be offered toward your next scheduled debit

b) Where a substitute teacher has been organised, they will be given access to the student’s practice guide and progress tracker to be brought up to speed with where that student is at

c) Where a student takes up the offer of a different instrument lesson for the week, the teacher will be briefed and will have a lesson plan prepared to maximise the students learning experience, making sure they get the most out of it.

d) When applying for a lesson credit, a lesson credit form must be submitted and processed before the credit to can be issued.

5) TERMINATING LESSONS

a) You are able to terminate lessons at any time, you are not locked into a term period.

b) Two weeks notice is all that is required before terminating.

c) In order to give notice and terminate lessons, use the Lessons Termination Form.

Fees

1) PAYING TUITION FEES

a) All fees are paid by direct debit through Ezypay.

b) Payments are fortnightly and will always be debited on a Friday.

c) There is no lock in contract, you can cancel any time with only two weeks' notice.

d) Basic Plan - There will be six payments in total each term. Your first debit of each term will fall before lessons begin, during either week of the school holidays. There are then five subsequent payments that will fall during the ten weeks of the school term. (10 lessons @ $51 per lesson = $510 per term. 6 payments of $85 equals $510 per term)

e) Standard Plan - Each payment covers exactly two lessons. Your debit may occur the week of your first lesson. Your payments do not follow terms.

f) Premium Plan - Same as Standard Plan.

g) Note: payments are flexible and can be moved to another date if you're ever having trouble paying by a certain date.

2) HOLIDAYS

a) If you are going away for more than two weeks, we will pause your payments for the time you are away.

b) Payments will stop for 4 weeks between December and January and begin again two weeks before your first lesson.

3) ADDITIONAL CHARGES

a) Failed payments due to insufficient funds will incur a $8.80 penalty. This is added to your next debit amount.

b) To avoid this, we send a text message reminder before each payment which you can opt out of by replying STOP.

c) There are no other additional fees or charges. You may read about additional fees or charges in EZYPAY's terms and conditions, however, you won't ever pay any of these, we have absorbed them for you :)

practice

1) PRACTICE ISN'T REQUIRED BUT HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

a) Practicing between lessons is STRONGLY encouraged. You'll get the most out of your lessons with regular practice.

b) Children often won’t practice, this is normal and to be expected. Research shows that just the weekly lesson alone is enough to make permanent, positive changes in a child’s brain that will last a lifetime.

c) We find it can take some time for a child to discover the joy of music for themselves and ignite a passion for practice but when they do, they begin to consistently practice without being asked and start to make fast progress.

2) AMOUNT OF PRACTICE TIME

a) For kids between Year 1 and Year 3, we recommend 30 minutes a week, or 5 mins per day, 10 mins every other day.

b) For kids in Year 4 to 6, we recommend at least an hour per week, or 10 mins per day, 20 mins every other day.

c) For high school students, we expect between two to five hours per week, or 30 - 60 mins per day, 60 mins every other day.

d) Students of any age, as they become more competent and dedicated, should aim to increase their practice time to an hour or two each day. Some of the greatest musicians of all time practice for over ten hours a day. If you want to become real pro, research shows it requires 10,000 hours over no more than 10 years, that’s at least 3 hours per day for 10 years.

e) For effective practice, have a set daily routine that focuses on one aspect of your playing each day, for five days a week.

3) PARENT PARTICIPATION

a) Parent participation is an important factor in whether kids will practice happily or not.

b) Nagging or turning practice into a regular chore isn't generally very helpful.

c) Being interested in what your child is working on and what they have achieved is helpful.

d) Practicing, improving at an instrument, is hard work and can be boring and frustrating at times. Only ever give praise for your child’s effort and perseverance and never for their innate ability, skill or intelligence. This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s the only sure way to help them build the confidence required to keep trying when they fail.

e) We provide a “Practice Guide” each lesson to help set and log each students practice for the week. For primary school kids, it is the parent’s responsibility to see that practice is being done and done correctly. They are too young to know how to do it themselves or have the discipline and motivation to practice as much as is needed to really improve.

f) Here are some other ways you can encourage your child to practice:

• Listen to music together.

• Introduce them to new music.

• Watch live music performances.

• Help them discover music they’ll love.

• Show them music stars they could identify with.

• Play music games at home.

• Jam together or have sing along.

• Conduct mock concerts

Equipment

1) INSTRUMENT UPKEEP

a) Students are expected to keep their instruments in working order while participating in lessons.

b) Guitars require a regular string change (every 6-12 months).

c) We can restring or repair your guitar if needed, for $50 (strings included).

2) REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

a) All students are required to own or hire an instrument.

b) A music stand is highly recommend. Having no set place for a student put their music can make practice a lot more difficult.

c) We also recommend a guitar stand for guitar students so that their guitar is kept out of its case while at home. This makes it much easier to practice anytime your child gets the urge, rather than facing the task of getting it out and having to put it back in its case each time they practice.

3) INSTRUMENT HIRE

a) Instruments are hired out at a cost per week for any length of time. See Instrument Rental Page.

b) This fee will be added to your fortnightly direct debit amount.

c) There is no contract period. You are not locked in to hiring the instrument for any longer than you require it. 

d) There is no deposit required. We trust our students to take good care of their instrument.

e) If their instrument does happen to get damaged, we will attempt to fix it free of charge. If it can't be repaired or is lost or stolen, it will need to be replaced. A replacement fee equal to the value of the instrument will be added to your next debit.