The office is open Monday to Friday 9.00am – 2.30pm.Office hours are reduced during school holidays. Frequently asked questions/terms and conditions always look harsh in black and white!Please be assured that we are a friendly, compassionate school and will try to do our best to be flexible whenever possible when asked. Terms and conditions are only there to protect our amazing team of teachers. If you have any questions or concerns at all, please email or call us - we love to hear from you!
Lessons We offer lessons all year round, with the exception of around 2 weeks at Christmas. Apart from this we are open throughout all school holidays and on bank holidays. Your teacher may take time off during the year but they will advise you in advance and you will not be charged for these lessons. You have 5 lessons holiday allowance per year. Our holiday year runs from 1st January until 31st December and new starters later in the year will have their allowance calculated on a pro-rata basis. Time off must be booked with at least 48 hours notice. Remaining holiday allowance cannot be used in lieu of notice days if you are stopping lessons (see cancellation of lessons). To book time off please advise our office and let your teacher know.
Lesson Costs Lessons cost £18 per half an hour lesson. We charge a one off £65 deposit per half hour lesson upfront and invoice in arrears at the end of each month. Invoices must be paid within 14 days. Invoices remaining unpaid after 28 days will have a £10 late payment fee added for every month they remain unpaid. Lessons with student teachers cost £13 per half hour lesson. This is the price for individual lessons. We believe that pupils achieve far more in lessons on a one on one basis than in a joint lesson, however if you feel that you or your child would prefer a joint lesson with a friend, or if you would like to share the cost with another parent please do contact us. The lesson price remains the same regardless of how many pupils are taught.
Our Studios Our studios are located at 63 Sandwich Road, Ash, CT3 2AH. Parents should stay on the premises at all times with any children aged under 16 years. If there is a circumstance that means you cannot do this then please ask your teacher for a copy of the appropriate form which must be completed prior to you leaving your child. Children remain the responsibility of their parents at all times. We run a back to back timetable so please ensure that you leave at the end of your lesson promptly and that you don’t enter the studio until your allocated lesson time has begun, it is disruptive to other pupils to have someone entering the room and preparing for the next lesson. If you have any questions for your teacher please ask these during your lesson time and do not save them until the end of the lesson when someone else should be starting theirs!
Termination of lessons We require 4 weeks notice of termination of lessons. If you hand in your notice on the day your lesson is due this does not count as one of your 4 notice lessons as we require 48 hours notice to cancel a lesson. It is up to you whether you attend your notice period or not, however you will be charged for it. If you tell us you won’t be attending we will try to book any new enquiries we get into your slot straight away and will issue you a refund for any of these lessons. Notice cannot be served nor will it be accepted during periods where the school is closed. Remaining holiday allowance cannot be used in lieu of payment once notice has been given. If you stop lessons and do not contact us to advise of this we will charge for 4 weeks missed lessons and then start the 4 weeks notice period. It is therefore very important that you tell us if you will not be continuing, we do always try to call you once a couple of lessons are missed with no contact or notice but if we cannot get hold of you we do not assume you will be stopping lessons until 4 have been missed with no notice.
What Happens If...?
Q) The pupil is ill or away on holiday?
A)As long as we are given 48 hours notice of cancellation of lesson this will be deducted from any remaining holiday allowance.
Q) The pupil forgets their lesson or 48 hours notice is not given?
A)We will charge for this lesson. Under exceptional circumstances we may deduct it from your holiday allowance but this must be agreed with the office.
Q) You miss a lesson and have no holiday allowance remaining?
A)You will be charged for this lesson.
Q) The pupil forgets their instrument or their instrument is broken?
A)The pupil should go to their lesson as normal and if an alternative instrument is not available a Theory lesson will be given.
Q) The teacher is absent? A)We will advise you of this as soon as possible. You will not be charged for this lesson, unless we are able to re-schedule at a time convenient for you.
Q) There is snow and our school is closed?
A)Lessons will be provided online.
Q) I cannot attend the music school, could I have an online lesson?
A) Yes.
Q) What if my teacher tests positive for Covid or is unwell?
A) If your teacher is unwell they will stay at home and offer an online lesson if they are well enough to do so.
Examinations We actively encourage all pupils who would like to sit examinations to do so when they are ready. We believe exams are a good for pupils, the achievement gives them a real boost and working towards an exam gives them something to aim for. We will contact you when we feel your child is ready to be entered and discuss this with you then. If you would rather you or your child is not prepared for exams just let us know – we can tailor the teaching to suit you.
Additional Costs Parents will be requested to purchase additional music required for lessons and examinations, and accessories such as reeds, valve oil, cork grease etc. as and when they are needed.
How do I Pay? We prefer to receive payment by bank transfer where possible. The details are:
Name: All Sorts of Music Ltd
Account Number: 48488888
Sort Code: 09 01 27
Reference: Pupil’s Name (very important – we cannot match up payments without this)
Bank: Santander
We also accept payment by cheque but require an additional £1 per cheque to cover new charges from our bank for cashing cheques.
Cheques should be made payable to All Sorts of Music.
Paypal is also accepted.
Instrument Purchase and Hire We offer competitive prices for instruments and on instrument hire. We have 2nd hand and new instruments available to purchase, please contact us for prices. Purchasing your instrument upfront means a lower overall cost for you. Instrument rental starts at an affordable £10 per month. After 24 monthly payments the instrument is yours to keep. There is no large upfront commitment and after 3 months you can choose to return it as long as it’s in good condition. Please contact us for more details. It is always more cost effective to purchase outright than on a monthly payment plan.
Concerts and Events We hold an annual concert at St Mary's Arts centre in Sandwich and there are also smaller performance opportunities available throughout the year. These are a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to get together and celebrate their success! The teacher will discuss the concert with their pupils if they feel they are ready and see if they would like to take part. If you are keen to perform in the concert please ask your teacher for further details. We have good links with local summer music/performance workshops and encourage pupils to take part. To stay up to date with what’s happening at the school visit our events page. You can also follow us on Facebook – just use the like button on our homepage! If you provide us with your email address we will also keep you up to date with our email newsletters, just note it on the application form in the space provided or email us on the address above to be added to our mailing list.
TERMS & CONDITIONS