Frequently Asked Questions
What ages do you teach?
I teach all ages, from children age 6 and above, to adults and the retired who want to pick up a new skill!
You may question why I limit children to ages 6+; this is because sitting at a piano for 30 minutes takes a lot of concentration for a little one and also requires good listening and clear communication!
From experience, I have noticed that most children younger than 6 struggle with these skills, however if your child is very passionate about learning and believes they would be ready, send me a message to enquire and I may offer a trial lesson.
Am I getting a reasonable price for lessons?
The benefit of a home visiting teacher, is that you don't need to worry about travel! This saves you not just time avoiding traffic, but also petrol money towards going to and from lessons every week. Being the teacher, I spend extra time and money between lessons travelling to each student, which is why my prices are set as they are.
A majority of the cost is placed from the teaching I provide which includes motivating teaching approaches curated for the specific student, as well as my homemade musical resources such as guide sheets and posters which the student can use to aid them with their learning. The teaching also includes feedback at the end of each lesson, either written in a practice diary or verbally communicated with the student (up to their preference) , and any helpful guidance sent to parents or the student after the lesson to help with their practice.
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Online lessons are offered at a slightly cheaper rate, as there are no travel costs or time needed as the teacher.
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What do I need before starting lessons?
Because I am travelling to you, I require your living space to have a piano or keyboard already situated. Should you not have either and need some recommendations, send me an email and I will be happy to offer suggestions, depending on your price budget and needs. I will keep you updated on what books need to be purchased for lessons and practice.
How do I book a lesson?
Once you are ready to start lessons, you can send me an email or enquire on our website.
From your email or message, I can have a look through my schedule, then organise & communicate with you the best slot possible for your requirements.
Should you need a time slot which is fully booked and not available, you will be added to my waitlist so that if a spot opens up, you are first in line!
How do I pay for lessons?
Pianist Playbook is a cashless business, so payments are to be made via bank transfer.
Details of this will be provided once lessons begin.
After confirmation, I require payments to be made in weekly batches, so that it is easier to track overall. Should you cancel a lesson within the agreed cancellation policy, I can either reschedule you within the week according to availability, or that week's lesson is missed with no lesson fee charged.
Please note that Pianist Playbook has the right to pause or terminate lessons if there is an ongoing late payment with fees. Thank you for your understanding.
What if I can't attend a lesson or I want to reschedule?
Sometimes, it is unavoidable to miss a lesson due to a variety of reasons and that's understandable!
With Pianist Playbook, we have a current 24 hour cancellation and reschedule policy. This means that as long as you contact me to cancel a lesson or ask to reschedule by 24 hours before the lesson was scheduled, you won't be charged e.g. emailing me on a Wednesday to say you can't attend a lesson on the Friday.
However, if you contact me about a cancellation or reschedule any later than 24 hours before a lesson
e.g. sending a text on a Thursday night when a lesson is scheduled for the Friday afternoon,
the lesson fee will still be charged.
There may be the case where you contact me to reschedule before the 24 hour period begins and unfortunately due to a full schedule, I am unable to offer you a different time slot for that week.
If this occurs, you will not be charged for the week.
How long do I practice before the next lesson?
Practice amounts are different for every student, depending on their age and music level.
We have full understanding that schedules may be busy with school and other extracurricular activities; despite this, we ask for best efforts at home along with honesty to the teacher
regarding how long a student has practiced.
For example, by taking 10 minutes a day to practice at home, a student can arrive at the next lesson with confidence over what we have done and be ready to move on to new exciting material. If a student enters a lesson having done little to no practice, it is likely that a good amount of the lesson will be going over what was done the past lesson, limiting the growth and the enjoyment for the student!
Should a student be unsure or struggling to practice what was done in lesson, we highly advise
them to be honest to their teacher, who can offer some helpful tips to structure their practice.
Remember, we were students once and there is never a silly question!
Should I or my child do ABRSM Music grades?
ABRSM Music grades are completely optional to the student!
Some may find it motivating, having a grade to work towards and developing their performance level and ability to achieve a pass, merit or distinction result. This can help ease the students into the ideas and concepts of practicing piano, and helps them become an all-rounded musician by studying scales, sight reading and aurals on top of their pieces.
Other students may not like the idea of an exam or feel nervous thinking about it! This is okay, students are never forced into grades and I would much prefer one to enjoy playing the piano as a hobby than stress about it and quit within a few months!
You may not consider the idea of grades at first, but you may change your mind and fancy it later so it all depends on how you, the student, feels as you go through lessons - there's no deadline to begin.
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