Refund & Cancellation Policy

Attendance

To make good progress on learning the piano I recommend receiving one lesson per week. When you are cancelling more than one lesson per month on a regular basis, you are seriously impeding your rate of progress and advancement. Therefore, as an advantage to you, please prioritise your lesson time with me, as I will with you.

  1. Keeping cancellations to a minimum.
  2. Making sure your other appointments (doctor/dentist/tutoring/counselling, etc) are scheduled on other days/times.
  3. Asking for permanent time changes infrequently (no more than twice a year is ideal).
  4. Giving consideration to your music lesson time before signing up for conflicting events.

Student Illness

Please cancel if you are too sick to go to school or work. I will do the same, as a courtesy to you. (Refund policies below)

Student Cancellations

Acceptable reasons for cancelling are illness, death in the family, or medical emergency. Unacceptable reasons: Student didn’t practice this week, we forgot, student has a conflicting sports practice, we are too busy this week, doctor’s appointment, etc. Please notify your teacher in writing (e-mail or text is sufficient) of all cancellations/ time change requests. The following refund policies will be observed:

  • No-shows: still charged.
  • Student cancels with less than 24-hours’ notice: Still charged. Last-minute emergencies considered on a case-by-case basis.
  • Student cancels with 24 hours to 6 days’ notice: Lesson will be rearranged (no refund), subject to teacher availability. (This may take the form of going in a cancelled spot, doubling the length of the next week’s lesson or giving the absent student’s lesson time to another family member)
  • Student cancels with one week (7 days) or greater notice: no charge (limit 1 per month).

Teacher Cancellations

Teacher cancellations are generally rare. If I cancel for illness or other reason, I will offer to reschedule or refund your lesson or service. Refunds for cancellations the teacher did not reschedule will be issued and reflected on the next month’s invoice as a credit.

Snow/Inclement Weather Cancellations

I do not follow the school and government cancellations. The afternoon road conditions are often much better than the morning road conditions, so I often teach on days when the schools have cancelled. However, if road conditions are too hazardous to drive in, I will cancel lessons and offer to reschedule or refund. You will be notified by text for same-day cancellations.

Withdrawal from Lessons

It is my hope that you will continue your lessons for years, as many of my families do. But I understand that piano is not for everyone, and circumstances change. In the event that you wish to withdraw from regularly scheduled lessons at any time of year, please provide at least one month’s written notice of withdrawal.

Provided that one month’s written notice of withdrawal is provided, for your monthly payment plan: No refund for missed lessons already paid for, but unused balance may be transferred to another family member if used immediately.

Taking a Break

You may take a break at any time of year for travel or other reason, but you must give me one month’s written notice (notify me one month before your last lesson) to avoid any additional charges. A hiatus without payment is considered to be withdrawal/ unenrollment, so I am not under obligation to hold your spot for you while you are gone. However, I will do my best to work with your schedule when you when you return!

Termination of Lessons by the Teacher

I do reserve the right to terminate your lessons for any reason. This situation can be entirely prevented by keeping your account in good standing and putting a good effort into your lessons and practice. I understand occasional bad practice weeks, the occasional late payment, illness, and busy schedules. So it is my hope to avoid this situation with all of my valued students. However, I cannot be infinitely tolerant of ongoing attendance issues, excessive cancellations, consistent lack of effort/practice, poor attitude at the lesson, and clients who are consistently late paying.