Policy
for all private lessons
◆Academic Calendar◆
The academic year will run from after Labour Day weekend to the end of June plus the summer term and is broken into three semesters.
- First Semester; Sep- Oct-Nov-Dec-Jan
Second Semester; Feb-Mar-Apr-May-Jun
Third Semester; July-August
Students are welcome at any time of the year.
There will be no lesson on statutory holidays or during the school break.
- Labour Day : September 4, 2023
Thanksgiving Day ; October 19, 2023
Winter Break ; December 25, 2023 to Jan 5, 2024
Family Day ; February 19, 2024
March Break ; March 11 to 15, 2024
Good Friday ; March 29,, 2024
Easter Monday ; April 1, 2024
Victoria Day ; May 20, 2024
Recommended weekly lesson length by different levels are;
- Beginners younger than 4 years old : 30minute lesson
Beginners older than 5 years old to Early Intermediate : 30-45minute lesson
Late Intermediate to Early Advanced: 45-60minute lesson
Advanced 60 or more minute lesson
*The lesson will be in-person or online, and I don’t offer any travelling-lessons at students’ homes.
◆Tuition◆
- Tuition can be paid for the whole year (September - August), by the semester, or monthly.
The first month’s and the last month’s tuition, or full term of tuition must be due at the time of registration.
Tuition for the upcoming month must be paid one months in advance for the monthly payment. Tuition for the upcoming semester must be paid in full one month before the next semester starts.
NSF payments and tuition not received by the due date are subject to the late payment fee of $45 and the lesson won’t be resumed until past due is fulfilled. Any missed lessons during the pending periods will still be charged without credit as make-up lessons later.
If late payments are received more than twice, the year must be paid upfront in full.
There will be no refund for missed scheduled lessons without notice or contracted lessons terminated by the student without one month’s written notice.
Payment can be made by post-dated cheque, e-transfer, or PayPal.
Tuition is charged based on the number of weeks in the month.
Extra costs such as enrolling in examinations or festivals and materials ( books, notebooks, flash cards, etc.) will be billed separately.
Your tuition covers;
- The lesson time slot throughout the academic year
Time for lesson planning and researching resources and materials(books)
Corresponding with parents and students outside of lesson time (emails and phone calls)
Photocopying
Professional fees, i.e., attending professional development courses or events
Maintenance of the studio and instruments.
MDA Piano Academy reserves the right to raise tuition at the beginning of each new academic year.
◆Attendance Policy◆
When you register to reserve your time slot, you are doing so for the academic year from September to August.
MDA Piano Academy is under no obligation to provide refunds or make-up lessons for missed or skipped lessons unless that lesson was cancelled by the teacher.
Make-up lesson for missed lessons/snow days
- Students are responsible for their reserved time slot. If a student comes late, their lesson will be shorter, but it will still finish at the same time.
Each student is allowed a maximum of TWO make-up lessons each term, which can be booked during the third Semester ( July and August). The remaining make-up lessons at the end of August won’t carry over to the next academic year.
A notice of absence must be given in advance by 12:00 p.m. on the lesson day.
A lesson cancelled after 12:00 p.m. of the lesson day and no-show will be forfeited and not offered a make-up lesson later.
The lesson will be considered cancelled for no-show after 10 minutes have elapsed without any correspondence or notice, and you won’t be offered a make-up lesson later.
All lessons missed by the teacher will be replaced.
In the event of inclement weather or self-isolation due to an illness in the family, lessons will be held online at the scheduled lesson time.
Please use your own judgment about whether it is safe to drive on snow days
Teacher Rescheduling ;
MDA Piano Academy reserves the right to reschedule lessons. Rescheduled lessons can be given in studio or online.This could occur due to music festivals, competitions, and other events.When this is the case, a minimum of 24 hours’ notice will be given via email, and the revised student lesson schedule will be available through the student/parent portal.In the case of teacher illness, notice may be given in less than 24 hours by email or phone call.
◆Termination Policy ◆
Students are expected to remain for the full year of study. One month’s written notice is required for a student to terminate lessons prior to the end of the contracted term, or one month’s tuition in lieu of notice. If you discontinue lessons on or after June 1, the Academy will retain the remainder of the tuition as an early cancellation fee.
◆Home Instrument ◆
All students must have an instrument and an adjustable piano bench at home. An acoustic piano is preferable, but a high quality full size keyboard with 88 weighted keys and pedals will suffice for beginners.
◆Teacher Responsibilities◆
Providing a trusted safe learning environment for all my students is an important priority. To ensure the comfort of my students, please understand that piano teaching requires a limited amount of hands-on instruction.
I need to touch my students in the following circumstances, as there is no better way to instruct them in their physical approach to the piano:
- Correcting hand position; I move shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists and hands to adjust and improve technique.
For sound production; I manipulate back, shoulders, arms and elbows;
Pedalling technique; I move feet with my hands;
Sitting posture, adjustments to shoulder and backbone, neck, head, legs and feet.
◆Health and Studio Conduct ◆
Hygiene ;
Illness policy: for the health of all, DO NOT bring a sick student to their lesson. a solid 24 hours with no fever, no gastrointestinal upset, flu-like symptoms, etc., and not coming at all if you or your immediate family are sick and may be contagious. If the student feels well enough to have a lesson, this may be arranged for the scheduled lesson time through an online lesson.
All students must come to lessons with clean hands. Fingernails must be kept short and clean.
Bathroom ;
Please ensure that your child has used the restroom before coming to the lesson. If your child has a medical condition and needs frequent access to a bathroom, please opt for an online lesson. Please keep the restroom clean after use. For young students, please assist your child in using the restroom. There is not enough time to clean it between each student.
Proper Studio Use:
Please be respectful of our home during lessons and ensure that our home studio environment is kept clean, quiet, and free of distractions.
Parent/student will be billed for any cost of repairs that are necessary due to abuse, negligence, intentional actions, reckless behaviour, or inattentiveness on the part of the student, student’s family members, or student’s guest. This applies to all studio property and equipment, as well as the instructor's home and personal property.
Lessons can be terminated without advance notice at the studio owner’s discretion.
